“All the while trying not to get attacked or killed by the Alphas,” added Simon.
Her mother smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
The carriage was silent for a moment.
“Eight minutes,” said Simon. His face flushed. “I feel a panic attack coming on. Oh my God, I’m having a panic attack.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. “Stop it, Simon. You’re not having a panic attack. We’re all a little nervous.”
The carriage rocked.
Zoey peered outside the little window, but she couldn’t see anything except a blizzard of red sand. She couldn’t see more than a few feet. The worlds were breathing their last.
“Seven minutes,” Simon’s voice was high pitched this time. “We’re not going to make it.”
“Shut up, Simon,” said Tristan. “We’re going to make it.”
Suddenly, everyone was thrown forward. The carriage slowed to a stop, and the door swung open.
Zoey climbed out and was immediately hit by the rough winds and the hot toxic air. She squinted into the wind blown sand and could see the giant oval-shaped portal right in front of them. Its interior churned like hot magma.
“Four minutes!” she heard Simon yell over the roar of the winds.
Everyone’s eyes were on her. It was time, but she had to wait for the carriage to leave. If the Keeper saw what she was up to, he would stop them. Unfortunately, he was waiting for them to cross . . . .
Tristan whispered. “I don’t think he’s leaving.”
“I know,” she answered.
“If you take it out now, he’ll see it,” said Tristan. He moved forward and sheltered her with his body.
“I know.”
Zoey withdrew the first UEC with sweaty, trembling fingers.
“I’ll open it, and then toss it in the portal as I step through.”
“Two, freaking, minutes!” cried Simon.
“Be careful,” said Tristan.
Zoey couldn’t stop shaking. Her head started to spin. The quality of the air was so poor that she feared she might pass out if they didn’t move soon. She flattened the UEC against her chest and waited.
Tristan raised his voice. “Let’s go!”
He beckoned to the others, “Everyone, through the portal, and be careful once you get to the other side, we don’t know what to expect. The Alphas might still be there.”
“Fantastic,” said Simon. “The fun just never ends.”
He and Sonya escorted Elizabeth through the portal, but Tristan stayed back.
“You go with them. I’ll do it,” he said.
Zoey shook her head “No, I’m doing this. I need you to protect my mother for me.”
She knew she had to do it.
“Go! Hurry,” She pushed him, but her hands slipped, and she nearly dropped the UEC. Tristan shook his head to signify that the Keeper hadn’t seen. He looked once more at Zoey and then stepped through the red portal.
Zoey had less than sixty seconds to detonate both UECs. Praying that the Keeper couldn’t see what she was doing, she moved towards the portal.
She unscrewed the lid, flicked the fuse, and stepped into the red portal.
Just as the familiar feeling of being pulled forward overtook her, she rolled the bomb out of the portal behind her.
. . . forty-five seconds . . .
And then she started to doubt herself.
Did she do it properly? Would it even work or had it been damaged somehow? Had the skin demon deactivated it?
She couldn’t see or sense Tristan or anyone, and she hoped that they all had made it safely across to the other side.
Her red surroundings dissolved into blue, and her skin felt cold. As her feet touched solid ground, Zoey pulled the second UEC out of the bag
. . . Ten seconds . . .
“YOU THERE, STOP! WHAT’RE YOU DOING!”
Blurry shapes came towards her. She could barely make out their red uniforms.
“STOP HER!”
She twisted the fuse, tossed the bomb into the portal, and then ran in the opposite direction.
. . . Five seconds . . .
Three Alphas jumped inside the portal after the UEC.
. . . Four seconds . . .
Would they reach it in time? Could they disarm it if they did?
. . . Three seconds . . .
Zoey staggered away from the portal as fast as she could, but her legs were stiff, like she had never used them before. She feared she wouldn’t make it far enough and that the bomb would kill her.
. . . Two seconds . . .
As she ran, she searched frantically for her mother, for Tristan, for anyone she recognized—but she couldn’t find them. Were they dead?
. . . One second . . .
She heard someone calling her name. There was a blast of white light, and then she lost consciousness.
Chapter 24
Graduation
Zoey looked at herself in an old mirror up in the attic of the Wander Inn. There had hardly been any scarring. The blast from the explosion had left her with second and third degree burns on her back and parts of her legs. She would have been horribly scarred if the Seventh doctors had not rubbed a cold, sticky, green mystic medicine onto her skin. It had stopped the pain, too. And now she admired what few scars she had left. She even thought they were cool. They were a part of her. They reminded her that she was strong, and that with a little faith, she could achieve anything.
“They don’t show anymore,” said her mother as she wrapped tape around a cardboard box with the word, KITCHEN, written in black marker. Elizabeth’s hair had grown a little, and she had it styled in a pixie cut that made her large green eyes stand out and made her look like a fairy.
Zoey pulled down her t-shirt. “I know, but I still love them. I think they’re really cool. They make me look like a warrior princess or a pirate queen.”
“Come here and give me a hand with this, princess,” said her mother as she taped the box closed. “You were very lucky the blast from the bombs didn’t do worse. You could have been killed.”
“I know, but I wasn’t,” Zoey smiled.
She had always wondered what would have happened if she hadn’t detonated the UECs. Had the scientists been right? Would the Great Junction portals have destroyed the worlds?
Simon and Tristan had paid her regular visits when she had been recovering, so she was up to date with the latest gossip at the Hive. Rumors had circulated that the infamous Mrs. Dupont had never really existed at all, which made Zoey very angry. But she also learned that an agreement had been reached between the Agency and the Alpha Nation just a week after she had destroyed the portals. More bloodshed had been averted. The Alphas were leaderless and seemed reluctant to continue their war with the Agency. Within weeks, they had faded back into whatever dark corners they had come from.
“Aria’s really kind to give us some of her old stuff,” said her mother.
She inspected an old brown mug that looked like it had been painted by a three-year-old child. “We’re in her debt.”
“Aria’s awesome,” smiled Zoey.
She helped her mother haul another box over to the mountain of sealed boxes, bags of clothes, lamps, and books on their old brown sofa.
“She’s been really good to me, and she wouldn’t want us to think that we owe her anything. I know her. She has a huge heart and just really wants to help.”
Zoey felt a little awkward speaking about Aria to her mother, but Aria had been a real mother figure for her while her real mother was missing in action.
Her mother smiled and wiped some dust off her shirt.
“I know she does. So, are you looking forward to moving into our new home?” Her mother carefully wrapped a wine glass in newspaper. “It’s in a really great little town, hidden from the rest of the world. It’s where I grew up, you know. It’s where I met your—”
Elizabeth stared at the glass in her hand.
“Where you met my father,” said Zoey. She was
still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Nazar, the white-eyed sociopath, was her dad.
“Were you guys even married? Did you love him?”
Zoey hadn’t brought up the subject of her real father since their escape from the Nexus.
Her mother placed another glass carefully into a new box.
“Well, I can tell you that we were very much in love at one point and foolish, very foolish. And against our parents’ wishes, we eloped and moved in together. We were both working as agents with the Agency, and things were great for a while. But then . . . he changed. He started to hang around a new group of friends, friends that became Alphas. He still loved me, but he loved power more. And then he disappeared. A year later I learned that he had joined Mrs. Dupont. That’s when I knew that I had lost him forever.”
There were still a lot of unanswered questions. Zoey had only just found out who her father was. Was he dead? Was he trapped in the Nexus forever? Had he killed Mrs. Dupont? Would she ever know?
“He wasn’t always like that,” said her mother when she saw the grim expression on her daughter’s face.
“He was good and kind man at one time. And that’s how I want you to remember him, before he became lost in that mad woman’s schemes. Nazar was a wonderful person. Remember that.”
Zoey nodded her head.
“I can’t wait to see our new place,” she said quickly.
“It’s only a two-bedroom apartment,” said her mother as she ripped a piece of newspaper and wrapped a mug in it. “But it’s a start. We can maybe get a house next year. Would you like that?”
Zoey wanted to tell her mother that she would live under a bridge if it meant being with her. But she said instead, “An apartment’s fine, really. I know I’ll love it.”
Besides she was curious. What would it be like to live in a city filled with Sevenths and mystics?
“I’ve heard that our neighborhood is just for Sevenths. I think it’s cool. It’ll be like here at the Hive except bigger. And Tristan and Simon live there, too. I’ll have my friends with me, so I won’t feel like a total loser. It’ll be great to have a real home.”
Her mother smiled warmly and sighed. “Yes, yes it will.”
She reached over and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Did you see where I put the pots and pans?”
“Here.” Zoey picked up an open box filled with frying pans and worn pots.
“Thanks.” Her mother set the box down and began securing the top with large amounts of tape.
“So, are you excited about your graduation? It’s a pretty big deal.”
“I am.”
“But are you feeling up to it? You’ve only just come back from hospital. I’m sure they’ll understand if you want to sit this one out—”
“Not a chance,” said Zoey. “I’m sooooo going. Tristan and Simon are coming to pick me up later. Simon has my graduation robe—I have no idea what color it’ll be, hopefully not pink. We’re all going to go together.”
“Well,” said her mother, “if you’re sure.”
“Positive.”
Elizabeth regarded her daughter for a moment. “You know, that Tristan is quite a handsome young man.”
Zoey turned away quickly. “Ummm.”
She wasn’t ready to discuss boys with her mother. She wasn’t even ready to discuss boys with herself.
They spent the rest of the afternoon packing the last of Aria’s supplies. And as they packed Zoey told her mother about her years with the foster families before the Agency had found her. She told her about foster #28, about the skin demon, about Agents Barnes and Lee, and about her goal to become an agent.
Zoey was having so much fun with her mother that she had totally forgotten about the time until a knock came from the door.
“Zoey?” called Simon.
“In here!” Zoey brushed the dirt from her hands, but the ink from the newspapers wouldn’t come off.
“Hey, it’s us.” Simon and Tristan peered around the corner.
Simon and Tristan were dressed in fine black robes with gold thread weaved around the collars and sleeves. They both looked very handsome in their new robes. The Minitian’s potion had finally worn off, and Simon’s regular goofy face and lanky body had returned. He held a black bundle under his arm. He pulled it out and gave it to Zoey.
“The ceremony starts in half an hour.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. We were packing—”
“You better go get ready, Zoey,” said her mother. “We’ll finish up later. I’ll see you at the ceremony, okay?”
“Okay.”
Zoey admired her gleaming black robe.
“Thank God it’s not pink. Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you guys downstairs.”
Zoey dashed out of the attic. After a record quick shower, she brushed her wet hair into ponytail and pulled on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. Finally, she put on her glistening black silk robe and admired herself in the mirror one last time.
Just before she turned to leave, she grabbed the gold bracelet cuff that she had used to secure her boomerang and clasped it around her wrist. Even though she had lost her boomerang, the bracelet had become a good luck charm. It made her feel secure.
“Ready or not, here I come,” she said to the mirror, and then she dashed out the door.
Taking the stairs two at a time, she leaped towards the Inn’s front door, yanked it open, and ran outside.
“Made it!” she called as she bounded towards Tristan and Simon. “Told you, I only needed five minutes.”
“It was more like ten,” laughed Tristan, “But who’s counting anyway?”
He had a package wrapped in yellow and pink gift paper under his arm. It was stiff so it was obvious it wasn’t another robe, so what was it? He didn’t mention it, so Zoey decided not to ask, even though she was dying to know what it was and whom it was for.
“We should get going. The ceremonies are about to start. Shall we?” said Simon, in a politician sort of voice, like he was on his way to make a speech. He raised his chin as he made his way across the grounds.
The early summer breeze was hot, and Zoey happily inhaled the fragrances from the blooming flowers. They made their way in silence towards the new wooden stage that had been built especially for the ceremony. All the seats were occupied by agents and the families of the graduates.
Zoey saw Agent Barnes and Agent Lee shifting in their seats excitedly. They beamed at her and gave her a thumbs up. Aria and her mother waved at her, too.
Tristan waved at a beautiful woman with long, wavy brown hair and the same dark eyes as his. The handsome man next to her had gray-blue skin and was covered with dark tribal tattoos. He grinned proudly as he waved at Tristan.
“Is that your dad?” whispered Zoey.
Tristan smiled awkwardly. “Yeah, that’s him and my mom. I’ll introduce you later if you want.”
Zoey’s throat tightened. “Okay.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
All eyes were on them as they sat with the other graduates and waited patiently. Zoey took the seat next to Stuart King, who smiled at her.
“Hey, Zoey,” he said quietly.
At first Zoey wasn’t sure if this was his idea of a joke. She wasn’t planning on punching him out, but she would if he started something. But Stuart just looked at her kindly. Was he delusional?
Zoey frowned, but then she managed to say. “Hey.”
When she looked down at his hands, she could see that the ruby ring that he had once worn so proudly was gone.
Director Hicks and all the other directors were lined up on the platform beside a table that was covered with gleaming gold badges.
“Ahem.” Director Hicks raised his arms.
“Good afternoon guests and family members of the graduates, members of the Agency community, and especially the graduates. I truly am honored to stand before you on this monumental day. Today’s graduation ceremony recognizes your rigorous specialized training. You’ve
completed a three-year program in less than two. Quite remarkable! Although we have experienced some hard times, you have all shown tremendous determination, courage, and a willingness to sacrifice.”
His eyes rested on Zoey.
“I would like to congratulate all of you for making it to graduation and to personally thank you for the sacrifices you have made to help save our world and the agency.
“As new agents, your mandate is to protect the human world from those who don’t respect our treaties. You are charged with keeping a balance between humanity and the mystics. Your role is to uphold the laws and keep our world safe. You should not take this responsibility lightly.
“I know that I speak for each of your departments and for your families when I say we are proud of your accomplishments today. As you go forward into the profession, continue to make us proud by carrying yourself with honor, dignity, and respect. Thank you for allowing me to speak today. I wish all of you in the graduating class the best in your new profession.”
Director Hicks raised his arms. “Agents, please come forward.”
One by one, the graduates stood up and made their way to the platform. Zoey waited anxiously and stood at the back of the line, behind Simon. Before she knew it, she was next to go.
Although her heart was galloping like an UEC bomb about to detonate, Zoey stood proudly in front of Director Hicks.
“Congratulations, Zoey.”
He handed her a golden shield the size of her palm. The words, THE AGENCY, Department of Defense, were etched into the gold.
She was an agent.
She clasped her badge tightly, realizing that she had finally done it. She looked up at Director Hicks. “Thank you, director.”
As she stepped off the platform, the crowd erupted in applause. Zoey’s grin was as wide as her head.
“We did it!” boasted Simon as he jumped around in a happy dance. “I’m a real agent! I’m an agent!” He fell on the ground, kissing his new gold badge.
As the other graduates made their way to their families, Aria catered for the guests with everything from fried chicken to deviled eggs, smoked salmon, fried mozzarella balls, and sausage rolls.
As Zoey made her way towards the food, she heard a loud neigh over the hum of people’s voices. She halted and turned towards the familiar sound.
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