Moirai (21 page)

“How are we going to do that without getting caught?”
Lisa asked.

“I don't know. Craynor will know we did it.” We were the
ones that were told to throw the body away. “We could find a place in the far
end of the lot and bury her.”

Lisa frowned. “No, I like the idea of burning her body.
We'd be making a statement. Anita would have approved.”

“If we get caught, we'll be killed,” I reminded her. So
much for staying out of trouble.

“He's killing his servants. You don't think that
demands
attention?” Lisa huffed. “I would have liked to know what I was getting
involved in before I worked here.”

“It wasn't like you had a choice.” I reminded her
bitterly. That was what we were fighting for: our freedom to make choices.
Whether they were right or wrong, they were our choices to make.

“Even so,” Lisa scoffed, “she deserves more than being
thrown away like a piece of trash.”

Footsteps clomped through the hallway, just outside the
door. “Well whatever we decide, we need to do it fast.”

Lisa and I found a stack of wood at the edge of the
property. We carried it to the front lawn and laid it out as a bed. There'd
been no more commotion from Craynor or Dylan. “Do you think they're asleep?” I
asked Lisa as we wrapped Anita's body in her bed linens.

“Dylan hasn't left yet. They're probably still up in the
study,” she answered. We quietly hauled Anita from the bedroom, through the
hallway, and out the front door without incident. “Did you bring the matches?”
Lisa asked as we placed her body on top of the wood pile.

“Right here.” I pulled out several packs from my pocket.
I didn't know how many it would take to light the wood. The first match I
struck died from the slight breeze. I wished I had Jaxon's power of being able
to create fire from my hands. Right now it would have been helpful.
Jaxon!
I
wasn't sure he could hear me. We never communicated telepathically, though
right now I wished I had practiced it with more than just Joshua.

What's wrong?
I heard Jaxon's voice and breathed a
sigh of relief.
Front lawn of the Governor's mansion. I need you ASAP.
I
didn't have to elaborate. I knew he'd come. I struck another match but had no
luck in starting a fire.

“I think we need kindling.” Lisa frowned. “Paper or
something flammable to help the fire catch.”

“Relax, I've got it covered.” I couldn't tell her about
Jaxon. It was too risky. Across the lawn I could just make out a figure moving
through the shadows. Lisa tensed beside me. “It's okay,” I assured her as he
jogged up the front lawn. “He's with us.”

“What's going on?” Jaxon eyed the body and the woodpile
below. “You need me to light it for you?”

Lisa gave him a curious look. “Are you sure we can trust
him?”

Jaxon grinned. “Oh, I'm pretty sure.” He rubbed his hands
together and rested them atop the wood.
You could have done this, Olivia.
With a little practice.

I'd never been able to master the element of fire.
Although, my training hadn't focused on it. Within seconds the wood caught fire,
lighting up as he moved his hands over the body, doing the same thing.

“How did you…” Lisa's eyes went wide and her words
trailed off.

Jaxon turned, his eyes staring at her sharply. “You can't
tell anyone. If you do, I'll see to it Craynor knows you put the body on the
front lawn.”

“I promise, I won't say anything.” Lisa was adamant.

My eyes widened as I heard the door slam shut. “Jaxon,
get out of here.” I hissed. He hadn't been seen and I could feel Governor
Craynor coming.

“I can't leave you,” Jaxon answered.
That's not part
of the plan.

“Neither was this.” I shook my head. “You're no good to
me locked up or dead. Get out of here. Come back and find us when it's time.
Two weeks from Saturday,” I gave him a stern look before he vanished into thin
air. When the hell had he learned that trick? I hated being the last to know
everything!

“Jacqueline! Lisa!” Craynor's voice echoed as he walked
up the front lawn. “What have we here?” The color from the fire danced across
his angered face. “Both of you inside! You're lucky I don't have you and your
families killed for this display.” He gripped my arm along with Lisa's,
dragging us back inside the Governor's mansion. I refused to glance back
towards the open expanse of land and trees that lined it a few hundred feet
away. Jaxon was probably watching from there, waiting for his next move. I
imagined what it would have been like to get away, to go home or even to the
rebel alliance where he was sheltered during the night. I knew Craynor would
stop at nothing to find us. He'd raid every home, trash every building until he
got what he wanted: us. We were better off giving in, letting him think he won.
It was about strategy and preparing for the winning move.

Nearly two weeks had passed since arriving in Genesis.
Once again I'd been under arrest, but this time it was house arrest. I hadn't
seen Jaxon since the night of Anita's death. I hoped he'd gotten away and that
Craynor hadn't known there was a third person. Lisa had been locked in another
room. Neither of us had contact with one another, and I could only hope she
kept this secret.

From my room, I glanced at the clock, doing my best to
keep an eye on the time. I could hear the music down below and the constant
chime of the door. Guests had been arriving for two hours straight for the
Governor's Ball but there had been a lull during the past forty-five minutes.
Everyone must have arrived.

I could hear a rumble of thunder in the distance. I
didn't know if it was the rebel alliance or a storm coming, but was there a
difference? My room had no windows: it was impossible to know the weather. I
hadn't seen sunlight since I arrived in Genesis. I hoped after today I'd be
free again. I heard a set of swift footsteps, and I stood up from the mattress,
heading for the door. “Jaxon?” I hoped he was here.

“We need to get you out of here.” It was Jaxon's voice.

Relief flooded my face. “How?” I asked, watching from
inside my room as the lock glowed an eerie shade of orange and red before it
crumbled.

Jaxon pushed open the door. “Let's get out of here.”

“What about Lisa?” I asked as we headed down the
corridor, careful not to be seen.

“She's not in her room,” Jaxon answered. “She was
released earlier this week to tend to the mansion. She helped prepare for the
ball. I have no idea where she is. We don't have time.” He gripped my arm and
opened the front door. Rain was coming down in buckets.

“Great,” I muttered, knowing there was little choice but
to get wet. “It's time?” I knew the answer without having to ask. The rumbling
grew louder. It wasn't thunder but a loud plane, a drone flying overhead. It
had to be Joshua.

“Now!” Jaxon's eyes widened and he pulled me with him.
The glamour disappeared as fear overtook my mind and Jaxon's glamour wavered
too as he dragged me out the door and into the rain. We ran as fast and as far
as we could from the lawn of the mansion just as fury dropped from the sky. I
felt my body thrown to the ground and Jaxon's on top of me, covering my body as
best he could. I felt the intense wave of heat scorching my skin but not
physically burning me. Flames billowed up into the sky and smoke rose faster as
the rain slowed to a halt. I heard the siren then, the alarm system built in
case of an attack or raid on Genesis. I never remembered it actually being used
or even tested but clearly it worked. “Jaxon, we have to move.” I tried to push
his body off mine, knowing that if we were outside and there were any
survivors, they'd know we were involved. How else would we have been lucky
enough to escape? “Jaxon?” I rolled him off me and moved to sit up.

“Go, Olive,” he groaned in agony, pain etched across his
face as he gripped my hand. “Go find your mother.”

“I can't leave you.” I stared down, my hands trying to
heal him. From a distance I heard the roar of another plane, or was it the same
one? I couldn’t be certain.

“No.” he gripped my hand, his strength wavering. “They'll
see; they'll know who we are. You can't do that.” We'd already risked so much
in front of Lisa. I knew he was right but I didn’t agree with him. The engine
of the drone grew louder as another bomb dropped, this one on the medical
center. I felt the ground quake and I covered Jaxon's body with my own.
Thankfully we lay far enough away from the second explosion that no debris hit
us.

“I can't let you die!” The words left my lips before I
meant them to. Maybe you were supposed to pretend to be strong, to not let
someone dying know they weren't going to make it, but I'd be damned if I would
let Jaxon die on my watch.

“You have to.” I could see onlookers in the distance
through the smoke. Neighbors came outside, curious to the commotion and the
evident bombing onf their town. The heavy sound of boots against pavement
reminded me that I would be caught if I didn't move.

“I'm sorry, Jaxon. I'm so sorry.” I wanted to stay, I
needed to help, but then we'd both be dead. I left him there, on the front lawn
beneath the towering smoke and just a few feet from the rubble. The smoke
sheltered me long enough so I could maneuver away from the Governor's mansion
without being seen.

Knowing night would quickly fall, I edged my way through
town, doing my best to remain unseen. The glamour had disappeared and I was too
exhausted to raise it back up. I needed sleep and I only had one place I could
go—Jaxon was right—home.

I reached my mother's house and felt my hands tremble as
I knocked on the door. There was a long moment, a heavy pause, before she
opened it. “Olive!” she gasped, throwing her arms around my body. “You're
alive!” I felt her tense at the sound outside as gunfire erupted. “Quick, get
inside,” she ushered, shutting and locking the door behind me. “I've been so
worried about you. You're okay though…?” Her thumb stroked the dirt from my
cheek, only managing to smudge it further.

“I will be.” I nodded. “Things are different Mom, outside
the walls.” I didn’t know how to explain it to her without giving too much
information. Some secrets I wasn’t sure were ready to be told.

She closed and secured the blinds. “Have a seat,” she
insisted, gesturing to the sofa. I waited until she returned to the living room
before I sat down. “What are you doing back here, Olivia? You know you
shouldn't be here.”

“I know.” I saw the look of concern, the worry in her
eyes, the wrinkles on her forehead as her lip quivered. She pulled me into her
arms, embracing me. “Even so, I'm glad you're back.”

I didn’t tell her it wasn’t for good, though she must
have known considering our current situation. “I need help: allies.” I stared
at her, hoping she knew someone in Genesis who would be willing to stand
alongside and fight with the rebel alliance.

She frowned. “I may know of a few, but Olive,” she
paused, “don't get yourself into any trouble.” I tried not to laugh at her
request. “Come with me.” My mother led me into her bedroom. I hesitated by the
doorframe, the room so familiar, too familiar. Everything in Genesis looked the
same, every home, every room—the furniture, the bedding. It made my stomach
turn as I remembered being arrested in my own home. “Olive.” My mother quickly
pulled me from my thoughts. “Help me move the mattress.”

“What are we looking for?” I asked as I helped her push
the mattress off and away from the bed. I spotted a loose floorboard: it looked
slightly discolored. She left the room for only a minute, returning with a
butter knife. She tipped the end into the board, lifting it up and out. “Here.”
She handed me a dagger and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Where'd you get this?” I couldn’t imagine my mother ever
using a dagger, let alone knowing how to use one.

“It was your father's,” she replied solemnly.

“You know he's still alive, right?” I caught the curious
spark in her eye. “I saw him, in a city a few hours from here, Torv.”

My mother didn’t answer. I didn’t blame her. I didn't
believe it myself, and I had seen him with my own eyes. I wasn't happy about it
either, I was just glad she didn’t take out her anger on me. “I wish I could
teach you how to use this,” she whispered, glancing at my palm as I held the
dagger in my hands.

“Don't worry, I've had all the training I need,” I
assured her.

Hang in there!
Joshua's words made my heart soar.
Rebel
soldiers are almost in town.

Where are you?
I asked. Bullets pelted the
buildings. I ducked, afraid one might pierce the window of my mother's home. My
mother dropped onto the ground beside me.

If we came any sooner, the attack wouldn't have been a
surprise. Flat land sucks and Cabal soldiers have quite the lookout tower
.
I wanted to smile, to scream out that reinforcements are coming and Genesis
will be taken down for good, but my mother was speaking and two voices at once
was too much to distinguish.

My eyes widened in horror as I heard an insistent knock
at the door. Soldiers. It had to be them: no one else would be outside as
sirens and bombs dropped from the sky. “You need to hide, Olive. If they find
you—” My mother's breath caught in her throat, distraught. “I can't lose you
again.” I moved to stand and the ground quaked from another bomb exploding
outside. This one wasn't dropped by drone, it wasn't part of our plan.

Regaining my balance, I rested a hand on her shoulder.
“You won't.” I moved to her cheek and dropped a faint kiss before taking the
dagger with me to the door. I kept it in my right hand, behind my back as I
opened the door with my left hand. “Can I help you?” I asked with the fakest
smile I could muster. I was surprised any soldiers remained, considering their
leaders were dead. Had a new one tried to rise to power?