Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) (25 page)

M
y eyes flicker open
, and I blink several times. I'm in a hovercraft, wet and lying on the cold floor, but it doesn't look like the same one I was in before. The colors are dark, and a jacket belonging to an Institute guard hangs on the back of a nearby chair. My heart sinks into my stomach. I've been taken captive.

I curl into a ball, the pain in my chest unbearable. This is all my fault. Max was captured because of me. Colt was shot and taken because of me; I should've pulled the trigger faster. I squeeze my eyes tight, wishing I could go back in time to do everything all over again. I would start at our cabin in Maine. I'd take Max with me and head up North. We could've lived off the land. Just the two of us, moving from place to place.

Tears run down the back of my throat when I think about never knowing Colt, Anthony, Tank and even Jenna. My life has been made better because of them, but I can't say the same thing about their lives because of me. For all I know Colt is dead.

Something touches my back. I jump and scurry away until I hit a wall. My head throbs from the motion.

"Whoa! Easy there. Everything's okay."

I look up. Anthony is crouching down, his golden eyes staring at me kindly. His left eye is black and there's a wide bandage wrapped around his forearm.

"Did you get caught too?" I ask.

He smiles. "Not this time. We commandeered one of their crafts when they left it behind. There's a wealth of information on this thing."

I glance around. "So I'm safe?"

"For now."

I try to sit up more, but the pain in my head prevents it. I lower back down, my face sideways on the floor.

"Careful. You have a good wound on your head, and your shoulder isn't much better. Ash will be here to fix you up just as soon as she finishes with a few others who are in worse condition than you."

"My father!" I blurt. "Is he okay?"

"He lost a lot of blood, but Ash took care of him. You can see him just as soon as we land back in Enfield. This craft was one of the last to leave."

"How is everyone else?" I ask and chew on my lower lip.

He averts his gaze. "We lost a lot of good people, but as soon as I arrived with the others, we were able to gain ground and chase the Institute off."

"Were any Originals rescued? My brother?"

"I'm afraid we couldn't get to Max in time, and the only Originals left are the ones who made it to the safe house, mostly women and children."

"And Jerry?"

Anthony lowers his head. "He didn't make it. We found his body."

I bite on my lip until I taste blood. Jerry gave everything he had to protect the people on Eden, and in the end, he gave his life. "This is all my fault."

"The Institute did this. No one else. Do you understand?"

"But you don't know what I did," I whisper.

"I do know. Tank told me."

I meet his gaze. There is no judgment in his eyes, no accusing glare.

"You made a mistake, that’s all. Anyone of us could've done it had we been in the same situation. You trusted someone you thought was on your side, and that person you loved betrayed you."

I inhale a shaky breath. Warm tears run off the bridge of my nose. "Sometimes I think it would be better if none of you ever met me."

He lowers to his knees and rests a hand on my back. "Helping you escape to Eden was a defining moment for me, and I'm pretty sure the others would say the same thing too. Just look at all the amazing things Colt has accomplished by bringing Primes together! You brought back our humanity. You showed us that there are some things worth dying for."

I want to believe his words, but all I can see is that red-haired Titan standing over Colt's body. I should've killed him.

As if he read my mind, he says, "I saw Colt. He was alive when they took him. Don't worry. They won't kill him. They’ll try to get as much information out of him as they can."

This makes me feel even worse, because I know the kind of torture he will have to endure, and they'll make sure he feels all of it. "It would be better if they had killed him."

"You can't mean that," he says. "We are going to get him back, just like we’re getting Max and the others back. You can't lose hope. We will save Eden, I promise."

"Eden is destroyed. There's no saving it." The words are bitter in my mouth.

Anthony smiles again. "You don't get it, do you? Eden isn't a place. It's an idea. It's a world where man cares about the welfare of their brothers, where charity rules and all are united in one purpose, mind and deed. No one is greater than the other. They all work hard, not for the selfish accumulation of wealth, but to better establish their lives and their community. Most importantly, this humanity isn't conditional based on someone's age. This is the Eden I fight for. This is the Eden you made me believe in."

I don't know what to say. Another tear drips to the floor.

"Is this a bad time?"

I glance behind Anthony. Ash is in the doorway holding a medical kit. Her hair is messy and dirt is smudged on her cheek.

He stands. "I think we're all done. Take care of her, Ash. She's been through a lot." Before he leaves, he tells me, "We land at Enfield in about ten minutes. I think that place is going to make an excellent base for both Primes and Originals."

Before Anthony disappears, I ask, "How did the Institute get to the island so quickly? It's almost as if they already knew Eden's location." I secretly hope this, because that would mean I didn't really betray them.

He turns around. "Are you sure you want that answer?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"We have a theory," he begins, "that your mother knew it was just a matter of time before you came to her when she heard you were at the Institute, whether it was Ebony bringing you, or you finding your way in. She also knew she could get you to tell the location of Eden by playing on your emotions. She was right. Just as soon as you told her, she had their army, who was already ready, deployed to the island." He looks pointedly at me. "Nobody blames you, though. Remember that."

I sit in a state of shock long after he goes. I played directly into her hands and let her manipulate me since day one. I feel like I'm caught in a circling carrousel of lies and bad decisions.

Ash comes in to bandage my wounds. Other than a wicked headache, I'll be fine, she assures me. I wish it were that simple. Max is captured. Colt could be dead. I am anything but fine.

Once the hovercraft lands in the center of Enfield, I exit the ramp. It is no longer raining, but clouds remain. My father limps toward me and wraps his arms around me.

"It's so good to see you," he says, his voice teetering with emotion.

"You too." I mean what I say.

Across the Green, I lock eyes with Tank. He nods once and walks away. He's clearly still mad, but at least he acknowledged me. Somehow, I will make it up to him, to all of them.

"Come on," my father says. "Let's get you something to eat."

"I'd rather rest if that's okay."

"Actually, Link is dying to see you. He wants to know about his brother and father. Did you see them?"

I close my eyes briefly and open them back up. "The Institute has them. Is Link's mother here?"

"She was with the first wave of Originals we flew in."

"Good." At least Link has someone here. It will make the pain of losing his father and brother not hurt so much. Having people around who love you is important. I look at my father appreciatively. We may disagree on the way things should be done, but in the end we love each other and that's all that matters. "Where is he?"

"In the dining hall." My father glances in the direction, grimacing.

"I know where it is. Don't worry, you don't have to come," I say, my gaze dropping to his leg. "You're the one who needs to rest."

He nods and points to a long metal building at the edge of the Green. "I'm staying over there in their old lab. There's a lot of information I'm uncovering about what was going on here."

"Anything important so far?"

"Well I found out where all the children were taken," he says.

"Where?"

"About five years ago, Ebony ordered them all to a facility called Brine Haven down South. For what purpose, I'm not sure yet."

Even though I don't know what fate befell the children, I'm glad they weren't here. They could've gotten hurt or worse. "Did you find anything else?"

"You know those Originals you saved?" He clears his throat and averts his gaze. "They are all in the late stages of the Kiss, a new strain I've never seen before. The Institute must've engineered it to affect only Originals. None of them have much longer to live."

"For what purpose?" I ask, appalled.

"I'm not sure yet, but it looks like they were testing different drugs on them."

"Can you help them?"

"I think I can actually. I have access to their lab and all their files."

"Good. Get working on it as soon as you can."

He grins. "I thought you didn't like me always working?"

"I get it now," I say and sort of return his smile. "You're saving lives."

"Trying to, anyway." He pulls me in for one more hug before he hobbles away. Despite everything, I am so grateful he is here. I don't know what I would do without him.

The mood in the dining hall is very different from the last time we were all gathered together. No one is celebrating, and everyone is speaking in hushed tones. From a nearby table, someone says, "I'm leaving tomorrow before I end up dead." Others nod in agreement.

I step past them only to hear from another table, "With Colt gone, I don't know how we'll survive."

Someone else adds, "I should never have come."

My legs grow weak. Everything's falling apart. I left Eden with the hope of saving my mother and the Originals, but I ended up playing into their hands instead. There has to be a way to fix this.

Link hurries over when he sees me standing in the middle of the great room. His eyes are red and his face pale. His mom trails behind him, her arms limp at her side.

"My father and Chase," he says, his voice full of desperation. "Did you see them?"

I reach out and take his hand. "I did. They're alive, but they were taken."

Link's face falls, but somehow he manages to find the strength to wrap his free arm protectively around his mother. She leans into his chest and cries quietly.

"We'll get them back," I say. "I promise."

"What about Max?" he asks.

I let go of his hand. "He was taken too."

We stare at each other for a few tense seconds. There is fire in his eyes that I know matches my own.

"I think I'm starting to understand what it feels like to be you." He chuckles uncomfortably, but then his expression darkens. "Whatever happens next, you just make sure I'm on that rescue mission."

"Hey Patch!" a voice calls.

After Link walks away with his mother, I turn and find Jenna sitting at a table with Maisy and Jet. Jenna motions me over. I hesitate. I'd rather be alone right now, plus I don't know if she knows what I did. She will be the least forgiving of them all.

"Patch!" she calls again. "I'm going to keep yelling until you get over here, so hurry up!"

I reluctantly obey. I scoot into the seat next to her, ready to be bombarded with accusing questions, but instead she says, "I heard they got Max. I'm sorry."

There is no sarcasm in her voice.

"And I'm sorry for Colt," I mumble.

Maisy picks at her fingernails. "What's going to happen to HOPE?"

Jet scowls. "It's all going to fall apart, that's what. We all failed. There's no more Eden to protect."

I stare at him, Anthony's words echoing in my mind. Did I believe Eden was just a place?

"There you are," Anthony says, coming up behind us. Tank is standing near him, but he's not looking at me.

I get up from the table. The motion hurts my aching body. If I lay down, I could probably sleep for days. "Do you need something?"

Anthony pulls me to the side. Tank shuffles over with us, but his attention seems to be on something else.

"Rafe will be here soon," Anthony says. "He wants to meet with you."

"Why?" I glance over his shoulder. Someone is saying something about wasting their time being here.

"He's going to help. He didn't exactly say how, but he insisted he speak with you."

Two Primes behind him stand and head toward the door. I dart past Anthony as if to grab them. I stop half way, leaving me standing in the middle of the room. I glance all around. No one is looking at me. They are barely looking at each other. Some are talking, but their words scare me. I created this. Now I need to fix it.

"Sage?" Anthony calls.

I jump on top of the nearest table, knocking over a glass of red liquid.

"What the—" a man at the table says. He slides back to avoid getting wet.

"I need to speak," I say, but I barely hear myself.

The two Primes, who had walked away moments ago, are pushing on the exit door. I stomp my foot upon the table, much harder than I intend, but I need to stop them.

"Hey!" I yell. "I have something to say!"

Everyone goes quiet. The two Primes stop moving and turn around.

With their attention solely focused on me, my insides shake. I close my eyes and fill my thoughts with Max and the other captured Originals. Colt is there too. My eyes open. This time my gaze is steady and sure.

"If you haven't heard yet, I'm the one who gave up Eden's location."

The crowd breaks into a murmur of voices.

"I messed up!" I call over the discord. "I snuck into Enfield thinking I would save my mother, but instead I found a monster wearing my mom's face. She manipulated me in the worse way possible, and I…I gave up the people who mean the most to me, and I'm so very sorry."

I don't mean to, but I choke on those last words. It takes me a second before I continue. "What you all have done for Originals, for me, taking on the Institute when the odds were against you, is the bravest thing I have ever seen. There is strength in you the world hasn't seen in a long time. You probably don't hear it enough, but thank you."