“You with me?” Alexa asked. She looked stunning with her hair in soft curls cascading down her back. Kira wore her hair like that. I squeezed my eyes shut and wished away the image of my dead Cleave.
I bit the side of my lip and said, “Yeah, sorry. Long day.”
She leaned towards me, emphasizing her cleavage, and took my hand. “You’ve been working around the clock. Surely the SCI can’t expect you to help both Henry’s campaign and the Clean Slate Complex?”
The conversation was still innocent, but I put up a listening barrier anyway in case she asked anything that would raise eyebrows. Had I not been taught this Arbiter skill, I’d have had to shut down the whole conversation. “The SCI expects me to work seventy hours a week at the Clean Slate Complex. My Uncle Henry expects me to moonlight as his campaign assistant since he housed me and paid for all my schooling.”
Alexa shifted even closer to me and looked up at me with her large brown eyes. “Tell me about the Daynighters. I mean, I know I’m one…that my blood was what allowed me to go visit Thera. But how does it work?”
I gave her the basics, but the more I told, the more questions she asked. How many Daynighters are there on Thera? On Earth? Can you detect a Daynighter by looking at them, or do you have to test their blood? How many portals are there? Why did we go in one portal and out another? How many offices does the SCI have? Are they all staffed by Daynighters, and if not, are they run by Daynighters? Why are the SCI here? If I die, will I end up on Thera? How do those that die get to Thera? How is Jax able to transport people the way he does? Is he a Daynighter? If not, what is he? Is he dangerous? Who are the SCI leaders on Thera? What about here on Earth?
By dessert, I was even more exhausted, and Alexa was cuddled up next to me. So much for getting to know me, but she does have a decent picture of the SCI now. I paid the bill, and we walked back to my apartment hand in hand. I was nervous. I mean, I liked Alexa but certainly didn’t love her. No one could replace Kira. But Kira is gone, and you need to move on eventually.
“Can I come up?” she asked as we approached my building. We’d watched movies together in my apartment a couple times, so why was I so unsettled?
I smiled in an effort to show confidence. “I’ve got an early morning meeting, but…sure, I’d love you to.”
We got in the elevator and rode in silence all the way up. I shook as I put the key in my door to give us entry. I let her go in first, and I followed behind. She looked gorgeous in her strapless “little black dress” that showed off her every curve.
“Are you checking me out?” She turned around to look at me, a coy look on her face.
I loosened my tie and then shoved my hands in my dress pant’s pockets, rocking back and forth on my heels. “Maybe.”
She stepped towards me and gave me a hug. Instead of letting go, she looked up at me, never making it past my lips. I have to admit, I was rather fixated on hers as well. It had been a long time since I’d had female companionship. And Alexa was nothing like all those floozies that my uncle pushed on me…or Kira. Forgive me Kira. I’d never do this if you were still alive.
My head dropped towards hers without delay and my lips met hers, with trepidation at first, but when she responded with a groan I deepened the kiss. I fought off the images of every kiss I’d shared with Kira. The one I couldn’t kick was kissing her after our Cleaving ceremony.
I pulled back from Alexa. She gave me a sweet smile. Was she waiting for me to kiss her again? Her phone beeped and she looked at the text message. I couldn’t read the contents, but I saw Joshua’s name flash across the screen. A frown immediately appeared on my face. Why was he texting her at this hour? I knew he was her “supervisor,” but couldn’t she have a little free time? She put her phone back in her purse and said, “I should let you get some sleep. I need to get back to the Complex.”
“Sure. No problem. I’ll see you soon?”
She nodded and then gave me a chaste kiss on the lips. “Thanks for the perfect evening, Ethan.”
I held the door open for her and watched her get back on the elevator. Then I went back inside, pulled up every picture of Kira I had, and sobbed until dawn.
Present
“Brad must not have asked them to clean before they left the city. This place is trashed,” Blake says, pointing to heaps of garbage in the main plaza of Art City. Jax brought us all here. Brad agreed to give the Exilers Art City, the caveat being that they couldn’t use the SCI’s portals. The Arbiters had to find “another way” to transport them here.
It’s just before sundown. Blake, Jax, and I are standing at the edge of the city that once housed the artists and musicians of Thera. The poor former residents have all been dispersed amongst Theran cities that allow music and art. As much as I wanted a peaceful solution to the Exiler camp problem, I feel terrible for the people that got kicked out of here.
The city itself is a series of “floating” islands sitting atop giant, twenty-foot tall pylons and connected by rope bridges. The pylons were driven deep into the marshy ground that sat below to give stability. The city is in the equivalent area of the Gulf of Alaska on Earth, far north of every other Theran city.
I peer over the edge of the platform rail and look down in the dense, grassy marsh and see two long, scaly creatures slip into the water. “Were those alligators?” Jax throws something over the edge and several gators congregate around the offering. When they realize there isn’t enough to go around, they start to fight and a couple beady eyes seem to look up at us in hopes we’ll send down another offering, preferably one of us.
“This place is full of them,” Jax responds. “Fish, gators, and birds. Oh, and snakes. Poisonous ones.”
Shivering, I imagine all the small children from the Exiler camps and hope they never figure out a way off the platforms.
“Why’d Brad pick this place?” Blake asks, keeping a wary eye on the gators.
Jax responds, “Because it’s not like Brad’s going to do the Exilers any favors. He’ll uphold the ‘letter’ of the Arbiter demands but only loosely. He has armed guards stationed at the in-city exit portals—anyone without ‘permission’ who goes through will get shot. The portals in are clear, so he and his troops can show up at any time. The closest portals to Earth are a three-day hike away. Sure, this is the only city without an Eco barrier, but no one would make it far given the alligator and snake population. And the closest Theran city? It’s over a thousand miles from here. He did leave rations, but they are meager. We’d best rename this place Prison City because that’s what this will feel like for the Exilers.”
“When do the Exilers start to arrive?” I ask Jax since Arbiters are facilitating the move although I don’t quite understand how, and Jax has not volunteered the information. An individual Arbiter can open a portal and bring someone through but to do that for more than fifty-thousand people? Doesn’t seem possible. My mind flits to the Genitor. He would have no problem pulling it off. “And how can we help?”
“An advance team with Doc, Bailey, and Adam will be here within the hour to do cleanup and setup. Blake will run work with that crew. A large team of Arbiters will arrive shortly thereafter to get people moved into residences. They will also staff the medical facility until Doc can assemble a team of skilled Exiler doctors and nurses. The injured will arrive first, and then the rest will stream in over the next forty-eight hours. Ethan, you and Kira will man the intake station at the Art Museum. Record names and information. I’ve loaded the intake program onto both your tablets.”
I respond a lot louder than I intended. “You brought Kira here? Are you kidding me?”
Jax reaches over, grabs my arm, and gives me a bolt of calming energy. “Chill, Ethan. She insisted. She wants to see for herself if any babies are here. And besides, I don’t trust her alone at your apartment with Brad in the vicinity. Word is that he has taken up residence next door to you. So I brought Kira here with us, and the babies are with the nurses in Heart. If you sense danger, ge
t her out of here, which means being at her side at all times. You need a break, and I’ll be there to take over.”
Movement on one of the rope bridges catches my eye. The setting sun provides a beautiful backdrop as Kira comes bouncing across the bridge, her hair flying in the slight breeze and a giant smile on her face. It’s the first time I’ve seen her genuinely happy in well over a year although I don’t know how she can be given that she’s dressed in a gold-belted, full-length, rainbow-colored tunic. “Can you believe this place?” she says as she finally reaches us. “It is awesome. There’s real music playing in the museum, and the SCI left the art! The air is fresh and under a hundred degrees. I can actually breathe…outside. And did you see the adorable alligators? There must be thousands of them!” She twirls around, and I watch her sniff the air—which smells floral.
“What are you wearing?” I ask.
She laughs. “An Art City uniform. I figure there’s no way that I can hand someone one in good conscience if I’m not willing to wear one myself.”
Blake mumbles. “I’m not sure that the fifty-thousand plus people arriving will care about their outfits when they are starving.”
She stops twirling and playfully shoves him in the arm. “They will appreciate the improvement of their conditions. You of all people should appreciate this after living in Exile for so long. There’s indoor plumbing, air conditioning, and the SCI left the communal housing furnished. Sure it has the whole hippie compound feel going on, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?”
Her happy demeanor doesn’t rub off on him though. “Sure, Kira. It’s definitely a step up accommodations-wise. But along with those furnishings are thousands of SCI-installed listening devices. Who knows what else I will find on our ‘cleaning’ run. Plus, there’s no room to expand, the place will be horribly overcrowded, and how on Thera will we accomplish our mission to take down the SCI from here? We’re a thousand miles away from the boonies, Kira.”
Kira rolls her eyes and turns her back on Blake. “Jax, surely the Arbiters can handle the SCI, right?”
Jax doesn’t lie. He omits, avoids, talks in circles or riddles, but he doesn’t lie. “Kira, love. The puzzle pieces have shifted, but it’s still a puzzle.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. “But one that we will solve.”
He smiles and kisses her on the forehead. “I do believe we need to settle you someplace with loads of fresh air. It does you wonders.” He then claps his hands loudly. “Time to work. Love, can you show Ethan the way to the museum? He’ll help you get everyone checked in as they arrive.”
Kira laughs. To Jax, “Surely, love.” To me, she hooks her arm through mine and drags me along. “Come on, handsome. We must go search for our children.”
I turn around to Jax and mouth, “What did you give her?” Jax shrugs and holds his hand in a “0” to indicate nothing. Kira continues to pull me towards the museum. “Ah, so today I’m handsome?”
“You’ve never been anything less than drop dead gorgeous. And today, I don’t even want you to drop dead. Isn’t that fabulous?” She’s telling jokes.
I stop in my tracks, which causes her to jerk back against me. “Seriously, what did Jax give you?”
She peers up at me with her beautiful light-green eyes and scrunches her nose. “Do you know how long I have been stuck in that dreadful apartment of yours? The only time I saw fresh air, a guy tried to kill me. So I’m a little excited about being far, far away from that evil place. I’m even more excited about the prospect of seeing some of my friends—and our…I mean their…babies. If I have to spend several nights back to back with my cranky ex-Cleave to do this, I’ll happily do it.”
I can’t help it. I lick my lips and stare at hers. I want to kiss her so badly. This is the girl I fell madly and deeply in love with. “Why do you think I’m cranky?”
“The only words you have spoken to me since you found out about Evvie were ‘What happened to you?’ That would indicate to me that you are a little bit upset with me. I thought that we’d made progress that night at dinner, but…”
I push her back against the railing and trap her by putting an arm on either side. I’m having trouble formulating words. She looks absolutely edible aglow in the last remnants of the setting sun. “It was a lot to process, Kira. But it’s not like you had a choice in the matter. I was there when they implanted the embryos, remember?”
A momentary grimace appears on her face and then vanishes. “That was terrible, but I’m not sorry they were born and never will be.”
“I know, Kira. I know.” I lean forward and can hear her breathing get ragged. If I placed my hand over her heart, I’m positive it would be racing. At the last second, I plant a feather light kiss at the very edge of her mouth. She turns beet red and ducks under my arm and takes off in a light run.
“To the museum I go. Catch me if you can.” She yells back to me.
“I plan to do just that,” I whisper and then follow behind like the lovesick puppy I am.
“That was the last of them. I’m so sorry, love.” Jax whispers to a very exhausted Kira who, to my dismay, is currently collapsed in his arms. We had quickly given up on doing the check-in by ourselves. Instead, everyone with babies was put through our line. Despite checking people in for fifty solid hours, there has been no sign of Kira’s friends or the babies. Kira got distraught and “needed Jax” to comfort her. I was distraught by the tedious process. Take their info. Take their picture. Hand them one of the hideous rainbow Art City uniforms that had been left behind. Brad had probably watched the whole thing, feeling triumphant with every groan of Art City’s new inhabitants.
I double-check my tablet. “The final tally was 49,753. That’s over ten thousand less than the camps started with.”
Jax doesn’t look at me as he rocks Kira to sleep. He’s staring at her like she’s the most precious thing in the world to him. I know because that’s how I look at her. “From what I hear from the hospital, I’d expect that number to go down further before the week is done.”
He stands with Kira still in his arms. “I need to go get the babies. Take her home for me?” Leaning over, he whispers something in her ear and kisses her cheek. Then he gently transfers her to me.
“Gladly.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Blake
I knew Brad had moles in the camp—he told me as much before I showed up here, but I would have guessed it anyway. Of course, he didn’t tell me how many or who they were. I may be his “assistant,” but he doesn’t trust me at all, particularly where the Exilers are concerned. He made me his assistant for his personal amusement.
“Listening devices aren’t sufficient when the subjects know they are being listened to,” he’d said. “So know this, Blake. I’m allowing you to go—but you will be watched at all times. You get caught helping the enemy in any way and you will be taken out. Understand me?”
“So you’re sending me to help with the transfer, but if I help, then I get killed? Sounds like a fabulous use of my time. Thank you for the assignment.” I might be his assistant, but I wasn’t a willing one and didn’t hold back my sarcasm.
He’d removed his glasses and swiped his brow. “You are grating on my nerves, Sundry. You know what I mean. You go to Art City…help the Exilers get moved in and keep me out of trouble with the Arbiters…then you use the trust you have with them to find out everything about their new temporary government. But you do not aid them in plotting against the SCI. Clear enough for you?”
I’ve never been great about following rules to the letter of the law. I consider the line between helping keep Brad out of trouble with the Arbiters and aiding the Exilers to be rather fluid. I wasn’t at the “game-changing” meeting with the Arbiters, but I still can’t fathom Brad ever agreeing to abandon a full city and gift it to the Exilers with no catch. Which is why I’m currently in a makeshift harness about to descend below the main plaza platform, so I can follow a gut instinct.
“What are you doing
?” The guy talking to me screams “ex-military,” and I’m going to assume he’s one of Brad’s goons.
I hold up a basketball-sized net. “Fishing. I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond sick of that gruel for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
“Need any help?” he asks. I get the feeling he doesn’t want me down there, which rings another bell on my Brad-is-up-to-something alarm.
Shrugging, I respond. “I’ve only got one rope and harness, but if you can find another, then I’d love the help.” I figure that he’ll be too lazy to go look, and the mere fact that I’m inviting him will make him less suspicious.
“Bring me back some.” His words sound more like a warning: Bring proof or die.
I smile at him. “Sure thing…if the gators don’t get me.”
Lowering myself down my self-made pulley system, I pause to look below the main plaza platform. I notice that there are crisscrossing ropes below the platform. I’m being watched, so I keep going until I’m hovering above the marshy grasses that grow in the shallow water. I run my hand along the top of the grass, causing it to sway—to check for any hidden surprises, like gators, underneath. When I confirm there are no snapping reptiles underfoot, I put a handful of grain in the net and lower the net into the water.
It doesn’t take long for the fishes to swarm. I pull the net up, move the couple larger fishes to a bag at my waist, and then repeat the process until I’ve got a bag full of fish. When a gator moves my way and snaps his sharp teeth-filled mouth at me, I decide to bail. If I had some sort of spear I’d take him out…gator meat would feed a lot of people. Of course, he looks like he weighs more than me so getting him back up would be quite the trick.
My journey back up takes longer since I’ve got a lot more weight on me, straining my muscles. I realize that I’ve been so busy that my exercise regimen has suffered. For the first time in years, I’m in less than peak physical condition. I pledge to change that even if I have to sacrifice more sleep than I have been. The sun’s now out in full force, and the city supplies left didn’t include sunscreen. I’ve got a hat shading my face, but that’s about it.
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