Lucas holds my face. He’s talking. For a second I can’t hear, then sounds comes back.
“Althea. I’m sorry I smacked you. You looked…you wouldn’t come back.”
“They know we’re here. The Prime is coming. They’re all coming. Right now.”
The wounds on Lucas’s victim have nearly healed. Knowing the damage isn’t permanent makes me feel better.
Also worse.
Lucas waits outside the door. His voice is sharp. “Althea. Move.”
My body responds to the command in his voice. I step through the melted glass and we move back to the Cell entrance with swift steps. My last glimpse of the Danbury Administrative Center is an image Leah’s clear gray eyes watching me go.
Running isn’t an option for Lucas, who still hugs his bruised side and limps. His steps are surer though, and hopefully the antibiotic has begun to work.
Gathered shadows conceal us against the outside of the building. Sirens explode, wailing through the frosty black night. I’ve heard them before, when they’re being tested, but never in use. Tonight they’re calling together a search for us.
Three months ago I would never have dreamed of causing physical damage, inflicting mental trauma, or running from the Wardens. Never would have believed that being Something Else meant I’m half Other.
Never would have guessed that animals aren’t the most frightening part of this world.
The idea of finding someone like me was still a fantasy, too. I glance sideways at Lucas, taking in his concerned profile. He’s worth it.
Lucas turns, meeting my eyes. “We should go. Who knows how long it will take them to get here. We need to get outside the boundary where there’s more places to hide. They’ll probably look for us in the park first.”
Cold sweat soaks my body. “We’ll go as fast as you can manage.”
I lead the way, stepping onto the sidewalk but staying close to the brick exterior of the building. Lucas keeps up as we race across the street and melt into the trees on the opposite side.
That’s when we see them.
Two riders pull up in front of the Cell and ten—no, twenty—Wardens get out. Half go inside the Cell. The rest head toward us. Toward the park.
They know the best place to search for us. At least Deshi never learned exactly where we crawled over the boundary. They’ll have to waste some time searching.
Without a word, we hurry ahead of them. My breath explodes in gasps that I work hard to keep quiet. The sound of Lucas’s wild inhales pounds in my ears, keeping time with my heart.
The Wardens’ footsteps slap the pavement behind us, gaining with each forward motion. Lucas grabs my hand and yanks. I stumble and fall, bringing him down with me. He grunts softly as we hit the dirt, but gathers me in his arms. We roll behind a large clump of holly bushes near the park entrance.
There’s no time to voice my irritation as the Wardens jog past less than a minute later. If we’d kept running, they would’ve caught us. Now they’re in the park, roaming around between us and our escape route. Once the sound of their boots slogging through the piles of wet leaves disappears, I turn and whisper to Lucas. “Now what are we going to do?”
He shrugs, then flinches. His face has paled again and shines with sweat. “I don’t know. Getting out of sight was the extent of my plan. Wait?”
“Yeah, for how long? It could take hours to search the park, and what if they don’t leave? They could just set up along the boundary and wait.” I look around, appraising our hiding place. The front of me is already sodden from the damp ground. “These bushes are thick, but they’ll find us eventually.”
“Have you got a better idea?” He hisses the words, heavy with exasperation.
“Well, excuse me for not wanting to get caught. You know, since we’ve just seriously injured a bunch of Others and proven beyond all shadow of a doubt that we have powers they’ll want to kill us for. And you’re welcome for not leaving you behind, by the way.”
“Thank you for coming to get me. And for doing what you had to do to get us this far.”
The thought of what I’ve done makes my temples throb.
I change the subject, keeping my voice at a murmur and my ears open for approaching death. “What happened this morning?”
“I don’t know. I got dizzy and fell while I was packing. The next thing I knew I woke up at Cell.”
“I asked you a million times if you were okay. Why didn’t you say something?”
He continues as though he didn’t hear me. “I guess the Wardens threw me in the office and let the Healer fix me enough to wake up.” Lucas’s face screws up like he wants to punch someone. “Deshi showed up and changed into an Other right in front of me. Two Wardens held me down, wouldn’t let me fight back while he hit me.”
In another time, a different place, the defensiveness in his voice might make me smile.
Anger at the Others bubbles up as I take a closer look at his marred features. I bury it as best as I can. “He’s been playing with us for a long time. Are you okay now?”
“I feel better. I’m not going to pass out again, at any rate.” Lucas gingerly fingers the cut on his forehead, then pokes the edge of his swollen eye.
“Can you see out of your eye?”
“Quit worrying about me. I haven’t felt any pain since I woke up to you kissing me.”
My cheeks heat up even though I know he’s lying. “Shut up. What do you think, you’re charming or something?”
He grins, mouth sitting lopsided because of the swelling. “Tell you what. We get out of this thing alive and I might let you kiss me again.”
The statement, meant as a tease, sobers me instead. “Getting out of this thing alive is a big, fat question mark at the moment.”
Only the sounds of the icy wind howling through the trees and our even breathing interrupts the silence for several minutes. My watch says it’s ten thirty. Light from the streetlamps pools in puddles on the road as my ears strain. I hope the Wardens leave the park soon. As though they hear my silent urging, eleven come into view at that moment. They talk in low voices, words indiscernible until they are almost on top of us.
“They’ll turn up. Where could they go?”
“Did you hear what came over the line? What they did to the guys at the Cell? The Prime will not forgive anyone for losing them.”
I hold my breath as they pass within four feet of us, arguing about the best course of action. My lungs burn in protest, but I don’t let the stale air escape until the Wardens are well out of sight.
Lucas hauls me to my feet. “Let’s get out of here.”
My legs are stiff and cramping. I limp beside Lucas until the numbness wears off, then trot to keep pace. He seems better, no longer holding his side or grimacing with every step.
Even though the Wardens who entered the park walked back by us, my unease grows as we pass the playground equipment. The trees provide some shelter, as they always have, but not enough with their leaves strewn about the ground. They cast long, spindly shadows in the moonlight.
We make it to the boundary and wind our way around to the spot we can crawl over. I know it like the back of my hand by now, couldn’t miss it if I suddenly went blind. Lucas reaches out to grab the fence.
He turns to say something at the last minute, which is why the explosion of pain on his face is so clear when the angry outburst of sparks illuminates the night.
CHAPTER 30.
The fence is working.
The truth stumbles through my mind, which is as sluggish and in shock as my body. Lucas flies back from the boundary in slow motion, crumpling to the ground. The light and sparks fade before his twitching body hits with a thud. The sound brings me to my senses and I throw myself down beside him for the third time today.
“Lucas! Lucas, answer me!”
He doesn’t move, doesn’t even a groan this time. In the silence, the sound of footsteps whips my head around. Deshi walks out of the trees and ambles toward us as thou
gh he hasn’t a care in the world. The marks from last night’s burns have faded to pink puckers in less than twenty-four hours.
“Too bad about that. Not sure if he’ll wake up this time. Kind of surprised he did after I planted my fist in his face before.”
My back leans into Lucas’s side; I know there’s no way to protect him. “How did you know?”
“What, about where the two of you snuck out?” He shrugs and leans against the nearest tree trunk, crossing his feet at the ankle.
The relaxed pose is odd, false. In a series of seconds, he becomes indistinct, shimmering like the Ko in my necklace, then solidifies into an Other. Tall. Blond hair. Limitless black eyes. Cold cruelty encased in perfection. His star-shaped scar is bigger and an angrier red than I’ve ever seen, and he has a thick black band around his neck—just like the Prime’s, except it’s only one line instead of three.
“I didn’t, not really. I searched the boundary after I got out of that stream earlier. Cool trick, by the way. Apa would have been proud of his boy. Anyway, I should have figured it out sooner.”
“Yeah, well, I guess dealing with your rotting skin suit took up too much of your time.”
“Maybe.” He slinks toward us.
I swallow my terror to keep it from showing. The sick, twisted smile crawling across his beautiful face tells me I failed. I press my lips together, unwilling to risk revealing any information.
He stops a few feet away and sighs. “It’s adorable that the two of you thought you could get away. Interesting though your powers are, you can’t kill us. But, oh, how I’ve enjoyed playing this game with you.” His voice dips deep, dripping hatred. “The storied half-breed children of the Elements. The products of sickening unions. You all deserve to die.”
“Why don’t you kill us then?”
“My father, the Prime Other, wants you alive.” His eyes ferret out the shock on my face. “Oh, you didn’t know who you attacked earlier? He wants to know more about your talents in case, you know, it’s something we can use. He’ll enjoy hurting you for what you did to me. For your parents’ betrayals.”
He takes another step forward and my hand goes involuntarily to Lucas’s shoulder.
“Well, take us then. Or are you too scared?”
He laughs, an eerie, frightening noise. “Of you? Hardly. I saw what you did back at the Cell, and haven’t forgotten the temporary setback you dealt me in the Wilds this morning, but I’m a fast learner.”
Lucas stirs, and despite the fact that we’re dead meat, tears spring to my eyes. “Lucas.”
His eyes flutter and then open. He puts a hand to his head and groans, revealing burn marks on his palms. “What happened?”
I don’t answer, cutting my eyes at Other Deshi, who keeps coming closer. Lucas’s eyes follow and widen in shock and fear. He regains control in a flash and shoots to his knees beside me.
Without warning Deshi’s hand snakes out and twists around Lucas’s upper arm. He yanks, pulling Lucas toward him on the ground, and then drags him to a standing position by his hair. Deshi holds Lucas like a shield. There’s no way I can shoot heat at Deshi and be sure some of it won’t graze Lucas. There’s a slippery-looking scarf wrapped around Deshi’s hands, a barrier between him and Lucas’s skin.
Protection from the cold.
At my step forward, Deshi grins and shakes his head. “I wouldn’t do that. I believe the Prime would forgive me for killing one of you, as long as the second makes it into custody. I’m not sure I care which one of you it is.”
Lucas struggles to get hold of Deshi or escape. This time I wouldn’t feel bad about burning someone but there’s no clear shot. Lucas’s stare holds mine, full of emotion and strength. One last, desperate idea comes to me in an instant. If it doesn’t work, we’re toast.
We’re toast either way, eventually.
I stare at my friend, my kindred, and beg him with my eyes to understand. He struggles to comprehend before realization arrives and he gives a small nod.
My mind performs a frantic search of its contents, trying to find anything that could make it work. We have to use the cold, the heat…or the place it comes from.
After tonight, finding the place inside me that generates the heat is easier than I ever expected. Now it swells, and every bad feeling, every happy emotion provided by the past few weeks mixes together in my core. I feel it surge, and try to focus the energy on traveling. If we don’t succeed, our lives are over. If we do, we may not be together when we wake up.
You have to touch him.
Stay away from me, Fire, I growl in response.
Ice crystals bead on Lucas’s forehead as sweat pours down my face. At the last second I trust my mother and lunge forward, crashing into him. Deshi has his hands, so I press as much of me against him as I can in that split second.
I hear Lucas’s voice, already far away. “I’ll find you.”
The next instant, the world goes dark.
EPILOGUE
My eyes crack, adjusting to the dark room. I’m inside, that much is obvious. That feeling of disappearing, the one that scares me more than anything, presses down, suffocating me. A scream gathers at the back of my throat as I struggle to convince myself I exist.
It works in the nick of time, like always.
I’m in bed. Alone.
The comforter is thick and deep blue. It reminds me of Cadi’s eyes when she’d get upset. Without moving, my ears pick up the howling wind rattling the window in its frame.
Sliding my feet into the slippers waiting beside the bed, I make my way over to the window. I collapse onto the cushioned seat and press my forehead to the frosty glass. My breath blows white patterns as the snow swirls outside. It clings to the spindly tree branches and sticks to the ground, deep drifts piling up against the curb. Tears slide down my cheeks.
It’s winter. I’m in Iowa. It means, among other things, that Lucas is gone.
He can’t come here. I don’t even know if he’s gotten out of autumn alive. The loneliness, kept at bay by his presence the past several weeks, nips at me like a hungry beast. It will eat me alive before long. There is nothing left to combat it.
I’ve gone against what I believe and used violence to save us. The Others know who we are, what we look like. They may not know where I am this instant, but it won’t take them long to find out.
My locket vibrates against my chest, not as violently as the day Ko popped out but hard enough to make me jump. Nothing appears this time, so with a trembling hand I pull it over my head and open it up. My note is lodged inside, as I expect. I pull it out like always, unfold it with care. The sight of the altered words catches my breath in my throat:
Althea—
Lucas is safe. We will help in any way we can. You need to run.
—Cadi.
Turn the page to read the first chapter in the sequel, Winter Omens.
1.
I guess when we travel on our own we don’t magically wake up tucked into our beds in clean pajamas. Instead, my filthy shoes grind Danbury dirt into the carpet of my Des Moines bedroom. The same wet, dirty clothes I’ve worn all day—or yesterday, whenever—cling to my clammy skin. The pride and novelty I felt at finally having control over hopping seasons fills me for a moment, and then vanish quickly as I remember the new note in my locket:
Althea—
Lucas is safe. We will help in any way we can. You need to run.
—Cadi
Desperation over losing Lucas rushes over me as the memory of his dimpled smile, careless blond curls, and protective arms threatens to undo me. I shove it all into my center; giving up is the one way to ensure I’ll never see him again.
Cadi says to run, but if I can’t stay here with the Clarks, where can I go?
It doesn’t matter. She and Ko have never led me astray.
The bag I packed to run away with Lucas is nowhere to be seen, so I fill a new one with the warmest clothes in the closet. Winter is settling in and this is Iowa; it must b
e freezing outside. Once that’s done, I sneak across the beige carpet and crack open the bedroom door, greeted by a silent blackness. The door to the linen closet in the hallway creaks slightly, causing me to wince and freeze. Nothing stirs; not a sound comes from the Clarks’ room downstairs. My winter family is asleep, like normal humans after midnight.
I grab three blankets, resisting the urge to take the whole stack, and reposition the rest so a glance won’t show that some are missing. The longer no one realizes anything is amiss the better. It won’t take them long. The Others are smart and there are only so many places to look.
Back in my room, I assess my options. I take a deep breath as my mother’s disembodied voice bursts into my mind, pushing aside my own thoughts.
Run, Althea.
It urges haste, and after the events of the past months I’m not inclined to argue with her.
The blankets barely fit in the bag with the clothes, and after I add some toothpaste, a toothbrush, shampoo, and deodorant to the pile I have to sit on it to tug the zipper shut. Down in the kitchen, I prowl through the pantry and grab as much nonperishable food as I can find in the dark. My fingers race along the shelves, filching cans of vegetables, soup, and a couple bags of pasta. I dump the lot into a second bag and add six bottles of water to the top.
I slip through the empty living room, past photographs of me huddled with the Clarks on Outings to the local skating pond. I’m trussed up like a marshmallow in most of them, head and hands covered with thick woolen garments. They never provide enough warmth. Nothing does. Even though fire simmers inside me, and last autumn I even began to control it a little, I’m always cold. It’s as though my center attracts the heat, sucking it inward and leaving my extremities constantly on ice.
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