Exceptional

by Jess Petosa

  “What is this place?” she asked as she leaned against one of the weathered, stone poles.

  “It used to be a pavilion. People would come here to eat and hang out while they were resting from their day out on the lake. There are others scattered around the shore, and they are not all in such great shape.” He dropped her hand and plopped down on the blankets, looking up at her.

  She sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Sometimes, when I was younger, I would close my eyes and try to imagine the people who lived in our home in the settlement before we did. I tried to imagine what they might look like and dress like, and what jobs they went to each day. I tried to imagine a time when there were no Exceptionals and Ordinarys and just human beings. Everyone working together equally.”

  She heard Luke take a deep breath beside her. “Humans from the old world didn’t always work together or live as equals. There were debates, and feuds, and many wars. Even then there were classes of people. Did you know that some families lived on the street, with no homes at all? They slept under bridges and begged for food on the corners in the City.”

  “Where did you hear that?” Ally looked over at him. “That seems too hard to believe.”

  “Our history courses at the Institute touch on it sometimes. The old world humans weren’t as great as some people make them out to be. We may have problems, but they had their own as well.”

  When Ally imagined the world that existed before the virus, she had always glamorized the lives of the people who lived in it. She had assumed that people were happier and more fulfilled. They could do anything and go anywhere, not having to worry about Exceptionals ruling over them. She couldn’t imagine that they had hardships like the Ordinarys faced in the settlement. But as Luke spoke to her, she realized how naïve her view was.

  “Do you think if we had been born two hundred years ago, before the virus, that we would have found our way to each other?” She took a hold of his hand, running her finger over his.

  “I think there is a good possibility. What if I hadn’t left the City and gone to the creek the day I had met you? What if you hadn’t jumped the creek and were able to return to your settlement that night? I can think of a dozens things that could have been done differently to affect our meeting, yet here we are. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I think it is going to be something great. The circumstances of the time we live in is what brought us together, but maybe something similar would have happened in the past. Either way, I’d like to think our lives are intertwined.” He squeezed her hand.

  She lay back onto the blanket and closed her eyes, trying to picture the Lake as it had once been. She could almost picture clear water and the people, their skin tanned from playing in the sun all day. “I bet a lot of memories were made on this lake.”

  She felt Luke lay down beside her and he slipped his arm over her waist. “Lots of memories have been made since.”

  Ally opened her eyes and looked up at him. “I’m betting many were made right here in this building.”

  He laughed and leaned back on the blanket. “I guess you could say that.”

  She rolled onto her side and propped herself up on her elbow. “How many memories have you made here, Luke?”

  She kept her voice light, but it had been something she had been curious about. He rolled onto his side so that their bodies leaned into each other, and their lips were practically touching.

  “You would be my first,” He said with a smile, kissing her gently on the lips.

  Ally wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to Luke kissing her, and the feeling that coursed through her body when he did. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to get used to it. She couldn’t imagine no longer feeling the thrill that coursed through her veins when their lips met.

  “Not today.” She smiled, looking into his violet eyes. “But you are more than welcome to kiss me as much as you want.”

  “I think I can handle that.” He pushed her backward onto the blanket, moving the top half of his body over hers. His lips pressed to hers gently at first, and then with more eagerness.

  He pulled back after a few minutes. “But seriously, Ally. There has never been anyone before you, and I can’t imagine anyone after you. I’ve never been caught up in dating or kissing girls for the fun of it. The Exceptional girls here could never compare to you.”

  Ally smiled up at him and her insides felt like they might burst. She had never imagined that such a good feeling could exist. She had never even believed that she could ever feel this way about a boy. She didn’t want to become one of those girls that followed the boys around like a duckling followed its mother. She only depended on herself. Now, Luke was starting to change her whole view on the subject. And as he leaned back toward her and pressed his lips to her neck, she could finally see why love might be something worth having a desire for.

  They lay in the pavilion for another hour or so before finally hopping back on the bike. For the ride home Ally rested her cheek against Luke’s back and closed her eyes, letting the wind whip around her body. Being with Luke made her feel alive, more alive than she ever imagined she would feel in the City. Back in the ORC, she thought she would never feel whole again unless she could be back in the settlement with her family. She thought that she needed her old life and friends back in order to find herself again. But she had been wrong; she could feel all of that here with Luke. Maybe living in the City for the remainder of her life wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It had been almost a week since Luke had brought Ally home from the ORC. If someone had asked him then if he thought that he and Ally would be together right now, spending all of their free time together, he would have laughed in their face. He thought that she would still be broken from her time in the ORC, still mad at him for not telling her about it before she was sent there. Sometimes he still expected her to wake up in the morning and dislike him all over again.

  She didn’t, at least not yet.

  Every morning she woke up in his bed. He would hold her in his arms until she fell asleep and then he would slip onto the couch, giving her the space she needed. He knew that one day their relationship would progress further, but right now it needed time to grow and develop.

  Sometimes he would hear her mumbling in her sleep.

  “Stosh” and “Willow” were the names mentioned most frequently, and it pained him to think about how much she missed her family and friends. Willow was in the City, so there was hope that one day they would be reunited, but the same couldn’t be said for Ally and her brother.

  It was Saturday and Ally had already made plans to spend the morning running errands with Sabine. He and Ally had spent so much time together lately that she hadn’t been able to be with the other Ordinarys in the house. He was the one who suggested they take some time apart today. It would be a good idea if he spent some time with Pax and Maver as well.

  He dressed and slipped out of the house, walking to Pax’s house on autopilot. If the streets had been made of dirt, he imagined that he would have worn his own path in by now. Pax and Maver were waiting for him in Pax’s bedroom, which was quite similar to his own.

  “I want to go over the wall today,” he said as soon as he entered the room.

  “You’re joking, right?” Maver laughed.

  “No. I need to go to Ally’s settlement”, he responded.

  Pax rolled his eyes. “I thought we were going to have non-Ally time today.”

  “She isn’t here, is she?” Luke motioned around him. “Plus, I overheard my father in his office a few days ago. They are increasing security around the boundary line in a week’s time. They even have plans to put a sensor line along the top of the boundary wall. Ordinarys of course cannot scale the wall, and have never tried, but someone reported that Exceptionals were sneaking out of the City and into the woods.”

  Maver laughed. “We’re famous.”

  “Let’s make one l
ast run through the woods while we can,” Luke said. He added excitement to his voice, hoping it might help convince them.

  Pax groaned. “I graduate from Guard training in two days. If I get caught, they might never let me move on.”

  “Consider this one last hurrah before you are required to rat us out.” Maver slapped Pax on the back.

  “Fine.” Pax stood. “But let’s be quick about it.”

  THIRTY MINUTES LATER they stood at the bottom of the boundary wall. It was the same spot they used each time they chose to leave the city. Since the wall here curved into a deep arc, and the town homes came close to touching it, it was hard for the patrol Guards to spot anyone who might be trying to climb it. Luke scaled the wall first, using the strength in his arms to climb to the top.

  “You know,” Pax said as he pulled himself up onto the wall next. “You could have easily used your abilities to bring yourself, and the rest of us, up here.”

  “We’ve done it with out them before.” Luke grinned. “I like a challenge.”

  Pax shook his head, and Luke could sense some tension between them. He knew that Pax and Maver had been bothered by the fact that he hadn’t told them about his extra abilities, but he knew they would grow to understand. He didn’t want anyone else to have the burden of keeping that secret. Its discovery had brought enough harm to Ally, and he knew others would have suffered as well had they known.

  Maver appeared over the top of the wall next, pulling himself up with a grunt. “I wouldn’t mind some of those special abilities right about now.”

  Maver was one of the few Exceptionals in the City that had been born with no abilities. It was a rarity, and many of these Exceptionals were looked down on. Sometimes they were sent to work in the factories with the Ordinarys and stripped of their Exceptional rights, but not Maver. He had managed to escape that fate, and Luke sometimes wondered if it was because they were friends. Having Aden as a father wasn’t always a bad thing. His father was happy to surround himself, and his family, with those weaker than them.

  They scaled down the opposite side and landed in the soft underbrush below. This was the same path they had taken when they had been in the woods almost a month ago. The same day that they had run into Ally and her brother.

  “Which way?” Maver asked.

  Luke pulled a small map from his pocket. He had taken it from his father’s office that morning, knowing he could return it before Aden even knew that it was missing. He unfolded it carefully, and the others stepped over to take a look. The map showed the City and the wall around it. Dotted in the outskirts was each settlement, represented by the color of the shirt they were.

  He placed his finger on the one marked Oakwood. “This is where Ally is from. It isn’t too far from here.”

  “What exactly are we looking for there?” Pax asked.

  “I need to find Ally’s brother. I want her family to know that she is okay,” Luke answered.

  Pax raised his eyebrow. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

  “More than you know,” Luke said, shoving the map back into his pocket. He took off at a run into the woods.

  At their Exceptional speed, they crossed over the creek and into Ordinary territory in just five minutes. It was another ten minutes before they came upon signs that they were drawing close to a settlement. They slowed their pace and stepped through the woods carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible. Soon, old homes loomed up in front of them, many of them falling apart and obviously uninhabited.

  “Ally mentioned that her brother is a woodcutter, so he’ll probably be out working. I’ll need you take care of the others, Pax, so that I can talk to him.” Luke stopped at a tree and turned to face his friends.

  Pax smirked. “I knew there was a reason you brought me along.”

  Pax had one ability that Luke knew of and it was the ability to put people to sleep with just his touch. Depending on how long he touched them, they could be out anywhere from five minutes to five days. It was one of the main reasons he had been chosen to train for the Guard. His ability would come in use often in his future line of work.

  “I also brought you because you’re always up for an adventure.” Luke gave him a light punch to the shoulder and started through the woods again.

  They circled around the backs of the houses, coming up on a nicer section of homes. These homes had small vegetable gardens in the back, and looked more maintained. Several children ran through the dirt streets squealing in delight, and several female Ordinarys carried large baskets of laundry nearby. They all wore matching black outfits. He concentrated on their arms, trying to catch a glimpse of their markings. One of the women raised her arm to wipe the sweat from her brow, and when she did her shirtsleeve slid up, revealing the Oak tree on her forearm. They were definitely in the right settlement.

  “Look at this place,” Maver whispered. “All of these Ordinarys.”

  They had never gone far enough into the woods to see a settlement. It had never really interested them before, but now all three of them found it mesmerizing. The homes all circled around each other into a miniature community, and the Ordinarys moved about with such freedom. For a moment, Luke wondered what it would be like to live with out the expectations and rules of his father. What would it be like to not have to attend lessons or training sessions, and to spend his days exploring the woods and working the land?

  “Luke, we should move along,” Pax said, pointing out that the women with the laundry were headed in their direction.

  They slipped further west from the City and to what appeared to be the edge of this settlement. Finally they came upon the large warehouse that seemed to serve as lumber production for the City. At least a dozen males were outside the building, either chopping wood down or helping to transport it inside.

  “That’s him.” Luke picked Stosh out immediately. He stood next to an Ordinary much older than him, and the two of them were pointing at something on the warehouse roof.

  “Are you sure?” Maver asked.

  Luke nodded. “Don’t you recognize him from the creek? Plus, his features are just like Ally’s, and they’re twins.”

  “Whoa,” Pax said. “I didn’t know that.”

  Twins were another rarity in the City. Luke hadn’t seen any born in his lifetime, and he wasn’t sure if his father had either.

  “Pax. You’re on.” Luke gave him a small push.

  Pax strolled out into the open, drawing attention to himself almost immediately. He was wearing muted gray Ordinary clothes that they kept hidden for when they wanted to leave the City, but since the Ordinarys here wore black, it wasn’t much of a disguise. It was his violet eyes, tremendous height, and buzzed head that gave him away as an Exceptional. Most of the men had hair that hung to their eyes, and a few even had their hair in low ponytails at their necks. The Ordinarys seemed confused at first, and then grew leery as Pax came closer.

  Pax raised his hands in the air. “No need to worry. I’m here with a message from the City.”

  Stosh and the older man shared a skeptical look, but gathered around Pax like the others. Luke wondered if Stosh would recognize Pax from the boundary line, but it didn’t seem like he did. In one extremely fast motion, Pax swept his arm around, striking half of them at once. The Ordinarys he touched immediately crumpled to the ground and remained still. He grabbed hold of the remaining Ordinarys, with the exception of Stosh, and had them all asleep in seconds.

  Luke and Maver stepped out from behind the trees and strolled toward the pile of bodies. Stosh crossed his arms over his chest and stood up taller than he had been, his head held high.

  “I knew I recognized you. What did you do to them?” He motioned to his co-workers.

  Pax shrugged. “They are just taking a little nap.”

  When Luke and Maver reached Pax’s side, Stosh looked the three of them over.

  Luke motioned for Pax and Maver to step back. “I’m here about Ally.”

  Stosh’s gua
rd dropped slightly when Luke mentioned his sister’s name. “What about her?”

  “I need you to know that she is safe. I need you to tell your mother this as well, but do not tell anyone that we came to see you,” Luke said.

  Stosh laughed and looked at the men piled up around his feet. “I think it will be a bit obvious.”

  Luke shook his head. “They’ll wake up in just a minute, and they won’t even remember what happened. By the time they are up and moving, they’ll believe that they had been working the whole time.”

  Stosh’s mouth hung open for a moment. “How do I know Ally is safe?”

  “I can only give you my word,” he responded. “She needed you to know.”

  “Did she send you?” Stosh’s brows furrowed together.

  “Not exactly,” Luke said carefully.

  “What have you done with her?” He said through gritted teeth, taking a step toward Luke.

  Luke raised his hands. “I haven’t hurt her, if that is what you are implying. Like I told you, she is safe and doing just fine.”

  Stosh narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe that she is fine. This isn’t what she wanted. Tell her that the only place she’ll be safe is home with her family.”

  With that he spun on his heels and stalked toward the warehouse, disappearing through the large doors that led inside.

  At Luke’s feet, one of the men groaned and his eyes began to flutter. Pax leaned forward and grabbed Luke’s arm. “We have to go.”

  Luke took one last look at the Warehouse Stosh had disappeared within. Ally’s brother had been right. She wasn’t just fine, she was getting by; making the most of what she had been given in the City. He tried to ignore Stosh’s comments, but they weighed heavily on his mind. He raced Pax and Maver back to the wall, the three of them touching the stones almost at the exact same time.