by H. J. Lawson
“Up soon?” Hayden asks.
“We sleep through the day and are up at night, unless we have to go out to catch the morning rays for our UVA cancer treatments... rubbish! All this time I could've been enjoying the sunlight instead of hiding away. It makes me so frigging angry! We have been lied to our whole lives, hiding away when we didn't need to, and the food was really the thing that was killing us, not the sun.” A little spit flies out of my mouth in my anger, as the last bit of energy is drained from me. The boys look at me, surprised.
“Skylier, I like this side of you. Not sure you are pure and innocent anymore.” Hayden laughs with a smug grin on his face.
“You guys have corrupted me.” I smile playfully and deliriously.
“Quit it, you two!” Dax snaps. “What's the plan?”
“Here, pull on this.” I point to the door.
Years ago, when we were outside, I stumbled and fell into a concealed door. It must have been here from when the caves were first created, considering it is made from wood—not like the metal doors we have inside. All these years it was hidden by rocks and dirt.
Once I got the door open, I found a small corridor with a door to the other side. I figured out the location of the door; it comes out by the bathing holes. It's locked from the inside, and has rocks concealing it.
The door opens... ahh, darkness. I never thought I would miss you.
“We've got to go down there?” Hayden asks.
“Yes. I will get my sister, Callie, to wake Lowell. He will need to open the door for us, it's too heavy for Callie,” I explain.
“Can we just kick it open?” Hayden asks, “Who's Lowell?” he adds.
I smile, “It opens from the inside, and Lowell’s a friend.” A good friend, I've changed everything for us now; but now isn't time for self-pity.
Callie... Are you awake? It's Skylier... I message her.
No thoughts come back. She's either still asleep or I need to get closer.
“Close the door,” I tell Hayden.
“Jeez, I cannot see anything... it’s pitch black,” Hayden says.
“It's not too far,” I say. “Use the walls to guide you.” My eyes instantly adjust to the darkness and I'm grateful for that ability.
I walk off ahead, messaging Callie as I go. I can hear the boys stumbling behind me, but now is not the time for me to be their guide.
Callie, I need you, I plead.
Skylier, is that you? Callie's soft voice dances in my mind.
Yes! Oh, I have missed you... Please go get Lowell and run to the bathing holes... try not to let anyone see you. My mind runs away from me, as I try to tell her everything.
Skylier, where are you? Where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you. There are guards everywhere.
Do you think you can get safely to Lowell? I have medicine for mother.
Yes! Callie's little mind snaps at me. I love her spirit.
Okay. Pretend that you are going out with the others for the treatment. Then slip away in the grounds and head over to Lowell. If it's not safe, don't do it.
I got it, we are leaving now.
Hand scan.
Out of the room.
Oh, good.
The guards are not outside Mother's quarters. Maybe they are sleeping.
Why were they there? What's happening? Callie... Callie...
“What did she say?” Dax asks.
“What? Who?” Hayden asks, confused. “Oh, mind games.” I can hear the smile on his face.
“She blocked me!” I say. Did she block me or did something happen to her?
Callie, answer me now! This is not the time for games.
Skylier, calm down. It's hard to think when you are screaming questions at me. I need to think. I've got Lowell... we are at the bathing hole. Where are you?
Raising my hand to the wooden door, I softly knock. I want only them to hear, not the whole Cueva.
Dax and Hayden are silent, and even with the sound of the rushing waterfalls into the bathing holes, I can hear their footsteps.
“They are coming,” I inform the boys.
Where are you? Callie asks one more time.
Follow the sound, you are close. There is a door behind some fallen rocks, I tell her.
Listen. I bang on the door once again.
“Lowell, over here,” Callie's tiny voice rings out.
I can hear Lowell rushing toward the door, and then the door begins to vibrate.
Stand back, he's going to kick it in, Callie's mind says.
“Quick, move back,” I warn the others.
My body brushes up against Hayden’s as I step back.
The door flies off its hinges, landing with a thud inside our tunnel, and Hayden’s arm wraps around my waist.
The open door reveals Lowell standing proudly with my sister, Callie.
Lowell’s eyes falls toward my waist, and Hayden’s hand.
Callie runs toward me as I climb over the door. She wraps her arms around me, almost knocking me off my feet.
Lowell no longer looks proud... his eyebrows push together in concern. “Skylier, you're injured. Did they do this to you?!” Lowell places his arm around my waist, pulling me toward him. I breathe in, soaking in the smell of home in Lowell’s arms.
“No... No, they didn't do it.”
“Skylier, the guards have been looking for you. Why did you have to go with them?” A tremble runs through Lowell's voice.
“It was the only thing I could do to save my mother's life,” I say proudly, holding up the medicine.
“But, Skylier, Rian got through; he could've gotten the medicine. You didn't need to do this.”
“You know he wouldn't get through to the actual Games. Anyway, it's too late now. We need to get to my mother.” I disentangle myself from his grip.
“Come on, this way,” I say to Dax and Hayden. They follow me immediately. Lowell and Callie just stand there with blank looks on their faces. “Thank you for your help, Callie. Catch up with the group for your treatments, enjoy the sunshine. Lowell, thank you. You can go back to bed.”
“Yeah, we can take it from here,” Hayden adds.
“What?” Lowell says. “I'm not leaving you with them.” He pushes past Dax and Hayden to be at my side.
“Enjoy the sunshine? Are you crazy?” Callie asks, confused.
“They're fine,” I reassure Lowell. “Yeah, we've been lied to. It's not the sunshine anymore, it's the food.”
Lowell quickly reaches over and grabs my shoulder to pull me back. Dax swiftly grabs his hand before he touches me.
“Be careful, she's been shot, and she's telling the truth,” Dax adds as Lowell pushes his hand away.
“I'm coming as well,” Callie chirps up. I don't want her to come, but I know there is no way of talking her out of it.
Chapter Eighteen
Peering out from the bathing quarters, we see the paths and bridges above us are clear of guards. Even though I only left Cueva yesterday, it seems different from what I remember. There is a dark, depressing heaviness to the Cueva, with its artificial light highlighting the heavy metal doors, scarring the natural elements of the caves. Just like the toxins that riddle Cueva from Purenet, they have taken hold of everything within Cueva. We are at their mercy.
“The path is clear. Follow me,” I say, moving closely to the edge of the cave wall. I take the group along the incline to the sleeping quarters, which are above the bathing quarters. I silently begin running, something that is hard to do with five sets of feet. Lowell and Callie know how to be quiet, but Hayden and Dax sound like the shuttle pulling into the station. I shoot them a glare. Hayden shrugs his shoulders.
“What?” he mouths. I shake my head in response.
I go to wave my arm in front of the monitor, and Callie's tiny hand flies up, pushing it down.
Are you trying to wake up the whole of Cueva? Callie's mind questions.
Callie looks up at me as if I've lost my mind, and then smiles as
she waves her hand in front of the panel.
The red light flashes and the door opens. We all pile into Mother's tiny, dark quarters.
“What's happening?” Mother's voice croaks.
Callie rushes over to swipe the light panel before Mother can set it on dim. All of our bodies block the light from escaping to the outside.
“Callie, who are all these people?” Her voice sounds so weak.
“Skylier came home.”
I step out from the crowd to see my mother's frail body covered with a thin bed sheet.
“Skylier...” she mumbles, as she tries to sit up in her bed. I rush forward to help, placing my hand under her back. She's like a baby now, unable to do anything for herself.
“What have you done? The guards have been looking for you. I heard them saying the Chancellor's son wants you.” Worry sweeps over her face. Her once-soft skin now wrinkles up like used tissues.
“I've got medicine for you,” I say bluntly, as I try to change the subject.
“How?”
“Well, that's why Xander wants me.” She doesn't need to know the real reason.
“Dax, do you know how to use this?” I ask, as I pull out flat two-by-two-inch vacuum pouches, and a square white device Dax told me to grab.
He nods and takes it from me.
Mother looks at Dax, and smiles. “I knew you would find each other,” she says happily.
Dax and I stare at each other. “Who is he?” I question her.
“He's your brother,” mother says. “Actually, he's your twin brother.” A twinkle appears in her eye, like it used to before she was sick.
Our eyes bulge out in surprise at the same time. Twins!
“It's lovely to meet you,” Mother says warmly to Dax.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Dax says.
My heart sinks, “So father isn't my father, and the Chancellor is?”
“He will always be your true father,” Mother places her hand over my heart, “but the Chancellor is your biological father.”
My shoulders slump down. “And Xander is my brother.”
“Yes, my dear.”
An awkward silence fills the room.
“Wait, so if you two are twins, do I have a twin? Is he my brother?” Callie blurts out. Mother smiles at Callie.
“Dax, would you mind giving me the treatment? I'm guessing we don't have long before everyone wakes up, and I will tell you all a story,” Mother says, as though she's wanted to tell this story for a long time. “Oh. Boys, would you mind watching the door for me? I don't want any surprises when I get to the good bit,” she adds to Lowell and Hayden. They both nod in response, and then give each other the evil eye.
Mother and I catch them doing it, and she smiles warmly at me. I shrug my shoulders and feel the heat rising in my body. I'm not used to two people liking me.
Callie takes a seat at the end of Mother's bed. I carefully sit next to her, and Dax kneels down.
“Dax, you have grown to be a handsome man, with kindness in your eyes,” Mother says. Dax stares at the medical monitor. “I never thought we would meet. I always hoped Skylier would find you. Did your mother have any children?”
“We all come from hosts. I don't think my mother could have children; too much evil runs through her veins.” He is emotionless, like he's already come to terms with the fact that his mother could not be his. “I have two older brothers and I can read their minds like Skylier's. They can also read mine, except when I block them.
“Please, can you lower the bed sheet, and lift your nightgown? I need to apply the medicine to the skin on your stomach,” he adds quietly.
Mother doesn't respond, and Dax lifts his head toward her. “I'm sorry, son. I didn't know; if I had known, I would have come looking for you.”
Dax pushes his lips forward as he holds his emotions in. “My father is the Chancellor, and I know he is my father, unfortunately, because I can read his mind. He would have sent his army to hunt you down and kill you.”
He holds out the needle. “Let me inject this into your arm.”
Mother nods and falls silent for a moment. “He tried to kill me and Skylier once before—well, he left us for dead.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Skylier, you are an Untouchable,” Mother blurts out.
“I'm an Untouchable?”
“The Chancellor is an Untouchable, and so was my ancestor. He worked in science; one day there was an explosion in his lab, and his life was taken from us. The Sanction blamed him, and his family was banished to Cueva. It became clear that the Chancellors were instructed to keep our family living in Cueva and that we would never live in Purenet,” Mother stops for a moment. “Callie, can you pass me a cup of water?”
Callie leaps up and pours Mother a cup from the metal jug.
“Thank you, my dear, you look older each time I see you.”
Callie smiles.
“Where was I?” Mother asks.
“Empire had banished your bloodline,” Dax adds, as he watches the numbers go up and down on the monitor.
“What number do you need?” I ask him.
“Not sure, but it beeps when it's ready. I'm just waiting on the white blood cells to get into her bloodstream. Then I can inject her with the treatment.” But I'm not sure how long the treatment will last....
“What?” I yell out.
Dax places his hand on his head. “Stop reading my frigging mind!”
“Skylier, be easy on your brother, he's trying to help. I would take an extra five minutes with you if that's all I have.”
“Carry on with the story, Mother,” Callie blurts out impatiently.
“You see... Untouchables are extremely special, and they can only be punished by death if they kill someone. Then the family is punished with banishment. There are many rules in place to protect the Untouchables.” Mother catches her breath for a moment and her tiny ribs go up and down.
“How did your father get away with throwing you out, aren't you an Untouchable?” I ask Dax, as I give my mother a moment.
“He told people that I was out serving my time in the army, and he informed me that he would say I died protecting our great Sanction and all that rubbish,” Dax said soberly.
I glance over at Hayden and Lowell, and they are silently listening to the story.
I wonder why Hayden was banished.
Is he your boyfriend? Callie's playful voice rings through my mind. I softly push her so she lands sideways on the bed.
Beep... Beep... rings out from the monitor. “Okay, time for the next injections. We are nearly done, only one more after this one.” Dax quickly takes the needle and sticks it in Mother's arm; my stomach twinges at the sight.
Mother takes a deep breath in, as though inhaling the contents of the injection that are flowing through her veins. She looks calm.
“The Chancellor let the females in our family be Hosts; but we had to return back to Cueva. My brother Otis dreamed of moving to the Cader Sanction. If I became a Host I could pay for that, and earn bitcoins to help my parents if they got sick.
“I birthed two children, two boys,” says Mother.
Dax nods. “My older brothers.” His eyes stay fixed on the numbers on the monitor, even though he doesn't know what they mean.
“Yes, your brothers; first baby compound payment, second baby payment I gave to my brother for a new barcode. Then I found out I was having twins for my final Hosting. They informed me that the parents didn't want a female, only the boy.”
“That would be because my mother is so vain, the thought of any other female stealing her beauty from her would just not be acceptable,” Dax explains.
“She was right not to take you,” Hayden blurts out, taking us all by surprise. “You would have stolen her beauty. Everyone would have been looking at you and not her.” He playfully smiles, and I smile back.
“Well said,” Mother says. “When you were born, Dax, they swept you away from me, as they had with the others. Then
they placed Skylier in my arms; even then you were beautiful,” Mother says lovingly.
“Yeah... yeah, we get it. Skylier's beautiful, get on with the story,” Callie adds as she folds her arms impatiently.
“All my children are beautiful.”
Callie smiles; clearly that's what she wanted to hear.
“Within moments of the doctor placing Skylier in my arms, the guards were there to escort me out of Purenet. They literally lifted me off the hospital bed, with you in my arms, and carried me out of the hospital and toward the compound exit. They were not taking me to the hub where I could get a shuttle home. Instead, they took us to the Purenet boundary wall and threw us out onto the desert waste ground.” Tears begin to drip down my mother's face. Dax raises his hand to wipe the tears away.
Beep... beep... rings out. “Last shot.” Dax announces as he injects my mother.
Mother takes hold of his hand. “Please, always protect her.”
“I will. I give you my word.”
“Mother, this is too much, you don't need to tell us anymore.” Selfishly, I'm not sure I want to know more.
“Oh, I'm nearly at the good part.” She smiles as the tears slow down. “So there I was, with less-than-one-hour-old Skylier, stranded in the desert wasteland. I knew there were coyotes out there, and that most people didn't live long out in the desert. They were eaten or died from dehydration.”
Dax, Hayden, and I all nod in agreement.
“Did you cross the wasteland?” Mother asks.
“Yes,” I announce proudly. “How did you get through it alive?” I ask.
“With the power a child brings to you. I wouldn't let you die—not out there, and not in my arms. I walked solidly for a day before I got to see the sunrise for the first time without fear. By the second day, my body felt as if all the moisture had been drained from me, my milk had dried up and you were screaming with hunger.” Mother takes another sip of water, as if the memory dries her mouth. “My muscles began to give up on me. I could see huge red rock formations in the distance... that was my goal, the Grounders' Community. The closer I got to it, the weaker I became—my legs were burning in pain, ringing headaches drilled through my head, and I guess that's when I passed out.” Mother stops, aware that everyone is waiting to hear what she'll say next.