Eden
Secrets of Aurora Book 2
L.J. Higgins
Copyright (C) 2017 L.J. Higgins
Layout design and Copyright (C) 2017 by Creativia
Published 2017 by Creativia
Cover art by Cover Mint
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.
http://www.ljhiggins.com/
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Chapter One
I watched as Braven rolled over for what must've been the hundredth time in an attempt to get comfortable. Stretching my neck from side to side I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again, forcing myself to stay awake. I wasn't sure how long we'd been left in the deep, dirt hole we were sharing without so much as a word from our captors. Braven had let me try to sleep before he tried himself but after tossing and turning for a while I gave up. I'd slept in some uncomfortable places since we'd left Utopia, but the hard, cool earth at the bottom of the hole was the worst. Apparently Braven could sleep under any circumstance. Yawning, I leant back against the dirt wall, nursing my cheek which throbbed with the memory of falling and hitting the roots of a tree.
The last thing I could remember before I'd blacked out from the impact was being chased by Earthlings who weren't impressed we'd crash landed on their turf. Before I'd seen them surrounding our small group of rebels I'd believed earthlings hadn't survived the end of the world. Turned out the Elites on the floating cities had been lying about the survivors too. But I'd learnt my father wasn't my father at all, and watched as the Utopian guard murdered my mother. There wasn't much I'd put past the Elites or their guards on the floating cities anymore. It was all behind me now I was on Earth. Unless I managed to sprout wings, I wasn't getting back to a floating city anytime soon.
Gazing up at the hole in the ceiling a dull light shone through the cracks of its covering, bright enough for me to make the mud skids running down my left side. They looked as though my captors had dragged me across the dirt floor. But more frustrating than my sore cheek and muddy clothes was my sling was missing, leaving my left shoulder throbbing. The realisation our captors had taken it had me reaching for my waist, and my stomach tightened as I realised the utility belt Lark had given me was also missing. Bastards! I then ran my fingers over my neck to find the curved shape of my pendant and I clutched it in my fist breathing out a long breath. At least they hadn't taken my father's pendant. All our hopes rested on the secrets it held.
I wondered how our captors had lowered Braven and me into the hole in the first place. My body ached as though they'd dropped me from the hole in the ceiling, but I was sure the damage would've been much worse if they had. It was a good four-meter drop.
I swallowed, my sticky mouth yearning for water, before calling out. “Hello? Anyone there?”
I didn't expect anyone to answer me, but for some reason I wanted them to know Braven and I were still alive and down there. Braven groaned at the sound of my voice but settled again after rolling onto his back. I waited for a moment and when no one called back or appeared at the hole, I let out an exasperated breath. The heaviness in my eyes was difficult to fight in the darkness and I stood shaking myself all over in an attempt to stay awake. Pacing back and forth seemed to help, but soon my legs grew as heavy as my eyes and I gave in, sitting against the wall. Leaning my head against the rough dirt I let my eyes close for a moment before springing them back open. I had to stay awake. But my injuries and tired limbs fought back and won. Maybe some rest would give both of us a chance to collect our thoughts and come up with a better escape strategy than 'we're screwed.'
* * *
A loud scraping sound forced my eyes to shoot open, to search for Braven's large frame, who sat across the room from me wide awake. I wasn't sure if I'd slept for five minutes or five hours but my heart thrummed in my chest at the disturbance. Braven scooted across the room and helped me to my feet as a bright light beamed down at us from the hole in the ceiling and a wooden ladder began sliding towards the ground in the middle of the room. We both backed up towards the wall, until we stood huddled together. As the ladder touched the floor I hugged my sore arm to my chest and Braven wrapped me in his arms protectively.
“We want the male. If either of you make any sudden moves we'll shoot.” A familiar male voice sounded from the surface. It was the redhead guy who'd been calling the shots when our group was surrounded, and Braven and I were captured.
The bright light blinded me, making it impossible to make out our captor's face.
Shading my eyes with my forearm I locked eyes with Braven. “Don't go. We need to stick together.”
“If we're going to get out of here we need to talk to them. I'm sure I'll be back soon. You'll be fine Aurora.” Braven gave me a short squeeze before stepping towards the ladder.
“Ascend the ladder and don't cause any trouble, and you and the girl won't be harmed,” said the voice from above.
Braven's shoulders rose then fell and he looked back at me for courage before stepping onto the ladder and climbing. His ascent seemed slow, but when he disappeared through the hole and they raised the ladder before covering the exit, the sudden realisation of being alone came crashing in on me. The bright light disappeared from the hole, replaced by a dull glow, and a faint shuffling of feet dissolved into the distance above me. Braven was gone. I was alone.
Time grew so slow it stood still in Braven's absence. My eyes darted around the hole looking for something, anything, as though I'd been trapped all over again. The thought of them doing something terrible to Braven crossed my mind. I shook my head and took a few deep breaths. I couldn't think those thoughts. Braven would be back. He wouldn't do anything stupid because he was there to protect me. Biting my lip, guilt clutched at my chest. If it wasn't for his instructions from Lark to look after me, Braven would still be with his team of rebels. Thinking of my rebel friends helped me breathe a little easier. There was no way they'd leave Braven or me behind and in the hands of these people. I imagined them gathering in the bush, working out how to free us and my heartrate slowed just a little.
As time passed, I found myself first pacing back and forth across the width of the hole. I don't know how much time passed before my legs began to ache and my head grew giddy from walking in circles. The lump in my throat grew more painful with each step, and I swallowed hard to stop myself from turning into a blubbering mess. Soon my legs and feet grew sore from pacing, my mi
nd tired from the endless array of thoughts and predictions, and I sank to the floor leaning up against the dirt wall. Back where I'd started. A tear slipped over my cheek as I relaxed and I wiped it away with my good arm.
A flicker from the hole above me caught my attention and I rubbed my eyes to make sure what I was seeing was true. The light grew brighter before the covering was removed and a large sack began lowering towards me. As it dropped closer to the floor I realised it wasn't a sack at all, it was Braven curled up awkwardly in a canvas sling. As he settled with a light thud on the floor I went to his side dabbing at the sweat beading on his forehead with the bottom of my singlet.
“Braven, what'd they do to you?” I whispered to him. “What did you do to him?” I yelled at the people above us.
“Clear,” called a loud voice, and the sling was pulled from one side forcing me to step back and sending Braven's body sideways to flop to the dirt floor. The canvas was promptly pulled out of the hole towards the ceiling.
“Come back here! What have you done?” I screamed up at them, but they replaced the covering and their footsteps faded away as did the light.
Running my hand through my hair I paced back and forth a few times, my breath ragged and body trembling. A moan from Braven caught my attention and I kneeled beside him. His skin was hot to touch, and he was tinted a bright red all over. Sweat soaked through his clothes and dark rings had formed under his eyes.
Leaning in, with my cheek towards his mouth, I was relieved at the faint tickle of his breath and I held his wrist as I'd seen Domino do with Alber and Maya while she cared for them after our crash landing. Braven's heart rate fluttered at a fast pace under my touch. I wasn't a physician, but I knew his heart shouldn't have been beating so fast. But it was beating, and I was happy at least for that.
Beside him I found a plastic canteen, and upon lifting it I was elated to hear the slosh of water inside. Although I desperately wanted to drink it myself, I held it to Braven's lips and teased them with a drop before he parted his lips for more.
Smiling at his movement I poured some more into his mouth. “Here you go. Sip it slowly, there's plenty of water here.”
It wasn't true, but he needed it in his current state. What had they done to him? I clenched my jaw and pressed my eyes shut drawing in a deep breath. Exhaling I attempted to shake of the anger clawing at my chest. They'd said they wouldn't hurt him, and look at the state he was in.
Soon Braven relaxed back onto the floor again, no longer opening his mouth for water, and I helped him lay down. Dabbing at his head with the bottom of my singlet, I did my best to wipe away the sweat beading along his forehead before settling down beside him. I wasn't sure how long he slept. He would relax so deeply his chest would barely rise and fall and I was afraid I'd lost him. Then he would gasp for air, quivering and giving me a fright, before falling back into his deep sleep. I searched as much of his body as I dared and found no serious wounds or injuries. Whatever they'd done to him they hadn't left so much as a mark. As weariness took a hold of me I lay beside him, my palm placed gently over his chest. I prayed if his heart rate got worse or stopped I would wake, but if it happened there was nothing I could do for him. If only Domino were there to help keep him alive.
* * *
The sudden movement of my arm being thrown back at my body jolted me awake, and I sat up to find Braven shaking beside me.
“Braven, are you okay?” I asked reaching my good hand out towards him.
There was a fear in his eyes I hadn't seen before, his eyes watered. “Is it you?”
“Yes. It's me, I promise. Are you okay? There's still a little water left if you want it.” I picked up the bottle and extended my arm towards him, not wanting to scare him anymore.
“Water. Yes. Water.” He snatched the bottle from my hand and drank it until it was empty.
My stomach groaned as I watched him swallow it down. My mouth was stone dry, but he needed it more than I did.
“Where are we?” he asked as he dropped the bottle.
“All I know is we're in a dirt hole. Earthlings captured us after we crash landed on Earth. They took you away and when you came back you were, you were.” I didn't know how to describe his state. Half dead. Burning up and sick.
Braven pressed his lips together as the information sank in. The fear in his eyes disappeared and softened. “I'm so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. What did they do to you?” I reached out and he took my hand gripping it so tight I thought he might crush it.
“I don't know. They were asking me questions then the world went all wobbly. Then I thought I was talking to you, until your face melded into a monster.” He shuddered at the memory. “I didn't tell them anything, I promise.”
“It's okay. I believe you. What did they do? Did they poison you?” I held my hand to his forehead, he was still warm but cooler than he'd been while asleep.
“No. Yes. I'm not sure. They forced some sort of potion down my throat. It tasted like fermented fruit mixed with human pee. They kept asking questions but I kept my mouth shut. I promise I didn't say a word.”
Braven looked on the verge of tears. Whatever the potion had been it'd messed him up bad. I moved closer to wrap him in a hug. When we pulled apart he took a deep breath.
“I'm tired. Do you mind if I get some more sleep?” His once blue eyes were now a dull grey the whites crackled with red, and still bore dark circles.
“Hopefully some sleep will make you better.” I pressed my hand to his forehead one last time.
Braven settled back down onto the dirt and fell into a deep sleep. He murmured and whimpered from time to time, but when he roused again his eyes weren't as red and his temperature had returned to normal.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Much better,” he said, his voice back to normal. “I'm so sorry.”
“You freaked me out. I thought. Well there were times I thought you'd died.”
“There were times I thought I was going to die. But I didn't. They didn't break me and I'm still here.” Braven's carefree demeanour but hard exterior reassured me I was safe again.
“Crap.” I ran my fingers through my matted hair. “I can't believe I got us both in this mess. If I had given myself up back on Utopia maybe Alber would be alive, you wouldn't have been poisoned and none of us would be stuck on Earth.” I sat back on the ground and rested my forehead on my knees pulled up to my chest.
Braven burst out laughing. The joyful noise surprised me, jarring me out of my funk and I looked up at him clutching at his stomach as he tried to catch his breath.
The corners of my lips twitched up but I managed to frown. “What's so funny?”
“You know, I picked you for a lot of things. A bit of a princess at times, stubborn, even a smart ass, but a self-pitying whiner. That I didn't see coming.” His sarcastic tone made me scowl at him.
“You nearly died. You might not remember, but you were boiling hot and shaking. You nearly died.” I punched him in the arm.
He pulled away but continued smiling. “But I didn't. They didn't break me. And they won't. We've got this princess.”
I glared at him but he was right. This was bigger than me, bigger than all of us. We were doing this for everyone living on the floating cities. We were on a mission to discover the truth, why the cities existed and why we were being lied to about the end of the Earth and how people had survived. These stupid earthlings are who I should be angry at. If they'd left us alone we would've been half way to Eden. Instead Braven and I were sitting in a dirt hole in Elite knows where. Heat rushed through my limbs and my muscles tightened.
“I'm not going to lie. It scared the crap outta me,” he said. “All it's done is make me want to escape even more and maybe even give a little payback if we get the chance. First we need to work out how we're going to get out of here.”
I looked back up at the hole in the ceiling. “Do you think the others will try to rescue us?”
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p; “Yes. I know they will. But we can't assume they know where we are. So, it's on us to get out.” Braven was getting back into rebel mode, and it made my muscles relax a little.
“What if they decide to question me too? What do I say?” The fear of going through whatever Braven had endured made my stomach churn.
“Nothing. They can't know anything. Not even our names. I'll do my best to protect you, but if I can't, and they give you the potion.” He paused for a moment. “You have to stay strong okay?”
I nodded unable to form words. How could I survive if Braven had barely made it out the other side alive?
“Do you have your pendant?” he asked.
I reached up and stroked the round pendant resting on my chest. “Yes, I have it. They took everything else, but missed this somehow.”
“Thank the Elite they did. Hide it. We can't have them finding out you have it. Not if it's as important as the Utopian Guard and your father think it is. We're lucky they haven't taken it already.”
I scanned the room for a hiding place, thankful for the change in focus. There was nowhere. “I could dig a hole and bury it?” I suggested.
“I guess it'll have to do. Let's dig it by the wall and we'll mark the wall with our names or something so we remember where it is.” The distraction was helping Braven too.
“That's pretty obvious. How about I start in the middle under the hole up there. There's a notch out of this side I'll face it then walk five paces forward. Turn left and walk ten paces then bury it there,” I suggested.
After stepping it out I moved aside as Braven used his hands to scratch out a small hole. He helped me unclip the pendants chain from my neck. I let it rest in my hand for a moment enjoying its coolness and weight.
“Here, wrap it up in some fabric so it doesn't get full of dirt.” Braven bit into the sleeve of his shirt and ripped it off. He then held out the fabric for me to place the necklace onto it.
He wrapped it up and placed it in the hole before covering it over and flattening the dirt as best as he could. He turned to me for approval.
Eden (Secrets of Aurora Book 2) Page 1