Through sobs, I felt nauseous. I couldn’t stand to watch, but I couldn’t open my eyes to leave Aaron either.

  Before the guard could pull the trigger, a voice came out from behind him.

  “Wait,” the voice said calmly.

  The guard turned his head around.

  “We have to take in everyone we capture in case they are one of the Starborns.”

  “This one’s bleeding out,” the guard said.

  The soldier who had told the other to wait, walked forward and looked down at Aaron. He shook his head. “It’s just a shoulder wound. We have to take him.”

  The guard let out a nasty snarl and stooped down to pick Aaron up from the ground. Aaron let out a painful groan as they grabbed his shoulder roughly.

  When I opened my eyes, we were still traveling through the dark tunnels quietly. I felt relief in knowing that Aaron had just survived. But I knew what his survival meant. It meant interrogation by Jeremiah.

  For Aaron’s sake, it might have been better to just be shot through the head.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  EVEN THOUGH I truly appreciated Danny carrying me, I no longer found it necessary. After just a few minutes of watching them take Aaron in one of the trucks, I at least knew he would be okay for the time being.

  When Danny let me down, I half-expected Heather to give me a dirty look, but she stared straight ahead. No one said a word as we followed Allison through the sewers. The smell was terrible and our feet sloshed through the filthy water as we walked. Allison led the way with determined step, although I was sure she was disheartened by what we had found in the prison. There were supposed to be hundreds of new soldiers following us through these tunnels to help in the fight later - a fight I wasn’t even sure I would be alive for.

  I don’t know how long we walked. It had probably only been an hour, but it felt like it took the entire afternoon. Occasionally, I would look in on Aaron only to find him held in an empty room. There were no lights or electricity, it seemed, but there was a very large, barred window that looked out over the city. No one had taken care of his wound, but it seemed to have stopped bleeding.

  I was so thankful that he was still alive, but I regretted that I hadn’t been able to tell him everything. I had wanted to talk to him about my abilities. I had wanted to talk to him about what Connor was doing, though now, it seemed like a good thing that I missed that chance. This was exactly why we hadn’t told anyone about Connor. Aaron would surely be questioned, and he was none the wiser.

  As we walked through the underground roads of waste, I realized I might not ever see him again in person. And when I thought about Connor too, my heart sank. We were supposed to take the Center in the morning. I would be on my way out of this world by then. The sadness I felt had nothing to do with the loss of my own life, but for the loss of the bond I shared with each of them.

  I couldn’t believe how reckless I had been. I should have paid more attention before I was scratched. I had the power to take on those greyskins, but I let my guard down. In my determination and rage, I forgot that it only took the smallest scratch to kill.

  After a seemingly endless maze full of twists and turns, we finally made it to the hideout. After trudging through the labyrinth, I began to understand why Allison wanted to escape through the sewers. With our head start, the Screven guards would have only been able to follow our path with an enormous amount of luck. The flowing water at our ankles kept us from leaving of trail, and the turns were so numerous, I figured Allison must have been a genius to remember how to make it back.

  By the time we made it into the hideout, I was exhausted. I knew I wasn’t myself. I’m sure part of it came from the endless sloshing through reeking water, and maybe even from being electrocuted earlier. But I knew that wasn’t all it was. I could feel snot starting to drip out of my nose. My right hand had a soft tremor that I didn’t care for. Walking through the hideout, I tried to find the darkest corner possible. I had no desire to be near anyone.

  Regardless, Christopher found me and sat next to me. As he was about to place a hand on my skin, I held up a hand and shook my head.

  “Don’t,” I said.

  “Why not?” He looked confused.

  I stared away from him, watching the Resistance members bustling about. Allison was in a frenzy, trying to organize everyone. Apparently the attack was still on.

  “I’m done,” I said to Christopher. “There’s no reason for you to take on my symptoms anymore. I’m at the end of myself.” I felt a single tear streak down my face, but I didn’t try to wipe it. There was no reason to.

  “That’s nonsense,” Christopher said. “I can’t believe I’m hearing that from you. You’ve been so confident. So…strong. It’s hard to see you give up so easily.”

  A silent laugh actually escaped me and I looked at him. “That was the uninfected Mora. The new me has a slightly more pessimistic view on things.”

  “When were you scratched?” he asked.

  I let out a deep breath. “This morning. I think about eight. I’m not exactly sure.”

  “Then you have so many hours left,” he said. “Why would you give up when you’re only halfway to the end?”

  “Look at me, Christopher. I’m weak. I’m losing it. I can barely keep myself together for an hour.”

  “But that’s why I’m here,” he said. His eyes showed nothing but true sympathy. I didn’t know what it was, but there was something about Christopher that made me realize that it was wrong for me to give up. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t even supposed to be there with us. Maybe it was his unfaltering willingness to take my pain away any time I needed strength.

  As another tear dripped down my face, I reached out and grabbed his hand. Somehow, he knew I wasn’t gesturing to be healed. He knew that all I wanted was a friend. Support. He sat closer to me, holding my hand tightly.

  “Tell me about New Haven,” I said, remembering the story about how he learned of his gift.

  He smiled at me. “It’s beautiful. Of course, we had only been able to see it from a high vantage point. Its lush grasslands would be perfect for farming and it’s surrounded on three sides by mountains. The only way a greyskin could reach it would be through the front entrance to the valley, but even then, it is so secluded, that they would never notice it without a deliberate search.” He sighed. “The only downside is getting to it. The forests below New Haven are filled with greyskins.”

  “But it’s possible?”

  “With the right firepower and enough Starborns, I’m sure it would be very possible to get to New Haven.”

  “What about an entire village of people?” I asked.

  He smiled at me. “It would take some work. But anything is possible. I just wish I would have known all you Starborns when I had gone out to find New Haven the first time. I would probably be there right now, tending to my own garden.”

  He made it sound so wonderful. As he spoke of it, I knew that New Haven was the future of humanity. Life was no longer about building walls or tearing them down. Once Jeremiah was out of the picture, it would be about finding a new beginning. And why couldn’t that happen with New Haven?

  I looked at Christopher, still clutching his hand tightly. “Will you promise me that when this is all over, you will make sure my family and village get there?” He looked at me with surprise. “I know it sounds like a lot to ask, but you know it’s worth it. Think about Sadie.”

  “I do all the time,” he said. “I can’t do it alone.”

  I shook my head. “You won’t have to. The other Starborns will help you. They just don’t know enough about it yet.”

  “Your family is going to be very sad that you aren’t with them,” he said. “They’ve lost so much already. To lose you will make things so much harder.”

  “You’ll watch out for them, won’t you?” I asked.

  “Of course I will. It would be an honor.”

  Hearing him say the words filled me with hope and relief. It was nice to know that someone would be there for my grandma and Jake. All of this would be for nothing if something were to happen to them. They are the only reason I started all this to begin with.

  Christopher placed a hand on his chest. Clearly his bullet wound from the other day was still hurting.

  “Too bad you can’t heal yourself,” I said.

  “I admit, it would be helpful.” He grimaced as he sat up.

  I rested my head against the wall and closed my eyes. This time I didn’t think about anyone. My eyes just needed the rest.

  “Let me take your pain,” Christopher said. “It will help.”

  “How many more times can you do that?” I asked, eyes still closed.

  “I don’t know.”

  “We should save it,” I said. “As long as we are just sitting here, there isn’t much of a point. I can use you when we start moving.”

  “I’m glad to see that you haven’t given up yet,” he said.

  I smiled at him, but kept my eyes closed. My plan was to get some sleep, hoping it would provide a bit of strength to me later, but I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering to Aaron. He still remained in the room, injured and alone. I didn’t know what they were waiting for. Surely they would question him sooner or later.

  I then thought about Connor and I instantly saw him in a room with Jeremiah and the two battered and bruised hunters, Anthony and Trace.

  “You told me three days,” Jeremiah said. “Yet as I sit, your friends tiptoe through my city, destroying things, killing guards.”

  “They are not my friends,” Connor said. He hated saying the words. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and break Jeremiah’s neck, but that wouldn’t help. He could feel my presence. He knew I could read his thoughts from where I sat.

  I’m glad you’re seeing this, he said to me in his mind.

  Connor looked at Jeremiah. “I only told you what I knew. For some reason, they decided to come early.”

  “Apparently,” Jeremiah mocked. He looked at Anthony and Trace, then back at Connor. “We caught one of them.”

  It was difficult for Connor to hide his surprise. He wanted to know who it was, but he knew he couldn’t seem overly anxious to know either. He had to play it cool. So, he didn’t ask.

  But Jeremiah offered the information anyway.

  “I think this one might be of some interest to you,” Jeremiah said. “His name is Aaron.”

  Connor looked down at his feet. His stomach lurched at what Jeremiah had said. He and Aaron may not have left each other on good terms before, but Connor wasn’t about to be put into another situation like he was with Heinrich that morning. If Jeremiah were to make Connor choose, he would point the gun at Jeremiah and fire, regardless of the consequences. Connor would die, of course. And so would Aaron. But the two would go down fighting.

  “I want you to talk to him,” Jeremiah said.

  Connor looked up in surprise. “What?”

  Jeremiah nodded. “I think he would be more likely to talk to you than me or anyone else.”

  “What makes you think he would talk to me?”

  “He’s your brother!”

  Connor scratched the back o this head and sat forward. “He looks at me as a traitor,” he explained. “He hates me as much as he hates you.”

  Jeremiah shrugged. “Give it a try.”

  “You seem very interested in having me do a lot of your work,” Connor said, clearly annoyed. “You want me to shoot this Allison. You want me to interrogate a Starborn.”

  “Your brother.”

  Connor shrugged. “I just don’t get it.”

  Jeremiah leaned forward. “There is nothing for you to get,” he said through clenched teeth. “You do what I ask of you or you die. Simple as that.”

  Connor sat back in his chair and sighed. “What do you want me to ask him?”

  “You’re his brother,” Jeremiah said. “Play it like you’re there to help him. Even tell him you can help him escape if he lets you know what the Starborns’ next plan is.”

  “I’ll do it, but he’s not going to talk.”

  Jeremiah turned to Trace. “Show him the way.”

  Connor was rubbing his face when he felt Trace grab him by the arm and pull him upward to stand. “Come on,” Trace said. As they walked out of the room, he let go of Connor’s arm and shook his head. “Are you just trying to make yourself useless to Jeremiah? We talked about this. That’s the same as trying to get yourself killed.” He laughed. “You’ve got some nerve questioning the boss like that. He must think you’re good for something, or else you would definitely be dead by now.”

  Connor didn’t respond to anything Trace said as they walked through the lavish hallways of the Center. They traveled up at least four floors before they reached a very different, stark hallway with dark grey walls. A guard waited next to a steel door and stood straighter when he saw Trace and Connor approaching.

  “Do you have a radio or anything electronic on you?” the guard asked.

  “No,” Trace said. “We don’t.”

  Connor couldn’t help but notice that the only light in this hallway was from windows that showed through to the outside. It was the same case for the room they entered when the guard let them through. He didn’t know why, but Connor’s heart jumped when he saw Aaron sitting slumped against the wall. The large window sat framed above his head. This was the perfect prison to hold someone like Aaron. No electrical power. In here, he was a normal man, trapped by walls.

  Aaron scowled when he saw Connor approaching. “What are you doing here?”

  “Working for Jeremiah,” Connor answered. For a moment, he thought about trying to knock Trace out and then going for the guard’s gun, but he wasn’t sure what kind of power Trace had. Any action like that against a Starborn could be futile.

  “You’re a lousy traitor,” Aaron said. “I’m surprised they even let you stay on their side with all the Screven soldier’s you’ve killed.”

  “Sacrifices had to be made.” Connor hated the charade. Pretending to be one of the bad guys made him hate the sound of his own voice. He wished there was a way to communicate to Aaron that he wasn’t really with them and that he was only trying to provide a way for me to track Jeremiah.

  He noticed the blood on the back of the wall where Aaron had leaned against it. “Are you all right? Have you been shot?”

  “What do you care?”

  “Can you communicate with him?”

  Aaron looked at Connor with a confused look on his face. “What?”

  Connor closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about me. The words came across as clear as if he were speaking them out loud. I’m talking to you, Mora. Can you communicate with Aaron? Tell him I’m not a traitor!

  My eyes snapped open. Christopher had since let go of my hand and was sitting next to me asleep, and there was no one else around. Closing my eyes, I thought about Aaron. As soon as my consciousness was near him, I called out.

  “Aaron,” I said. “Connor is on our side. The two of you need to figure a way out of there together.”

  I got no response. Instead, Aaron continued to talk to Connor.

  “I knew from the beginning that I couldn’t trust you,” he said. “Why do you think I never told you about my gift?”

  “Probably because you were ashamed,” Connor said. “You used them to kill my parents.”

  “So they’re your parents now,” Aaron said. “I see. Well, that’s not why I kept it from you. You’ve been a Jeremiah fanboy from the beginning. You only helped us out of Salem because you’re infatuated with Mora.”

  “Don’t talk about her,” Connor said.

  I could see his face turn red with anger. I suddenly realized that he was no longer playing the part of the bad guy. In his frustration with Aaron, it was coming out naturally.

  Trying to diffuse the situation, I called out again. “Aaron!” I said. “He’s on our side!”

  Still nothing. Aaron just sat there, loathing.

  I switched to follow Connor. “He’s not hearing me,” I said.

  This is bad, Connor thought. “I’m not here to argue with you, Aaron. We need to know what you’re planning.”

  “I’m not saying anything to you or them,” Aaron nodded at Trace when he said this. “You can kill me, but I’m not talking.”

  Connor looked at Trace, clearly not sure what to do. “I’ve done my best,” he said. “He won’t talk to me. What more do you want?”

  Trace shook his head. “Nothing for now.” He looked at Aaron. “We’ll be back, I’m sure.”

  “You’re tough now that you’ve got me without my gift,” Aaron snapped.

  Trace smiled. “And for all you know, you were the last person I touched. That would mean I have no gift here, either, since there isn’t any electricity.”

  Aaron stared for a long moment.

  As I sat and watched them, part of me wanted to shout out for Connor to attack Trace, because if what he was saying was true, Trace would have no power in that room. But what if he had touched Jeremiah or Anthony? If Connor tried something, he would be dead.

  Trace let out a laugh and turned his back on Aaron, walking out of the room. Aaron must have had the same thoughts as me because he sat there motionless.

  Before the door closed, Connor looked back at Aaron. It seemed that Aaron wanted to kill him. But Connor looked at him almost apologetically. He didn’t want to be against Aaron. He wasn’t against Aaron. How could he communicate that to him? As the door shut, Trace led Connor back down the hall.

  “Now you can’t get your brother to talk,” he said. “You’re just about to lose every bit of usefulness you have.”

  Connor ignored him.

  I opened my eyes to find Christopher still asleep, though I wasn’t sure how he had slept through all of my talking. I closed my eyes in search of Evelyn this time. I found her and Jeffrey walking through the streets. But when I looked more closely, I was surprised to see them so near the hideout.

  They looked over their shoulders to make sure there were no Screven guards watching them. They crossed the courtyard and finally made it into the hideout. At first, I wanted to get up and greet them, but I didn’t have the energy. Besides, they would have so many people coming up to them to make sure they were all right.

 

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