by Y A Marks
“It’s the drugs,” she said.
“Oh.” My words sounded like they were coming out of my mouth in pulses.
She sat down on the bed and combed my hair with her fingers.
“How long have I been like this?” I asked.
“A day and a half.”
“But… but the Summit. We have to move fast. Get rid of the bad Upper-Cs. Save the people. Yay team.” I waved my hand around with my little joke.
“Well, not until you’re better. Everything will have to wait for now.” She gave me her best expression, but there was something she was holding back.
“Wh—Where are Mari and Miko? Are they okay?”
“Yes. Both of them are having the time of their lives playing with the other kids.”
“Oh, I’m so happy.” I gathered my thoughts. My body screamed to go back to sleep. “How are baldy-dude-guy AJ and the cat girl, person? Um, uh—Josalyn.”
She giggled. “Both of them are fine. I wonder what little nicknames you had for me before you knew me well.”
“You were never anybody else. You were always the Sun… the Sun Hi, always.”
“Well… I’m sure the Gray-Eyed Fox wants to see you.”
“Rylan? Really?” A happy air swept around me and rose me toward the ceiling. I couldn’t help but smile.
“Yep. He says that he isn’t worried, but then comes back around hour, on the hour, to ask again.”
“Aww, that’s so sweet of him. I’m okay. I’m just tired and woozy.”
“Do you want him to come in?”
I giggled, and in my drunken stupor slapped Sun Hi on the shoulder. “I don’t… I don’t have any pants on. I need some clothes and socks.” A crackle of laughter caught in my throat.
She smiled. “Yeah, I think you would need those. C’mon I’ll help you.”
She dressed me in my other pair of jeans and my third shirt. After brushing my hair and helping me with my shoes and socks, we left the room.
“Do I look okay?” The world floated while a dozen uncoordinated dancers playing tug-of-war with my brain. The air outside my room smelled musty and stale, but it felt great to be on my feet and out of the room.
Something hit me. I fell forward, slightly. A tiny body strained under me. I glanced down and rubbed Miko’s head. Wow, he had such great hair. It made me even more self-conscious about mine. I ran my fingers through the brown quills on his head. A tiny hand grabbed my wrist to pull me back.
“Are you okay, Paeton?” Mari asked.
I grinned deeply as if my spirit had been revived. Hope stirred my heart and warmed me to the depths of my bones. They were safe. No one would harm them ever again, and I’d never have to worry anymore.
I wiped a tear away. “Yeah, I’m great. I’m so glad to see both you guys. Is everybody treating you well?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Good.”
“When are we going home?” Miko asked.
I didn’t know what to say. I had only planned to get the kids back. I didn’t know if I’d be able to take them back to Ms. Cooper or not.
Sun Hi smiled. “This is your home. That is if you’re okay with being a rebel?”
“Mr. Palmer said Escerica one day would lib-e-ate—” Miko started.
“Liberate,” I said.
“Yeah, liberate us. And the government can go to he—H E double hockey sticks.”
I flushed with embarrassment. He shouldn’t even spell out those kind of words. I glanced at Sun Hi with apology written on my face.
She grinned and fluffed his hair. “I think you’ll fit in fine around here.”
Miko threw up two big thumbs up and leaned way back to make sure we understood his enthusiasm.
“Why don’t you two go on and play. Paeton is still tired.”
“Okay.” Their bodies drooped in mock anger before their youthful energy sprung them back to life.
“Don’t leave before you give me a hug though,” I said and reached out. I held both of them in my arms, squeezing as tight as I could. I could have held them forever breathing in their life-giving energy. After a few moments and Miko’s yelps of desperation, I let them go. They dashed off and joined the other kids running around the main room.
The golden lights shone around me and for the first time in a long time, I was safe. An orange blanket wrapped around my being and warmed me to the core. I could do this. I could be this, at least for a while.
Sun Hi tugged my arm, and I steadied myself to make the long journey around the ramps to reach the first floor. With everything that happened, I didn’t think the fish swimming in my head would allow me to use the ladders for faster access.
I took a step and a voice rung out behind me. “A thank you would be nice.”
A bright orb glowed behind my eyes. I spun around. Rylan leaned against the corrugated wall. He took a few sneak peeks at me before his gaze steadied.
The corner of my right cheek lifted. “Thank you? What am I thanking you for?”
His head cocked to the side. “Um, I saved your life. That’s three times now.”
“I didn’t… I didn’t ask for your help.” I could barely talk and my mind was fuzzy, but I decided to participate in his game.
“Actually, this time you did.” He took a few steps toward me. “I remember it as though it was two days ago.”
I raised an eyebrow to keep myself from giggling.
“You said and I quote, ‘Rylan, help me. I can’t do this without you.’”
“I said that?”
He stood in front of me. The space between us emptied until it was as if he were the only one in the room, the only one on the floor. Even though my legs were still, feet firmly to the ground, my spirit fell forward.
“Yeah, you said you needed me.”
“I remember saying that I needed AJ to fly me in and Josalyn to watch my back and even Sun Hi to shoot a few scrappers for me. Now, what did I need the Gray-Eyed Fox for?”
Despite my joke, he took another step eroding the distance between us. I could reach out and touch him, feel the coils of determination on his skin, the same furious nature that radiated in his gray eyes.
He flashed his crooked smile. “To beat the android.”
“Hmmm, that’s right you did, didn’t you.”
I held his gaze allowing every part of it to funnel into me and spread through my limbs.
A moment passed between us, and another presence surrounded us. It was the weight of a stare, someone’s stare. I glanced to my right where Sun Hi grinned like a school girl. She had never walked off, like a normal non-nosy person would do.
I blinked a few times and cleared my throat.
It was obvious she should be leaving, but maybe it wasn’t to her.
“All right, all right. I’m going. You don’t have to be so pushy,” she said.
She grumbled a bit and walked off. As she slid down the ladder, the largest grin widened her face. I think I would have turned red, if I wasn’t so drugged up and hadn’t almost died two days ago.
“You wanna sit down?” Rylan asked.
“No, I wanna stay right here.”
The babies above me cried their heads off, but the sounds surrounded me and disappeared into a large, peaceful, white noise. I was comfortable here, and I could never go back. I would fulfill my promise to Dhyla and find a way to take down the Summit. The security was gone in Georgia. The police would be working overtime to control the masses. Hopefully that would give whomever was the brains of Escerica the time to get things moving again.
Rylan reached out and touched the back of my arm. His fingertips tickled my exposed skin. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said.
My mind was open and free, and nothing held back any questions forming in my mind. I thought back to the Juvenile center and wondered where everyone was. I turned my gaze back to him. “By the way, what took you guys so long?” I didn’t want to sound menacing. With the drugs, I couldn’t tell, but I was confused as to why I w
as alone for thirty minutes.
“You stole a car,” Rylan said. His face darkened just a little before his shoulders rose. “We ended up having to take the train, after beating a few hundred scrappers.”
“Oh.” I giggled. Heat kissed my neck from both embarrassment and from the fact that he stole another small step forward. “I guess you did have that.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it when you did.” I could barely breathe. Every breath I took, he stole away from me, until the tiny distance between us vacuumed away my life support.
I studied his face as his fingers slid along my neck. His thumb brushed my hairline. My head lifted with his touch as the urge to lean deeper into him took over my mind.
“Rylan?” I asked, my lips trembling and my heart aching.
“Yeah.” His expression opened and his gray eyes shown like two perfect moons in the light of early dawn.
“Would you kiss me?” My heart quickened and the warmth within my chest escalated to a delicious burn.
His cheeks reddened, but his expression welcomed me close.
“Right here.” I touched my forefinger to my lips and dragged it down, opening my mouth.
He hesitated for a moment.
“Don’t you wanna kiss me?” My heart didn’t race, instead it was a steady, calm thump. Warmth spread over my neck and down my chest. A light tingle danced over my skin. It spread through me before hot waves of heat radiated on my lips.
His gaze steadied. He examined my mouth, licking his lips in anticipation. My body felt as if it were falling forward into a magnetic pull I couldn’t escape from.
“Then just do it. I’m ready,” I whispered.
He took a long breath and brought his arms around. He carefully lifted my head and allowed his gaze to linger on me. I caught my breath and closed my eyes. His thumbs glided along my hairline and brushed my ears. His lips tickled mine, and he glazed my lower lip with his tongue. His lips tasted salty sweet. My back arched, and I pressed myself into him, wanting to be so close that we melded together into one being. He snatched my breath and slowly stole it into his body.
After a second he pulled back, and I opened my eyes. The cute prince charming look spread over his face.
“Thank you.” I leaned into him and let my head brush against his chest. My heart steadied and joy blossomed around my heart and warmed my limbs. I was glad he was my first kiss. He was kind and wouldn’t hurt me. I was safe within his arms.
“I like you a lot, Paeton.”
“I know.”
Giggles filled the air followed by an “awwwwwww.”
For the last seven years, I was invisible, but those days were behind me. My face was plastered on every billboard, PCD, and monitor throughout America. I was wanted by every government agency from the police to the FBI. There was no point in being shy anymore.
Sun Hi, Josalyn, and AJ clapped and laughed. They stared at Rylan and me from the bottom floor.
It must have been the drugs because I don’t think I blushed. After a second, I turned back toward Rylan and grabbed his collar. My mouth craved more, and my chest burned for his touch. I yanked him forward for another kiss. At first he struggled, then he relaxed. His fingertips tickled the side of my neck, and I squealed a bit.
Yeah, they were really watching now. So let ’em watch.
CHAPTER 28
“So what do you think?”
A man stood staring at a monitor. Paeton Washington’s face stared terrified on the other side. She unloaded several rounds of bullets toward the screen. After a few moments, a hand grabbed her around the neck and strangled her.
The man paused the video feed. “No thoughts?”
A woman with glasses leaned forward and rubbed her thumb across her index and middle fingers. “There could be more to her. She’s young, but most of Escerica are. If possible, I’d like some time with this one.”
“That would be a very bloody proposition. Would it be worth it?”
“We could learn more. Gain the advantage.”
“We don’t need a growing conspiracy.”
“If so, then you should have just killed her and have been done with it. Because she’s still alive, my guess is you have other plans?” The woman lifted an eyebrow.
The man smiled. “Of course.”
Finishing Acks
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for reading CLASS ZERO. Just having you to read it means a lot. I spent many days toiling at the computer, wondering, thinking, and festering over the characters, scenes, and storyline. So to have you not only to read it, but by this time finish it, means the world.
I’d like to send a special thank you to my wonderful beta readers, proofreaders, and editors. They worked tirelessly for me. I love each and every last one of them. I wouldn’t have made it this far without them.
If you did enjoy CLASS ZERO, I’d love for you to leave me a review on Goodreads or especially on Amazon. Reviews let other readers know that “Hey this book was Great or Good or even Okay.” If you don’t want to leave a review, but you’d love to let me know how you felt or what you may like in the future, please email me. Also, if you would like to be notified when my next novel is released and get freebies, please sign up for the mailing list by going to http://www.yamarks.com. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Before I started work on CLASS ZERO, I spent weeks scouring reviews and talking with readers, gaining knowledge about what may excite dystopian fans. I’m always on the lookout to have a better understanding of this writing world. I’m growing as a writer, and I hope that you’ll continue on this journey with me.
Until next time, ta-ta.
Y.A. Marks
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
Finishing Acks