“Be careful with that thing!” Dr. Liu yelled.
I placed my hand off of the watch. “What’s wrong? What does this do?”
“This watch plays extremely high-pitched chimes that’ll hurt hearing,” Dr. Liu informed.
Enya’s eyes bulged. “Okay, what’s in my bag? What cool invention of yours is there?”
Ivory tilted her head. “A map, by the looks of it.”
“A map?” Enya cocked one eyebrow.
Ju-long chuckled. “Seems like it.”
Enya let out a heavy sigh. “She gets a high tech watch… and I get a map.”
“At least we won’t get lost.” Ivory giggled. “You’ll be like a pirate captain.”
Enya snorted. “That sounds like a plan.”
“Hurry up. We can’t miss that last boat,” Chief Starbright informed.
“I’ll prepare my small boat as well,” Dr. Liu said as we exited the shop.
“We could do something while waiting.” Ivory swayed side to side.
“What should we do, Miss?” Ju-long asked.
“Well, we have paints, don’t we? If we’re leaving, we need something for everyone to remember, right?” Kuan-yin asked.
“What are you thinking of?” I asked.
“What about a message on the back wall?” Kuan-yin asked.
“Thankfully we’re leaving anyway, right?” Ju-long said.
“What do we write?” Kuan-yin asked.
Enya nodded. “I’ve got a perfect idea,” she whispered it to Kuan-yin.
“That’s perfect. Let’s get straight to work.” Kuan-yin gestured to the others before Ivory, Ju-long, and Enya followed.
I wanted to join them, but Chief Starbright put her hand on me. “That was adequate guidance, Knight. Not bad.”
I smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”
Chief Starbright nodded and clutched the rosary on her chest, not speaking a word or giving us orders like before. What was going on? Was there something I didn’t know that was bothering her?
“Are you okay, Ma’am?” I asked.
At first Chief Starbright didn’t speak up. “... I’ll be fine, Knight.”
Before we knew it, Dare to Dream was painted on the wall surrounded by cracks, blue in color. The scene looked as if dreams were breaking out of the conformity. Each swirl was delicately painted onto the wall, and the cracks themselves brought a sense of depth to the piece. Wes would be proud or possibly jealous he didn’t paint the wall himself. It seemed like Kuan-yin was pretty good at art herself.
I smiled in approval before I came to a realization.
“My father will blame Ambert and Wes for this. They’ll send soldiers here.” I moaned.
Officials would see the painting before morning, and they’d make sure we’d never leave Jīnlóng alive. Those bullets send chills down my spine. What would happen now?
At the moment, the streets were quiet. The only light was the one illuminating off our painting on the back wall. It shone in the darkness, its message gleaming against the back wall. Above us, stars glistened against the dark sky, each twinkling like a speck of snow from Fortress. Living in Fortress’ cold, I didn’t notice the stars so much, but now, even the stars themselves seemed dreamlike.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Enya let out a gentle sigh.
“The painting?” I asked.
She shook her head. “The quiet in this darkness.”
I took it all in. “It’s like no one’s here.”
“I wish we could just stay. We wouldn’t have to worry about who we should be, where we need to go… can you imagine it?” Enya asked.
I let a small smile curve onto my face before I came back to my focused state. “We can’t stay here. We have responsibilities to keep, friends to protect, and a government to take down. Right?”
“You’re right…” Enya hesitated. “We need to take down The Regime. That’s the one worry we can’t get rid of unless we rebel against it.”
“Come on. Let’s head over to the dock,” Chief Starbright said, her raspy voice conveying her serious nature.
Ju-long, Chief Starbright, Enya, and Ivory followed me.
“I got the boat!” Dr. Liu yelled from the dock.
After Kuan-yin and her father boarded, they lifted the anchor. The small vessel headed out to sea.
“Warn the others! Keep them safe!” I called out.
“We will!” Kuan-yin called.
“Good luck!” Ivory waved frantically as the boat faded into the distance.
We turned to face the rest of the shipyard. There were two boats with their lights on. It was possible for us to catch them before they left.
“Come on!” I gestured to the two ships.
Everyone followed me.
We made it to the two ships lined up side by side. I didn’t know where each of the boats was going, but I assumed it wasn’t Fortress. No one enjoyed sailing those icy waters.
“Which boat do we get on?” Enya asked.
“Is there any way of telling where a boat’s going?” I asked.
“The cargo and the name of the boat give it away,” Chief Starbright informed.
“Let’s get on the left one! It says The Sky on the boat,” Ju-long pointed to the writing on the side of The Sky.
“Seems worth a shot,” I said.
A bullet soared past my head. I jolted around.
“Crap… not now.” Enya rolled up her sleeves and lit a fire in her right hand.
A handful of Regime soldiers shot from the distance. They ran closer. Faster. Every step brought us toward death. What the heck were we going to do? We had a boat to catch! We had no time to deal with soldiers. Worse yet, I was disarmed. Calista the clumsy struck again!
Ivory trembled and hid behind a box close to Ju-long. Her lip quivered and she ducked with hands covering her ears. Shutting her pink eyes, she quivered and hoped the soldiers wouldn’t find her. The poor thing could be so bold, except when it came to this. It was probably because she and her sister were caught until we rescued her a few days ago.
Chief Starbright pulled out a blaster from her backpack. Shooting at the soldiers, her and Enya drove them back, leaving Ju-long to watch the boats. Another bullet fired from the side. I ducked, bowing my head to the ground. How could I help? I needed to do something. I couldn’t just sit there and watch them fight for our lives even if I was introverted!
I glanced over to one of the soldiers Enya singed. A gun laid grasped in his hands. I jolted toward the weapon and lifted it, ready to fire if I could get my aim right. Without warning, a guard jumped in front of me and fired a shot my direction. I froze like a doe in a pair of headlights, not even able to lift my weapon.
Chief Starbright jumped in front of me. “Astra, look out!”
I heard the bullet pierce something, but Chief Starbright reached out her hand to help me up. A misfire… phew. That was a close one! Who was Astra, and what did she mean to Chief Starbright? She was obviously important somehow, but this was a battle zone. I couldn’t let my curiosity control me here where my fears already took over my system. Ju-long pointed to the dock. The Sky turned out to sea, creeping onto the water without us.
“Move! Now!” Chief Starbright ordered.
Ju-long nodded. “Yes, Miss.”
He grabbed Ivory and threw her to the boat. I didn’t know he had that much strength. Chief Starbright hopped onto the boat and moaned. Enya scurried onto the boat next. Ju-long helped me across, leaving him with the guards. I reached my hand out to him. He did help keep an eye on the boat. Despite the distance, he seemed to make it to the boat with ease, even with the waves crashing below us. All of us ducked below pieces of cargo, praying that no one would spot us.
When everything became silent, Enya perked her head up. “Okay, those sickos are gone.”
Ju-long sat up as well. “You ladies doing okay?”
I nodded. Ivory grabbed onto me and shiv
ered. Tears watered her eyes with fear. Our painting almost got us killed, and that wouldn’t have helped anyone.
“Let’s promise not to paint another wall again, okay?” I asked.
“Agreed. Starbright would get ticked if we pull another stunt like that!” Enya crossed her arms.
“Where is she?” Ivory asked.
My mind entered panic mode. Chief Starbright wasn’t up like the rest of us. I knew she made it on! Which if she did, the only way she wouldn’t stand up was if… that bullet. My eyes watered. It couldn’t be because of that, could it? Her injury would be my fault and I could never take that back. Me, a fourteen-year-old girl, would have to deal with the consequences of murdering the head of Safe Haven’s Council.
“Look everywhere,” Enya said.
Everyone split up to separate sides of the boat, searching for Chief Starbright without alerting the ship’s captain. With such a small vessel, it should’ve been easy to find her. I gulped and took in a sharp breath of air. This couldn’t be happening.
A hand grasped onto my leg, leaving blood on my calf. “Knight.”
Chief Starbright placed a hand on her bleeding side and coughed up red liquid: blood. I looked away with shaking hands. This couldn’t be happening. She was our leader, our protector. The rest of us were just children! I crouched down to Chief Starbright with a quivered lip and tears running down my face. She looked weaker by the second, her face paling and her grip getting less firm.
“That bullet… you did take that for me!” I croaked.
“I promised your mother.”
“M… my mother?” Tears welled from my eyes.
Her shaking hand touched her rosary. “Take it. It was hers.”
Others ran toward my location, by the sounds of the footsteps behind me. Enya’s firm steps told me she was there, Ivory’s sobs cooed, and Ju-long comforted her. If we lost Chief Starbright, we’d lose our mission’s leader. This couldn’t happen. How would we survive? How would we handle everything?
“I can’t take that… everyone defines you as our leader by it.”
“You’ll be their leader now.”
“Me?” my face flustered. “There must be some mistake! I’m just a kid, I can’t…”
“Those are my orders, Knight. If I say you’re ready, you prove me right.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” I lowered my head.
She spat up more blood. “With confidence, Knight. You’re an Oracle!”
I looked into her dying eyes and swallowed a lump in my throat. “Yes, Ma’am!”
A small smile etched across Chief Starbright’s face before light drained from her eyes. My voice croaked, but now I had heavier burdens on my shoulders. Why me? I was a fourteen-year-old Oracle who knew barely anything about Dreamers or their powers. I didn’t even complete Fortress Military School like Ambert. I was the daughter of Mr. Knight, which made Dreamers and The Regime alike view me as a killer. Golly, why did she choose me. I grabbed the silver rosary necklace off her neck and placed it around mine. Turning to face the others, my face reddened, my hands shook, and my gaze lowered.
We found a wooden plank on the back of the boat and lifted her corpse onto it. Then, Enya and Ju-long used a rope to place it into the water and drift out to sea. Silence reigned. Every second of this was in her memory, honoring how far she brought us and all the lessons she taught me. The calm waves swept her body away, easing it gently into the great unknown. Ivory clutched onto me and sobbed, letting tears run down her face. I couldn’t let this happen again, and now this was on my shoulders.
“We have to appease her last wish,” Ju-long said.
“Why the heck did she choose you? I’m the oldest!” Enya clenched her jaw.
“I… I have no idea. I’ll just try to get us to Weisheit,” I mumbled.
Ivory wiped tears from her eyes. “Then… what do we do now, Cally?”
I sighed. I’d never done anything like this. With sweating hands, I pointed to the rubble below us. “We need to get some rest. Anyone want to take first watch? Enya?”
Enya folded her arms. “Why me? It isn’t like many people trust me.”
“I trust you,” I said. “Right now, I really need your help.”
Enya smiled and nudged my shoulder. “Alright, Wallflower. Alright.”
The waves rolled underneath us, and the wind irritated my face. We sat quietly in the back of the boat, only looking at the stars above us. The world spun in full circle, and I was in for the ride of my life. I couldn’t be a leader. Not now. How would Chief Starbright even think about making me a leader? I wasn’t a leader or a talkative person. It wasn’t hard to wish for Wes or Ambert to take my place.
‘What would they do? What would they tell me to do?’
Wes would tell me to follow my dreams and to stay in the moment. Ambert would say to keep trying. I didn’t need determination after all. People counted on me, and I couldn’t let them down. The waves rocked below me as I slowly drifted into a deep sleep.
FOURTEEN
Ambert
Mai attacked Vana, and now she dragged Vana’s body like a corpse through the snow. Small drops of blood trailed behind her, pointing out the direction of their movements. By the looks of it, the drips were from a cut Vana received during her fall. Fortress’ snowfall dusted over the footprints, leaving the trail sparse and undefined. The ones that remained pointed north-west, down the mountain trek Cal and I took weeks ago.
Wind whistled through the trees and I adjusted my jacket to block more of the cold. Snow fell everywhere. Approaching wintertime meant snow more intense than any before.
“So, why are we chasing after Mai?” Wes came with me despite The Committee’s orders, and I couldn’t ask for a better friend.
I looked him in the eye. “She’s up to something. If we can reason with her, we—”
Mai’s movements paused. The Regime’s Core shadowed the stars above us. Flags of red and black waved in the skyline. What were we doing back here? Normal working hours were over for the scientists.
A man in his late forties approached Mai, his greased dark gray hair giving away his firm age. The man wore all black — a symbol of his job as The Regime’s Head Executioner. This was my adoptive father, the same man I’d grown to hate: Mr. Knight.
Mr. Knight’s slumped shoulders gave vibes of disdain. “What took you so long?”
“Shut up, old man. Help me get her inside.” Mai handed Vana’s foot to Mr. Knight.
Wes scrunched up his face. “Can you hear what they’re saying?”
“You can’t?”
“This storm’s crazy. As much as I hate those dream-killers, we need to get closer.” Wes frowned. “There are guards and cameras out we should avoid too.”
I bobbed my head. “Alright, but we need to go slowly.”
Wes and I crept toward the front of The Regime’s Core, careful to avoid the ever-watching gaze of the cameras. The blizzard defied our every move, but Vana’s life was at stake. That mattered more than the cold or The Regime’s cameras. We crouched by an old wall siding. The rusted metal pressed against our raw skin.
“Why do you need this one?” Mr. Knight pointed at Vana’s limp body.
Mai gave him a dirty look. “Don’t ask questions. I’d hate for a tiny accident to happen to your daughter, Calista.”
“You wouldn’t dare while The Commander’s watching you.” Mr. Knight clenched his teeth.
Mai pulled out a knife from the side of her dress and cut Mr. Knight’s hand. “Oops—”
Mr. Knight snatched a rag and wrapped it around open wound. “You little brat!”
“Let’s go inside. It’ll be fun!” Mai’s smile struck me with a feeling of lunacy.
Mr. Knight lowered his head. He lifted Vana from the snow and carried her frozen body in his arms. Mai skipped inside like a small schoolgirl. That’s how I expected her. Not with blood on her dainty hands.
“Let’s follow,” I blurte
d.
“Ambert, I want to save Vana and the other Dreamers too, but…”
“I won’t let anyone else die.”
Wes let out a nervous chuckle. “Alright. Fight the dream-killers and sneak in it is. I like your style. I just hope it won’t get us killed.”
“We’ll be in and out.”
It’d be more than that. Still, I knew things about The Regime’s Core. If we could at least find out Mai’s plan, Calista and the others would be safer.
Inside the center of The Regime’s Core, neon ruby lights illuminated from the edges of the rooms. Shrouded by the darkness, the site transformed from the venue Cal, Enya, Wes and I saw to an alluring building of shadows.
Every step triggered an echo, and every quiver in your breath reverberated through the hallway. A cyan glow glistened in the back room and petrified anyone who dared to enter it directly. Multiple voices dawdled in that direction — a meeting of The Regime’s High Council.
“This way.” Wes pointed to a vent, allowing us easy access to The High Council’s conversation.
Crawling inside, the voices became more distinguished.
“Evening, Lieutenant Mai,” the sophisticated voice of Fortress Military Academy’s principal, Principal Hill, spoke up.
Lieutenant Mai? Then Mai wasn’t just a Regime spy? I forced down a lump in my throat and leaned on the vent wall. There was more than Safe Haven at risk, especially when The High Council was involved. Mai didn’t look old enough to be a part of it!
“I was told this meeting would be important. With many papers to grade, you better have not wasted my time.” This was my old strategy teacher — Mr. Jackson.
“I’m not wasting your time. My news comes straight from The Commander,” Mai said.
“And what news is that?” Mr. Knight stiffened his posture.
Mai clasped her hands together. “We’re going to have fun killing the growing resistance when Project Dark Phoenix reaches its final stages.”
“I still don’t see how using those — those — extremists solves anything.” Mr. Jackson poured himself a cup of coffee. “It goes against everything The Regime believes, even our own slogan: Follow to achieve and trust those who lead.”
Splintering Reality (Breaking Order Series Book 2) Page 9