by Alechia Dow
“My people will arrest me if I don’t provide an excuse for my behavior, and if they are suspicious they may pry into my mind, finding things I don’t want found. Then they will kill me. But they will kill you first.” He inhales sharply. “I promised you that I would keep you safe, and I will as long as my body survives. I did what I could for your family, and we may never know if it was enough. I am deeply sorry for everything, Ellie. I mean that.”
Her mouth opens and shuts, but no sound comes forth.
“Ilori taketh and taketh all. They know no boundaries.” He’s rambling now, and he can’t help it. “But I’ve come to realize this one truth—in the end, all Ilori feel. It is foolish to deny biology. They are greedy, righteous, vengeful and angry. They have become too confident. And therein lies our—What is the word?” He searches through his vocabulary, still holding her shoulder and hair. He likes the way it feels; soft and bouncy, like the silky, coiled flowers that grow outside his palace back home. “Advantage. They will look for this car. They believe they know where I will go. But they do not know how determined I am, nor my capacity for discomfort.”
“What do you want to do?” she asks through shaky breaths.
“We are going to make our way across this country to quadrant 11H-R15-B800L, to...” He thinks of the map and tries to recall the human name for it. “To California. I have a plan... I will take you with me, and if—”
She peers at him through the dark mists of night. “You want me to go with you?”
“Yes.” Until he can find somewhere safe for her, until he knows that she will cease being hunted. His mission is too dangerous for a human to embark on, but he can’t leave her here. “If you’ll join me?”
She whips her hair over her shoulder, her body shivering in the cold. She doesn’t ask why, perhaps she doesn’t care. Or she’s too tired. M0Rr1S takes off his jacket and wraps it around her.
“Can you still keep my family and Alice safe?”
He can’t tell her everything now. The truth is too much. And if they are caught... “There may be a way.”
She turns, her eyes lock on his. “I’ll go if you promise.”
M0Rr1S thinks of his pod, which he can no longer access because he saved a human girl from death. It’s close to where they are, outside his quadrant. But it’s also where they expect him to go. All the plans he has made, time spent researching relevant tidbits of human microbiology, everything he has worked toward, has been compromised by this split-second decision. And now he must rely on chance, something no Ilori would ever choose to do.
Yet, he cannot—will not—regret what he has done, even if it means he will have to accomplish the nearly impossible. It will take time, it will take energy he does not have, and it will require him to move undetected through the quadrants. He glances at Ellie. The safest place for her is with him, for now, and that is why he lies. “I promise.”
Her lip quivers from the cold. “I’ll go.”
M0Rr1S wants to hug her. He has heard humans do this when they feel relief, but he doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he settles with a quick statement of fact. “It brings me joy to have your company, Ellie.”
“Morris.” She takes a deep breath. “I’m tired and I haven’t been outside the center walls in years, but I think if we drive to an abandoned house, we may be able to find some clothes and food.”
“Let us go, then, while the night still hides us.”
He stands and extends a hand to her. She takes it, and he pulls her up. He doesn’t want to seem overjoyed, but the idea of spending time with Ellie makes him feel...good. Happy. Optimistic. Although he knows, someday soon, he’ll have to leave her. Already the thought of saying goodbye makes his chest feel tight with some unknown emotion. Worry? Fear? Sadness?
Ellie collects her hat. “Ready.” She takes one last peek at the sky. One of the last skyscrapers falls before her eyes and she cringes. She might never come back to this quadrant, and he wonders if she is saying goodbye. He promises to himself, at that moment, that another part of his mission will be to keep Ellie safe, and, if possible, happy.
And what a difference that is for M0Rr1S; to have someone beside him that he cares for. Until now, he’s only ever been alone.
Oh, how his life is changing, he sighs to himself. In every possible way.
PART TWO
A WORLD IN DISARRAY
Starry Eyed and Bushy-Tailed!!
OMG! You know how I won that private concert and a meet and greet with the Starry Eyed back in March? Well it finally happened! I’ll show you my outfit in the next post, promise. (I swear I’ll be blogging about this for a year, sorry in advance!) Anyway, a few hours ago, I was standing in the Odyssey Auditorium after watching an amazing set from the Starry Eyed. They played their entire new album, The Sound of Stars, and I’m beyond obsessed with “Fairy-tale Girl” and “Everything.” Honestly, though, every song is perfection.
Since this was a private show, it was really low-key and cool. There were maybe thirty of us altogether, the seats were comfy and there was a small buffet of snacks and drinks off to the side. Real comfort food, too, like bagels, chips and mini-doughnuts. Allister wasn’t even in his usual concert uniform of spandex leggings and purple boa, AKA his Korean Freddie Mercury look. Instead, he was wearing some fitted jeans (which, wow), and a white button-down. His long hair was a shade of navy blue so dark that it almost looked like his natural black. He and the others—except Cecil, who was in red bell-bottoms and a sparkly matching cape—were all really laid-back.
As I waited for the greet part, I imagined Allister was going to be as tight-lipped as I’ve heard people call him online. Like maybe a hello and thanks for coming type of thing. But no, he chatted with everyone, snacked on cinnamon-glazed almonds (I know because the smell was incredible) and was just open. When he got to me, he offered his hand. I shook it, so smooth and firm, and he said, “Hey, how are you?” The words that left my mouth didn’t make any sense and I totally panicked. He’s just that beautiful, especially with his violet eyes and accent! I thought he’d slowly back away to the next person but he laughed. “You’re the blogger, right?” I nodded slowly, my legs felt like melting sticks of butter. “Oh cool. I love reading your blog.” I think I smiled and said something that made him chuckle again. We ended up sitting down next to the others, drinking hot chocolates (hotel staff brought us some since the auditorium was kinda cold) and talking about everything. When I told Allister the reason I love their music so much is that it got me through a dark time with my depression, his whole face lit up.
“That’s one of the biggest reasons I love music. The world is a dark place, and bad things happen that we can’t control. People we love can disappoint us, hurt us and finding forgiveness is hard...” He looked away at that, and I wasn’t sure he’d continue. “But music is there. If it disappoints you, all you have to do is change the track. Sometimes we pick music that speaks to the sadness within us, sometimes we play something that’ll extinguish it for a little while. Maybe it’ll make the world brighter or maybe it’ll understand you in a way that no one else can. Music, stories, art...they’re a bridge between you and someone else...yeah, but also a bridge between the person you are one moment to the person you are the next.”
And with that guys, I can officially say, I LOVE Allister Daniels.
XOXO Gabby
CHAPTER 9
“He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking.”
—Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
JANELLE
That won’t be my last time in New York, I tell myself. I’ll find a way back to my parents. I’ll find a way to see my family again. I inhale, clearing my thoughts.
The car smells like chemicals and something I can’t put my finger on but reminds me of them. The Ilori. The beings that took this world from us a
nd plan on doing the same with our bodies. I’ll always hate them. But I suppose I’ve befriended one, too, and that’s the most confusing thing ever.
“My family’s safe?” I ask again. “Can I talk to them?”
“They are safe, I promise.” Morris shoots me a glance before returning to the road we’re speeding down at a pace I didn’t think possible. “It’s too dangerous to connect to Il-0CoM right now, though, I’m sorry.”
“Is whatever number-sound you just made the thing you all communicate with in your minds? The Hive?”
Morris nods. “Yes. All Ilori have it, but I’ve had to disconnect mine.” He’s quiet for a moment. “My friend, Av—” He pauses, as if considering his next words, “Avrola is with your family. I trust Avrola. I hope you’ll trust me.”
I don’t respond. Can I really trust him? What’s the alternative? He did save my life. My gaze slides to him, the way he grips the steering wheel, the way he focuses on the dark road in front of him. Why would he save me and my family? Is he really that earnest about friendship? The thought almost makes me want to giggle in absurdity.
So an Ilori and I are going to be friends.
What do I do? How do I handle this nervous energy? I almost died, but here I am. My family is safe...maybe. My books are in the back seat.
My gaze flicks to the console. I could tell him that the car has a USB port and that we could, in fact, listen to music on it. That’s friendly.
The car makes a little electrical hum. I have no idea what kind of car it is; the logos are gone and it’s unfamiliar. It must have been formatted for them, too, since there’s no gas pedal or brake. It probably doesn’t even run on gas, just electricity. They want this planet in top shape, and it shows. Clearly, we should have cared more about global warming. But that’s a useless line of thought.
I almost died.
The scene still flashes before my eyes. The rope, scratchy but strong. The North Star sparkling at me, as if welcoming me home. I wanted to believe that. And then the air, crisp as I fell forward, pushing at my cheeks. The ground drawing closer and closer. The abrupt certainty of knowing death is near.
But then there was Morris. And the rope falling in shreds around my neck. His foreign and strong arms. The ever-approaching pavement that threatened instant death. And the relief to be back on solid ground. Staring up into his eyes and knowing, in that moment, without a doubt, that I wanted to live.
Morris. He saved me. Us.
I turn in my seat and grab one of the dead iPhones I found in the center. I connect it to the USB port and hope it’ll get some charge from the car. It would be lovely if it has the Starry Eyed. While I’m fiddling with the console, I turn up the heat one more bar. It’s warm, but I’m not wearing enough for this winter.
Morris doesn’t move. He seems lost in his head, at war with something.
After a minute or so, I see the familiar battery icon pop up on the iPhone screen, and soon the home screen appears. I tap the music icon and hit Shuffle. Sade’s voice purrs out, and Morris’s expression transforms into wonder and excitement.
“I’ve never heard music aloud before.” His hands loosen on the wheel, and I sink back into my seat. “I like it.”
“How do you normally listen?”
He tilts his head, exposing his panel. “I can plug any device cable into my panel, access the files and play an audio track in my mind.”
“So your mind is like a computer, and you can play music inside it?”
“I suppose so, although I would like to believe it is a bit more advanced than your outdated technology.”
My mind draws a blank on how to respond to the dig. I can barely keep my eyes from drooping as the heat travels up my feet and through my flimsy outfit, anyway. “Morris, how do you know where we’re going?”
“The panel sends images to my eyes. I think where I want to go, and the directions appear.”
My eyebrows lift. “You have a mental GPS?”
“I actually know what GPS is!” He chuckles. “And yes, a bit like that.”
There’s so much I want to say to him, but the conversation has done little to keep me from slipping into grogginess. He seems to notice.
“You should rest, if you need it. In a few more miles, we will search for a safe place to stop.” His voice is soft and maybe a little wary. “Rest.”
I should try to stay awake. I want to know where I am, but the combination of Sade’s dulcet tones and the exhaustion of near-death helps my eyes close on their own. At first, it’s nice—peaceful even—until the rope wraps around my neck once more, and the crowd below stares up at me. Their eyes are gone, but their tight smiles remain. When they open their mouths, blood pours out, and I scream.
I wake with Morris next to me, his fingers curled around my wrist. He whispers something soothing that doesn’t really register but slows my racing heart. He’s not as potent as anxiety meds but, thankfully, it works for now. I let out a sigh before I notice that we’ve stopped outside a house on a deserted street in the middle of nowhere. It’s still dark outside and Sade is still singing about love, only a different song.
“I was about to wake you.” His grasp on my arm is gentle yet strong. “We’re here.” He jerks his head toward the structure. It looks oddly well kept. I look around, my eyes adjusting. The street’s mostly deserted, this is the only house that’s not a patch of dirt. The windows aren’t broken, and even the front door is intact and closed. Why is this still here? Where is here? Could we really be that far away from home in so short a time?
Morris hits the power button and the music dies. “We need to get this car out of sight.”
“Did anyone see us? Follow us? Will the Ilori be here soon?”
“No,” he replies quickly. “The Ilori lack numbers outside cities. I doubt anyone saw us over the last few hours. We are far enough away from our quadrant now. Pennsylvania, I believe you call it.”
“Wow.” I shake the sleep from my mind. “There’s a garage there. Let’s go inside and open it.”
He reluctantly closes the car door, his shoulders hunched.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’ve just never been inside of a structure like this before. It seems very personal.” He doesn’t elaborate.
I choke back the urge to remind him that the Ilori invaded Earth, our home. That we’re going into someone’s home without invitation to take what we need without repaying them, and it’s no different than what the Ilori did. But pointing that out doesn’t change anything, and this is the world we live in now.
My teeth are chattering as I try to open the front door. It doesn’t budge. Morris sighs, and the door swings open.
“I’m also tired,” he admits. “My charge is low.” I don’t know what that means, but I’ll ask him later.
We step inside, and I gag at the stale air. I nod my head to the hallway door that likely leads to the garage. He holds it open for me, and the moment it closes behind us, we’re enveloped in darkness.
“Do you think the electricity works?” I adjust my glasses, although I can’t see much anyway.
“I feel it,” he answers, which I guess means yes. “I need to conserve my energy, maybe there’s a switch somewhere?”
He moves to the other side as I thrust my arm against the wall, keeping my back toward the open doorway. I’m not a fan of mysterious dark spaces and might bolt if there’s something horrible waiting for a light to be shone on it.
My effort is rewarded with a plastic panel and a series of switches and buttons. We toy with them until the garage door screeches open, causing us both to cringe. It’s dark outside, but there’s enough light for me to see a flashlight on a workbench table. I grab it and wield it like a searchlight as I watch Morris run to the car. The cold wind nips at my cheeks, but I hope it’s blending into the dull house air, making it more breathable inside.
Seconds later, Morris parks the car in the space. I head to the switch and lower the door, closing us in. He drops down on the floor beside the car.
“Morris, what are you doing?”
“Finding the tracker.”
“Oh, okay...but wait, what? Does that mean they’ll be here soon? Oh God.” My free hand goes to my neck on instinct.
“Don’t panic. We have time.” He grunts a little and stands up. He sweeps his fingers around the tires, then inside the car. At the back of the bumper, he pulls his hand away to reveal a tiny silver chip.
“Oh,” I say unhelpfully.
I click the flashlight off as I follow him outside. He brings his arm back and throws the tracker farther and faster than anything I’ve ever seen before. It has to be miles away now. My jaw falls, and once again, I realize how different Morris and I are. He has power and strength beyond human imagining.
“That should give us a day at most. Let us find you some clothes and food.” He walks past me to the house, and I stand there a moment longer, still reeling from his display of power.
Back inside, my flashlight leads the way to the kitchen.
“Are we really leaving the car and walking the rest of the way?”
The smell of rotting food wafts toward me from the dead refrigerator. I cover my nose and mouth with my hand.
It doesn’t seem to affect Morris as he begins scouring the cabinets. “There may be another tracker on the car, and I don’t want to take risks. We’ll walk until we find another source of transportation, if that’s okay with you?” He looks at me, and I shrug. I should probably begin searching for food with him, but the stench makes my stomach squirm.