Freedom showed May and Miracle to the shower, and Angela went off to prepare some food for them. After they showered and ate, Jesse spoke to the mother again.
“You are welcome to come back here for food and supplies, and you can always sleep here if need be. There are others offering shelter to mutants as well. A woman named Winter leads a community called Lighthouse. It might be a good place to visit. Are you ready for this?” he asked.
May sighed. “Ready as we’ll ever be. I have to admit I'm a little scared.”
“Don’t be,” Freedom said. “We aren't going to send you packing into the unknown. How long have you been living underground?”
“Over three years,” May said. “After my husband threatened to give Miracle to the Watch, I hid. She was less than a year old when we moved below.”
“Let us show you around to get you accustomed to the city. I know you haven't been up here in a while.”
May nodded, clutching Miracle tight in her arms.
As Freedom led May and the Resistance members toward the elevator, Adam came and stood beside Lilah.
“This…is definitely more impactful than anything I would have done with the Watch,” he said.
“Tell me about it. I was going to become a seamstress,” Lilah finally met his gaze. “We should go with them. You need a proper tour of Chicago as well.”
Lilah took off toward the elevator with Adam following close behind. She pressed the button and waited for the door to creak open. Once they made it to ground level, Lilah saw that May and Miracle were chatting about city safety with Freedom, Angela, and Jesse.
“Hey, would you guys like to come with us?” Angela called as Lilah and Adam walked over. “Help us give them the lay of the land.”
“Of course,” Lilah said, her eyes fixed on May and Miracle.
May walked over to the door and cracked it open. Her lips curved up in a smile when she looked at the summer day.
“Oh my, I forgot what the sun looked like!” she exclaimed, sitting her daughter on the ground. “Miracle, look at this.”
Miracle peeked out. “It’s too bright!”
“But isn't it beautiful?” May asked.
The child nodded in agreement.
Lilah chuckled. She had never found post-apocalyptic Chicago particularly beautiful, but as she peered past the child, she saw that the sky was bright blue. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the air smelled ten times better than in the City Below.
May opened the door wider, and Lilah could feel a slight breeze blow in. A grin spread across Miracle’s face as she stepped into the sunlight for the first time. Miracle squinted, placing her tiny hands over her eyes as if she were playing peek-a-boo. She parted her fingers and looked through the cracks.
The sunlight caught the girl’s hair, causing it to glow bright red as she walked ahead of her mother, ready to take on the world. She looked up at her mother and grinned.
A warm feeling spread through Lilah as she watched May scoop her little girl into her arms, carrying her out into the world rather than hiding her away from it.
“Where to first?” May asked.
“I can show you all you need to know on the way to my favorite spot,” Jesse said. “Let's take our time and walk around the city.”
May’s eyes were wide with fear. “What about the Wardens?”
“We’ll keep you safe. I’ve been out plenty of times, and they kept their distance.”
Angela, Jesse, Adam, Freedom, and Lilah showed May and Miracle shops and safehouses. Miracle took a liking to Adam, and in no time, she was sitting on his shoulders, hands gripping his dark hair like reins as they explored the city.
“You’re taller than the grown-ups now,” Adam said, slowing his pace to keep her steady.
“And stronger,” the little girl bragged.
“Just be gentle with my hair, okay?” Adam said.
“Kay,” she smiled.
Lilah's lips twisted into a grin as she observed the kind and gentle way he treated Miracle. He was so different than the man who’d turned her in.
After exploring the city all day, they ended their journey at the beach. As they approached Lake Michigan, Lilah saw red beams of sunlight melting into the ocean.
“Perfect,” Adam said. “Just in time to catch the sunset.”
“I want to go down,” the child begged. “Adam, put me down!”
Adam lifted the girl from his shoulders and sat her on the sand. She knelt down, grabbing a handful and letting it slip through her fingers.
“It’s warm,” she said, then she pointed at the water. “Can I play?”
Freedom grimaced. “You shouldn't stay in the water for too long. It might be contaminated.”
“Yea,” Jesse joked. “Be careful, or you might catch a mutation.”
May giggled.
Angela knelt in front of the child.
“Do you know what a sandcastle is?” Angela asked.
The girl shook her head no.
“It’s a lot of fun, and safer than a swim,” Angela said.
Angela, Jesse, and May lead Miracle toward the shore. Adam and Lilah stayed back, watching them play from a distance.
Lilah sat on the ground, slipped off her shoes, and dug her toes into the sand.
“Adam,” she said.
“Yes?”
“It’s crazy how you’ve gone from hunting mutants to helping girls like Miracle start a new life. I know things didn’t work out with your parents, and I know I’ve been a little standoffish, but I wanted you to know that I'm glad you're here.”
“Being here is amazing,” he said. “But I'm just glad you’re alive. I think you are right. A part of me does want to prove myself to you. I’m ashamed that I ever felt Kane’s plans were okay.”
“I’ve been thinking about what you said when we were at my parents,” Lilah fiddled with a seashell and averted her eyes. “Do those feelings still stand?”
“Of course they do,” Adam said, placing a hand on her knee.
Lilah’s eyes shot up to meet his.
“You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met,” he continued. “The best part of being here is getting to spend time with you.”
“I think I feel the same,” Lilah admitted, looking up at him sheepishly. “You are willing to give up everything to do the right thing. That's something that most guys can’t claim.”
“Do you want to go into the water?” Adam asked.
Before Lilah had a chance to answer, Adam stood up and reached for Lilah's hand. She took it, and he pulled her up onto her feet and took off running toward the shore. She raced after him, laughing, until her ankles collided with the waves. Adam was already covered in water; his T-shirt clung to his chest.
He reached for Lilah’s hands and pulled her closer.
“Aren't you worried about getting a mutation from the contaminants?” Lilah asked.
“Not really,” Adam said as he moved his hands to Lilah’s waist. “I’m too happy about what you just said to care, if I’m honest.”
He looked into her eyes with intensity and his mouth parted like a question. Lilah’s lips curved into the slightest of smiles.
“Me too,” Lilah admitted.
He lifted her by the waist, and her heart skipped as her feet were raised from the ground. He moved closer until his lips caressed hers. She felt the strength of his arms around her and melted into his kiss. Waves crashed against her skin as a surging tide of warmth spread through her. Her eyes closed and the beach, city, and world disappeared. Only she and Adam remained, and they were free and floating.
He pulled back all too soon.
“I’m so thankful for you, Lilah.” His voice was a deep whisper. “No matter what comes next, I'm here for you.”
“Don’t talk about what comes next.” Lilah’s voice was airy and soft. “Do that again.”
Adam obliged.
“Hey!” Jesse called out. “We saw that!” He playfully covered Miracle's eyes. Lilah laughed, loo
king up at Adam sheepishly and taking him by the hand. They walked back onto the beach and took a seat near the area where Miracle played.
Adam wrapped his arm around Lilah. She leaned closer, resting her head on his shoulder. He moved the arm that was not holding her to take her hand and interlocked his fingers with hers. Lilah watched the waves rhythmically crashing onto the shore as Miracle played. She knew Kane would likely return, but she held out hope that the citizens of Chicago wouldn't offer him such a warm welcome next time.
In the two weeks since Lilah had escaped from Kane, she’d seen carded citizens speaking up for people with mutations. The mutants were becoming braver as well, revealing their abilities in public. May and Miracle were not the first people from the City Below to move into the settlement, encouraged by the kindness of those who stood up for people in need.
Lilah had previously thought that if change were to ever happen, it would happen instantaneously. Kane would see the error of his ways or carded citizens would stand up for the mutants and the uncared, demanding everyone be provided citizenship in the settlement. But change rarely happens like that, she understood now. It ebbed and flowed like waves. People fought for progress, fell back, then reached again. A little further each time. Each day, the waves became a little braver.
For the first four years of Miracle’s life, she’d never seen the sun. Yet here she was, on the shores of Lake Michigan, building sandcastles on the beach. Sure, the water was a little murky, and the city she’d called home was still a shadow of what it once was. But the world could change, and Adam was a reminder that the people within it could change too.
Afterword
Thank you for reading!
I hope you enjoyed my novel, Finding Eden. If you have a spare moment, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
If you haven’t read it already, pick up Saving Eden. The story takes place a year before the events of Finding Eden and is told from Angela’s perspective.
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Books by K. R. S. McEntire
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Finding Eden
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Credits:
Cover Design: Moorbooks Design
Editors: Savanna Roberts and Red Loop Editing
Layout: Pixie Covers
I’d also like to thank my early readers Alison, Amanda, Jessica, Ryan, Dave, Eve, Faye, and Sarah for your feedback. You were a huge help during this process!
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