I dreamed of sitting on a porch swing with him. We were in a beautiful place with mountains in the distance, a blanket on ourlaps. His arm was around me and the swing swayed gently as we watched the sun paint the sky pink and orange before it slipped away for the night.
That hope is gone now. Ingrid Voss did a factory reset on his mind and he’s a stranger to me now. Worse than a stranger, actually. He’s a New America puppet, which makes him my enemy.
It’s fully dark now, rain still falling. Nova reaches the bunker first, unearthing the handle to the door and opening it.
We file down the stairs one at a time, greeted only by the scents of earth and mustiness.
I curl up against a reinforced wall, drained. Without Marcus, I don’t know how to do any of this. I’m tired, but not just physically.
New America has taken so much from me. My family. My life. My autonomy. And now, Marcus.
I let silent tears roll down my cheeks. I’m not even angry. I’m a helpless shadow of myself, and I’ve never felt further from my dad and his never-ever-give-up spirit.
Blue Arrow Island has wrung every ounce of hope and goodness out of me, and it will never quit. Maybe it’s time I accept defeat.
37
“This is the grossest misuse of my skills yet. I got shot, it happens. I’m fine now. Assigning me to be a neighborhood gossip feels like a punishment.” - Decoded message from ILF undercover operative Nightingale to ILF handler Hiro Tanaka
Briar
Movement makes my eyes fly open with alarm. I pat my hip instinctively, trying to find my holstered gun there.
Nothing.
Someone’s descending stairs. I find my holster; it was on the ground beside me.
“Finally.”
That’s Nova, embracing Ellison. I exhale and sit up, my body ready for a fight, but my mind telling it to relax.
Pax comes down the stairs next, pulling the bunker door closed behind him. A torch in his hand lights up the small space.
“We need to get out of here,” he says. “We’ve got about an hour ’til sunrise and they’ll be all over this jungle when there’slight. They have heat sensors. They don’t know much about aromium, but they know the predators in our jungle are no fucking joke, so they’re getting strapped.”
“This might be the best place for us,” Amira says. “If they don’t know about it and they have heat sensors, we’re safe in here.”
Pax shakes his head. “All they’ve got to do is break one person who knows about these bunkers. Then we’re all fucked.”
“He’s right,” I say, my voice groggy from sleep. “We have to move.”
“Move where, though?” Nova says. “If they have heat-seeking equipment, they’ll find us wherever we go.”
“I know a place.” I get to my feet.
The torchlight sends shadows flickering over the faces of everyone crammed into the tiny space. Nova and Ellison are standing with their arms around each other, Ellison wearing a large backpack. Beside me, Amira gets to her feet. The pale skin of Olin’s face is streaked with dirt, his hair a wild tangle that resembles a campfire.
And Pax—my friend-enemy-ally— saved all of us a few hours ago.
I want Marcus back, but that’s not an option. These people around me are worth fighting for. They’ve all had my back, and I won’t let them down.
“We’re going to McClain’s cave,” I say. “It has thick flowering vines over its entrance and the smell of the flowers will cover our scents. There are bats in it, so no screaming.”
“Lovely,” Amira mutters. “I don’t suppose any of them are billionaire superheroes?”
“On this island, you never know.” Ellison smiles.
“You know the small waterfall near the field where we found the flowers?” I ask Amira.
