EXCERPT (UNEDITED)
Chapter 1
“When the government violates the people’s rights, insurrection is, for the people and for each portion of the people, the most sacred of the rights and the most indispensible of duties.” ~ Marquis De Lafayette
Again, I’m haunted by the same vision. Nothing like the nightmares I had before, these are different. I’ve had one every night since we left the Facility. I toss and turn, crying out.
I’m at the edge of a cliff. I can’t make out where. Could be the cliff at the cabin, or sometimes I swear I’m looking out over the ocean. The ground moves beneath my feet. I’m unsteady, unbalanced as the earth shifts back and forth like a mild earthquake. The ledge of the cliff crumbles beneath my bare feet, the pebbles tumbling down, one at a time into the depths of darkness. Terror slides up and down my spine. I’m dizzy, and I’m going to fall. For some reason I can’t move, forward or backward from the edge of the cliff. Then, each pebble flakes apart into millions of tiny pieces rearranging themselves into swirling shapes of many colors, like dancing in the wind. Beautiful, but dangerous.
I feel light as a feather and reach out and touch the particles, the solid ground shrinks away and I’m dancing within the array of color, flying with the wind beneath me, lifting my body higher and higher. I’m happy, almost giddy with total bliss. Free. In the back of my mind, I know that any second I’m going to feel the wind cease and drop me into the abyss below.
It’s only a dream, my subconscious screams. The darkness consumes me, choking the life from my soul—then I see Kaia’s face, pale and crying and frightened. Her eyes are open, the bluest I’ve ever seen. Her arms are extended on either side of her, bobbing in the air current, as though she is waiting to embrace me. The gray wolf walks beside her from out of the mist surrounding us. I have no idea where it came from. One minute only the swirling colors are there, and then the next a gray-white mist is forming around us. The air is cold and damp.
Taima talks to me, in my head, and I can’t stop him. His words are jumbled and I don’t understand. Kaia is laughing. At me. Then the words harmonize in my brain and I hear the wolf’s words. “Look to the sky, young Larrna. You know you are the Chosen One. Follow the path of energy.”
I awake, when I always do, not knowing what the alpha wolf’s words mean. He always talks in riddles. I’m drenched in sweat. My heart races and I have a scratchiness at the back of my throat. I can’t stop shivering.
Zac presses tight against me, one cheek squashed flat against my back, his mouth making endless, noiseless repetitions, tickling my skin without touching skin. How does he affect me like this? He always settles in with me when I’m having the nightmarish dream. He can sense my stress, somehow. I want to think he can read my dreams and save me from the darkness, but he’s never been in them.
“You okay,” Zac says, putting his arm around my waist.
We’ve been walking, hiding, and resting wherever we can find a dry, secluded place so we’re not found for days.
“I’m okay.”
“A bad vision again?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be fine.”
“We’re close to home. If we can find a way to call your mom or my parents, one of them can pick us up.” Zac pulls me closer that I’m unsure where he ends and I begin. The closeness is never enough the past few days. I want more. I want the things he makes me feel deep inside my heart, to whisk me away to some place where this reality we’re facing now no longer exists.
I take a deep breath and hold it a second before letting it go. I search Zac’s dark eyes. Light is limited except for the rising morning sun beaming through narrow slits in the tree canopy.
He brushes stray hairs away from my face and pulls me closer. Our shared secrets and dedication to follow-through with finding others like us has made us close, bonded even. He’s the only one I share the vision dreams with. He knows of the fear, the blackness, the helplessness I experience during slumber that continues to knock the breath out of my lungs, leaving me gasping for air when I awaken.
“C’mon.” He grabs my hand and pulls upward until I’m standing. I wobble a second before I’m stable. “You good?”
I nod.
“Get the others up so we can get on the road before it gets too hot. I have to go…you know…relieve myself.”
“I hope we can find a phone today. I could use a long, leisurely bath.”
“I hear ya. Me too.”
“I can kick myself for not checking the Tahoe for gas when we left the Facility. I just wanted to get out of there fast.”
“Hey, stop beating yourself up. We got at least half way home.”
“I should’ve taken Brenneman’s wallet when we confronted him. At least we might’ve had a credit card or cash for food and gas.”
“Larrna? Enough. Let’s go.” He crouches and picks up the blanket we slept on. Shaking off the leaves first, he folds the plaid cover and stuffs it into the plastic bag we found in the vehicle. “I’ll be back.”
I stretch my arms above my head to get the last of the kinks out of my tired muscles. The remnants of the nightmare linger. I haven’t had anything like this one since the week leading up to when all the chaos began.
“Kaia? Time to get up,” I whisper. Kneeling, I give her a nudge.
“What?” Kaia blinks a few times. “Are we there?”
“No, I wish. We need to get moving. The sun is up.”
“Okay. We’ll get to your home today.”
I’m hoping she’s right.
While Kaia continues to wake up, I venture back to find Zac. Since we left the Facility, he’s been moody. At first, I thought his aloofness was something I did, but I’m beginning to think there’s another reason.
“Everyone up?” he growls.
Now, I know he’s not his self. I shiver from the morning chill, but also because the way he talks scares me. I don’t think I can get through the next few hours with him being short with me. I know he cares. Days ago, he even said he loved me. I’m still in shock with the confession. I said the same to him, which surprised me when the words came out of my mouth.
We haven’t talked about that moment since.
Maybe that’s why he’s distant. He regrets saying he loved me. Afterall, we haven’t known each other long enough on a personal level to say those words.
I shelve the thoughts and pack the last remaining provisions we have. Ready, we make our way out of the forested area and walk in a small pack, I take the lead and Zac takes up the rear. The younger ones are sluggish in their pace, but they manage to keep up with us.
We follow the highway south, but stay back from sight as much as we can. Two hours into our trek, I see a farmhouse in the distance. “Look! Maybe someone is there and we can use their phone.”
“Looks pretty run down. It could be vacant,” Zac says.
“Don’t be a pessimist. Even if no one’s there, we can rest and get out of the sun for a little while.”
Zac snickers. “You’re such an optimist. Always looking for the good in every situation. How do you do it?”
“You think I’m positive about this? You don’t know me, Zac.” My words are stilted, downright cruel in their tone. I need to stop the attitude, as my mom would say. We’re in this together and my allegiance is to the young ones’ protection.
“Did you wake up on the wrong side of the blanket or something? I was giving you a complement, Larrna. Don’t be so snippy.”
“Well, sah-ah-ree.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “I’ll go ahead and check the place out. Stay here.”
I have a comeback, but I’m not fast enough to respond because in a flash of light, he speeds across the open field where we now stand. Looking around our feet, I think we’re in a soybean plot, but I’m not an expert on agriculture products. I can see rows of corn in the distance on the other side of the small house. The fact crops are surrounding us indicate someone cultivates them, but I can’t imagine that someone lives in the dilapidated structure.
A thought struck me—if we’re close to home, Zac could sprint there faster than walking slow with us. The plan has merit. I should broach Zac with the idea.
Dark clouds, heavy with moisture cover the morning sunshine. Soon raindrops fall—fat, cold globs plop on our heads. Kaia squeals and the boys laugh. I’m shake my head. We’re stuck in the middle of a soybean field with no cover. I’m getting soaked.
“Let’s run for the house guys. Go.” I yell to the young ones. I lag a few yards behind them, making sure they are okay. My heart hammers against my chest.
Dodging rain in an open field isn’t easy, but between the little screams and chuckling from all four of us, is a welcome relief from the tension we’ve been under.
We finally reach the shelter of the covered porch of the tiny house. Zac stares at us like we’re crazy.
“Well, I guess we’re all here now. No one seems to be home. I’ve knocked a few times, and nothing.”
“At least we have shelter until the rain stops,” I say.
“It’ll be all right, Larrna.” The softness of Kaia voice soothes any frustrations I have. “We’re safe and the people will be here shortly.”
“I think this is a sign that we can’t go home. First, running out of gas, no money, we’re starving,” I say gesturing at the rain, “this downpour and no one home to help. We’ll probably find out that both our houses are under surveillance and Brenneman is waiting for us there.”
Zac places his hands on my shoulders. “Look, I know this seems bad, but we’ll get through it. Kaia says the people who live here will be back soon. We’ll call home, and then everything will be okay.”
“I know. I’m tired and hungry. We didn’t sign up for this. It just—”
“Happened?”
I nod.
“We knew this wouldn’t be easy when we left the cabin. You said the wolf told you this is our destiny. So, we’ll follow the path as far as it takes to fulfill whatever the stars have prophesized. I don’t know if I believe everything he said, but I believe in you, Larrna. I’ll always have your back.”
“I appreciate that, but—” I didn’t the next words out when a stranger’s voice stops me.
“Who are you kids, and what are you doin’ on my property?” The scruffy-looking older man has a gruff voice that would make any trespasser shake in their shoes, but I think the rifle in his hands brought shivers down my spine.
The raindrops thin out into a misty drizzle, but that didn’t seem to bother this man. Zac loosens his grip around my waist and I can sense he’s powering up, but I don’t think that is such a good idea. We need to stay inconspicuous, not bring harm to an innocent.
Why?
Why is this happening?
I just want to go home. Sleep in my own bed. Eat junk food. See my friends and forget I’m different.
But no. This day hasn’t gone well in any sense of the word, taking a U-turn from okay to the worse. We now find ourselves looking down the barrel of a shotgun with a crazy old man taking aim at us on the other end.
Now what else can go wrong?
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