The Starborn Ascension: Books 1, 2, and 3 (The Starborn Saga)

by Jason D. Morrow

  He starts handing me all sorts of items. He gives me a thick coat, a backpack full of food, a first aid kit, and a water bottle. He then pulls out my rifle, a pistol, and several extra magazines of ammunition, along with a sheathed machete. Apart from living within Crestwood, I’ve never felt so safe.

  “I tried to make sure that you have enough supplies to at least make it a few days,” he says.

  “Thank you,” I tell him. “It’s more than I could have hoped for.”

  He zips the empty bag back up and rests his arms on the side of the truck. I stand next to him feeling like a walking surplus store, but that’s a good thing.

  “Gabe, I feel like I ought to tell you something,” I say. Even as the words come out, my stomach churns. I’m about to tell the man that is carrying out my banishment the truth about my abilities—a betrayal of myself, but I feel like he needs to know.

  He looks at me without saying a word, his eyebrows raised.

  “I overheard something, a meeting. There was a group of raiders that came to Crestwood yesterday, right?”

  “Yeah, Paxton gave them the boot.”

  “Not before he met with them. They want something. They are looking for something.”

  “How do you know about this?”

  “I said I overheard it.”

  “You couldn’t have,” he says, cocking his head to the side. “You were in the cell.”

  “I know,” I say. I look away from him, biting my lower lip. “Do you remember when I first came here, Paxton asked me if I had any special abilities?”

  “He asks everyone that for some reason,” Gabe says.

  “Yeah, well, I lied to him when I told him no. I can actually hear things better than anyone.”

  “What do you mean?” He turns his whole body toward me and stares deep into my eyes.

  “I mean that if I know a place very well, I can listen to just about anything. If I’m up in my apartment, I can listen at the front gate and hear the conversations of the guards. If I want, I can listen to any of the elders’ meetings. I can hear conversations that Paxton has at Headquarters.”

  As he looks at me, I can’t tell if he believes what I’m saying.

  “Well, yesterday I overheard his conversation with the raider. He’s after the group of people that came into Crestwood.”

  “What do you mean after them?”

  “I mean, they have something he wants…but it’s not really just something he wants. It’s something Shadowface wants.”

  Gabe’s eyes widen at my words as though he just had a new idea and I nod at him.

  “Yep. Paxton and the raider guy both answer to this Shadowface. Anyway, expect Paxton to have you exile your newcomers soon. He’s going to want you to take them to a place called Secure Transportation, you know of it?”

  Gabe nods, staring now into the bed of the truck.

  “Now, I don’t know about these people that came into Crestwood, but I know that I would already trust them better than I would that bandit scum. He’s probably going to kill them out there.”

  Gabe looks at me, a serious look on his face. “How long have you been able to…”

  “A long while now,” I say. “It just sort of happened one day. It’s weird, but it comes in handy.” I reach out and grab Gabe’s hand. “If I can find out something about Paxton’s daughter, then I will be back in Crestwood and we can figure all this out together. Otherwise…” I lean in and kiss him on the cheek—one that says our friendship has been great, but I probably won’t ever see you again. When I pull away, I can’t tell if Gabe has a bit of water in his eyes, but I don’t linger on the stare.

  “Be careful,” I say, taking a step away from him. “This seems like the kind of thing where you could get way in over your head. It doesn’t seem safe.”

  “I’ll be okay,” he says. “Paxton trusts me. It’s you that needs to be careful.”

  I grin at him and look all around me with a shrug. “This is the life I’m used to. The past three months have been nice, but too good to be true.”

  “There are other places, I’m sure,” he says.

  “You just take care of Crestwood,” I say.

  I turn my back to him and begin walking down the winding road. When I’m about a hundred paces away, I listen for Gabe.

  “Can you hear me speak to you now?” he asks.

  I keep walking, my head down as the wind hits me.

  “We will meet again, Remi, he says. Paxton may have placed a wedge between us now, but not forever. I have loved getting to know you. I love being around you. I love you.”

  I try not to let my head turn, but I give myself away only slightly. Then I keep walking—just as I always do. There’s no place for love, no time to get involved, to become close. More than likely, I’ll be dead soon. Love is just too painful. I should know this better than anyone. I’m not going to let it happen again.

  My feet carry me forward as I get lost in my thoughts. I’m long out of sight before I hear the turning over of the engine and Gabe driving in the opposite direction.

  I am alone.

  Chapter 16 - Waverly

  I sit in one of the courtyards of Crestwood alone, without a weapon, and I feel at peace. It is the first time in a long while that I have felt so at ease. The wind blows softly through the streets and the voices of people and children pass through the alleys and lanes without a care. But the clouds that fill the sky make me think only of the storm to come. I think of that moment when Gilbert commits a final heroic act. I just can’t see how it is all supposed to happen. I want to try and stop it, but I don’t know how. And I’m beginning to think that I won’t be able to.

  I see someone to my right and I smile when I notice that it’s Ethan. He looks nice after a fresh shower. He has shaved and his dark hair is combed to the side.

  “You look like a real gentleman,” I say.

  He grins at me. “And you, Miss Waverly, look stunning as usual.”

  “How are you liking your new place?” I ask.

  “It’s not bad. Has everything I need. I’ve stayed in much worse, I can tell you that.” He sits next to me on the bench and I scoot over a few inches.

  “Have you gotten to know anyone yet?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “I’ve only talked to the supply lady. She seemed real nice. Other than that I’ve just been keeping to myself. Enjoying my freedom a bit.”

  “I hear you.”

  “What about you?”

  “Oh, I’ve talked to a few people,” he says. “There was a couple that has been here about a year now. They seem to like it okay. The word around town is that someone was banished from here not too long ago. Maybe a couple of days.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know. I didn’t ask really.”

  “Keep to ourselves and stay out of trouble,” I say. “That’s the best way to be allowed to stick around.”

  “I just think it’s kind of weird,” he says. “I can’t really explain it.”

  “The banishing?”

  “No, just being here,” he says. “I really hope we can be a part of something. I don’t want to just survive. I’ve been surviving for the past three years. Now I want to help.”

  “I’m certain that time will come,” I say. “For now, just enjoy the new freedom.”

  He nods at me and smiles. “You holding up okay?”

  “It’s been five days since Lucas died,” I say. “I hate it. He would have liked it here.”

  “Lucas died doing a brave thing,” Ethan says. “I firmly believe that if he hadn’t done what he did, we would all be dead in that crummy little town.”

  “Maybe so. I just… I don’t know. I thought things were going to be different. I thought we would survive this. I thought he and I were untouchable. He…he promised.”

  “What did he promise?”

  “I don’t know,” I say. I feel dumb for letting the words come out.

  “You can tell me,” he says. “I’m not Gilber
t.”

  “How is he liking it?” I ask.

  Ethan shrugs. “I haven’t really talked to him since we got here. I’m sure he’s glad to have his own place. That’s where he is all the time.” He clears his throat. “You uh…you were going to say…”

  “Lucas promised me that we would survive this thing together. It’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid,” Ethan says.

  “Those raiders made a liar out of him.”

  “No they didn’t. He didn’t lie to you. In a way, he still survives…with you. You still love him. Use that love to help you carry on. Just because he passed, doesn’t mean you have to forget him. But most of all don’t be angry with him. And don’t let him die in vain by thinking of him as a liar or that he broke promises. He died to protect you. That is the highest honor he could give you.”

  I don’t know what it is—his words, his look of sincerity—but for a brief second I see Ethan in a different light. More than a friend. I like the picture, but I’m having trouble believing it could be real. He is much like Lucas in the way that he seems to care for me without even knowing me that well, but he is a different person entirely.

  “Thank you,” I say.

  He shakes his head. “We’re a team. I don’t really know if Gilbert is on it, but with the town of Crestwood, our team just got a bit bigger.”

  “I think Gilbert is on team Gilbert,” I say.

  “He hasn’t left his apartment since he got here,” Ethan says. “I think you really spooked him the other day with your little vision thing.”

  I was afraid the conversation would come to that.

  “I know you probably don’t want to tell me about it,” he says. “I can respect that. But you have to admit, it seemed a little crazy.”

  “What I saw was crazy.”

  Ethan looks at me, his face still and his voice, quiet.

  “I saw him die,” I say. “I had only expected to see a few minutes into the future, but I saw days apparently.”

  “Were you and I there?”

  “We were,” I say. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  “But if you see it,” Ethan presses, “can’t you change it?”

  “That’s what I tried with Hank,” I say. “But it didn’t work. I don’t know how it works. The only way I control it is by touching someone. That’s it. I can’t tell what I’m going to see. I can’t pick where in someone’s future. It just happens. Truth is, I don’t know if changing it is possible. I don't know why this has happened to me. I wish it would go away."

  Ethan looks at me as though he is scared. “Are we at Crestwood when it happens?”

  “No, but like I said, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know any more than that. It’s as much of a mystery to me as it is to you. I’m still trying to figure out a way to keep Gilbert alive.”

  “Sorry I pressed you,” Ethan says sincerely. “It’s just crazy to me is all.”

  “You and me both,” I say. “I didn’t ask for this. I’d like to know why it is happening at all. It makes me feel strange. Like an outsider.”

  “Well, that’s why we have to keep it a secret,” Ethan says. “You’re no outsider to me, but this is the kind of thing that if word got out, people would flock to you to see what their future is. People used to pay for this kind of stuff.”

  “I suppose I could get pretty rich off of it,” I say.

  “Well, I don’t know about that. You might not make a good living giving people bad news all the time.”

  I don’t know why, but this makes me laugh. It feels nice.

  “You know, it’s weird,” I say. “We’ve been traveling together and we’ve been through a lot already, but I don’t know much about you.”

  The smile fades from his face and he looks away. “There’s not much to know,” he says. “I’ve lost the same as everyone else. Family. Friends. I’m all that’s left.”

  I nod, knowing that going into details isn’t necessary. We all really have the same story, don’t we?

  “But Crestwood will give us a bright future,” he says.

  I just have to figure out how to keep Gilbert from dying.

  My eyes feel so groggy when I hear a knock at my apartment door in the middle of the night. Actually it’s more like a pounding than a knock. At first, I think that it might be Ethan coming to tell me something is wrong, but when I unlock the door, it’s Gabe. My heart begins to pound at the sight of him. Every time I see his face, I can’t help but think of the vision I had before. His coming in the middle of the night can only be bad news.

  “Paxton has ordered me to bring you to him,” he says. “I don’t know what it’s about, but he says it’s urgent.”

  “Can’t it wait until morning?” I start to shut the door, but Gabe plants his foot at the bottom.

  “I’m sorry,” he says. “He’s ordered it.”

  I take my time getting my shoes and coat, all the while my mind reeling about what this could mean. I look at the clock above the kitchen stove and see that it’s still a couple of hours before dawn.

  The cold night air bites at any exposed skin as I follow Gabe across the street to the building labeled Headquarters. The bell jingles at the front door as we walk into a room filled with chairs. It looks like it used to be one of those old-fashioned diners. He leads me up a flight of stairs to the second floor where I see Ethan and Gilbert sitting in front of a large desk. The two of them look as disheveled as I feel. There is an empty chair next to Ethan, and Gabe instructs me to take a seat and wait for Paxton to come down. Once I sit, I turn my head and look at the back of the room. Gabe stands with four other armed guards who never let their eyes leave us.

  “What’s going on?” I ask, turning to Ethan and Gilbert.

  Gilbert shrugs and Ethan shakes his head. “We know about as much as you. They came and got us a few minutes ago.”

  The sound of slow footsteps echoes in the stairwell. I turn back to look through the door and see Paxton staring at the ground as he approaches us.

  “What’s this about?” Gilbert says, as Paxton rounds the desk and sits across from us.

  “Why don’t you tell me, Gilbert?” Paxton says, staring at the desk. It’s almost as if he doesn’t want to give us eye contact.

  “What do you mean? I’ve barely left my apartment the past couple of days.”

  “Well, I know that isn’t true,” he says. “For any of you.”

  “Some things have gone missing from our storerooms,” Paxton says. His voice is barely above a whisper. “Guns. Food. General supplies.”

  “And you think we took them?” Ethan asks. “We don’t even know where your storerooms are.”

  A clap of thunder erupts outside.

  I didn’t think I could possibly conceive of how the vision of Gilbert could come true, but now I start to see it. I sit in silence as my heart slowly pounds. I feel calm but scared. I’ve got to change this somehow.

  “It was me,” I blurt out. I don’t know if this is the best way but it’s something.

  Paxton finally looks up at me and he looks puzzled. Ethan and Gilbert also look at me with wide eyes.

  “I was the one that took all the stuff,” I say. “Survival instinct."

  Paxton looks to be at a loss for words, but he just shakes his head and shrugs. “Well, if one of you is responsible, then all of you are, and I can’t have you in my town.”

  “You’re throwing us out?” Gilbert snaps.

  “Gabe will take the three of you away from here just before dawn,” he says.

  It didn’t work. What can I do to make him just take me away instead of the three of us? “Why would you punish them for something that I did?” I ask.

  “Because for all I know, you’re covering for them,” Paxton answers back. “Better safe than sorry.” He waves for his guards to come in.

  I look back at them as they approach and Gabe stands near the door. He seems angry. I suppose he doesn’t like it when people steal from his town. A
firm hand grabs my arm and I snatch it away. “I can walk without you holding me,” I say.

  Ethan walks behind me and when I look at his face, I can tell his mind is racing. This all seems so abrupt. Setting my vision aside, it makes no sense. Why would they think that we broke into their storerooms? There is no proof. It isn’t fair. But I have already confessed to no avail. I don’t know what to do now.

  “Wait!” Gilbert yells out. “I have valuable information. I will tell you if you let me go.”

  I grit my teeth when he says me instead of us. Here I am trying to save his life and he only thinks of himself.

  Paxton tells the guards to hold off for a moment. “What is it then?”

  “You asked me if I had any special abilities.” My stomach sinks when he says this.

  “Yes?” Paxton says.

  Gilbert points at me. “She’s got them,” he says.

  “Shut up!” Ethan yells. He grabs Gilbert by the shirt and tries to shove him but the guards are already wedged between them.

  “She can see the future,” Gilbert continues. “I don’t know how she did it, but she somehow used that to break into your storerooms.”

  Paxton stares at me for a long moment. My eyes go to Ethan who is glaring at Gilbert.

  “Is it true?” Paxton asks. “That you can see into the future?”

  If I say yes, he might keep me here. If I say no, he’ll make me leave. “Yes,” I say.

  He continues to stare at me until he sits back down and rakes his fingers through his hair. He seems conflicted, and I wish I could tell what he is thinking. This whole situation feels so random to me. We barely got into Crestwood before they decided to kick us out for something we didn’t do.

  Finally, Paxton looks up at the guards and nods. “Take them away.”

  “What was that about?” Ethan snaps at Gilbert.

  We have all been brought to the same room where we were questioned a couple of days ago. We sit, waiting for Gabe to take us away. Ethan seems like he wants to tear out Gilbert’s throat. I’m not as angry as I should be, mostly because I’m still trying to figure everything out.