In the mix of tall palm trees are beautiful trees clothed in bright pink and yellow flowers. We come to a stop next to one that has thick branches that start low enough for us to climb. Alexander goes up first and I follow directly behind him. He stops midway and straddles a thick branch. He pulls me up and I sit in front of him. The shower of beautiful flowers conceals us up in the tree. I keep the sword I took from Chadian on my belt, ready to draw at any second. I lay my head back into Alexander’s chest and his arms instantly wrap around my waist.
“I’m sorry about your mother’s journal,” Alexander says in a weak voice.
“It’s okay. We’ll get it back,” I say, and my eyelids fall shut.
We are quiet for a long time until he says, “Adaline what’s wrong? You’re crying.” My eyes bolt open and my hand rubs my cheek. It is damp with tears. “What are you thinking about?” Alexander asks.
“Nothing,” I say, remembering what I was thinking about.
“Please, Adaline, you can tell me.” He places his hand under my chin and turns it so he’s staring into my eyes.
“I’m just scared,” I admit softly.
“Scared of?” Alexander asks, but I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe it’s the fear inside me that we are on the run for our lives. Maybe it’s the paranoia that I feel like I could take a wrong step, keep one thing to myself, and lose Alexander instantly.
“I just want to get to Zavy and Toby and get as far away from Paylon as we can.” I turn around and Alexander tightens his arms around my waist, trying to give me some comfort. “And it’s also the paranoia that I may do something to lose you again.”
He’s quiet now and I glance over my shoulder. His eyes look hurt and he chokes out, “I don’t want you second-guessing yourself, Adaline. You won’t lose me, we’re in this together.”
“I’m not the girl you remember as a kid,” I whisper and turn back around.
I sink further into his chest and he says, “I know, and I’d choose who you are today over her anyway.”
I gaze at the stars through the canopy of leaves and flowers and ask, “Do you regret helping me escape?”
“No, no of course I don’t. I was planning my own escape from that horrid castle,” he says between a deep yawn. We are quiet for a minute and I can’t help but wonder if he doesn’t regret it because he may actually still have feelings for me. Could there still be a chance those feelings could be there? I don’t know if I want that, I know I don’t need that right now. If it’s true though that would mean he’s really forgiven me for keeping him in the dark about my gift.
“I also just feel protective over you, that’s all. You’re my responsibility as my friend,” he says, letting his voice destroy the hope I had that he really did still have feelings for me. He lets his eyes fall shut and slows his breathing down. It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but it’s better than having him hate me. Maybe he isn’t the right person for me either. I match my breathing to his rising and falling chest, and I fall asleep to the beating of his heart in sync with mine.
Waking up to Alexander gently breathing behind me sends a warm and comforting sensation down my skin. I think to myself that this wouldn’t be such a bad way to wake up every day. Slowly I let my eyes fall open and I’m blinded by the sunlight seeping through the tree branches above. It must be nearly noon.
My chest rises and falls with Alexander’s. His arms hold me close to him as if someone might have come to try and steal me away in the middle of the night. I lay my head back on his chest and Alexander wakes up from my slightest movement.
“As much as I want to stay up here all day, we need to get to Zavy and find food,” I say, remembering how long it has been since we had last eaten.
We slowly make our way down from the tree and walk in the same direction we were traveling in last night, and Alexander was right, it is a lot easier to travel in daylight. With the sun up, the woods that surround us seem to take on a new life. We haven’t been to this section of the island before and I wonder how far Paylon carried us after they captured us. It doesn’t look like they were taking us back toward the castle because I don’t recognize any of this area. The dirt beneath our feet is dry and baked with the sun’s heat. The palms are taller here and they are scarce with fruit. The trees with flowers I had seen last night have a very dry and white bark. The muscles in my legs throb and I try to stretch them out as we go. We each pull out one packet of dried rations and eat as we walk.
“So what exactly can a Sensor do?” I ask him, bringing up his gift for the first time since he told me. “Besides open locks. I mean you already know I can basically just control anything that I see.”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure what I can do with it. All I know is that anything I touch I’m able to know all the information about it and its history. Like, for example,” he starts as he takes his water bottle from his bag,” I can tell you that this water bottle has been carried by ten other soldiers, it was produced three years ago, and currently holds exactly 8.3oz of water.”
“That’s incredible!” I say at all the knowledge Alexander can simply generate by coming in contact with an object.
“I don’t know,” he says. “It all seems kind of pointless if you ask me. Like, what am I supposed to use that for? At least your gift can help you in combat. Lucky for me, I’ve had some training or I’m sure I’d already be dead.”
“I just feel like these gifts hold more meaning to their use if we only knew how to use them,” I say. “Like the fact that I can use mine for fighting isn’t its only purpose, because I can also teleport items and people.”
“Yeah, I get what you’re saying,” Alexander says and we fall back into our quiet manner as we continue walking through the trees of the forest.
“What happens when you touch people? Do you just instantly know their life story?” I ask Alexander curiously.
“No it only works on objects,” Alexander says shortly.
“I mean, yeah that makes sense or else you would have known about my gift a long time ago,” I say more to myself than him. Again silence settles between us and we continue to walk and finish off our rations.
“Well, maybe it works on people, and I just can’t do it yet,” Alexander says and he gives me a questioning glance.
“Maybe we can try to see if we can figure it out,” I say. “Right after we find freedom and aren’t running for our lives.”
“Can you tell me Zavy and Toby’s gifts or do they not trust me either?” Alexander asks. His voice is soft like a child’s, afraid he may get scolded for asking.
“Toby can master weapons with an enhanced sense of touch. Zavy called it an Aeros, I think.” I pause and Alexander nods. “Zavy said she was a Communicator with an enhanced sense of hearing.”
“So she can talk to animals?” Alexander asks amazed.
“She said so,” I say. I nudge Alexander slightly with my arm and add, “We’re all in this together now, Alexander.” He gives me a soft smile. I know Zavy doesn’t particularly want to work with Alexander. I remember she had tried to convince me to leave him behind, but if she knew he was here trying to find her she may change her mind.
“How many different combinations of gifts are out there?” Alexander asks me and I tilt my head confused. “Like Toby and I both have an enhanced sense of touch, but can do completely different things. I know we have this list we are trained on, but could there be more combinations?”
“I’d say the combinations are endless,” I admit and remember the dream I had a few nights ago about when Ms. White had lectured on gifts. “I remember Ms. White saying it was up to the power of the gift holder to unlock their full potential.”
“So maybe I could use my powers to master weapons like Toby if I was trained and had enough practice with it,” Alexander works out and I agree. Alexander begins to list off all the information we have about gifts, “You are a Force Lifter. Your mother and my father were both Future Holders. Zavy is a Communicator and Toby
is an Aeros.”
“And Paylon is a Controller,” I say, finishing off the list.
“You must have enhanced sense of sight because your mother did,” Alexander says. Talking about her makes my heart ache, but differently now. The fact that I may have this power inside of me because of her makes me feel like I have a part of her with me.
“Maybe your mother had an enhanced sense of touch then,” I offer to Alexander and he nods. “Did you ever hear from her again?” I ask him, trying to recall everything I remember about her leaving. I was over at his house after school as normal. Alexander’s mother had told me I needed to go home and as I was packing up my bags she sat Alexander down to tell him that she needed to go away too.
“No, she never came back,” Alexander says and his voice is dry as he chokes out the words.
“Why did she leave?” I ask, wondering if I remember it correctly.
“Something about my father needing to protect me so she had to go away.” He pauses and adds, “It was a long time ago. I don’t really remember.” I wonder if he’s telling me the truth because I know the day my father left me is still clear in my head.
We’ve been walking for hours and still, neither of us has really said much other than a few comments about our gifts and families. We trade off on who carries the sword since we only have one to protect or hunt with. We’ve started to make our way out of the dry woods and are now back to lower ground where the trees seem to be more green. The air feels heavy with humidity and the dirt beneath our feet turns to a stiff mud. We stopped once to refill our water bottles earlier, and are about to stop a second time to take a break when I hear a branch snap up ahead.
“Alexander,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from not using it. Suddenly there’s another snap, and another, and then it sounds like our intruder is simply running through the woods, breaking anything in its path. A small baby deer runs out right in front of us and I flinch back. My mouth drops, as I watch two arrows fly down from a nearby tree and run straight into the deer causing it to crash to the ground.
My first thought is somehow Zavy got away from Paylon. I watch as someone drops from the tree where the arrow came from and by the strong muscular build I know it’s not Zavy. Another boy, slimmer, follows down the tree. Instinctually my hand finds the grip of the sword on my belt. The first has short brown hair that is just barely peeking through the off white colored hood he has pulled up over his head. He turns and faces us, letting his hand with the bow fall to his side. He takes his other hand and pushes his hood off his head revealing not only the fact that his hair has an intricate swirling design cut into it but also his odd caramel-colored eyes.
I take in a sharp breath when I realize how much they remind me of Titus’s eyes. When the guy speaks to us I can hardly believe what he says.
“Adaline, we’ve been waiting for you,” his strong voice booms.
“You’ve been waiting for me?” I hear myself ask, not recognizing my own voice.
“Yes, come with us and I’ll explain everything,” he says as he positions the bow on his shoulder. Him and his partner make their way toward the deer. They carefully remove the arrows from its side, and lift the deer together. They start heading deeper into the forest, not bothering to wait for us to go with them.
I start to step forward, but Alexander grabs my arm. “Whoa, where are you going?”
“He said to follow him,” I say and Alexander gives me a bewildered look.
“Do you know who he is?” Alexander asks, trying to understand why I’d go with this man.
“No I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before, but he knows who I am. He could help us, Alexander.” When he still hasn’t loosened his grip on my arm I continue, “Do you have a better idea?”
“Yeah, we ignore him and continue toward Zavy,” he says stubbornly.
“Alexander, trust me on this. I really feel like I need to follow him,” I say, locking my eyes with his. When he still hasn’t let go of my arm I add, “Can we at least find out how he knows who I am? Aren’t you at least a little curious?”
“I thought you wanted to get Zavy and Toby and get as far away from Paylon as possible,” Alexander says, still fighting me.
“I do,” I admit and bite my lip lightly He’s right, maybe we need to keep moving to Zavy, but how do we do that knowing this guy is just here and knows me.
“Your father told me about you,” I hear the mysterious man yell from deep in the woods, still not waiting on us.
My gaze with Alexander falls heavy and now he knows we have to hear this guy out. My father left me years ago and I have gotten no explanation as to why or where he went. I know Alexander understands that I need to go just for the chance I could learn something about my father’s disappearance. Alexander reluctantly lets go of my arm and we hurry to catch up with the hunter.
“How do you know my name?” I ask when I’ve matched my pace with his.
“It’s a pretty long story. I’ll tell you everything once we get back to my camp,” he says shifting his eyes between Alexander and myself.
“Are you with anyone else?” Alexander questions, taking in the two hunters.
“Yes, there are ten of us. We’ve been living out here for just under seven years,” the hunter explains shortly, being sure not to share more information than he wants. I look at this guy’s facial features more closely and realize that he can’t be any older than I am.
“What’s your name?” Alexander pushes.
“My name is Cooper, and this is Bren,” he nods to his silent partner. “I assume you’re Alexander?” Cooper shoots to Alexander and his eyes widen.
“How do you know,” Alexander begins
“Like I said, long story. So how exactly did you get out here?” Cooper asks.
“Oh, so finally something you don’t know?” Alexander mumbles.
“I know a lot, but not everything,” Cooper says as he glances between Alexander and me.
“Well, it’s a long story,” Alexander says, mocking Cooper.
“Well, how about you enlighten me with your story of how you got here? We still have quite the hike back to camp. I can take us back the long way,” Cooper says.
“We aren’t saying anything,” Alexander starts to say before I cut him off. I don’t know what it is about Cooper, but I’m starting to think I’ve seen him before. I just can’t place where. There’s something oddly familiar about him.
“Seven years ago I was thrown in prison with my mother and younger brother,” I pause and try to steady my breathing. Talking about my mother and Titus hasn’t gotten any easier for me.
“You don’t have to do this Adaline,” Alexander cuts in.
“No it’s okay,” I say to him and then continue. “Just about a week ago they ordered for my mother to be killed on Parting Day,” I stop and take in a deep breath. She’s already been gone that long. “My mother told me I was a Force lifter and I used my gift to escape with my brother Titus, but he was killed.” I stop as the words start to feel thick in my throat. I decide to leave out the fact I don’t know how to use my gift, he doesn’t need to know that. In case this is a trap he won’t know I can’t use my gift.
“I’m sorry,” Cooper starts to say, but I cut him off, not wanting to talk about their deaths anymore.
“When I was making my way out of the castle I ran into Alexander, he was on duty outside of the maze,” I glance over at Alexander and see he’s hurt that I have just told these complete strangers about my gift and I hadn’t told Alexander until Paylon forced me to, but if we want Cooper to share what he knows about us I have to give him something.
Cooper stops suddenly, dropping the deer. He shoves Alexander against a tree, pressing a small knife he had concealed to Alexander’s neck. “Are you still working for King Renon?” Cooper asks forcefully.
“No, he helped me escape,” I say and try to reason with Cooper.
Alexander chokes out, “I did work for him. I don’t anymore, I’m being hunted, same a
s her.” Cooper is hesitant for a second before backing away and releasing Alexander. He lifts the deer and starts walking again. I fall back in step with him, but Alexander has decided to stay a few paces behind us.
“Continue,” Cooper instructs me.
“Since then we were traveling south when we ran into our other friend Zavy and her younger brother Toby. We were heading to Libertas when the search group lead by Paylon found us and took us as prisoners. Alexander and I escaped and they locked Zavy up just a couple more miles south of here. We were on our way to help save her and her brother. That’s the summed up version of everything we’ve been through.” Cooper simply nods his head in approval.
We step through some underbrush and into a small clearing. There are three small tents propped up around the clearing and a large fire pit in the middle. Around the clearing different people are cleaning shirts and pants or collecting firewood. Some are cutting up a couple of rabbits and a deer and two others seem to be standing over a large map discussing some sort of plan. However, all actions stop as soon as we step into the clearing. Everyone is completely silent and staring at us like they’d just seen a ghost.
Cooper nods to everyone and they continue to do whatever they were previously doing, but we have definitely drawn everyone’s attention to ourselves. Two guys about my age run over and take the deer from Cooper. Bren joins them in taking the deer and Cooper starts leading us toward one of the far tents across the clearing. When we enter, Cooper motions for us to take a seat on a cloth that has been thrown down and then Cooper sits down across from us.
“So are you going to tell us what’s going on now?” Alexander pushes.
Cooper nods and begins speaking, but he can’t bring himself to make eye contact with either Alexander or myself.
The Markings Page 11