“Uh oh,” I said, my vision blurring.
“What is it?”
“I’m remembering something.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
“So here’s the plan,” Jasper said. “You’ll go home and do your best to act like everything is completely normal. You’ll tell your parents that the shock of your aunt’s death was just too much for you to handle. You took a walk to calm down and separate the truth from the delusions you convinced yourself to believe.
“Lilly’s close friend from Portland is the guy who shuttles Outsiders in from Oportet. She just called him. He is willing to sneak us out the gate and drop us off in Portland where he’s scheduled to pick up some families Monday night.
“Instead of packing our backpacks with school things, we’ll pack them with essentials for the road. We’ll hang out in the forest until it’s time to leave at noon, and then we’ll ride our bikes to the abandoned stretch of houses where the shuttle driver is meeting us. We’ll duck down in the seats until we’re out,” Jasper finished.
“Foolproof,” I said. I was ready to leave. I felt no regret; I believed I was fully capable of lying to and fighting anyone who posed a threat to our escape.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning at seven-thirty, then,” Jasper said, leading me to the door.
“I’ll be there. No matter what.”
~~~~~
It was Sunday night. If all went as planned, Jasper and I would be on the road in less than twenty-four hours.
My parents were content enough with the fact that I came home calm and collected on Friday. I told them exactly what they wanted to hear, and although they weren’t entirely convinced, it was just enough for them not to launch a full-scale investigation.
We attended a small family funeral Saturday to pay our respects to Aunt May. Megan and Mother cried. Father looked on sternly, casting me glances as if to remind me that I would end up like her if I didn’t behave.
By the time of the funeral, I had no more tears to shed. I comforted Megan and hugged my mother, and that was the end of it. I knew May would be proud of me. I knew she was rooting for me from wherever she was. I made a promise to her that she wouldn’t have died in vain. It was my determination to keep this promise that kept the tears at bay. Aunt May was not dead. She was alive in me.
I stirred my soup aimlessly, too busy fantasizing about what lay ahead to be bothered with my last family dinner. As soon as the words ‘last family dinner’ ran through my mind, the wall of apathy I had constructed for anyone but Lilly and Jasper crumbled.
My eyes flickered from face to face. Father’s was stern and withered by work stress, his brown hair thinned and receded. Then I looked to Mother. Her straight red hair was tucked behind her ears as she ate, and her pale skin was dotted with freckles.
Megan was next, and she was the easiest to let past my barrier. We had been so close when we were younger. Things were different now, but I struggled with the thought of leaving her here in Oportet, where she would no doubt fade away—asleep her whole life. She looked up from her food, feeling my stare. All I saw was her bright green eyes, and the way they complemented the hair she inherited from Mother. Megan would be as beautiful as May when she was older.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Megan asked with narrowed eyes. She giggled when I shrugged. “You’re a weirdo.”
“Megan.” Mother shot her a look. “We don’t call people names. You’ll be in eighth grade in a matter of months. You’d better start acting like it.”
Megan scowled and went back to eating.
I didn’t want to remember my family as monsters. They weren’t perfect, but their faults were mostly due to circumstance. How could I blame them for someone else’s manipulation?
I wanted to remember them for the happy memories: the birthday parties, the family gatherings, the times Mother comforted me and Father made me laugh, the silly games of make-believe with Megan. I even wanted to remember Jenna as my loyal best friend of ten years.
I was leaving them. I owed them that courtesy, even if they had no way of knowing it.
“We’re very proud of you Luna,” Mother said, casting a glance at Father.
“For what?”
“For how hard you’ve worked in school all these years. We are very excited to see you graduate soon,” she explained.
“Oh.”
“We know you’ve had a rough year,” Father started. He cleared his throat and took a large gulp of his water. “But I think it’s finally time to put all of that behind us—for good.”
I nodded. “Yes. I think so too.”
Father didn’t know just how literal that statement was about to be. In a matter of hours I would see Oportet in the rearview mirror, and I would be putting it behind me for good.
“Megan,” Mother said. “It’s your turn to wash the dishes.”
Megan huffed, stacking our plates up and carrying them to the kitchen sink. My eyes followed her as she went, and then rested on the clock that hung on the wall above her. It was six forty-five.
Right on cue, the phone rang.
“That’s Jenna calling about the essay,” I said, rising from the table. A few hours ago I filled my parents in about an imaginary English essay, along with a scheduled phone call with who they thought was my best friend.
Mother exchanged glances with Father. I watched as her eyes moved to her laptop.
“You may be excused,” Father said. “Your Mother and I have some work to do as well.”
Ignoring my parents’ fidgety movements and awkward glances, I rushed upstairs to grab the phone.
“Hey,” I answered just as my fingers closed around the plastic. I was slightly out of breath from my sprint up the stairs.
I clicked my door shut behind me and lay back on my bed. I glanced around my room, programming each pattern of fabric and piece of furniture into my mind. I never wanted to forget anything about my room—my home. I didn’t want to forget the feel of the cool wood of my desk beneath my fingers, the way the morning sun cast designs with its light against my carpet, or even how it felt to creep under my warm covers in the dead of winter. I wanted to keep it with me, even as I left it empty and lifeless without my presence.
“Any cold feet?” Jasper asked.
I snapped out of my trance at the sound of his voice.
“Nope.” I would be meeting Jasper tomorrow even if my legs stopped working. I didn’t mind crawling. “But that might just be because I’m wearing socks.”
“Feeling witty, are we?”
“Can’t we just go tonight? I don’t think I can wait any longer.”
“I know what you mean.” Jasper sighed. “But unfortunately that bus won’t get here until tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I know. Seven-thirty, right?” I asked, although I was more than sure of the time. How could I forget?
“Seven-thirty. If all goes as planned, we’ll be in Portland in less than twenty-four hours.”
“I know. I’ve been repeating that fact in my head all day. We’re so close,” I said, looking out my window. A full moon hung in the sky, reminding me of the first time I ever spoke to Jasper on the phone. He told me that Luna was another name for the moon.
I fell asleep with the moon painted on the inside of my eyelids, giving me the courage I needed. Aunt May had chosen my name, and I imagined her watching me from the sky, taking the form of the giant, glowing orb I was named after.
~~~~~
I stared at myself in the mirror for a good ten minutes. My stomach was going crazy: nervousness, anxiety, fear and excitement bouncing about inside me.
I braided my long, dark hair and pushed it to the side to keep it out of my face. The weight of my backpack finally jolted me to the present, reminding me of the schedule I promised to keep.
It was six-thirty. I had about an hour to eat my breakfast and see my family one last time.
“I made you some tea,” Mother said, setting the steaming cup next to my bowl of cereal.
After several, long minutes of eating with my family in silence, I carried my empty bowl to the sink, glancing at the clock. Fifty minutes, now.
I went back to the table where the family carried on with their morning routine: Megan eating waffles, Father reading the newspaper, and Mother fiddling around on her laptop. Mother periodically looked up to shoot me strange glances, as if she was making sure I was still there. Actually, the whole family was acting odd—unnatural. It was starting to make my stomach churn.
“How’s the tea?” Father asked without looking up from the paper.
“Mine’s good,” Megan chirped, looking over at me expectantly.
Mother, trying to be subtle, peeked at my cup to see. She smiled, seemingly content that it was half-empty.
What was so important about the tea? What was going on? Warning bells were wailing in my head. They were telling me to run. It was like my subconscious knew exactly what was going on, even if I didn’t. All I knew was that my family was acting unusually strange today.
“The tea is fine,” I said slowly, shaking my head to let everyone know that they were freaking me out. “Well, time for me to leave.”
Mother’s head shot up. “Why? School doesn’t start for more than an hour, and it only takes ten minutes to walk.”
“Fine,” I huffed. “I can wait a few more minutes if that makes you happy.” I lifted my teacup to my mouth, and then set it down without taking a drink.
The doorbell rang right at seven.
“Luna,” Mother said, her eyes darting to the door, to father, then back to me. “Don’t fight them, sweetie.”
“What are you talking about?” My breath was caught in my throat, the air seeming unusually thick. The warning bells continued to wail, getting louder and louder. “I have to go,” I mumbled, my voice coming out all warped and foreign.
I stood up, having to clutch the table for support. My limbs felt tired and heavy, and my mind felt numb. I had lost control of my body. I felt like screaming, but I wasn’t quite sure how to open my mouth.
My cup of tea mocked me from its place at the table, and I struggled to push myself into an upright position.
I searched Mother’s eyes for an explanation, for anything, but she was looking away, unwilling to watch the results of the decision to drug her oldest child. Megan was gone, and I heard the slamming of a door following footsteps on the staircase.
I turned away, my leaded limbs moving awkwardly in slow motion. Father was talking with two guards by the open front door, and the desire to scream reemerged.
My family was having me killed. They would rather have me dead than on the Outside. But how did they know about the plan? Jasper and I had been so careful….
The sound of tiny clicks and the sight of May falling to the ground in a lifeless heap flashed before my eyes. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to escape. I was supposed to be free.
Then I thought of Jasper. He would be waiting for me in the forest, wondering where I was. He would think that I changed my mind, and that I didn’t want to go with him anymore.
“Did you take care of the shuttle driver?” Father asked.
“He’s been relieved of his position,” a guard answered.
“I have to go take care of the boy,” Father said, a small envelope in his left land. “Be careful with her, okay?
“Yes sir.”
“No!” I screamed, somehow finding my voice. “Don’t hurt him. It was all my fault, not his, just kill me!” My speech was all slurred, and I wasn’t sure if anyone understood what I was saying.
Father looked at me pityingly. “You’ll be okay, Luna,” he said, disappearing through the doorway.
The two guards moved towards me slowly, their black helmets shielding any hint of humanity. I noticed the silent pistols stashed in their belts and sprung into action.
The first guard reached out a hand to grab my arm, and I darted away, my wobbly feet protesting against the movement.
“How much of the stuff did you give her?” the second guard asked.
“All of it,” Mother said from behind me.
“Damn, she’s strong,” he said. “Usually they turn to mush with a full dose,” the man said, his voice containing an accent I didn’t recognized.
I wasn’t quick enough. The guards caught up to me in a heartbeat, my foot barely making it past the doorframe. Hands tightened around each of my arms. A black van was parked in our driveway.
“It’ll be alright, hon,” said the guard with the unique accent. “No need to fight.”
I needed to fight with all I had—so I did.
I slammed my foot into one of the guard’s shin, his grip loosening slightly. I kicked the other just as hard as before, feeling the bone of his shin beneath my heel as it made impact.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I opened my eyes to darkness. Jasper was holding me against him, tracing circles on my back.
“It’s okay,” he murmured. “They aren’t taking you away this time.”
I must have been voicing what was in my memory because last time I checked, Jasper did not have mind-reading abilities. I almost didn’t feel embarrassed. The warmth and comfort of Jasper’s arms erased it all away.
“You’re okay,” Jasper said, smoothing his hand down the length of my hair. “We’re going to be okay.”
~~~~~
“Say hello to everyone for me,” Lilly said, pulling her son in for one last hug.
“I will, Mom,” Jasper promised. He pulled away. “Are you sure?” he asked her, his eyes begging. He needed to make a final attempt to get Lilly to come with us.
“I’m sure,” Lilly affirmed, smiling through tears. She pulled me in for a hug, kissing the top of my head. “Stay safe,” she whispered.
The walls were going down at six. We had twenty minutes to ride our bikes to the edge of town.
“Are you ready?” Jasper asked me, searching my eyes.
“I’m ready.”
~~~~~
I kept my eyes on the road in front of me, every once in a while glancing back at Jasper like there was a chance he might’ve sunk into the ground.
The houses we passed all started looking the same; they all were the same. They each contained people with the same ambitions, emotions, thoughts, behaviors—they were all copies living out the same lives in different bodies.
To my left a child ran about in the grass, his parents waving their arms around wildly in an argument. In twenty years, that child would become another copy—a copy of his parents, his teachers, his peers, his coworkers—and then he would make sure his children grew up to become copies of himself.
He would tell himself that he was unique. He would tell himself that he was living the right way. He would tell his kids not to question. He would tell himself not to question.
Another generation of zombies.
In the split second the child met my eyes, I wished more than anything that he would be an exception. I wished he would be like me instead of his parents. I wished he would find a way out, and help others to get out.
I felt guilty. I was leaving behind so many people—so many copies—all without a fighting chance.
What Lilly said earlier finally made sense to me. She told me that she was always meant to stay, and that I was always meant to go. She told me that I would have to accept that.
I had to accept my role. My role wasn’t to wake Oportet up; I had to leave that job to someone else. That had never been my purpose, and it never would be. I was meant to escape, to send a message, even if that message only reached a handful of people. My family, my friends, the Council—they would all hear it loud and clear.
Just as our bikes came to a halt in front of the massive wall, a deafening mechanical noise erupted. The wall was going down.
“How poetic,” Jasper said from beside me.
I smiled. “Isn’t it?”
We watched as the wall began to sink. Other than the t
echnician manning the operation, we were probably the only citizens watching the spectacle in all its glory. The Council had ordered everyone to retreat indoors right at six.
It took what seemed like ages for the wall to recede all the way into the ground, and I was starting to get paranoid. Jasper shot me a look, noticing how many times I glanced over my shoulder in the past two minutes.
“Luna, look.”
I turned, gasping as I took in the vast stretch of land ahead of us. There was only one road already built, and it was right in front of us.
“You were unbelievably accurate,” Jasper said.
“I did scour through a million emails, didn’t I? It only seems logical I would find out where the road to the new gate would be.”
Jasper sucked in a deep breath. “So this is really happening,” he said, running a hand through his hair.
“Cold feet?” I asked jokingly.
“I’m wearing socks,” Jasper said, grinning.
It was almost a year ago that we had that phone conversation, the phone call that was tapped by my parents. That phone call nearly cost us everything.
“Let’s go.” I needed to get out of Oportet as soon as possible.
We got back on our bikes and pedaled down the road. We talked about nothing but the future—places we wanted to visit, things we wanted to do, the kind of houses we wanted to live in—they were all fair game.
I was going to be a writer and he was going to be a musician. When we got bored of one city, we would move to the next.
“Did you hear that?” Jasper asked after ten minutes of riding.
“What?” I asked, my heart speeding up.
“I don’t know…I guess it was nothing. Never mind.”
“Okay.”
It wasn’t nothing; it was something. It was the sound of tires on pavement.
“Get off the bikes or get bullets in your heads,” commanded a voice behind us. It sounded like a guard speaking through a megaphone.
I looked over at Jasper, whose face had hardened, the light that was in his eyes just moments ago darkening. We obeyed, sliding off of our bikes and facing the two vehicles of guards behind us.
Awaken (The Awaken Series Book 1) Page 20