“More than you know,” he whispers.
This time, I’m about to reach my hand out to touch his, but he stands suddenly. “Think about what I said. We should help Jeremiah.”
He turns away from me and walks out of the room, leaving me sitting at the table with my mouth hanging open in disbelief.
What is wrong with him? Why would he just leave like that? It doesn’t make any sense. Ethan is not himself, and I don’t know why. But I’m not just going to ignore it. I’m going to figure out what it is if it’s the last thing I do.
When I walk out into the main room, Jeremiah flags me down. My heart jumps when he does this. I hope that he doesn’t have the lunchroom bugged with microphones or something.
When he gets near me, he sighs and scratches the back of his neck. “Strange situation with your friends, Jenna and Mike,” he says.
“What do you mean?”
“Neither of them claim to have ever met you,” he says. “Now, you wouldn’t have just said that you knew them in order to save their lives would you?”
“How do you think I knew that her name was Jenna?” I ask.
He opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, but then realizes that I made a good point. “Then I guess you know them better than they know you.” He sighs. “You can go in and see them if you want.”
“Are you providing them with fuel?” I ask.
“I’m not letting them leave,” Jeremiah says. “Not until I know they aren’t spies.”
“They aren’t spies, Jeremiah,” I say.
“Forgive me,” he replies, “but the three of you don’t seem to know each other that well, so I’m going to play it safe and keep them nearby until this operation is over. I can’t risk everything because you think you recognize her.”
I don’t appreciate Jeremiah’s reasoning, but I don’t say anything about it. In fact, I won’t be worried if they are forced to leave now. I have seen a glimpse of the future and I will see them again if I don’t try to change anything. So, in this case I’m just going with it.
One of the guards lets me into the room where they are being held. I’m immediately bombarded with questions by Mike as if I am someone important here. When I close the door behind me, I put a hand out in front of me as if to calm him down.
His face is long and peppered with stubble. His black hair has a few grey streaks through it, though he looks very young. Jenna has her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, though strands have strayed and are floating in every direction. Both of them are sweating like they are in a sauna.
“I’m just here to help you,” I say.
“Are you the one that said you know us?” Jenna asks.
“I am.”
“But we don’t know you,” Mike says.
“I said that just to keep you safe,” I tell them. “You two have stumbled upon a dangerous place.”
“Raiders?” she asks.
“No,” I say. “This used to be a settlement, but there was a battle here about a month ago. Most of the people were killed. The ones here now are getting ready to make a massive assault on the attacker. You were identified as enemies, but I could tell that you had nothing to do with them.”
“How?” Mike asks.
I shake my head. “I could just tell. They were going to kill you, but I stopped them. You are safe now.”
“Thank you for your help,” Jenna says.
“May I ask what you’re doing here?” I say.
Mike and Jenna look at each other for a brief second. “We’re scouts,” he says. “For our own settlement. We didn’t tell your guards where we’re from because we don’t trust them. No offense, but we’re not going to tell you either.”
“That’s okay,” I say. “I understand. Really, I do. What kind of supplies are you looking for?”
“The usual,” Jenna says. “Weapons. Food. Anything useful.”
“And you ran out of fuel?”
“We are very far from home,” Mike says. “We used our reserves and held out hope that we would find some on the way back.”
“Have you ever heard of someone called Shadowface?” I ask.
Mike and Jenna look at each other. At first I think they do so out of recognition of the name, but they both turn to me and shake their heads. “Never,” Mike says. “Who is it? The person you’re group is going after?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Listen,” Jenna says, “all we want is to get back to our settlement. Can we do that? We don’t mean to be a bother to anyone.”
“The leader here doesn’t trust you,” I say.
Mike rolls his eyes, and Jenna turns her head away, clenching her jaw. “We aren’t spies,” she says.
“I know you aren’t. But it’s just for a few days. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“You can control that?” he asks.
“I don’t have to. You will be safe.”
The two of them look at me like I’m the enemy. And I suppose that I am for the time being. But that will change. I don’t know how and I don’t know why. But it will change.
Chapter 16 - Waverly
I talk to Remi and Gabe about Jenna and Mike, and neither of them know what to think. I don’t know if Remi has told Gabe anything about it, but I will leave that up to her.
Remi doesn’t seem all that troubled by it, though she clutches to Evie tightly as we walk through one of the long hallways. I know she feels some responsibility for the girl, though I know she shouldn’t. It wasn’t her fault that Lydia died, though Remi says otherwise. Really, I feel like it’s more my fault than anything. If it hadn’t been for me, the battle at Elkhorn would have never taken place. But I suppose fault and blame shouldn’t be handed out so freely. What’s the use? I bet each one of us could pinpoint an exact time where something happened to help set all this in motion—each of us could claim fault in some way or another. But what we have to remember is that none of this would have happened if it weren’t for Shadowface’s power-hungry ambition. And the same may be true for Jeremiah as well.
“What is this meeting supposed to be about?” I ask.
“I think Jeremiah is laying out the plan,” Remi says. “I think they’re leaving soon.”
“The question is,” Gabe says, “are we leaving with them?”
My eyes turn to him, and he shrugs. When I look at Remi, she only holds Evie at her hip and stares straight ahead. The four of us finally make it to the door at the end of the hallway where the main room is located. When we get there, Jeremiah is standing in front of one of the screens hanging on the wall, and everyone in the room is silent, listening to their leader speak.
“Tonight, we leave,” Jeremiah says, probably repeating himself when he noticed we had just walked in.
I look across the room at all the faces that stare intently at Jeremiah, watching him with undivided attention. But there is one whose eyes are on me instead. Ethan and I lock eyes as Jeremiah continues to talk.
“Shadowface is in a town called Anchorage,” Jeremiah says. “It’s her base. We are fully equipped to take on most of their soldiers, but it is important that we have a surprise attack. That’s why I’ve asked Waverly to join us.” He points at me from the front of the room.
My eyes widen when he says this, and everyone in the room turns to look at me.
“She has been in the compound and managed to escape,” Jeremiah says. “I imagine that you know a safe way in?”
Images of Amber being shot in the pool of sewage swim through my mind. I don’t want to go back there. I never told Jeremiah I would go back there. Does he assume that since I came here that I was going to help him? Does he think that putting me on the spot in front of all these people will persuade me to go?
“I didn’t agree to go with you,” I say. “I’m still thinking about it.”
Jeremiah’s face turns red. People in the room start looking at each other, shifting where they stand.
“You are vital to this operation, Waverly,” he
says. “If you don’t go, we have a much smaller chance of getting to Shadowface.”
Jeremiah’s face isn’t the only one that’s turning red. I can feel my cheeks burn. “Then maybe you should have waited for my answer before announcing that I’ve agreed to go.” My hands are starting to shake.
My eyes travel back to Ethan. He stares at me, but offers no look of encouragement or sympathy. He has a blank stare across his face. Thankfully, Remi comes to my aid.
“We aren’t ready for something like this, Jeremiah,” she says. “Waverly has been a prisoner there for the past month. Shadowface has put her through so much. How can you ask her to go back so soon?”
“Now is the time to act,” Jeremiah says. “If we don’t strike now, we may not get another chance. Shadowface will reveal her identity in three days. If we don’t stop her before that happens then we may never get a chance to take her out again.”
“I don’t understand your reasoning,” Remi argues. “Just because everyone will know who she is doesn’t mean we can’t fight her, or kill her.”
“It makes it much harder,” Jeremiah comes back. “The moment she reveals herself is the moment she gains allies. If you kill her before she reveals herself, then there is a chance that her allies will never even know she’s dead. Someone could take her place and the settlements would never know any differently.”
“And just who will be the one to take her place?” I ask boldly.
Jeremiah’s eyes narrow at me, and his teeth grind together. We’ve backed him into a corner that he didn’t want to be in, and I’m afraid we are too close to making an enemy of him.
“I will,” he says.
I expect there to be a low murmur throughout the crowd, with heads turning in every direction—an outcry for Jeremiah to explain himself for this obvious seize of power. But the room remains silent as it was before. One or two heads look at me, but for the most part, the fact that Jeremiah plans to take Olivia’s place is no secret.
“I thought you had been informed of this,” Jeremiah says with a raised eyebrow.
I look over at Ethan, his face still as a statue. “I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I just…it’s just…”
“We need you to get on board with this,” Jeremiah says.
I don’t answer. I don’t know what to feel. I don’t want to help him. And now, I almost feel like I should shout to the rooftops that he’s the creator of the greyskin virus, but I can’t do that. First, it would probably get me killed. Second, I can’t say with a hundred percent certainty that he did it. The feeling is based on coincidences and our own perceptions. It would be different if Remi had seen the man that was with Olivia at the University, but she didn’t. There is still a chance that the man wasn’t Jeremiah.
“Now,” Jeremiah says, turning away from me. “The plan is to stop here.” He points to a map that shows up on one of the screens behind him. “Derek and Scott have been good enough to provide us with a secure location. The place isn’t well-guarded, but it’s close to Anchorage, and it is a good place to set up camp, and get ready for the assault.”
“Remi, look,” Gabe whispers.
“I know,” she says.
When I turn to her, she has a worried stare. “What is it?”
“Orick,” she says. “That’s been our home for the past month.”
An hour later, Jeremiah wants to have a sit-down with us. He’s at the end of the lunch table where Remi, Gabe, and I have all been discussing the very thing Jeremiah wants to talk about.
“Waverly, you know how to get to Olivia’s office,” he says. “Remi, you can talk to the people of Orick and explain why we’re stopping there.”
“Why are we stopping there anyway?” she asks. “They aren’t part of this, Jeremiah. Don’t drag them into it.”
“They will be a part of it soon,” he snaps. “If we don’t play this right, everyone will be a part of it.”
“What makes you think Olivia will be in her office?” I ask him.
“It’s a good place to start,” he says.
“I don’t understand your plan,” I tell him.
“You and I are going to sneak into the compound,” Jeremiah says. “Others will be leading the assault at a different location. It will be easier for us to get in.”
“I got out by sneaking onto a search and rescue vehicle,” I say. “I don’t know how to get through the walls.”
“I’m not worried about the walls,” he says. “I can get inside easily enough. I just need help getting deep inside.”
“I don’t feel comfortable going back there,” I say. I feel like I’m repeating myself over and over, but I don’t know how to spell it out for him. I’ve told him enough that he should understand that I don’t trust him. “Besides, I don’t know how I feel about someone trying to take Shadowface’s place. Kind of defeats the purpose of taking down Shadowface. Why would I trade one corrupt leader for another?”
“I’m not like her,” Jeremiah says. “I want to help people. I want to be good to them. She only wants power. How many times do we have to discuss this?”
My eyes travel to Remi, but she only stares at the table. Gabe looks at me but I can’t read him. I wish Ethan was in here and on my side. A month ago, he would have helped me in this situation. But I feel alone—like the choice is all mine.
The choice is all mine. But I don’t have to do this on Jeremiah’s terms.
“I will help you,” I finally say. “But only under one condition.”
Jeremiah stiffens, almost as if he knows what I’m going to say. “Go ahead.”
“I want you to let me see into your future,” I say. “I am able to choose exactly when I see.”
“Not a chance,” Jeremiah says. “I’ve told you before, it’s uncertain. You can misinterpret what you see. I can’t afford to let you see into my future and decide to go against me because you might not like what you see.”
“Why are you hiding something?” I ask.
“How can I hide the future? You’ve done this experiment before, remember? A month ago? It didn’t work out too well for you, did it? People ended up dead.”
“Stop it!” Remi shouts.
Jeremiah turns to look at her. “I shouldn’t have to deal with this.”
“But you have to, so get over it,” Remi says. “That’s the deal. You let her take just one look into your future,” she turns her head to me and lifts a finger, “just one…and then we will help you.”
I can almost see the steam lifting off of Jeremiah’s skin. He has never wanted me to see into his future. He had been sure to tell me that before. But this is the condition. He needs me and I need to see his future.
His teeth grind together audibly, but he slowly reaches a hand across the table. I’m stunned, never fully expecting him to actually go through with it. The action in and of itself is almost enough to make me think that he has no ill intention. I look at my sister and Gabe, both of them staring with wide eyes. They know it will only take a second to get enough information to see what his intentions are.
“Go ahead,” Jeremiah says. “But if you see something you don’t like, remember, you don’t always know what is truly happening.”
I nod at him and I reach my hand out to him. I think about a time that I want to see. Tomorrow? The night that we’re supposed to take down Olivia? No. I want to see much farther into the future. I want to see what kind of person he is going to be. Ten years, I think.
A bright light flashes in front of my eyes and find myself floating in a room. It is dark, and Jeremiah sits at a table alone, a phone in his hands.
“The Screven Project,” he says. “It is taking longer than I want, but supplies are getting scarce. We need more colonies.”
I listen for a while longer when I decide that this isn’t good enough. I think about moving five years past this...no ten…fifteen. Images swim by, and I don’t even now how far ahead into the future I am when I stop on something that catches my eye.
Jeremiah sits a
t the end of a table with a young woman and a man sitting on either side of him. Jeremiah is holding his forehead in his hand, blood trickling out between his fingers. He yells curses at the woman who had apparently just smashed a glass of water into his head. Shattered pieces glinted on the table and floor.
“Mark, we have to get out of here,” the woman says.
“Why did you do that?” Mark asks.
“Because he wants to eat us! He ate Whit!”
“What?”
“Shut up and run!”
Jeremiah lets out a loud scream as his two dinner guests run out of the room. He gets to his feet and begins to run after them. “Get back here!”
Blood pours down Jeremiah’s face as he sprints toward the man and woman, but that isn’t what startles me the most, rather, it’s his glowing hands. Why does he have glowing hands?
I try to speed through the vision, to move forward just a few minutes…maybe an hour or so? Does he catch Mark and the woman? He’s riding in a car full of guards. With him is a blackened, charred body, lifeless and stiff. Was this Mark?
They finally come up on an abandoned car in the middle of the road. “This is it,” Jeremiah says. “Stop the car.”
The driver does as he says and Jeremiah gets out behind the other guards, holding on to the burned body. “She won’t be too far,” Jeremiah says to one of the guards. “Evelyn!” he shouts. “Come back. If you do, your little boyfriend will live.”
Evelyn? Surely it’s not the same little Evie that Remi has been taking care of… And, is what she told Mark true? Had he really eaten someone?
Jeremiah is on the ground just as a loud boom echoes. The shot came from somewhere far into the woods across the road. The guards with him scramble to his side. Jeremiah coughs out in pain as blood pools all around him, pouring out of his shoulder. More shots ring out, and soon all the guards are on the ground near him.
The Starborn Ascension: Books 1, 2, and 3 (The Starborn Saga) Page 61