by Rebecca Ann
“I don’t wanna go away again,” Sarah cried, her voice muffled. My heart broke at the fear in her words.
“Let’s go!” the Watcher said, pulling Shannon by the arm again.
My legs were like lead as we headed down the crowded street. People pleaded with the Watchers. Babies cried. My chest tightened, everything numb. The Watcher pushed me forward, and the force made me stumble. Strong arms kept me upright, and the moment I was steady on my feet, I jerked out of their hold.
“It’s okay,” Rick said, his voice lost in the commotion around us. “It’s just me.”
I exhaled and hugged him, tears in my eyes. “Did you know this was going to happen? Where are Lily and Diane?”
“Right there. They’re fine. Is Shannon with you?”
“Right here, Rick,” Shannon said from behind. “I’ve got Sarah. Has anyone seen Bethany?”
I wiped away the tears, and through the panic and fear, hope rose in my chest. In a matter of hours, I’d see Lindsey.
“Victoria!”
I glanced up at her voice. “Diane!” Familiar arms came around me in a tight hug, and I buried my face in her shirt as she whispered words of comfort in my ear. Seconds passed before shouts interrupted the moment. As I pulled back, I tried to take in a breath, but the smell of earth and dirt and sweat was almost too much, the warmth wrapping around me like fire. Faces blurred together, voices nothing but a string of sounds.
“Attention!” a Watcher’s voice boomed over the noise, speaking through a megaphone. “Form two straight lines. Move! Now!”
The street came alive again with crunching gravel and whispered words of panic and fear that I tried to ignore as I was somehow able to keep track of Shannon, Diane, Lily, and Sarah as we made our way to the back of the line that was slowly forming.
“How’d they find us, Diane?” Shannon asked in a harsh whisper. “My father has lived down here for years, and no one has ever discovered them. Something must’ve happened.”
“Mommy?” Sarah asked, her voice barely audible over the noise of everything around them, “Where’s Grandpa and Grandma?”
“I don’t know, honey, but they’re okay. We’re all gonna be okay.” Her voice cracked, like she was trying to convince us all of this fact. “Hold Mommy’s wrist, okay, baby?”
“Lindsey must’ve been forced to tell the people on Ada where we were,” Diane whispered after a few seconds. “I’m so sorry, Shannon.”
Or Elizabeth told them where we were. I forced the comment down.
As we assembled into lines, Watchers walked up and down the street in between us, their boots loud on the gravel. The sound sent another wave of panic over me, and I gripped Diane’s elbow as the line surged forward.
“Mom!” Lily called from behind them, voice tiny and scared. “Where are we going? Are we gonna see Lindsey?”
“I don’t know, honey. Hold Dad’s hand. Don’t let go. Rick, don’t let her out of your sight.”
“I’ve got her, Diane. Though I should probably go see if Mr. Babcock needs any help in doing a headcount.”
“No, Daddy! Don’t go!” Lily cried, tugging on his arm.
Rick pulled Lily to him with one arm. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetie.”
I shut my eyes, the tension unbreakable. Be brave, Victoria. I had to set an example for Lily and not fall apart. The line started to move, the crunch of gravel overpowering all other sounds, the air warmer, stickier, with everyone pressed up against each other.
“Please go through the door five at a time,” the Watcher called out.
I dragged my feet through the gravel, gaze straight ahead. I pressed my lips together as the tingling in my fingers increased, like tiny needle pricks.
“Stay in control,” I whispered. “Stay in control. Don’t release. Don’t release.” I should’ve taken the drug this morning, but it would’ve defeated the whole purpose of practicing with Bethany. Even if we only did so twice.
“It’s okay,” Elizabeth whispered. “Release if you have to.”
Somehow, I managed to keep my power in as the line moved forward. When I reached the stairs, the Watcher didn’t stop me when I followed Diane, feet pounding on the steps, the strap of my bag cutting into my free arm. Hundreds of feet echoed in the stairwell as people continued upward. The higher we went, the cooler the air grew. As we reached the last step, cool air hit me in the face, the metal railing now cold to the touch. As I stepped through the trapdoor, a shiver went down my spine. A hover’s engine rumbled off in the distance, blanketed by the still-dark morning.
“We have to get on the hover,” Shannon whispered. “Straight ahead.”
I looked through the cluster of people but could only make out an orange glow. Probably a streetlamp. A blast of cold air rained from the ceiling, and I breathed it in. Ah. Fresh air again.
“Let’s go! Move!” the Watcher directed, voice amplified by the megaphone.
People started forward. I went with the swell of the crowd, holding onto Diane’s hand as we walked up the ramp into the hover, the air now thick with perspiration as people were shoved inside. Some cried out as they fell over others. Babies wailed in their mother’s arms, the sound piercing each nerve in my ears.
“Mom!” Lily called.
“Stay with me, Lil.” Diane’s voice wavered. “Where’s Shannon?”
“Right here, Diane. I have Sarah.”
I almost stumbled as someone pushed Diane from behind, and my grip tightened on her elbow as she led us over to a space near the back wall.
“Sit down,” she instructed.
I did so, putting my bag on my lap. Next to me, a baby cried.
“Elizabeth, where will we go once we reach Ada?” Shannon asked as more people were pushed into the hover.
“You and Victoria will come to the palace with me. I know Madalina wants to see you, Shannon.”
I leaned my head against the wall as the door to the hover slammed shut, blocking out all the light. A few people whispered to themselves, but most were silent as the engine started under our feet. Long, familiar fingers wrapped around my hand, and I squeezed back.
“It’s going to be okay,” Elizabeth whispered. “I know things didn’t go well, but I would never lie to you. Ada is safe. I wouldn’t have pushed for people to go there if it wasn’t. Madalina is going to do everything she can to keep us safe. We’re going to be free.”
I let go of her hand. Yes, we would be free, but whether that would be on Ada still had yet to be determined.
Chapter Twenty
LINDSEY
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I awoke to silence. I shifted in the seat, trying to get comfortable. Madalina slept next to me, covered with the blanket, her hair splayed out across the seat. I rubbed my eyes, still trying to wake up. I ran a hand over my messy, greasy hair, the other rubbing the soreness out of my neck. Guess sleeping on a hover hadn’t been the best idea. We still had so much to figure out. First though, food and coffee was a must. I headed to the small table nestled in the corner of the hover, where a coffeepot sat. The fog around my brain reduced a little as I inhaled the fresh coffee scent. I grabbed two white mugs with hearts on them and poured them half full. The striped carpet muted my footsteps as I turned back to the seat to find Madalina waking up. She twisted to look at me, and relief washed over her face the moment her gaze landed on the mugs.
“Oh, thank you!” Madalina’s voice was hoarse, like she’d been crying, but the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile as she accepted the coffee. “I don’t know how long I have before one of her Monitors invades my thoughts again. I’m surprised she left me alone this long.” She took a sip from the mug.
My heart broke at the fear in her words as I sat down next to her, a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll help you as best I can.” I took a sip of coffee and shut my eyes for a brief second as the warm liquid slid down my throat. “Soon I’ll be the one Monitoring you.”
Madalina nodded, rubbing her forehead. “I just want
this over. I want my father and my planet back. I don’t know if he’ll ever be the same again. I don’t know if he’s fit to rule.”
“Why not?” I asked, my hands around the warm mug. He’d seemed fine when I’d met him, but I’d been so focused on Carmella that I hadn’t paid much attention to the king.
“Because Carmella’s been controlling him for the past decade. He barely knows who I am. I don’t know if the damage she’s inflicted is irrecoverable. I’ve been preparing myself that I’ll be the one to rule once we defeat Carmella.” Her voice cracked, but no tears fell. She was trying to hold it together, but she looked haggard. Her tone had lost its peppiness.
“What if she does something to you too? What will you do then?” I tried not to let the fear over that possibility creep into my words. I was the leader in this whole thing which meant I had to put aside my own feelings for now.
As Madalina looked over at me, I wanted to turn away at the guilt and fear in her eyes. “I don’t know. She’s been controlling my dad for years. I was at a special facility until I was eighteen and only recently came back to the palace so she hasn’t had time to—well—damage me like she has him.” Madalina waved her hand in the air. “Anyway, that’s not important right now. What is important is you. I know being a Monitor wasn’t on your list of things to do when you came here.”
I nodded, my stomach in knots. “Whatever it takes to get you the crown. Just promise me you’ll make me Watcher Captain or something.” I grinned. “Just kidding.”
Madalina shook her head. “I owe you big time, Lindsey. I’ll make you my second personal Watcher or my royal adviser. You’re helping me take down the person who destroyed my family.”
“What, um—” I let the sentence fade, not sure how to ask what I was thinking. “Never mind. It’s not important.”
“No. Ask. I don’t mind.”
I took a sip of my coffee, no longer hot. “What happened to your family?”
Madalina was silent, a glossy look in her eyes. “I don’t like talking about this much, but you deserve the truth. I’m full Controller, which is something not a lot of people know about me. Both my parents were Controllers, but they wanted me to wait until I was ten to train. That never happened.” Her voice hitched, her eyes wet with moisture which she blinked back. “My mother was killed right after my tenth birthday. We never found out what happened. I swore that when I became queen, I would find out how she died. After my father married Carmella, she convinced him I’d be better off at a training facility. It was actually an LI lab, where they conducted experiments and trained Monitors. Something that didn’t exist before Carmella came. I didn’t really belong in either group, but they kept me there anyway.” Her voice wobbled, and she stared into her mug. “I didn’t Control for many years after that. It wasn’t until I was eighteen and left the lab that I started to realize I was old enough to make a difference.” She looked at me. “I know what you’re thinking. If I’m full Controller, why don’t I take down Carmella myself? I don’t have the training to do so, and honestly, if I try to go up against her, I’m afraid she’ll send me away again.”
I sat there, mouth open. Wow. I hadn’t been expecting that at all. “Well, join the club. We’ll take her down together. What happened after you left the facility?”
Madalina released a shaky breath, her hands clasped around her mug, gaze far away. “I made it to District Fourteen, of all places. People think it’s a prison, but they started a resistance about a year before I arrived.”
“You know people there?” I said.
“Yes.” She took a sip of her coffee and scrunched up her face. “Gross. Cold coffee is not enjoyable.”
“I can get you more.”
“I got it. I need to stretch my legs.” Madalina undid her seatbelt but didn’t stand up right away. For a brief second, her hand rested on my shoulder, eyes still wet with tears. “I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’re doing to help Ada.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Ada is home to all of us, and we all deserve to be free.” I pointed up front. “I’m gonna go see how Mark is doing. Will you be okay?”
“Yes. Go. I’ll be fine. Melody and I will sit here and catch up.” She smiled in Melody’s direction. “After we eat something. I’m starving.”
“I’ll get you something.” I left the seat and walked into the cockpit where Mark had been sleeping, wanting to be on guard in case someone passed by. I went through the curtain and sat down in the copilot seat. “Do you think I’m stupid to do this?”
Mark looked at me out of the corner of his eye. “Become a Monitor? Yep. I think it’s stupid, but I also think it’ll work. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.” I punched him in the shoulder with a tiny smile. “Thanks, friend. Thanks for helping me, especially these last few days. You got arrested because of me.”
Mark shrugged. “It was no problem. I became a Watcher to help.” He gripped the ship’s controls. “Just try to keep me out of jail.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try.” I got out of the seat. “I’m gonna go get Madalina and myself something to eat. You want anything?”
“Nah, I ate earlier.”
I shook my head and walked out of the cockpit to find Madalina coming down the aisle, dressed in black leggings and a white t-shirt she’d probably brought in the backpack she’d carried onto the hover, her hair back in its usual ponytail. It was the expression on her face that made me freeze. Crap! No! “Madalina?”
Madalina put her hands on her hips, staring at me as though she wanted to rip my head off. “I just received word that you’re going around telling everyone that we’re using LIs as slaves.” Her words were stiff.
I blinked, trying to figure out what was going on. Then it clicked. “Madalina?” I put my hands on her shoulders. “Look at me. Can you hear me? Try to block Carmella out, okay? Focus on my voice.”
Madalina shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. She gripped my arm, as if that was the only thing holding her upright. “You need to stop spreading lies.”
I sighed. It wouldn’t do any good trying to get Carmella out of Madalina’s head. “It’ll be okay. I know it’s not you saying those things. Nod once if you can hear what I’m saying.”
Madalina nodded once, squeezing my shoulder. “Your friends are here,” she said in that same clipped tone.
“Yes.”
I studied each person as they passed by the open hover door, my stomach sinking lower and lower every time it wasn’t Victoria or Lily or our parents. I smiled at those who looked my way, but most had their heads down or were too busy looking around with wide eyes to notice me.
“Come on!” Madalina pulled me down the ramp onto the dock as a group of people came toward us.
“Lindsey!” Lily was the first to break from the group and run toward me. “It was so scary! The Watchers were really mean!” Her small arms wrapped around my waist, her face buried in my chest. “The ride here took forever!”
I took her in a tight hug, inhaling her familiar scent mixed in with that of the underground, unable to hold back tears of relief. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to bring you up top.” I kissed the top of Lily’s head and released her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Lindsey!” Victoria’s voice rang out from somewhere nearby, and seconds later, she appeared in front of me. “Thank goodness! I was going to come find you when we reached Ada. My mom said we would come straight to the palace.” She flung her arms around me with such force I almost fell backward. “Caldwell Watchers invaded the underground before my dad could get there. I’m so glad you’re okay! I was worried.”
I breathed another sigh of relief as I extracted myself from the hug. “They weren’t Caldwell Watchers; they were from here. Carmella found out about you coming here and decided to speed up the process. I couldn’t warn you in time. I’m so sorry!” I squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll tell you everything as soon as I get everyone seated.” I turned to Lily. “Li
ly, go find a seat, okay? We’ll head to the palace.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Really? Whoa!” She scooted past me onto the hover.
“Lindsey,” Madalina said from behind me, and I turned to face her. “We’ll take your friends and family to the palace. Don’t worry, Carmella is out for the afternoon. I wanted a chance to talk with Shannon, and I know Elizabeth wants to show Victoria around. The rest of those on the ship will be processed and given their apartment numbers. Do you mind waiting a little while so I can make sure everything is running as it should?”
“Sure. No problem.” I waited until Madalina disappeared into the sea of people still clogging the dock and then pulled Victoria toward the hover. “I need to talk to you.” I pulled Victoria up the ramp into the hover and into the cockpit, closing the curtain.
“Has something else happened? I tried to tell my mom about what you told me, but I couldn’t get up the courage. Are you sure of what you heard?”
“Yes. I would never lie to you. The putting-LIs-in-boxes thing was only the beginning. That’s what I got arrested for, by the way. I mind-controlled a tech and a Watcher.” I lowered my gaze even though Victoria wouldn’t see, stomach tight with the guilt that had been with me since.
“Lindsey!” Victoria shook her head with that look of disapproval that always made me want to sink into the floor and throttle her at the same time. “When are you going to learn to think before you act?” She stepped up to me, arms outstretched, and I melted into the hug. “So if the Watchers hadn’t invaded, were you going to bring us to Ada or somewhere else?”
I sighed again but kept my arms around her. “We were going to bring you back to Ada. Madalina has a plan. I’m going to train to be a Monitor so I’ll be able to keep you and my family safe.”