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SUMMER
Iraced through the commune, hurrying down a dark corridor lined with doors. Since clouds had moved in tonight, only a wisp of moonlight shone through the skylights mounted in the low ceiling.
I took care not to make a sound. People slept behind these doors. My friends. Family.
And him.
My heart pounded so loudly, I worried everyone would hear it. I placed my palm over my chest. As if that would make a difference?
But if they discovered I was leaving, they’d come after me and when they caught me, they’d give me to him.
Reaching the end of the hall, I hitched my backpack higher on my shoulder. I wiped my sweaty palm on my pants and pinched my eyes shut.
Please let the door be unlocked.
My best friend, Jake, told me he’d make sure it was. If it wasn’t, it was over. I’d be stuck here until I found a different way to escape. Which I would. No matter what, I would not allow them to marry me to the head of our commune.
A sound behind me sent me spinning, but I didn’t see anyone lurking. Maybe it was a cat. They bred as eagerly as those living in the Phoenix Rises Commune.
I grabbed the doorknob and squeezed my eyes shut while I rotated my wrist. Yes, it was unlocked. I sent a silent thanks to Jake. We’d been friends since my parents moved here ten years ago. He’d stood beside me when I told everyone I wasn’t interested in getting married. He’d offered a way out when the leader of the commune said my wishes didn’t matter.
I’d remained hidden until I turned twenty-five, which was longer than most.
No way would I let the leader claim me.
I eased outside and took the steps to the ground. The cool night air glided across my skin, welcoming me. I still had the fence surrounding the buildings to get past, but I’d taken care of that myself.
My footsteps light, I ran toward the hole I’d dug beneath the high barbed wire fence, grateful when I arrived to find it undisturbed. I shucked my pack and wound the strap around my ankle. Then I lay on my belly and dragged myself under the fence, tugging my pack behind me.
I stood on the other side, and relief made my bones quiver. Freedom was still many days travel away, but the worst of my journey was over. Soon, I’d start a new life in a city far from here. I’d ditch my name and adopt a new one. With the cash I’d stolen in my bag, I could hide until I found a job.
Behind me, a door banged open. Shouts erupted, followed by the baying of dogs.
No! They’d send the pack after me. Our hounds might act sweet when they crawled onto your lap for pats, but unleashed, they wouldn’t stop until they’d tracked me down.
No one was allowed to escape the Phoenix Rising Commune.
I bolted across the open grassland, my pack smacking my back. My breathing was ragged in no time. We might be required to participate in daily exercise, but none of us could sprint for long.
The metal gate clattered as they tugged it to the side, and the shrill cries of the hounds grew closer. I didn’t hear the pads of their paws, but it was only a matter of time before they caught me. If I could reach the cliffs, I could find a cave. I might be able to hide.
I pushed for speed, racing through the deep grass, aiming for the hills. It wasn’t far, only a few miles. So I’d been told. No one was allowed to venture outside the commune, so I relied on rumors.
Light erupted ahead. This is it. They’d somehow gotten around me and would grab me. They’d hustle me back and lock me inside the leader’s room.
No one refused the leader.
I darted to the right, but someone latched onto my shoulders, hauling me against them so quickly, the wind was knocked from my lungs. They ripped my backpack away and tossed it into the grass.
Gasping and sputtering, I stared up.
No one in the commune had four arms, glowing green eyes, or a spike jutting from the top of their head.
A flash of light, and I soared upward with the alien. The sound of the hounds faded as I was carried inside a ship.
The bang of the door was followed by blinding pain in my forehead.
I passed out after that.
