Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) (23 page)

I don't know what to say. How do I explain the fact that my mother was probably one of the worst people here? Maybe there's an explanation. Maybe there's a reason why she ordered the deaths of dozens of people. I jump to my feet, needing desperately to escape.

"I have to go," I say.

"Where?" Anthony says.

I search all around, but there is no relief in sight. My lips tremble. "I don't know."

Anthony pulls me into his arms and holds me tight. "It's over. You can rest now."

Great hitched breaths wrack my chest. None of this feels over. It's the beginning of something I don't think I can handle.

"Get her out of here," Anthony says to someone behind me.

I turn around. It's Colt. He doesn't say anything, only scoops me up into his arms and flies upwards into the darkened sky. I bury myself into his chest and focus on the sounds of the air swooshing past us. It's the distraction I need. Eventually my thoughts slow so that by the time he lowers next to my cabin back at camp, I can breathe normally.

"I'm okay," I say. "You can take me back."

"Your father's inside."

I glance behind me, while my stomach turns over. The confrontation with my mother was enough to deal with for one day. I wasn't ready for one with my father. "When?"

"He came as soon as he heard you snuck into Enfield."

"How did he even know?"

"We gave him access to our communication the moment we set up camp."

"Why would you do that?" My voice is growing louder.

His eyebrows pull together, and his tone matches my own. "He wanted to make sure you were okay. Plus, he's on our side, remember?"

"I don't know who's on my side, anymore."

The lines on his face soften. "I take it you found your mother."

I glance away, unable to meet his gaze.

"Look, I don't know what's going on, and you don't have to tell me until you’re ready, but I do know there is a man in there who cares very much for you and traveled a great distance to get here. I'm going to return to Enfield now. You can stay out here and mope or go inside to try and get some answers."

I fold my arms to my chest.

He forces a smile and lifts from the ground, the motion of his wings billowing dirt into the air. "I'll be back," he calls. "Don't be stubborn!"

I stare after him until he disappears. A light rain falls from the sky, wetting my face. I should go talk to my father, but I can't help thinking he had something to do with my mom's situation. He did lie to me about her death, after all. What kind of parent would do that? A quiet, more subtle, voice in the back of my mind adds: What kind of parent would leave her family to work for an organization that wants to destroy Originals? I don't want the answers to either question.

"Sage?"

My whole body tenses.

"I know you're not happy I returned, but I had to come. I had to make sure you were alright." He slowly approaches me. "Are you okay?"

I step back "I'll live."

The weight of his stare has me quickly moving past him into the cabin. He follows behind, his feet shuffling. He probably has a million questions, mostly about my mother, but I'm not sure I want to talk about her just yet. As it was, I was trying to get the image of her whipping that woman and Jack out of my head.

Inside the cabin, I snatch a blanket off the back of the couch and wrap it around me. I drop onto the sofa and lay down. "I'm tired."

He lowers into a chair across from me. "We need to talk."

"Not now."

"Yes, now."

I close my eyes and pretend to sleep. Maybe he'll go away.

Several minutes pass with nothing but a growing wind outside. It should be soothing, but I can't shake the feeling that my father is looking at me, probably trying to figure out how much to push me. I open my eyes to confirm my suspicions.

"I'm not going anywhere until we talk," he says, his voice firm.

"Fine." I sit up. The blanket falls from my shoulders leaving me cold. "What do you want to know?"

"Why did you sneak into Enfield? That wasn't part of the plan."

"That's your first question?"

He leans forward, his face growing red with anger. "You keep putting your life in danger, and it needs to stop. You and Max are all I have."

"And your wife," I say.

He leans back, making the space between us grow. "She is not mine. She hasn't been for a very long time." He swallows, moving his Adam's apple up and down. "Did you see her? Is she alive?"

It takes me a few seconds to answer. "Yes. She’s alive and well."

He sits up a little taller. "Did you speak with her?"

"Before I say anything, tell me what happened between you two. Why was she there? And tell me the truth. I need to understand what I saw."

He sinks into the sofa. "There's a lot you don't know about your mother and her past. She had a very different, and often difficult, childhood. That's one reason why we lived so secluded in the forest. Scarlet didn't want her children to suffer the same fate."

He stares down at his hands.

"What happened to her?"

"She wasn't raised free like I was. She was born under the Institute's thumb, specifically to give her blood for testing. In fact, she never knew who her parents were. It was communal living in a facility similar to Enfield."

This revelation shocks me. I can't imagine what her childhood must've been like, which makes me even more confused. How could she have gone back to them?

"Your mother was a very intelligent child, still is I'm sure. She studied Primes, how they lived and spoke, and she used this information to find favor with them. According to Scarlet, she was given special favors. Sometimes, the way she spoke about the Institute, she sounded almost as if she was bragging about how well they treated her compared to the others. She had a funny way of speaking about them." His voice trails off.

"What happened? How did she escape?"

"One of her special privileges was being able to leave the city for different events. The Institute sort of made her their poster child for how well they treated Originals. It was because of Scarlet that so many Originals flocked to places like Enfield, but then everything changed." His gaze drops to the floor. "Somehow she found out who her mother was and became very close to her. She experienced feelings and emotions she didn't know before. Her mother taught her many things that conflicted with the Institute's teachings. Slowly, she began to change and see the Institute in a different light. When she was eighteen, she escaped and found a hidden sanctuary for Originals. That's where we met."

I tighten my grip on the pillow and attempt to swallow, but cough instead.

"Your mother and I were very happy for a long time. She loved you kids more than life itself."

"Then what happened?"

My father lets out a long sigh. "I think us being secluded for so long wore on her. When you kids got older, she would sometimes go with me into the city to help others, but it didn't ease her restlessness. Then she heard about the Institute's work on enhanced DNA and everything changed."

"What's that?" I ask. In the distance, thunder rumbles low.

"Like I've said before, the Techheads at the Institute have a cure for the Kiss, but they don't use it because they've found that it diminishes, or in some cases, completely strips a Prime of their special abilities. This was unacceptable to them, so they began to work on eDNA, a strain of DNA that would cure the Kiss while also leaving their abilities intact."

I open my mouth to ask why that's such a bad thing, but he interrupts me.

"But it does something else, something they engineered."

"What?"

"To get rid of the Kiss, they had to mask certain genes. Important ones like the ones that control behavior. Basically it makes everyone complacent. You think the world is terrible now with people's inability to connect? It will be a hundred times worse if the Institute gets this new DNA strain out to the public."

My eyes widen. "Why would Mom want this?"

"Because eDNA makes it so no one will ever be unhappy again. There will be no fighting, no rebellion, no competition, no emotional trauma, no sadness. Originals and Primes can live together. This is what your mother wants for her children—to live without fear. He shifts his weight on the sofa. "But eDNA also takes away everyone's abilities to experience love and joy."

"You said everyone," I say quickly. "Isn't this just for Primes?"

He shakes his head. "The Institute's goal is to give it to everyone. We're not sure how they will deliver it. Some of our Intel suggests they are making it into an aerosol instead of an injection. If they did that, then in theory they could blanket an entire city with the drug, over forests, mountains, anywhere they think Originals are hiding."

I don't say anything. My mind is too busy trying to comprehend his words. Part of me is appalled at the thought of making everyone so robotic, but another part, one that can't be ignored, thinks it would be nice to not feel pain anymore. No more nightmares, no more hurtful memories, no more worrying about the people I love. A sharp pain erupts in my heart.

No more
love
. I would no longer feel butterflies bloom in my stomach when Colt touches me, or feel joy when Max smiles. The pride and loyalty I feel toward my friends will all be gone.

My father stands and moves next to me on the couch. His arm wraps around me. More thunder sounds, closer this time.

"Shh, don't cry," he whispers, his voice soft and gentle.

I quickly wipe at my eyes. "I'm really tired."

"And I want you to rest, but not just yet. I need to know what Scarlet said to you."

"Can't it wait?" My lips tremble. I don't want to think about her, about her betrayal.

"Please, it's important."

"She was so different, Dad. I barely recognized her."

"How so?"

"She was so detached and cruel, nothing like how I remember." I close my eyes tight, grimacing. "And she was hurting them, the other Originals, but I stopped her and she took me where she lived. It was nicer than anything I had ever seen." I swallow. "She was kind to me. Hugged me. Said she missed Max and me. It felt so good, just like when I was little."

He reaches over and takes my hand.

"Then she started asking me questions." My heart begins to pound as I recall the conversation. Blood drains from my face. "Oh no. No, no, no."

"What is it?"

"I think I've made a horrible mistake."

"What did you do?"

I slowly look up at him, fear gripping my insides. "I told her the location of Eden."

"
Y
ou did what
?" my father says, jumping to his feet.

"I didn't mean to! She was just there, listening and crying with me." Saying the words out loud makes me feel foolish. I gave up Eden's location so easily, when many others have managed to keep it secret under much harsher conditions. "What do we do?"

"We have to tell Colt. Now."

"But she won't hurt anyone there, right? Max is there." I say the words, a cruel lie I try to convince myself.

"What I believe she wants to do to them is so much worse than physical pain." He pulls me to my feet. "Let's go. We'll take one of the vehicles."

"What will she do?" I ask, trying to imagine what could be worse than murdering Originals. My legs barely hold me up as he hurries me out of the cabin. Rain pours from the sky, chilling my skin.

He talks quickly while we make our way down the path leading to the barn. His voice is loud to be heard over the wind. "Remember the drug I told you about, eDNA? She may try to use it on Eden's population."

"How do you know?" I duck to avoid a low hanging branch, my heart pounding. If anything happens to Max because of me…

"We intercepted information a couple of days ago about the Institute wanting to test eDNA on a large population. Eden would be the perfect target because it's full of Originals. Essentially they could kill two birds with one stone: test their drug and receive a large batch of Original DNA donors."

"But Max is there!"

He doesn't say anything, even after we slide into the front seat of an older Jeep. He starts the engine and presses on the gas.

"Dad? Tell me Mom won't hurt Max."

"I don't know what your mother would do anymore. She may not be herself."

"What do you mean?"

His jaw muscle bulges as we around a corner. "Scarlet left us when she heard about this new drug. She thought it was revolutionary and believed it, not my endeavors to find a cure to the Kiss, would be what saves mankind."

My mind works quickly, but gets stuck just as fast. "Do you think she took eDNA?"

He turns on the windshield wipers on their fastest speed and glances over at me. "You said she wasn't herself."

I lean back in my seat, considering this. She was like another person, uncaring and cruel, so unlike the woman who raised me. But if that's true, why would she have chosen this? Surely she must've known how it would change her, including making her indifferent to her own children. What mother would want that?

I don't speak the rest of the way to Enfield and neither does my father. I wonder if he's thinking how he might've done things differently. Maybe he could've said something to get her to stay. I lean my head against the glass window. Maybe I could've done something differently. Maybe if I had been a better daughter…

The front gates of Enfield are open with no security other than a few Primes with radios. This is probably the first time that's ever happened. My father waves at the Primes. Of course they recognize him and don't attempt to stop him.

Unlike when I left Enfield not more than an hour ago, the streets are clear.

"Where is everyone?" I ask.

"Colt probably called a meeting. Enfield was a huge victory, but there's still a lot to do." My father drives slowly, glancing around. "You know this place better than I do. Where do you think Colt could gather a large group?"

"Probably the Dining Hall. It's near the Green, maybe another half mile."

Turns out I'm right. The doors of the large, metal building that served as Enfield's cafeteria are wide open. Primes are crowded inside, a few spilling onto the steps. My dad parks.

"Let's hurry," I say and move to get out, but he places his hand over mine.

"Don't worry. I think it's going to be okay. Because you told me when you did, we should be able to get everyone off the island in time. Colt made preparations just for this sort of thing. Besides, it will take at least a day for the Institute to prepare for a mass invasion of Purgatory Island. They know what kind of creatures live there."

"Still, we should hurry," I say, but remain in my seat. "Everyone's going to be so mad at me."

"They'll understand. It was your mother." He opens his car door. "Come on. Let's go in."

As soon I'm out of the car, I hear music playing from inside the dining hall, an odd sound after a battle. I hurry in to avoid getting any wetter. As I draw closer, I realize this is a celebration party. Several people have drinks in their hands and are talking loudly.

I search the crowd until I spot Tank and Anthony, but no Link. They’re sitting at a table in the corner of the room speaking quietly. There's a stack of papers sitting between them. Where everyone else looks happy and excited, they appear serious. Jenna isn't too far away, standing alone against the wall, a drink in her hand. I don't see any of the Originals from the Towers or Colt.

"I'm going to go look for Colt," my father says and disappears.

I cross the room and slide onto the bench next to Anthony. "Where's Link?"

Anthony looks away from a paper in his hand. "He's with Jack and the other Originals. They didn't feel like celebrating."

"I don't blame them," I say.

Tank glances around the room. "This is a little much, isn't it?"

I don't respond. I don't even look around. What I'm about to tell everyone will kill this party soon enough.

"Did you guys find anything?" I ask, motioning to the papers on the table.

"There's a lot to go through," Anthony says. "But it looks like they were doing testing on the Originals here. I'm not sure for what yet."

"Anything else, especially about children?"

"Children?" Tank asks.

"Yeah. There aren’t any here, but they have playgrounds, which means there were children at some point. Where did they all go?"

Both Tank and Anthony search through the paperwork and begin to discuss theories. While they continue to talk, I slide off the bench and walk to Jenna. I lean against the wall alongside her.

"How come you're not celebrating?" I ask.

She glances down at her jeans. "I got blood on them. These are my favorite pair. I'm pissed."

"How did that happen?"

"I was fighting some monkey-faced Peccarian, and he got kind of rough with me, so I had to use my freaky scream thing to take care of the beast—" she looks at me for the first time— "and you know how I hate to do that. Anyway, he was still fighting me so I had to stab him. I must've hit an artery or something because he was spraying blood like a damn sprinkler."

She looks at me. Her right eye is swollen and black, and her lip is split.

"Is that the first time you've had to kill someone?" I ask. My voice is so quiet that I don't think she can hear me, especially when she doesn't answer right away, but then she speaks.

"I guess. It was a lot messier than I thought."

"I'm sorry," I say.

"Don't worry about it. I can probably wash the blood out."

"I wasn't talking about the blood."

"Maybe you should." She walks away from me and disappears into the crowd.

I stare after her, wishing things were different. No fourteen-year-old should ever have to experience the kind of violence she experienced today. She's just a child. This thought gives me pause. I'm only a few years older than her, yet I feel ancient.

I search the crowd again but don't see Colt or my father. There's a table full of food near the kitchen making my stomach growl. I squeeze between several people until I reach a platter of rolls and what looks like ham. I pick up a pink slice and smell it.
Real ham
. My mouth waters. I haven't had this for almost two years when my father brought it home from one of his trips. We must've raided Enfield's pantry. I tear into it, not even waiting to put it on a roll.

After I load up a plate, I walk back to Anthony and Tank. Colt and my father arrive at the same time.

Colt stands next to me, his expression grim. "Your father says you have something important to tell me."

I nod my head and am about to sit down to confess my sin when I hear a sound. I furrow my brow trying to place the high-pitched beeping. Is it part of the music?

Colt looks at me as if he's thinking the same thing. He looks around.

There's something about the rhythm of the beep that makes my heart race.

"What is that?" I ask, my voice growing loud.

Beep-beep-beeeeep. Beep-beeeeep-beep. I know this sound.

Tank and Anthony stand too.

"It's somewhere near by," Tank says.

Colt is behind him, dropping to his knees near a backpack beneath a window. His back is to me as he searches through the bag frantically.

The beeping continues over and over. "L" comes to my mind, then an "H." More beeping, a "P" and finally an "E". These letters repeat over and over, and it starts making sense to me. I stop breathing and feel the blood drain from my face. My head shakes back and forth. Everything I confessed to my mother…what have I done?

"What is it, Sage?" Anthony asks.

Colt stands and spins around. In his open palm is Max's homemade communication device, beeping its loud Morse code until it's all I can hear.

"Help," I whisper. "Help. Help." My voice grows louder. "Help! Max needs help! Eden!"

My father grabs my arm as if to steady himself. Or maybe it's to steady me.

I'm screaming when someone finally kills the music. Everyone is staring at me, including Jenna who has come up next to me. Why are they staring? "We need to go! Now!"

Colt's face is as pale as mine feels. He jerks into action, curling his fingers around the homemade communicator, but its sound still escapes.

"Tank, grab ten people and meet me at the hovercraft," he says. "Anthony, organize everyone else. Leave a group here to oversee the security of Enfield. Put Link in charge of the Originals. Then meet us at Eden as soon as you can. Bring all the weapons you can spare. Oh, and Jenna, you lead a small group to the safe house to see if anyone made it there."

Anthony nods his head. "Got it."

"We leave in five minutes, Tank," Colt says and heads for the door. He picks up his bag as he goes.

I'm right behind him, but as soon as we step outside and the cold air hits my face, I'm throwing up ham over the side of the stair railing, rain drenching my hair.
This is all my fault.
I pretty much handed Max and the other Originals to my mother on a silver platter. The beeping continues behind me.

I wipe my mouth with the sleeve of my shirt and look at my father, who is right next to me. "You said it would take awhile for them to get there!"

He shakes his head, his eyes wide. He seems to be as confused as I am as to how the Institute got there so quickly.

Colt doesn't ask what I mean, or maybe he couldn't hear me over the wind and rain. Instead, he says, "If you're sick, you can stay behind."

I straighten. "Let's go."

His eyes lock with mine. He nods once then turns and runs. My father and I stay close behind him, sprinting for the hangar my mother had escaped through earlier. The trail is muddy, and I have to be mindful of my steps.

"Could you get there faster if you fly?" I call up to him.

"If I could, I would already be in the air." His voice is strained.

"I need to say something," I say, the words barely slipping past a lump in my throat.

"It can wait," Colt calls back.

I open my mouth to argue, but father shakes his head and says quietly, "Later."

My chest tightens at holding in my betrayal. HOPE's most guarded secret, and I spilled it to the enemy. My steps slow, and I inhale a shaky breath.

Behind me, a loud siren goes off. Anthony must be trying to organize everyone. I wish there was time to find Link and tell him in person what's going on. He's going to be worried about his family. I pick up my pace.

By the time I reach the hangar and scramble up the ramp of the hovercraft, Colt already has it running. Tank is there too with several Primes. I'm surprised they beat us here, although I shouldn't be. My father is pacing in the center console.

"We will be there in thirty minutes," Tank says. "We need to call Rafe. It's time."

My father stops moving, and his face pales. "Rafe? Already?"

"Who's Rafe?" I ask, wringing my wet hair.

Tank flares his nostrils. "We should've talked to him weeks ago and maybe this could've been prevented. Clearly someone's betrayed us within our close circle, and when I find out who, there's going to be hell to pay."

My father's gaze meets mine. Of all the mistakes I've made, this is the worst.

"I'll go call Rafe now," my father says and walks out the opening. I wish he would stay. It would be nice to have his support when I confess.

"Get Anthony in on that call!" Tank calls after him.

I'm about to turn around to spill everything to Tank when a hatch opens in the floor beneath me. Several Primes climb out from the belly of the ship where the weapons are kept. I recognize them as being some of our best fighters. There are several Dresden's with their black and blue hair and even a Peccarian, the first of his kind that I've seen fighting with us.

The room grows increasingly crowded, so much so that I feel the familiar pressure on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. I gaze toward the ceiling and focus on my breathing. When that doesn't work, I make a break for the cockpit. There will at least be windows there.

I fling the door open wide and slam it behind me, gasping for breath.

Colt jumps in his chair behind the yoke of the hovercraft and glances back at me. "What's wrong?"

I take two steps to the window, wishing desperately it would open despite the storm outside. "Crowded out there," I manage to say.

He presses a button on the panel in front of him. "This might help."

A blast of cold air from above ruffles my hair. I suck in deeply. It may not be fresh air, but it helps.

"We will deal with whatever is out there," Colt says, his gaze focused on the endless darkness outside the window. "I promise."

I nod, but as soon as my breathing regulates, I ask, "Who's Rafe?"