I nodded. “Good.”
“But you two should hide,” Maggie suggested. “In case he doesn’t give us the right response.”
We hid behind long dresses in Maggie’s closet and waited. The sweet smell of clean laundry and rose scented perfume wafted around us as I pressed my back against the front of William’s warm body.
“Thanks,” I whispered to him. “For what?”
“For saying we have a plan when we don’t.”
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed the spot behind my ear.
“We’ll think of something.”
I didn’t know if “something” meant a way out or a way to fight. I tried not to think about it. The doorknob to the master bedroom clicked and footsteps were muffled against the carpet.
“All right,” David said. “You can come out. He’s one of the good guys.”
William smiled at me, released his arms from around my shoulders, and we ducked through the drapes of cloth.
“Let me go first,” William said. “Just in case.”
He closed the closet door behind him, but I could still hear their voices.
“What happened? We tried calling you.”
“Relax. I tried, okay? Besides, the oracle told your dad you’d escape on your own.”
“Can you take us back now?” I asked as I stepped through the closet doors and into the room. I needed to be home again.
“Just waiting for you,” he said grabbing hold of William’s shoulder. “Come on already.”
“Thank you, David,” William said as he held his hand out to me.
As soon as my fingertips touched William’s and the three of us were linked, Alex made the world go white. I couldn’t see my body, my surroundings. I couldn’t breathe, and my lungs wanted air. Then, as if I had simply opened my eyes, the world was there again. My parents’ house visible in the distance. I was home.
“I hate that,” I said, catching my breath. “What is it?”
“What do you think it is, genius?” Alex said through a sideways smirk. “I’m of Aether. It’s the upper air.”
I couldn’t keep my face from tightening with irritation as I glared at him, but with each step toward the house I felt my heart relax. Something was different, though. There was a distant droning that threw me off.
“What’s that noise?” I asked.
“William!” a voice shouted from the front yard.
Edith ran toward us, a bright smile stretching across her face, and Kara followed close behind. I’d only seen William’s little sister in pictures, but she didn’t look much different.
She was still growing into her forties, a child of eight or nine in human terms. Her shiny copper hair bounced as she ran, and her freckles stood out in the sun. When she got to us, she threw herself at her brother running full speed and wrapped her arms around his torso. “You’re alive.”
He smiled back at her and tousled her hair. “You know it.”
“I was worried,” she sighed, looking up at him.
“You know I’d never leave you alone with Mom and Dad. They’d drive you crazy.”
She laughed and held his hand. “Hi, Elyse,” she said with timid eyes.
“Hi, Edith,” I answered. It was cute to see William with her. He would be a good dad.
You’re pregnant? Kara asked me silently from a distance. I could see the reaction of the thought on her face.
Get out! I demanded. Don’t say ANYTHING.
She looked away as she approached. “What the hell,” she said, pushing William hard in the chest. “You weren’t supposed to get caught.” Her hard and resentful expression was only for play these days, and her scowl turned almost instantly to a smile. She wrapped her arms around him, the bond they’d formed as children still holding strong. I watched them as they hugged, and noticed she held on a little too long.
Her eyes found mine as she heard my thought, and she pulled away awkwardly.
“Yeah,” he teased. “Thanks for coming back for us, by the way.”
“Well,” Alex said looking from face to face as we stood a distance from the front porch. “This is . . . boring. Can we go in now?”
“Are you ready for that?” Kara asked out loud. I shrugged. “For what?”
“There’s about a hundred people out back. They’re all waiting for you.”
The noise was so obvious now as I listened. Voices. People.
“No,” I admitted. “I’m not ready.” I grabbed William’s hand for support.
“Great,” Alex said with disdain. His black hair contrasted his white skin in a way that made him look unworldly and threatening, like a snake’s color reveals that it’s poisonous. “This is what we’ve been waiting for?”
“Hey,” William said with a low voice. “Back off.”
“I’m just saying they’re expecting someone who can lead them.” He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes that matched the sky. “Can you do that?”
I stared back at him defiantly. “Yes,” I answered. “Good.”
“How’d you find them?” Kara asked, catching up to Alex as he continued toward the house. She seemed unaffected by his brazen nature.
He reached for the door. “They found me.”
“I don’t like him,” I said to William once Kara and Alex were out of earshot.
“Me either,” he agreed.
“Yeah, me either,” Edith added.
11.
“YOU FINALLY MADE IT,” Mac grunted as we walked through the front door of my parents’ house. Dr. Nickel was there, eagerly waiting for us, and Mrs. Nickel was fixing big pots of soup in the kitchen. Anna stood next to her with Chloe at her side. She smiled as she saw me, letting go of all the worry.
“Elyse,” Chloe’s voice shouted from across the room. She ran toward me and hugged me as tightly as she could. Her skinny body was still weak from malnourishment, but I could tell she was in good spirits. “You’re here.” Her smile was contagious, and I couldn’t keep my cheeks from lifting as I looked back at Anna.
“You all right?” Mac clapped his large hands around our backs and pulled us in for a hug.
Before I could answer, Mrs. Nickel was throwing her arms around my neck, then Anna, all of them bombarding us with smiles and questions and kisses.
“William,” Sofia chimed with relief, quieting the rest of them. “I was so worried.” She held her son’s face between her hands, examining him. “You look all right. They didn’t hurt you did they?”
“Well, they shot me.”
“Shot you?” Dr. Nickel said from behind his wife.
The chaos started back up again. I hadn’t been around this many people in so long.
“Relax. Relax. Elyse took care of it.”
Sofia grabbed the sides of my face and kissed my cheeks. “You sweet girl.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to keep calm. All the excitement was getting to be a bit much. I squeezed Mrs. Nickel’s shoulders and put on a fake smile. “No problem. I’ll be right back, okay?” I said through five voices talking at once. “I just need a minute.”
I slipped away and headed for my parents’ room, leaving everyone to fawn over William. My head was in too many places to handle that sort of attention. I closed the door behind me and sighed. Someone had cleaned in here. My lips tightened. This was my parents’ home. What gave anybody the right to even be in here? I clenched my jaw in anger and ran my fingers over the fresh towels that hung in their bathroom, the new bedspread that covered their bed. The dust was gone.
Remembering the voices, I made my way to the window and pulled the thick cloth drapes to one side. At least they remained. My mouth opened in surprise as I looked out over the backyard. Kara had been right. Nearly a hundred people, maybe more, had set up camp on the sloping land that led to the creek. They milled about large white canvas tents as if this was their home. A pop-up canopy covered a cooking area with grills and tables. A massive fire pit with logs for seats sat at the heart of the setup. Tables near the deck were
strewn with maps and books. Had these people all come to fight? Had they come for me?
I turned away from the window, but left the drapes open. I couldn’t hide from it forever. Maybe this was what my parents wanted, for me to lead. I tried to draw strength from them in their room. I needed strength to do this.
I opened my mother’s bedside table, looking for a note, a keepsake, something, but all I saw was an old dusty book. I’d seen it there before, but never cared to touch it. As though if I left it frozen in time she might come back and pick up where she left off. Whoever had cleaned had missed this spot.
I picked it up and turned it over. The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. I sat on the bed and opened its cover.
Use this as a guide, my love. You are stronger than you know. – Mother
My chest tightened and tears rolled down my cheeks. I stared at the words, imagining her holding the pen and writing the advice she knew I would need.
Somewhere within me, a fire began to lick at my heart. I was born to do this, meant to lead. Determination settled in the pit of my stomach and I started to read.
“Military action is important to the nation—it is the ground of death and life, the path of survival and destruction, so it is imperative to examine it.”
I don’t know how long I had been reading, but when I was halfway through, the door cracked open. “You all right?” Anna asked. I stared at the window, peering out at the scene. Eventually I’d have to show my face.
“Look at all of these people,” I said as she closed the door behind her.
“I know. It’s amazing. They’re all here for you.” She made her way over to the bed and sat down beside me. “Do you know what you’re going to do next?”
“Whatever feels right, I guess.”
“Well, that’s worked so far.”
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I said leaning into her and pressing my head to her shoulder.
“Me too.” She let out a deep breath. “You saved my life, Ellie.”
“Barely,” I said, and for some reason I laughed. We laughed. It felt good to laugh about something so frightening. It meant that it was over.
“Is Chloe okay?”
“She’s fine. Loving it here, actually. Sofia’s just trying to fatten us up now.” She slapped her skinny thigh. “We’re more worried about you.”
“Me?”
“You know they’re all waiting for you to come out of this room.”
“I know.”
“You may doubt yourself, Elyse, but I know better. You’re strong. You’re determined. You will be a great leader.”
***
When I stepped out of my parents’ room, voices hushed and heads turned my way. I didn’t know how long I’d been in there, but I did know one thing.
“I’m ready,” I said.
William stepped forward from his place between his father and Mac at the map-strewn kitchen table. “To go out there? Are you sure?”
Kara and Alex looked up with anticipation from the couch.
“I’m sure.”
“Well, you’re not going out in that,” Alex scoffed. “You look like a homeless person.”
I stepped toward him with newfound confidence. “You know, this is my house, and I can kick you out.”
Alex’s face stayed blank and unfazed. “Just saying . . .” If he hadn’t been right, I might have.
I changed into tight fitting jeans and a solid black T-shirt. I tied my hair back into a smooth ponytail, strapped my dart gun to my leg, and tucked a spare knife into my back pocket. I had to be armed at all times.
The sun had set by the time I was ready, but tall torches kept the camp alight. As I stepped out onto the porch, silence overcame the crowd. I waited for people to gather, trying to stand tall and sure. Trying to breathe.
“Welcome,” I spoke with force, keeping my voice strong and steady. “We all know why you’re here. You think I have a way to take down The Council.” My gaze floated over the faces of the people, meeting eyes that were full of hope and anticipation. “The truth is I need you just as much as you need me. This won’t be easy. We’ll have to fight. We’ll have to win a war.” I walked from one side of the porch to the other and smiled as I remembered what gave me hope. “But I’ve seen him. I’ve looked into Christoph’s eyes, and he’s weak. I’ve seen him bleed. He’s not invincible. He’s not all-powerful. He doesn’t control us.” My voice got louder and stronger as I continued. “We control our future. Not him. Not The Council. Not anymore.” I nodded, satisfied with my message. “I have a plan, and we start tomorrow. So get some rest.”
I turned away, heading for refuge in the house and forgetting the crowd, but a man’s voice whooped somewhere amongst them, and I looked back. The cheering began to spread, and before I knew it they were all clapping. I smiled, humbled by their support, and walked through the back door before the excitement had time to fade.
“Where did that come from?” Alex asked as my inner circle followed me into the kitchen.
I just looked at him. I didn’t know. “Seriously, what was that?” he asked again.
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “It was what they needed. For me to be . . . confident.”
“Whatever it was, it worked,” added Kara.
Ten pairs of eyes were on me. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable again. Unsure. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen,” I said, walking toward the kitchen table. “We need to decide what we want from this. What’s our goal?” It was the first thing mentioned in the book I kept hidden in my mother’s bedside table. Know the way. Have the same plan, be on the same page. I just had to figure out what page I was on. “Are we talking human integration or—”
“Kill the Council members,” Alex interrupted. His eyes were cold. He wanted vengeance. I could see it in his tight muscles. “Take out the enemy. Isn’t that always the plan?”
“I agree,” Kara said.
When no one countered, I looked at Dr. Nickel. I couldn’t be the only one who didn’t have that goal. “I don’t,” I admitted.
“Why not at least Christoph?” William asked, his brow low and heavy.
“Because it’s what they’re doing.” My voice spiked. “It makes us no better than them.”
Before I had time to continue, Alex was in front of me, his hands gripping my arms. We were gone before anyone had time to reach us. The familiar white abyss. The absence of air. The pressure.
When I opened my eyes, I immediately pinched them into a glare.
“Where are we? Take me back,” I demanded.
He just laughed and stared past me at an abandoned shore, watching the waves float over the sand. Wherever we were, the sun was still out, which meant he’d carried me off to a different time zone. I couldn’t do much but stand with my arms crossed.
“Well? What do you want, Alex?”
He looked at me, like my presence annoyed him. “The only reason I’m with you is to make sure Christoph dies. I’ll kill him myself if I get the chance . . . I just—”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I do,” he said. “You can’t be so weak. It’s pathetic.” He threw his arms up into the air. “He doesn’t deserve sympathy.”
“If we can find another way—”
He stepped toward me. “There is no other way. They die, or I’m gone. Then how will you communicate with anyone outside your circle, huh?”
“We’ll manage,” I said with a shrug. “It’s not like you’re really on our side anyway. I called you. You never came.” I was in his face. Something in me felt strong enough to take him on.
“He took my ability! I couldn’t come.” He was glaring at me with his pool-blue eyes, but behind them, somewhere deeper, there was guilt. “I should leave you here,” he said, his voice low and quiet.
“Fine.”
It was a bluff. He stepped away, shaking his head. “You don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t even know what you want.”
I didn’t speak. I was too
angry at him for being right.
He looked back at me and touched my shoulder. “Figure it out,” he said, and the blinding white took us back to my parents’ house, amongst everyone else.
As soon as we appeared William’s fist slammed into Alex’s cheek. He looked at William, staring him down. “Ouch,” he sneered, as he rubbed his jaw.
“Do that again, and you’re gone,” William said, slapping his hand a little too hard on Alex’s shoulder.
“As I was saying,” Dr. Nickel said, continuing the conversation I hadn’t been a part of.
“Dad,” William interrupted. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I think it’s best you stay out of this.”
Dr. Nickel cleared his throat. “Why’s that, son?”
“People aren’t going to be on board if a Council member is leading. Just lay low. Whatever Elyse decides is how it will go. We’re here to follow her.”
Dr. Nickel nodded at me to continue.
“Aside from whether or not they live or die,” I said, “we need to agree on one thing.” I looked at Anna sitting quietly with Chloe on the couch like they were trying to go unnoticed, and realized what I wanted. “Human integration. It’s the only way to truly be free, and that’s what we’re fighting for. Freedom.”
“I think we can all agree with that,” Mac said. I was surprised to hear his voice. I didn’t think he’d be on board with the idea, but then I followed his eyes. They were on Anna in a way that made me have to hold back a secret smile.
“So what’s this plan you say you have?” Alex jumped in aggressively. “Because I don’t believe you.”
“What is your problem?” William said, stepping forward. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “No, he’s right, William,” I admitted. “I don’t have a plan. I was hoping we could come up with one, all of us.”
“Can I say something?” Kara asked. “No matter what our plan is, we need to train those people out there to defend themselves. Anyone on our side is at risk. They need to know how to fight.”
“Okay,” I agreed.
“What about dividing them into groups,” Anna said from the couch. Everyone turned and stared at her, like she wasn’t one of us. It made my skin crawl. Even they saw her as an outsider.
Uprising (Children of the Gods) Page 11