by Liv Curtis
“Stop right there!” The guard behind her yelled as he reached for his gun at his hip. Sage sprang out the window just as the bullet whizzed by her head. She landed in the cold water and immediately hauled herself out and into the grass.
“Stop running!” A man’s voice yelled from right behind her. Without thinking she grabbed her daggers and whirled around. There was a yelp as she felt her dagger connect with something soft. She turned around to see that she had sliced a four-inch gash across the guard’s upper leg. The guard fell to the ground just as Sage broke into a sprint towards the tree line. Jefferson was waiting for her on a low branch still perched with his gun.
“What happened? And why are you soaking wet?” he said as he jumped down from the tree and slipped his gun back into its holster.
“There’s no time to explain! We have to go!” Sage grabbed Jefferson by the arm and pulled him with her into a full run. Her side ached from running, but she could barely feel it as fear and exhilaration raced through her veins.
She could see his house in the distance, and she ran even harder. She slammed into the back door of the garage with Jefferson directly behind her. She threw herself through the door and onto the living room floor as Jefferson closed the garage and all the blinds on the backside of the house.
“Lock all the doors and close all the blinds!” He yelled to the others as they flooded into the room. Sage was panting hard and all she could taste was blood as she took off her mask a flipped over onto her back, the tips of her daggers pressing sharply into the back of ribs.
“I don’t see anyone, but we should get into the basement just in case,” Jefferson said as he joined the others who had gathered around Sage.
“What happened? Are you guys okay?” Sage’s mom was rushing towards her helping her to sit up and removing her gear. After Sage caught her breath she stood and made her way to the basement with her mom’s help. She told them what had happened and how she had to escape by jumping into the pool. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, trying to ignore the pain radiating through her body when Emery appeared in front of her, holding Sage’s daggers.
“Why is there blood on these?” She stared at Sage with concern and confusion.
“When I climbed out of the pool there was a guard right behind me with a gun. I heard the gun load and I had to use those to defend myself enough to escape.” Sage could see the blood on the dagger now and how it was about three inches up the blade. She looked down at her hand and saw dried blood on her knuckles. She quickly brushed her hands off on her pants.
“But you got the tablet so now we can continue with the rest of the plan,” Jefferson said as he retrieved it from her jacket that sat next to her.
“Here, I believe this belongs to you.” He handed it to Sage’s dad and looked at him with excited eyes as he unlocked it and pulled up the council Hall blueprints. Jefferson went towards a small panel on the wall and with the press of a button the middle of the floor opened up and an island like control panel came up.
“Why don’t you put those blueprints up here.” Jefferson gestured towards the large island in the middle of the room. Sage’s dad connected the tablet to the control panel and uploaded the blueprints. Suddenly, a small 3D projection of the council building materialized in the air. The room glowed in a low blue light as the council building design rotated in the air.
“So, as all of you can see, this is our point of entrance.” Jefferson moved his hands through the air and the projection moved to reveal the roof top entrance to the elevator fire escape.
“We will enter through here and take the ladder down to the elevator. The guards switch shifts every thirty minutes so this must go quickly and without any hiccups,” Jefferson said as he zoomed into the elevator and placed a small red figure inside of it. Sage stood between Emery and River who both looked determined and a bit worried.
“Once on top of the elevator it will make one stop before it reaches the basement at the second stop. River you will take out the guard in the elevator and remove his badge. You will want to take his uniform as well since you will need it for the rest of the plan. Don’t worry about cameras; this place is too secretive for those. Once you are fully disguised you will relieve the other guard from his post. Emery, you will be waiting to take out that guard and take his uniform. There is typically three guards down there at all times so you will have to take them out one at a time. Once they are all carefully placed inside one of the empty cells you can release your sisters.” Jefferson placed three more red figures in the basement and two green ones that represented Andrea and Eliza.
“How do you know so much about this place?” River said peering at Jefferson through the projection that was floating between them.
“When I used to work as a security analyst for the Wall I was asked to reprogram the holding cells with a twin-key locking system. I realized that, that place was more than just holding cells for defendants but at the time I wasn’t able to do anything.” Jefferson looked distant as he spoke about his past.
“Anyways. Once you get your sisters you will escape the same way you came in, make your way back to the roofs and you’re home free.” Jefferson clapped his hands as if knocking off invisible dust and removed the hologram. The room faded back to its original dim lighting, and Sage could see everyone’s faces. They all looked confused and highly concerned.
“How are we going to get on and off the roof, let alone inside the Core?” Emery said breaking the silence.
“You will have to climb the Core Walls using these.” Jefferson went to the weapons table and grabbed three large pistols. He handed Sage, Emery and River each one and continued to explain.
“Those are high powered grappling pistols with self-attaching hooks. When you pull that trigger a small anchor will deploy and imbed itself deeply into whatever surface it hits first. You can use these to get over the walls and on top of the council building.” Jefferson explained with an easy smile.
“However, you three are not fully ready to execute something of this caliber so we have to train a bit before we can do this.” Jefferson moved toward the small control panel on the wall pressing a single button that sent the island back into the floor. The tile closed up over top of it, leaving no evidence of its existence.
“What happens after we get them out?” Audrey, who had been silent since they had gotten back, asked in her small soft voice.
“Well, we will have to escape through the Wall Mines and make our way deep into the Wilderness since they will likely try their best to follow us.” Jefferson looked around nervously as he explained the escape.
“And what about the poisonous air?” Harlow said as she wrapped her arm around Audrey who had gone white at the realization that they were not returning to their normal lives.
“Well, that is what these are for.” Jefferson retrieved the masks from the gear closet and passed them out. There was four left in the box once everyone had one.
“As you had mentioned earlier, these should protect us long enough to determine if the air is truly poisonous. I am sorry to do this to all of you, but I am not sorry it is happening. Henry and I had a vision of freedom and peace and it seems it is finally coming to fruition. I promised him I would finish his dream, and that is what I plan to do.” Jefferson sat his gun back on the table and made his way towards the stairs.
“Now, I am starving. Anybody else?” He marched up the stairs and into the kitchen. The rest of them stood in a small circle looking as though their world had just ended, but Sage couldn’t help but be hopeful that this was actually the beginning of something much better. They slowly made their way into the kitchen to join Jefferson who was making toast and eggs.
“Breakfast anyone?” Jefferson smiled at his perfectly sunny-side up eggs.
“I need a shower first.” Sage laughed as she made her way up to her bathroom.
She locked the bathroom door and turned on the water. The steam filled the room as the hot water washed away the salty swea
t, dirt, and blood from her body. When she was finished, she slipped into one of her dad’s T-shirts and some soft shorts before she joined everyone in the kitchen for breakfast.
They all had eggs, toast, and fruit before congregating in the living room. Sage, River, and Emery all sat on the small couch with their feet up on the table. It wasn’t long before Sage had fallen asleep as daylight poured in through the window behind them.
Chapter 7
Sage had nightmares all night about the man that attacked her, her home being invaded by CA agents, the blood on her dagger and hand, people being trapped in the underground cells in the Core, and about running through a never-ending forest of Beech trees.
She finally woke up around noon and realized she was in bed. She sat up and felt the familiar weight of Emery next to her, reminding her of being young and having sleepovers at each other’s house.
Sage slowly peeled the blanket off, careful not to wake Emery, and slipped out of bed cautiously stepping around River who was sleeping on a pullout bed. She went into the bathroom and shut the door behind her as she brushed her teeth and hair. When she looked in the mirror, she noticed large dark circles under her eyes, she tried her best to cover them, hopefully nobody will notice she thought.
She slipped on a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt and turned to head downstairs. When she opened the bathroom door River stood with his hand raised as if he was about to knock. Sage shrieked and stepped back instinctively.
“You know I hate being scared!” Sage playfully punched River on the shoulder as she stepped out of the bathroom.
“I wasn’t trying to scare you, that was just an added bonus.” River laughed as he caught Sage’s wrist in his hand.
“Are you okay? You were talking a lot in your sleep last night and you look like you barely slept,” River asked, clearly noticing the dark circles she had tried to cover.
“I’m fine, just a bit shaken from last night and nervous for the rest of the plan.” Sage lied knowing that she had horrible dreams but that it probably meant nothing so she brushed it off. She slipped out of River’s grasp and gave him a reassuring smile.
“You know you can talk to me and Emery if something’s bothering you, right?” River looked concerned as he leaned against the doorframe.
“I know, but it was nothing, just nerves. I promise.” Sage couldn’t help but feel a knot in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it and told herself it was just hunger. “Now, are we going to go eat, because I’m starving?”
“Go ahead. I’ll be down in a minute.” River smiled as he turned back towards the bathroom.
“Are you going to get breakfast?” Emery popped her head out of the room as Sage walked by. Her long black curls were a wild mess tied up on the top of her head, and Sage could see dark circles under her eyes as well. Her green-gold eyes were bright as if she had been awake for hours; her smile was warm and lighthearted making her round cheeks even fuller.
“Yes, did you want to come?” Sage smiled at Emery’s clear excitement over food. She was short and thin but had always been very muscular and could beat all the boys in their school in a race. She threw the door open and made her way towards the stairs, still wearing her pajamas.
“Thank God! I’m so hungry I could eat a camel,” Emery said as she hopped down the stairs.
“I’m pretty sure it’s a horse…not a camel.” Sage laughed as they turned the corner into the kitchen.
“Yeah, but I think camels were bigger, and I’m really, really hungry.” Emery smiled as she explained her level of hunger.
Sage’s mom sat at the table with Harlow and Audrey while her dad stood over the stove making coffee. Jefferson was cutting fresh oranges and apples making the whole kitchen smell amazing.
“Glad to see you are awake, and clearly ready to eat.” Sage’s dad winked and handed the girls each a plate, Sage got several slices of oranges and apples and sat down next to her mom to eat.
“How did you sleep after last night?” Her mom asked as she leaned over and hugged Sage.
“Fine, just a little restless but nothing too bad,” Sage said as she took a bite of apple.
“Restless? Sage you wouldn’t stop talking and you punched me in the throat like six times,” Emery said, rubbing her neck.
“You haven’t had nightmare like that in almost ten years.” Sage’s mom looked concerned as she took a sip of her orange juice.
“I’ve had dreams like that before? I don’t remember that.” Sage thought back to when she was young and waking up with bruises on her arms and legs that she didn’t remember getting.
“You would sit up in your bed and scream. Sometimes you would try to run out of your room and slam right into the door, other times you would fall down the stairs. The weirdest part of it was that you never remembered any of it, and when the dream was over you would just crawl back into your bed like nothing had ever happened.” Sage’s mom looked down at the table as she spoke.
“You never told me that before. What do you think it was?” Sage felt a tightening in her chest as she thought about the many mornings she had woken without a memory of the night before.
“It scared us too much and you were also too young to understand it even if we had told you,” Sage’s dad said as he sat down across from Sage and passed her a cup of coffee.
“Sometimes you would say names, but we didn’t know any of them so we just assumed it was a horrible nightmare. When you turned ten it all stopped and it hasn’t happened since.” He continued with concerned eyes.
“Well, she was moving all night and at one point she got out of bed and tried to leave the room. When she stepped on me I woke up and tried to grab her, but she whirled around and slammed her palm into my chest. I managed to get her back in bed, but she just kept saying the same thing, ‘Ferrum ex Animo’.’” River had come down and stood behind Sage as he explained what had happened during the night. Suddenly, Jefferson, who had been quiet dropped his fork and quickly stood up.
“No. No. No,” he mumbled as he tripped over his slippers and ran towards the basement.
He returned with the two daggers that he had given Sage the night before. One of the blade’s edges had a reddish brown substance on it, and Sage quickly remembered it was blood, blood, from the CA that had tried to stop her last night.
“This, is this what she was saying?” Jefferson was panting hard as he passed the blade to River who stared at it in disbelief.
“What does it mean?” Sage asked as she took the dagger in her trembling hands.
“It roughly translates to ‘heart of iron,’ but I have also heard it read ‘blade of the soul.’ These were passed down through my family for three generations, the story is that they were used during the Sickening but nobody knew who they originally belonged to before the war or where they came from.” Jefferson sat next to Sage as he examined the other dagger. He slipped on his glasses and pushed them up the bridge of his nose.
“Your last name is etched into this one. You don’t happen to know of a J. Blackwell in your family line, do you?” Jefferson handed the blade to Sage’s dad who looked it over with concerned eyes.
“My father didn’t talk about his family much, but I know most of them were involved in the Sickening.” Sage’s dad was flipping the blade over in his hands. He gently ran his thumb over the name and locked eyes with Sage before he spoke again.
“I don’t think you should be using these anymore. They are clearly antiques and probably shouldn’t be used for fighting.” He’s said as he passed the blade back to Jefferson.
“That’s not why, is it? You’re scared of something, something that neither of you are telling me.” Sage was looking back and forth between her parents and noticed their faces had gone completely white.
“You wouldn’t care if they were antiques, and that also doesn’t explain the weird nightmares and sleep talking. What aren’t you guys telling me?” Sage was confused by the obvious secret that her parents were keeping. She started to stand
when River caught her by the shoulder and pressed her back into her chair.
“Why would she be saying that in her sleep?” Emery asked, clearly disturbed by the situation.
“I think I might know why.” Jefferson stood at his bookshelf pulling books off, obviously looking for something specific. Behind the books was a small metal safe imbedded into the wall. He turned the lock and the safe squeaked open.
“This is one of the only books that was left behind after the creation of the Frame. Inside it has a description of a powerful man who wielded two daggers and could see the future. It was deemed folklore but some of the predictions he made…they have come true.”
Jefferson pulled the book out of the safe and dusted it off. It was old, bound in leather and on the front were two crossed daggers that looked eerily similar to Sage’s. Jefferson flipped through the pages, many of which were bent at the corners noticeably marked by someone.
“See here. It says that he predicted a ruthless ruler who would stop at nothing to gain control of what remained after a brutal war.” Jefferson pushed the book towards Sage, and she read the page.
“That could be anything, literally any story about a war. What makes you think that it’s a prediction of the Sickening?” Emery questioned, not believing the myth.
“Read farther.” Jefferson nodded towards Sage, encouraging her to read the rest of the page.
“It says, ‘This leader will manipulate something that was created for the good of humanity to control those around her. She will influence the people to obey her every command and erase any who oppose her.’ That’s…” Sage dropped the book on the table as the realization came into focus.
“Oh, my God, that’s Chancellor Kelly. You’re telling us that the man in this book was not only real but he actually predicted what our world would become?” Emery said, visibly shaken by the realization.