effectively.”
“We’ll figure it all out,” I say. “We will practice together as you suggested. Who knows how
much time we have left before we begin the final battle.”
Kroll nods content with my response which reassures me. Maybe there is hope yet for our
world.
*
THAT AFTERNOON I WALK past the training chambers and offices of Sector Four to the open
arena where Damian likes to train. I spot him sitting on the sand in the center of the arena in the lotus position – long spine, eyes closed, hands resting on his thighs.
I linger at a distance to watch him meditate. His effortless calm and harmony seem to link his
body and soul, completely undisturbed by the noise and voices around him.
Across the arena, I spot Finn but I immediately lose sight of him when a group of fighters exit the
simulation chambers as Finn enters them. I hurry over to Finn’s pod before he starts his session.
“Hey,” he says reopening his door. “Are you doing a round of simulation?”
“ I saw you from across the arena.”
“Right,” he says when he spots Damian. “You’re here for him.”
“Everyone is so busy with their days,” I say avoiding his eyes. “I miss the simpler times in the
woods.”
He takes a pair of goggles and gloves out of a compartment in the wall to get ready for the
simulation but then he changes his mind and puts them back.
“Can we talk for a moment before I go in?” he says.
“Sure,” I say. “Do you want some fruit juice?”
He nods and we move over to the vending machine outside the simulation chambers. A remnant
of a different time on Earth and a big hit with all the thirsty simulation participants.
We take our juice boxes and sit on a bench facing the arena. I strain my eyes but I cannot see
Damian anymore.
“He’s gone,” Finn says reading my mind.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “He wasn’t expecting me.”
“So,” Finn says as he opens his juice box. “Is it official? Are you two busy making more
babies?”
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. “Finn, don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m just playing and you don’t know it but you just confessed.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Two confessions, actually.”
“Oh, brother,” I say. “I always forget how annoying you can be.”
“First, by your reaction, I can tell that you haven’t been with him.”
“Wow, how brilliant!” I say with a roll of my eyes.
“And secondly, it’s clear that you want to be with him,” Finn says in an oddly victorious tone.
What did I expect after Damian’s public display of affection at the party? I take a sip of my
juice. I realize I don’t have an answer to his question.
“And who are you exactly? Some monk who lives alone in isolation?” I say. “I’m sure Ella has
been more than accommodating to her precious Finn. Yuck.”
“Why do you care about that?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say punching his shoulder. “Maybe because you were my first love and she’s
not good enough for you. No girl is good enough for you.”
“Not even you?” he says.
“Especially not me.”
He smiles and exhales. “And you called me the annoying one.”
I laugh. “You know what Kroll said to me today?”
“What?”
“I do not respond to sarcasm,” I say with a deep manly voice.
Now Finn laughs and puts his arm around me. It’s like old times, but the little girl in me still
feels the rush of his touch. He will always be my first love.
When we stop laughing, he slowly pulls his arm away.
I look deep into his eyes, needing a friend. “I have to see where this thing with Damian goes,” I
say. “It’s not just for me. It’s for Tobi, too. No one can protect him better than Damian. A boy needs his father. We have all been fatherless for so many years.”
“Can I tell you a secret, Tick?” Finn whispers. “The future, even beyond the battle for Earth,
even when we have won and have peace and freedom and start to live like humans of the past, that is
the scariest part to me.”
“I think I know what you mean,” I say. “The battle, the desire for freedom, our likely deaths in
battle. We’ve been expecting all that. We know what it is and we know what to do.”
“Yes, but living a peaceful life, at the end of all things, seems like an existence I am not built
for. I will not know how to be comfortable in that.”
“Such a peaceful life must take its own kind of courage, I suspect.”
We sit quietly together feeling each other’s wonder and fears. It has been so long since I have
been like this with Finn. We could be back at the plantation where the meeting of our souls was the
only thing worth living for.
“I understand about Damian. I won’t tease you about it anymore, I promise. Your life is your
own. Nothing will ever come between you and me,” he says and my eyes well up in an instant.
He wipes my tears away with his right thumb. “Now now, little Tick,” he says. “I mean it, no
more tears. We are alive and free.”
I lay my head on his shoulder.
“There’s Damian,” he says. “I better get back to my simulation.”
I lift my head and let him stand. “You’re pretty awesome, you know.”
He winks. “About time you noticed,” he says and then spins around to walk to the simulation
chamber.
I watch Finn put on his goggles and gloves. Everything that he does, he looks good doing it.
Damian welcomes me with a smile. I instinctively fix my hair and feel dumb when I catch myself
being so vain in front of him.
“Hi,” I say as he takes my hand. “Finn and I were just talking about you.”
“Really?” he says. “Poor Finn.”
“Shut up,” I tell him. “Isn’t there a nice little park with fake grass and plastic bushes around
here?”
“Ah, the cloud huggers’ idea of a nature walk,” he says grimacing.
I try to pinch his stomach but it’s like a brick. “You need to be more grateful to your hosts.”
“It would be a lie to be grateful for plastic bushes,” he says as we walk to the park.
“Okay, I can’t argue with you there,” I say. “But the juice in a box thing is kind of incredible.”
“That’s the best shit ever,” he says enthusiastically.
“Damian, your language,” I say. “I ought to wash your mouth out with soap.”
“What did you just say?” he says confused.
“It’s an expression I saw in an old movie,” I tell him. “If children say bad words their parents
threaten to wash the dirty words out of their mouths.”
“Aren’t words nothing more than air? How can you wash them?”
“It’s an expression and I hope you’re just pretending to be an idiot.”
He bursts out in a laughter so preposterous he gets tears in his eyes. I’m taken aback and don’t
know what to think of his reaction.
“Am I amusing you?” I say slightly offended.
“It’s just that…” he starts but can’t go on. He keeps laughing in small spurts. I see his chest rise
and fall underneath his army green T-shirt.
“What is it already?” I say.
“I’m just picturing you forcing me to eat soap. It’s like saying you’re going to challenge me to
arm wrestlin
g.”
“Oh, you conceited jerk. All you can think about is how awesome you are,” I say fighting back
any signs of amusement.
We reach the park and sit down with our backs against the white fence. We are hidden from
sight by those artificial bushes we’ve joked about. I settle down thrilled to be sitting next to him, so close to his warmth, as two normal people who want to be together.
“Any news on the shield breach?” he says.
“How romantic,” I say. “This moment is about us. Let’s just relax and talk.”
“Please,” he says rubbing his temples. “Not the talk thing, I beg you.”
“This is exactly what not to say to a girl if you expect any affection whatsoever,” I scold him.
“And, by the way, I will say what I want to say when I want to say it and you will just listen.”
He ignores everything I have said. He leans in for a kiss and I let him get away with his brutish
ways. His lips press on mine softly at first, but then they become more demanding leaving no room for doubt.
Damian wants me now as much as I want him. I wrap my arms around him. I kiss him again and
again. For the first time since I’ve known him I dare to think that he’s mine.
Our moment of intimacy gets interrupted by his beeping touchpad.
“I’ve been called to a meeting,” he says.
“What kind of meeting?” I say frustrated.
“The military kind,” he says. “I thought it’d be scheduled for tomorrow but it turns out, I have to
be there in half an hour.”
“Don’t go,” I say. “They can have this one without you.”
“It is for me that they are having it, Freya. It’s my second initiation.”
“Write back that you can’t make it today,” I insist.
“Sorry, you’ll just have to wait for your kisses,” he says and rises to his feet. “It’s my duty.”
“They’re my kisses,” I pout. “And I want them.”
“Stop being cute,” he says as he rises coldly. “It’s not fair.”
I pull him by the arm but I can’t budge him. He looks at me astounded. “Do you honestly think
you can win by using force?” he says. “It’s like watching a turtle on its back.”
“There must be a button I can push to make you do what I want for a change,” I say as I let go of
his arm.
He bends over for a furtive last kiss. “And if there were such a button,” he says, “I should hope
you would never use it.”
“You’re a mean one,” is all I say knowing I won’t stay mad at him for long.
8
Spring Town bustles with energy and commotion. It’s been three months since the children of
Plantation-8 started a new chapter in their short lives on the first free district on Earth in over a century. Three months of hard work and patience. Three months of learning to be independent human
beings.
The celebration is appropriate for such a tremendous feat. Commander Eldritch himself has
accepted the honor of presiding over the festivities and has traveled to Earth for the first time in a quarter of a century. He is accompanied by Lainey and several of his elite fighters. We are all
honored to have them here. Spring Town wouldn’t have amounted to much without the support and
goodwill of the people of Exodus.
Ella has decided to stay on Exodus. I keep an eye on Finn to make sure he’s enjoying his time
here. Tobi has left the station for the first time and he’s very interested in the different world he’s witnessing. Kroll’s watchful eye has been on him the whole time even though Damian stays close to
the baby as well. Kroll cannot be dissuaded when it comes to following my orders.
There are all kinds of activities planned as well as a rich banquet and a dance in the evening. An
entire field has been cleared out to make room for the 2500 children and teenagers that live in Spring Town. About a hundred Dark Warriors have been brought in from the camp to help out and Torik has
come along to supervise them.
Ava approaches me on my way to the Administration Offices where the commander has been
installed. “It’s so good to see you again,” she says as she hugs me.
I hug her back and then take her face in my hands. She has rouge and lipstick on. “That must be
Zoe’s doing,” I say. “She always nags me about getting myself pretty.”
“Yes,” Ava says. “Zoe was kind enough to let us teenage girls use some of her makeup stuff.”
“Did she bring a suitcase?” I say astounded at the news.
“A big one,” Ava says. “Was it wrong of her to do that? Please, don’t tell her I said anything.”
“Of course not, sweetie,” I tell her. “There’s no harm done. Zoe doesn’t have to answer to me or
anyone. She’s her own person. We all are.”
Ava looks down. “I know that,” she says, “but it’s still hard to believe it.”
“You can believe it, Ava,” I say. “Your destiny will be shaped by you.”
“I have a confession to make,” she says. “When I found out I didn’t have your powers, I was
disappointed. The aliens convinced me that I did. And they promised me something.”
I smile encouraging her to go on. I see a bit of my younger self in her, always jumping the gun,
arriving at the wrong conclusions, trying to please everyone. I hope Ava can avoid the defensive
coping mechanisms that I developed.
“They promised me they would let the children go if I cooperated,” she says as her eyes glisten
with unshed tears.
“They promised that to me too,” I say putting a protective arm around her shoulders. “But it was
a lie. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Ava looks up at me with a new energy in her eyes. “Neither did you,” she says. “You saved so
many.”
It’s terrible that even a fifteen-year-old girl who was a slave until three months ago can see
through me like this. I have to take my role more seriously and inspire confidence and courage in
those around me, not pity.
“What are your plans for the day?” I say. “Will you participate in any of the games?”
“I think I will try soccer,” she says. “It sounded like fun. I don’t know if I’ll be any good at it.”
“Don’t worry,” I say. “No one has ever played any of these games before. You will be at the
same level as all of them.”
My voice trails off as I see Torik, Kroll and Damian stroll down the main road across from the
Administration Offices. The spectacle of the three giants walking together is a rare thing especially since they have Tobi with them.
I leave Ava and go out to meet them. Torik and Kroll both bow when they see me. Damian looks
a bit distressed, almost as if caught by surprise. He holds Tobi close against his body in the infant carrier provided by the nursery on Exodus.
“I’ve been telling Kroll that he should stay here,” he says. “Of course he won’t even respond
unless you release him of the orders you have given him.”
I look at Kroll whose features are more hardened than usual. “Do you think that’s a good idea,
Damian?”
“I wouldn’t bring it up if I didn’t, Freya. I’m on Exodus now. Tobi will never be in danger
while I draw breath.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “It seems to me that two is better than one.”
“You know Kroll doesn’t belong on Exodus,” Damian says. “You can’t treat him like a
prisoner.”
I look at Kroll again, then at Torik whose eyes seem to be on fire. I realize he likes to be in
ch
arge. Kroll coming back would mean he’d lose all that. But that’s the least of my worries. The most important thing is to figure out what’s best not only for Tobi, but also for all our communities.
Because what good is it keeping Tobi safe if the whole world turns to ashes?
“What do you think, Kroll?” I say. “I can release you if that’s what you want. You could go back
to the Dark Legion tonight and resume your duties there.”
Kroll holds my eyes for a second. “I wouldn’t return to the camp even if you commanded it,” he
says. “Unless you and Tobi stayed as well.”
His resolution startles me and for a second I am lost for words. “Wouldn’t it be better for you to
be with your legion?” I say. “To do the things you were meant to do?”
“What things was I meant to do?” he asks in a tone that resembles true curiosity.
“Lead an army, for starters,” I say. “I thought it was obvious.”
“I was reborn the day you touched my heart,” he says. “There’s no going back. I am meant to do
what’s best for you, not me.”
I turn to Damian. “There’s your answer,” I say. “I’m not forcing him as you can see.”
For a moment, I think that Damian might snap. It doesn’t happen though. He composes himself
real fast and holds Tobi closer to his body. “It’s okay for now, I guess,” he says. “But when war
breaks out, we all know where Kroll should be.”
“It all makes sense,” Torik says not wanting to be completely left out.
“One last thing,” Damian says facing Kroll. “When Tobi is with me, you don’t have to follow us
like a shadow or a ghost. You have to give me space to be with my son.”
Kroll arches his brows all the way to his hairline.
“Kroll,” I say. “You do what he just said.”
Kroll clicks his boots and walks away.
“It’s creepy the way he needs your approval for everything,” Damian says.
“Promise me you won’t antagonize him on purpose,” I say.
“Who? Me?” he says but when he sees my expression, he gets serious. “You have my word.”
“Good, cause we need him more than you’ll ever know,” I say.
*
I WALK AWAY FROM THE GAMES and the incessant chatting that goes with them. I head
back to the dorms to fetch a blanket for Tobi who has fallen asleep. The evening is approaching fast
beyond the river of time Page 7