Lilah wasn't sure how to respond.
“Wow…okay,” she stuttered.
“How do you feel about me?” Adam asked.
Lilah let out a deep breath. Her feelings were too complicated to put into words. He’d hurt and betrayed her, but was the Adam who stood before her now the same man who had done those things?
“Honestly, I don’t know yet. You used me to find Eden, knowing the entire time what would happen to all of us once you did. That's cold and calculating in ways I can’t comprehend.”
“That’s fair,” Adam gulped. “Just know that before I met you, there were things I couldn't comprehend. I’d never met a mutant other than the one who attacked my neighbor. Meeting you and the people of Eden changed my perspective.”
Lilah could hear the sincerity in his words and his tone, but it did not change what he had done. And yet, she couldn't deny that she felt something for him too.
“It shows maturity,” Lilah said, “when a man is willing to admit they were wrong. As for my feelings toward you… I’m still figuring that out.”
Two Weeks Later
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adam
Adam had been inside the trunk for hours now, curled up in the dark as the car bounced down the road. No one drove state to state anymore, so these highways hadn’t been tended in ages. He felt his stomach twisting with each bounce and grimaced, pressing his hand to his abdomen.
Freedom had been driving for so long. They had to be close to the Indianapolis settlement. The car came to a sudden stop, and Adam’s chest tightened. This was it. He was going to face his family again. He could see the disappointment on his father’s face already.
The vehicle came to a halt. He listened to a door opening and slamming shut, the soft shuffle of footsteps and the rattling of keys. When Freedom finally pulled the trunk open, the sunlight all but blinded him. Adam sat up, placing his palm above his eyes as a shield, and looked around.
They were not in the Indianapolis settlement. They were parked in a field full of tall, yellow grass that seemed to stretch on for miles and miles. The wind whipping through the sky was the only sound Adam could hear beyond the loud hum of Freedom’s engine.
“Where am I?” Adam frowned at Freedom and shot her an accusatory glare. She’d promised to take him to see his family one last time. He wanted the opportunity to explain himself and say goodbye. He wanted to see Avery and Alex again.
“They’re coming,” Freedom promised, and as if on cue, another vehicle squeaked down the road; a silver Ford with busted windows.
Adam could make out the shape of his fathers’ head in the passenger seat. An unfamiliar man was at the wheel. He assumed the figures in the back were his mother and siblings.
The car stopped, the doors to the vehicle opened, and his family stepped out. Adam raised his eyebrow at their driver, an older man with gray hair who lived in the Indianapolis settlement. He had always seemed so normal, but he must be affiliated with the Resistance to be helping Freedom now. Could he be a mutant himself?
“Adam!” Avery ran over to Adam, wrapping her arms around his leg and squeezing tight. Adam kneeled and embraced her, surprised at the tears streaming down his cheeks.
Alex looked more hesitant, standing back with his mother and father, waiting for them to approach first. Adam met his eyes. Was he scared? Ashamed of what he had done?
“Avery, come back here,” Adam’s mom called. His heart sank as he met his mother’s eyes. They were cold. Avery dutifully retreated.
Adam’s mom distracted his siblings as his father approached, hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and a frown on his face. He led Adam a few feet away from where the others waited.
“You ruined your future siding with those mutants, son,” his father said.
“I ruined mine so others can have a chance at one,” Adam said. He made sure he stood tall and that his voice was firm.
“You tranquilized Kane in front of the entire nation,” his father went on.
“There’s more to the story,” Adam insisted.
His father's eyes narrowed. “You’ve put a target on your back. You better watch it, because you are now public enemy number one.”
Adam didn’t know how to respond to that. He couldn’t deny it.
Then his father said something that shocked him.
“You know, your grandfather had a mutation.”
“Really?” Adam said. All this time, he was related to a mutant.
“Luckily, the mutation didn’t pass down like it does for some. I never even told your mom about it. Sometimes those genes can skip a generation. I didn’t want her to be afraid of one of her kids developing telekinesis or shooting fire out of their eyes or something.”
Adam pictured Alex throwing knives around the house with his mind while Avery shot fire. He chuckled to himself.
“So, you know all mutants aren’t evil,” Adam said. “They aren’t all killers. Your father wasn't a killer.”
“We love you. I don’t want you to ever forget that. But I don’t think you should come here anymore. I’m trying to protect my wife, my children. You’ve made some powerful enemies.”
Adams' heart sank. He could feel his eyes welling up with moisture.
“I’m your son!” Adam pleaded, wiping tears from his cheek.
“You are eighteen, a grown man who made choices,” his father reminded him.
“Are you ashamed of me?” Adam asked.
His father hesitated before he spoke.
“You have always been one to fight for what you felt was right. That’s why you joined the Wardens. I wasn’t surprised when you left the settlement to start your own life,” his father said, “I’m sure you had your reasons for your choices. But I have to make a choice as well. I need to protect my family. This is goodbye.”
Adam nodded. There was nothing else to say. He half expected his father to reach out and give him one final embrace, but his father's face was hard as stone. A mix of sadness and anger caused him to look away, averting his father's gaze.
“Why did you even bring them here, then?” Adam asked, slowing his speech to gain control of his tone.
“Your mother wanted to come.” With that final line, he turned his back to Adam and marched back to his mother and siblings.
Adam looked at his mother, but she turned away, pretending to be distracted by Avery and Alex. His father spoke with their driver, and they got in the car and drove off.
Adam willed his feet to move, making his way back to Freedom. He was thankful that she didn’t question him once he reached her, but there was a knowing look in her eyes that irritated Adam.
“Welcome to the Resistance.” She opened the trunk, and Adam climbed back in.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Lilah
Three loud knocks on the bedroom door stirred Lilah from her slumber. Her eyes shot open. She groaned as she turned toward the door.
“Lilah!” Rain's voice called from the other side. “Today’s the day. Get your butt up and let’s get ready!”
Lilah pushed herself up in bed. It had been a little over two weeks since she’d escaped Kane’s clutches. Within those two weeks, there had been no public executions. Kane had announced via video streaming that he was working on a new strategy to tackle the mutant problem, but he left Chicago to do so. Freedom didn’t seem concerned about Kane’s threats, and most of the settlement’s mutants were simply happy to have Kane out of Chicago. Lilah was living with and working for the Resistance full time, and today, she’d take part in an important mission.
“Coming!” Lilah called as she leapt out of bed, rushing over to her dresser and pulling on jeans. She slipped on shoes and raced to the door, excited to finally see a part of Chicago she’d only heard rumors about.
She pulled her door open and saw Rain and Freedom waiting for her.
“I’m so sorry I overslept.”
“You're not technically late yet,” Freedom said, “but we do have people wa
iting on us.”
Lilah had gained a tremendous respect for Rain and Freedom since joining the Resistance. She marveled at how Freedom, Jesse, and Adam had successfully freed the Post-Humans from the jail and how quickly Rain had duplicated Kane’s cure.
Mason had been one of the first to sign up for the cure, relieving himself of his scaly skin. Freedom was starting to distribute the cure to mutants in the City Below. In addition, she was providing CitCards to those who wanted to live above ground.
Today, Lilah would have the opportunity to take part in that mission and help a family living underground become a member of society.
“I’m so pumped to do this!” Rain said. “We’ve never tried to cure a child before. This is why I wanted to become a chemist in the first place. Maybe I can help this little girl live a normal life.”
“Come on then.” Freedom led them down the hall toward the control room.
Lilah turned to Rain as they walked. “Have you ever been to the City Below?”
“Only once,” Rain admitted. “Back before I joined the Resistance. But I don’t think we’ll have to go in. They should be waiting for us at the entrance.”
Freedom switched the light on as they walked into the control room. She took a seat in front of one of the computer monitors but turned her chair around to face the others.
“What are we waiting for?” Rain asked.
“Jesse, Angela, and Adam,” Freedom said. “I hope I don't have to wake them up too. You guys are a bunch of babies.”
As if on cue, Angela walked into the room, a white and blue flower crown on her curly black hair.
“Guess I'm early.” She smiled as she took a seat next to Freedom. “What’s taking them so long? I’m about to turn on the TV and put on The Princess Bride.”
Lilah laughed. “You need to overcome your obsession.”
In the two weeks that Lilah had been living with the Resistance, Angela had watched The Princess Bride seven times.
“Hey, it’s not like we have many options. We own three working DVDs,” she said.
“True,” Lilah shrugged. “But how did you survive without a television back in Eden?”
“I made do,” Angela said, “but it was a struggle.”
Lilah had grown close to Angela since moving back to Chicago and had learned that it had been her rare ability to purify toxins in the environment that kept the garden in Eden healthy.
Lilah could hear the squeak of the old elevator making its way down into the basement, followed by footsteps in the long hallway outside of the control room. Jesse and Adam walked into the room, and Lilah’s heart sped up.
Adam smiled Lilah's way, and her breath caught in her chest. Since joining the Resistance, Adam had been trying to catch her eye and prove himself to her. She looked away. Why did his gaze affect her so much? Why was her heart betraying her mind?
“You guys ready to party?” Jesse asked.
“Always,” Angela was pulling her dark, curly hair back into a ponytail.
Jesse pulled back a rug in the control room, revealing a trap door in the floor.
Lilah had been inside the trap door before. A long hallway led to a secret room where Zink made counterfeit CitCards. In that room, there was a small greenhouse, a computer, a large printer, and every type of weapon imaginable. Beyond that room, Lilah knew there was another door that led to the City Below, but she had never seen it.
“They are going to meet us right at the entrance,” Jesse explained. “We’ll just need to open the door. Still, you never know what you will find when you open it. We saw some crazy things the last time we were in the City Below.”
Jesse leapt into the crawlspace, ignoring the ladder. He let out a woot as his feet hit the ground. Angela smirked at him and rolled her eyes.
Lilah climbed in behind him, gripping the cool metal bars of the ladder as she descended underground. The air felt colder than in the basement, and Lilah wrapped her arms around her chest for warmth as soon as her feet hit the ground.
Rain, Adam, Angela, and Freedom were close behind. They climbed down quickly, practically gliding into the abyss.
Jesse gripped a flashlight as he led the group through the dark tunnel. Lilah noticed he wasn't carrying any weapons. She knew they had no need for them because they wouldn't actually go into the City Below. But even getting near it with no defenses worried Lilah.
The tunnel was long and empty, and their whispered voices seemed to bounce off the black walls. Lilah felt her stomach twist as they passed the metal door that housed both a greenhouse and an arsenal of weapons. She’d never gone deeper in the tunnels than that door, and now she was entering truly unfamiliar territory.
“How far is the entrance?” Lilah asked, breaking the looming silence. She could hear herself breathing, and suspected that if she listened close enough, she would hear her heart racing out of control.
“Not far,” Jesse promised.
They walked to a metal door that Lilah had never seen before, though it looked identical to the greenhouse entrance. Jesse slid a key in and turned it with a click.
As the door swung open, a putrid smell hit Lilah. She coughed and covered her nose.
“What is that?” Lilah took a step back.
“People spend their entire lives down here, Lilah. There are no showers, no bathrooms, no cemeteries,” Jesse reminded her.
“It’s better than being above ground and getting murdered by the Watch. Barely,” Freedom said.
Lilah shuddered, thankful that she had the opportunity to hide in Eden instead. Not every mutant was offered that choice. The distant noises in the tunnel were a reminder that some people called this place home. She felt a tinge of guilt for growing up the way she did, with opportunities other mutants couldn't conceive of. Lilah couldn't imagine what it would be like to spend your entire life underground.
“I thought the child was supposed to meet us here,” Angela said, giving Jesse a questioning look.
“She was.” Jesse let out a breath. “I guess I’ll have to go in and look for her.”
“If you go in, we all go,” Angela insisted.
Jesse shook his head. “I need some of you to stay at the entrance in case they come here. I’d hate for them to get here and see that we’ve all gone.”
Angela narrowed her eyes. “And I'm guessing you think I should stay?”
“You can come if you want, but someone needs to stay.”
Adam raised his right hand as if seeking permission to speak. “I’ll go with you. It will be a chance to put my Warden training to use.”
“Fine,” Jesse said, “You ladies can stay behind.”
Lilah frowned. Why did Adam feel the need to volunteer? Since joining the resistance, Adam always seemed to be looking for opportunities to prove himself to her.
Freedom laughed. “Are you trying to be gentlemanly? I could take you both down in my sleep.”
Rain leaned back against the wall. “I’ll be happy to stay behind. I’ve put my adventuring days behind me. Y'all have fun.”
Jesse nodded at her, then his eyes moved from Lilah, to Angela, to Freedom.
“I’m not leaving Rain alone in the City Below, even if she's near the entrance. At least one of you needs to stay here with Rain. You are all free to come with Adam and me if you choose.”
Lilah took in a deep breath. The putrid smell assaulted her nose again. She wanted to stay behind with Rain. If she didn’t see, smell, or experience the City Below, the daily suffering of mutants could remain a far-flung idea that wasn't quite real. But another part of her needed to see it. She needed to understand the life that she had been shielded from by her parents.
“I’ll go with you,” Lilah blurted out.
“Me too,” said Angela.
“I guess I’ll stick with Rain. We’ll take care of May and Miracle if they come here,” Freedom said. “But first, let us grab you all some weapons. Come on, Rain.”
Freedom and Rain raced back the way they had come. Adam mo
ved closer to Lilah, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lilah jumped, startled.
“You all right?” asked Adam.
“You came out of nowhere.”
“I’ve been right here. You’re just a little jumpy.”
“Well, I'm nervous,” Lilah admitted. “Not all mutants are like the people of Eden. My family taught me the most dangerous mutants live in the City Below. They are more like monsters than people, and they'll attack on sight.”
Adam grinned. “Good thing you’ve got me to protect you then.”
“I’m serious, Adam. We could all die.”
“If you are so scared, then why offer to go? You could stay with Rain, and Freedom could come with us.”
“Because.” Lilah shook her head in frustration. “I shouldn't be afraid of them. I am just like them. A mutant. There is a whole world full of mutants like me. It's been under my feet for my entire life. If I'm afraid to come here, it's like I’m afraid of myself. I want to know what the City Below is really like, beyond my parents’ stories.”
Moments later, Freedom and Rain returned with flashlights and pistols. They quickly handed them over to Angela, Jesse, and Adam.
When Freedom tried to hand Lilah the weapon she recoiled.
“Take it,” Freedom said flatly. “Or you’ll wish you did.”
“I’ve never fired a real gun before,” Lilah said. “Just the tranquilizer gun.”
“It’s a good day to learn.” Freedom thrust the weapon into her hand. “It’s the same concept. You do know the barrel from the butt, don’t you?”
Lilah blinked. “The what?”
Freedom winked and turned away, walking over to Rain.
“You guys ready?” Jesse asked the crowd as he turned his flashlight to the door.
Angela, Jesse, and Adam said “yes” enthusiastically. Lilah offered a tight-lipped nod.
“Let's head out, then.”
Jesse and Angela were in the lead. Adam held back, keeping Lilah’s pace.
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