Sunken Eyes (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 2)

by L. Stoddard Hancock

  As soon as she began to mount the bike, Xander pulled her off. He grunted and sat first, handing her the rucksack and waiting for her to climb on before starting it.

  "Just because we're currently on the run and a time crunch, don't think for one second when I find out who it is I won't scream at you."

  Deryn smiled and pressed her cheek gently against his still-healing back, breathing him in as she realized he was really here, running with her. "It wouldn't be us if you didn't."

  Xander was happy the darkness hid his smirk as he rode off into the dark tunnel.

  It was a long ride, a good ten miles at least, probably farther. When they reached the end of the tunnel, there was a short ladder that led to an escape hatch. Xander insisted on going up first, by the chance that there was a group of Guardians waiting for them at the top. The fact that she wouldn't tell him who they were meeting had him thinking the absolute worst. If this was a setup then whoever was behind it would pay with their life. He would make sure of that.

  But the hatch didn't lead anywhere exciting. Just onto some tram tracks with an opening to an inside compartment that was empty. Once safely inside, he took the rucksack from Deryn and tossed it aside before pulling her up. Only a few seconds passed before the door to the compartment was thrown open, a familiar face blinking and then smiling when he and Xander locked eyes.

  "Hello, Xander," said Neo Boyce.

  "Oh shit, is it time?" asked Odette, coming up behind her husband and shoving him inside. She shut the door behind them.

  Xander slowly began to turn his head towards Deryn, his eyes widening as he did so. "These are the people who sought you out?"

  "Yes," said Deryn with a shrug. "So?"

  "No offense," said Xander, looking coldly at Neo, "but I think we'll find our own way out." He pulled Deryn towards the door, but she yanked him back.

  "Xander, no!" she shouted. "We wouldn't even know where to begin to get out of Utopia! They were your friends. Why don't you trust them?"

  "Do you?" asked Xander.

  "For the right price I do," she said, reaching into the small bag strapped to her hip and pulling out an envelope of money. She handed it to Neo. "Five-hundred coin. It's all there, but we're sort of short on time so I'd appreciate it if you counted later."

  Neo smirked. "I have a hard time believing the Outsider princess would scam us. I trust you." He put the envelope in his pocket. Then he looked at Xander. "Good to see you again, old friend."

  Xander scowled at him. "What are you doing here, Neo? I have a hard time believing you've been helping others when the two of you were so quick to show your cowardice after the president won against the Outsiders."

  "People can change," said Neo.

  Odette smirked and gave Xander a onceover. "Clearly. Who knew the notorious Guardian Xander Ruby had a soft spot for Godfrey Leon's precious daughter?" She moved her gaze to Deryn. "I really never believed you'd get him here."

  "Are we fucking doing this or not?" demanded Xander. "If you didn't notice by our dramatic entrance, we're on a bit of a tight schedule."

  "Yeah, yeah, don't get your panty's all in a twist," said Neo. "We're just waiting on one more."

  Deryn raised her eyebrows. "One more?"

  "Yes, our third," said Odette. "We'll need all three of us to get you out."

  "And if you're here I imagine she's only minutes behind you," said Neo.

  Xander crinkled his forehead. "What does that -"

  Just then, the compartment door slid open and someone in a Guardian coat entered. Their hood was up, so Xander and Deryn couldn't see their face, but they weren't particularly tall.

  "Did anyone follow you?" asked Neo.

  "No," said a familiar woman's voice. "No one even noticed me leave." She pulled down her hood, revealing the sharp but pretty face of Finley Scout. "Hello, Xander."

  Xander and Deryn immediately raised their Elements.

  "What the fuck is this?" he demanded.

  "Relax," said Neo. "Finley's been helping me and Odette since the beginning."

  "You're a traitor?" asked Xander, looking wide-eyed at Finley.

  She smirked. "You're one to talk. Harboring Leon, Xander? Really?" She moved her eyes over to Deryn and stared at her coldly. "Luka put on quite a show for you. Killed Mathis. Almost got Soren too, barely missed before everyone started firing at him."

  "He has a mind control chip installed," said Xander. "You'd better make sure -"

  "I'll let the president know," she said.

  Xander's nostrils flared. He turned to Deryn. "Are you sure you want to trust these people?"

  Deryn scanned them, her eyes stopping on Finley for a moment. As much as she hated the woman, she couldn't convince herself that she was lying about being a traitor. Luka had told her once how Finley was forced to become a Guardian by her father, just like him. And if Finley was anything like Luka ...

  "We don't have much of a choice," said Deryn. "I took a chance when I let you help me and I think I have to do it again."

  Xander took a deep breath and forced himself to nod.

  "So we're going then?" asked Neo.

  "Yes," said Xander.

  "Alright! Let's get this party start -"

  "Hold on," said Finley, whose eyes were still on Deryn. "I want to talk to Leon." Then they moved to Xander. "Alone."

  Xander sneered and stood protectively in front of her. "Like hell you will!"

  "It's important," she said. "I'm not going to hurt her."

  "Fuck no -"

  "Xander, it's fine," said Deryn, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "We're wasting time here, so just let her talk to me and then we can be on our way."

  Xander held his hand out to Finley. "Give me your Element."

  Finley rolled her eyes but still obeyed. Then she motioned for Deryn to step out of the compartment first. Deryn did just that, making sure to shove hard into Finley's shoulder as she passed her.

  "You're as insufferable as I remember," said Finley, following her out and shutting the compartment door behind them.

  "What do you want, Scout?" asked Deryn, turning towards her and crossing her arms.

  Suddenly, Finley's entire face changed. She looked pensively towards the floor and sighed. "Look, I ... I wanted to apologize for what I did to you all of those years ago. When my ..." She gulped. "When my father owned you."

  "Apologize?" repeated Deryn, her throat instantly growing raw.

  Finley looked up. "Yes. I was young back then. I know it's no excuse but I really didn't understand that it wasn't your fault. My father ... he's a pig. I see that now. A filthy, disgusting, greedy pig, and I've made a point to defy him in any and every way that I can."

  "I see," said Deryn, her arms falling to her sides.

  "Becoming a Guardian, it changes people. Mostly for the worst, but not always."

  Deryn nodded, and glanced towards the door Xander was behind. He had definitely changed for the better.

  "Lift your shirt."

  Deryn's head whipped back towards Finley. "What?"

  "Lift your shirt, Leon. Those scars I gave you from the black flames, I've been working on a cream to heal them." Finley reached into her pocket and came out with a small container. "It's not perfect yet and it isn't instantaneous, but if you apply it now then they'll begin to heal like regular scars."

  Deryn's lip quivered as she tried to nod her head, unsure if she did it successfully. She moved her coat aside and lifted her shirt with shaky hands. Finley opened the cream and stepped forward, rubbing it generously on Deryn's marked skin.

  "Tell me the truth," said Finley as she worked. "Was it you who sent me that email?"

  Eyes still focused on the scars, Deryn nodded and quietly said, "Yes."

  Finley smiled lightly. "I thought at the time that it didn't sound like him, but I just couldn't figure out who else would have gone to the trouble." She glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?"

  Deryn chuckled. "Far less than you are now."
/>   Finley bit her cheek. It wasn't long before each scar was covered with the cream, instant relief spreading throughout Deryn's body even though Finley had said it would take a while. Her body was healing. She could feel it.

  Finley closed the cream and looked sadly at her. "Sorry you had to have those for so long."

  Deryn bit her lip to hold back her tears and nodded. Finley handed her the small container and she slipped it into her pocket.

  "Apply it every twelve hours for as long as it takes. Now come along, we don't have much time," said Finley as she reopened the compartment door. "We're ready!"

  "Excellent," said Neo. "That just leaves one last thing to take care of." He, Odette and Finley all looked at Xander. His wrists, specifically.

  Neo reached out and took off his citizen wristband. Once that was gone, Xander stared down at his guard wristband.

  "I suppose they're already tracking me."

  "No," said Finley, walking over to him. "But they're trying." She pressed something on his wristband. A small chip popped out and she held it up. "When activated, this chip makes you disappear off the radar for a good couple of hours. I installed it while you were sleeping that first night you came to my place, and I activated it the moment it became clear you were the one who killed Dougal."

  "Why the fuck would you install that?" demanded Xander. "You didn't know what I was up to back then."

  "No, but I was being cautious. I installed one in Luka's wristband while we were out drinking together a couple weeks ago. Wyatt and Lona too, in case there's ever a time where any of them need to run."

  Xander stared at the small chip and froze. "But you just took it out. Won't that make it so -"

  "The Black Market, as well as all of our secret passages, have tracker blockers installed, so the moment you decided to come to us you've been in the clear. But I'm afraid the same can't be said the moment you step outside," explained Odette.

  They all looked at Xander's wristband again. He lifted his arm and clutched onto it. "So what do you propose?" he asked.

  "We're removing it," said Neo as his wife pulled something out of the pouch she had strapped to her hip.

  Xander went white. "What?"

  "Don't worry, it'll only hurt for a second," said Odette, holding up a strange device with a needle poking out of it. "Finley, go grab one of our decoy's from the other compartment."

  Finley ran out of the compartment, returning a few seconds later with a plain metal wristband. "You'll wear this one while your wrist heals. The shaved bone will obviously never grow back but you'll be able to survive without it."

  "And what of the poison that's supposed to kill me the moment it's removed?" asked Xander.

  "That's what the needle's for," said Odette, grabbing his wrist and poking her tool against it. "It will inject the antidote into you the moment the wristband is removed. Unfortunately, you'll still get a few of those black marks on your veins. But not Soren bad or anything."

  Xander grimaced.

  "It's not so terrible," said Finley. "Easy enough to cover with makeup, at least."

  She lifted her wrist and wiped the area just above her wristband, revealing a black vein poking out of it. When she caught Xander's eye, he gulped.

  "We needed a test subject and I was the only one available."

  Deryn placed her hand in Xander's free arm while Odette readied the device. He clenched his eyes shut as something poked into him, his wrist stinging as raw flesh was exposed to the air for the first time in years. When Deryn's hand tensed he opened his eyes, staring down at bone and black veins halfway up his forearm. He only got to look at his wounded wrist for a moment before Finley was clasping on the decoy wristband.

  "We'll dispose of this one properly later," said Odette, handing off the old wristband to her husband, who made a face at the dried blood on the inside and tossed it along with the citizen wristband into a corner.

  Neo then went to the wall at the back of the compartment and shoved it until a doorway opened. "Let's go!" he ordered, stepping out first. Odette followed him.

  Xander turned to Deryn and put an arm around her waist. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing sideways at Finley.

  Deryn nodded and smiled. "Let's get out of here."

  He nodded back and kissed her forehead. Finley tried not to stare as Xander took Deryn's hand, but it was hard not to. It was one thing to suspect a relationship between the two of them, but seeing it happen with her own eyes was something different entirely.

  Xander then came up beside Finley and grabbed her wrist. He pulled up her sleeve, looking closely at the black veins covered by makeup that traveled halfway up her arm. It was obvious he was wondering how he'd missed them the many times he'd seen her naked, pre-Deryn.

  "You've really been doing this for years?" he asked, pressing down on one of the veins.

  "I have," she answered, pulling her arm away. "You've hidden your betrayal by staying close to the president's side, while I've hidden mine by being as insignificant as possible. He and the other Guardians have no idea where I am right now and, what's more, none of them care. Sometimes it's best just to stay hidden in the shadows."

  "Are you all coming?" asked Odette, poking her head back inside.

  Finley nodded and ran over first, and she and Odette disappeared outside. Xander grabbed their rucksack and tossed it over his shoulders. Then he and Deryn followed after them.

  Neo had a trapdoor open a few feet away on an unused tram track. He ushered everyone inside, just a few feet to drop, then followed after, pulling the door shut behind him.

  Inside the dark passageway they were submerged in, Odette led the way to a simple stone wall. She looked back and smiled at Xander and Deryn. "It's a bit of a maze down here. Hope you're ready for it."

  She pushed the wall and opened another doorway. Neo hurried through first, followed by Odette and Finley.

  Xander and Deryn followed but hung back a little, both glancing around skeptically. Xander clutched his unregistered Element tightly, keeping it steadily aimed at Neo, Odette and Finley's backs.

  "Honestly, Xander, we were friends for years and you really trust me so little?" asked Neo, glancing back at him.

  "I don't trust anyone," answered Xander.

  Neo frowned. "What a sad way to live."

  Xander eyed the hand that was not holding onto Odette's, noticing the gold ring he was wearing.

  "When did you two get married?" he asked.

  "Last year," said Odette, smiling brightly as she looked over her shoulder. "It was a small ceremony. Just Finley and two others. We just wanted to make it official." She looked dotingly at her husband and kissed his cheek.

  Xander grunted in disgust.

  "No need to be so verbal, Xander. We already know your opinion on marriage," said Neo.

  "You know, my sister really is out of your league," said Odette, looking back at them again.

  Xander scoffed and squeezed Deryn's hand tighter. He was pretty sure he'd already obtained the best girl out there, and if he could get her then no one could possibly be 'out of his league'.

  "I'm not against marriage," he said.

  Neo, Odette and Finley all looked at him and raised their eyebrows. Deryn stared at the ground and blushed, but Xander was not afraid to meet each and every one of their gazes.

  "I am against arranged marriage. And marriage during a time of war. If the war ever ends then I have every intention of getting married."

  Deryn smiled and glanced at the spot on her chest where she could feel the ring grazing her skin.

  "So, how long have you two been, umm ... together?" asked Neo.

  "You escaped in September, right, Leon?" asked Odette. "Finley, isn't that what you said?

  Finley nodded slowly.

  "Xander found me three days after I escaped," answered Deryn. "The night before the curfew began."

  "Not exactly what I was asking," said Neo. "How long have you two been -"

  "November fifth," they both answere
d before he could finish.

  "Oh, that's sweet. They both remember the exact date," said Odette. "So what was November fifth, then? First kiss? First fuck?"

  Deryn blushed again and quickly began inspecting the walls they were passing.

  Neo smirked. "First fuck it is then."

  "Are you always this chatty with the people you help escape?" asked Xander with a sneer.

  "I was only trying to catch up with an old friend," said Neo, rolling his eyes. "Can you honestly say you're not the least bit curious about my life these last few years?"

  Xander paused. "Mildly."

  "Ah, I knew it! I knew you missed me!"

  "I've been perfectly fine without your presence in my life, Neo," said Xander. "But, I admit, I've checked before to make sure you were alive."

  "And?" asked Neo, cocking an eyebrow.

  "You were, so I left it at that."

  "No hello?"

  Xander looked at him very seriously and said, "It was better for you that I didn't."

  Neo looked forward again and they all continued to walk in silence.

  When they hit what looked like a dead-end, Neo announced, "We're here!" He took three black devices out of his pocket and handed one to Odette and another to Finley. He kept the third.

  "What are those?" asked Deryn, looking at them curiously.

  "Two-ways you can install in your ear," answered Odette. "We've taken many of the Resistance's ideas and made them better."

  The three of them pressed a button on the small devices, placed them in their left ears, and tested that everything was in working order.

  "Once we head through this wall we'll be in the underground," explained Neo. "It's overrun with S.U.R.G.E.'s and probably guards at this point, since your escape doesn't exactly appear to be a secret."

  "It definitely isn't," said Finley.

  "Odette and I will go ahead of you to scout out the best possible route to get out of here. You two will stay with Finley. She has a satellite to keep the S.U.R.G.E.'s away."

  Finley lifted a small gun with a cone shaped barrel, a smaller version of the guns the Resistance used to take the S.U.R.G.E.'s down. "It throws off their radar and sends them in the opposite direction," she explained.