The Revealed (31 page)

People glare as I shove past them. “Hey!” a few say, but most are in an accommodating mood, relieved and excited this day has finally come. Eventually, Skylar and I make it around to the side entrance.

Security forms a wall before the doors, blocking people from getting within twenty feet of the entrance. They’re all armed. I’m also very aware that there will be Secret Service stationed inside the adjacent buildings as well, with weapons trained toward the crowd as an added precaution. Westerfield will have his own protection, though his snipers won’t be for his own physical safety.

“Hang back,” I tell Skylar, stopping and extending my hand. “If they realize I’m with The Revealed, they’ll either have you arrested or they’ll shoot you.”

Skylar backs up a few steps. “I’ll definitely stay here then.”

“Be back soon.”

I scan down the security line, not quite sure how to approach. But the decision is made for me. “Ms. Atwood?” Evan steps forward, his brows pulled together. “Ms. Atwood?” he asks again, more certain this time.

There isn’t time for me to feel afraid. “I need to see my father,” I tell him directly.

“But you—”

“This is an emergency!” I say again, glancing over my shoulder at the crowds.

Evan fumbles to pull his headpiece mic to his mouth. “Lily Atwood is outside.”

“Stop playing around, Evan,” a voice on the other end shoots back.

“Sir, Ms. Atwood is here to see her parents.”

“Excuse me?”

“She’s at the entrance.”

“You’re seeing things, Evan,” the voice on the other end repeats. “Lily Atwood is part of the Taken Eighteen now. She wouldn’t be—”

I grab the mic from the security guard and hold it to my lips. “Darren?” I ask. Darren was Jeremy’s second-in-command, which means he’s probably in charge now, and probably the voice I’m hearing.

“Who is this?” the man asks.

“Darren, this is Lily Atwood. Either you authorize my entrance or my parents find out about your negligence. Your call. All I have to do is find a phone, and I can make the call directly to my father.”

If Darren has just been promoted, he won’t take even the slightest chance at risking his new, coveted authority. There is a pause. Then Darren answers, “I’ll be right down.”

Smugly, I hand the microphone back to Evan. His expression is a nervous grimace. He’s resisting the urge to slink away from me, unsure how to take my sudden emergence.

A burly man in a black suit bursts through the door only a minute later. It’s Darren. He takes one look at me and his mouth falls open. He scrubs a hand down his face. But I don’t have time for their gawking. “This is an emergency, so if you don’t mind.” I push around Darren and the others before they can object, and run inside.

“Wait! Ms. Atwood!” I can hear Darren running behind me, but I don’t stop. I know exactly where my father will be. I could find his office with my eyes closed.

I sprint down the hallway and throw open the door. Security immediately turns on me, ready to deal with a threat, but pauses.

My father is hunched over a desk with a few other people, making last-minute adjustments to the speeches. He has two speeches—one, a concession speech, the other, the first speech he’ll give as president of the North American Sector.

He stops and glances up from his work at the commotion. His expression drops, then pulls together in confusion. “Lily?”

My mother moves around security at the sound of my name. “Oh my God!” She races toward me and throws her arms around me, pinning me into a hug that has no intention of ever ending. “Oh my God.” She runs her hands over my hair. Moisture smears my neck. She’s crying.

“Leave,” my father says, motioning around the room. Despite their curiosity, people begin filing out. Security takes their position right outside the door.

My father is by my side in seconds and reaches out to hold my face in his strong yet gentle hands. “Are you hurt?” he asks. “How did you escape?”

“I didn’t.” I shake my head, shrugging out of his grip.

My mother pulls back and looks at me. Being her usual self, she starts tucking stray strands of my hair back behind my ears. “It’s a miracle,” she says.

My father reaches out to me too, “We thought—”

“You thought right.” I snap my fingers and a flame appears.

My mother covers her mouth with her hand, horrified. The tears are already drying in streaks across her face.

“What did they do to you?” my father asks.

“It’s a surgery, Dad. It improves your mind.”

“What?” My mother touches my hand as though she expects it to be hot. It isn’t. Nero wasn’t joking when he said everyone thinks that at first.

My father is furious. “Where are they?”

“I don’t have a lot of time,” I say. “This isn’t about me right now, okay? I’m fine. They didn’t hurt me. None of it is what you thought, Dad. I’m here to help you. Westerfield’s planning on having you assassinated if you go up on that stage. Just before a winner is announced. He wants to blame it on the Eastern European Sector so he has an excuse to start another war and take over their territory.” I hand him the folder with some of the evidence The Revealed have collected. He takes it and scans through the pile of papers.

“Where did you get this?” He stares down at the files.

“The Revealed have been collecting it for the past few months.”

My father sets the folder down on the table.

“Dad, don’t go on that stage. I know you think I’m a still child, but you have to listen to me. The Revealed aren’t who we thought they were. They’ve been helping us this whole time. Westerfield has a sniper positioned somewhere out there. There’s a slim chance we can find him. Even if we take one out, there will probably be another there to take his place. You have to leave.”

“No, I have to go on that stage.” My father’s resolve is firm. “The winner of the first North American Sector presidential race is about to be announced. This is not the time for the country to question the courage of its leadership.”

“The Revealed can’t protect you up there!” I argue.

“The Revealed have never done me any favors before. I’m prepared to take all risks for the sake of this new nation.”

“You aren’t listening to me!” In my passion, a wind picks up around me. I need to focus like Julia taught me. I take a deep breath.

All my mother can do is stare, her jaw slack in mute horror. Somehow her shock still manages to look graceful, and for the first time, she doesn’t add her two cents.

“You can’t go up there. He’s planning on putting a bullet in your head! Both of you! You can’t risk this, Dad. For our family and for this nation. We need you.”

“Yes. They need me. I have to go out there.” My father lays a hand on my shoulder, “They need me now to step up as a leader, not run and hide in the shadows. I understand what you’re saying Lily, and you probably mean what you’re saying. But the country needs me to stand tall right now. They could have chosen to elect me as their president. Now is not the time to run and hide. I have to go out there.”

My voice breaks. “Dad….”

I look back and forth at my parents.

Jet knocks on the door, then opens it. “The reporters are just about ready for you. Again, if you can stress to people to get out and vote if they haven’t already, there’s still an hour and a half left.” He doesn’t even notice me. Typical Jet.

“I’m coming,” my father says, nodding. He straightens out his jacket. “And please tell security to double their efforts in the crowds and surrounding buildings.”

At least he’s sort of listening to what I said.

“Will do, sir.” Jet steps back, and I can hear him mumbling the order into his headpiece.

I sigh and turn to look out the window at the crowds below, running my hand through my hair.

Then I freeze.

“Darren,” my father calls to Darren, who’s waiting just outside the door, “please confiscate Lily’s belongings. Have them delivered directly to the Department of Security for review. This may be our key to bringing down The Revealed.”

“Wait!” I turn on him. I grab for the papers on the desk. Luckily, the one I need is right on top of the pile. I read Marg’s words again for the hundredth time in the last day.

Please be advised that when it comes to reaching the spiret of justice for the people, I believe we can best accomplish this through what lies with the compromise of independance.

I pull the email correspondence in front of my face.
Spiret of liberty
.
Independance.
The misspelled words begin to piece together in my mind.

I whirl around again and look out the window.

Spirit of Justice Park!

The realization knocks the wind out of me.

She’s talking about Spirit of Justice Park! Independence is the road right in front of the park. It’s Independence Avenue, which is why it’s misspelled. These are instructions!

I stare back down at the email, my eyes flicking over the information.

“Dad!” I say hurriedly.

He ignores me. “And see that Lily arrives home safely to her room and stays there until after the election announcement.”

“Dad, I’m not going with them.”

My father turns from me.

“Dad!” He has to pay attention. “Dad!”

“This is for your own good, Lily. They’ve messed with your mind.”

“Dad! I just need to make a call. Just one call!” I scream.

Security moves around me.

“You don’t get it!” I say in a panic. “The Revealed are helping you! Look at this email!” The paper is ripped from my hand. “They’re at the park. There’s someone at the park! Dad!”

“I’ll see you at home,” my father says. “We’ll discuss everything after the announcement this evening. We’ll figure all of this out, get you the help you need, and find the people that did this to you. The important thing is that you’re home now.”

They’re forcing me from the room.

“No!” I’m hysterical. “Mom!” She won’t look at me anymore; she’s crying again. “Mom, Marg Lancing is in on it!”

Hands clasp my shoulders. I shove the paper into my pocket and grab for whatever I can reach, catching a wrist and making my touch burn.

“Listen to me!” I bite my lip and the taste of blood shoots through my mouth. “Stop!”

Evan pulls away cursing, but bringing down one guard isn’t enough. There are more where he came from. Security grabs my wrists this time, making sure I can’t touch anybody, and escorts me outside.

“This is a mistake!” I yell at my father as I’m dragged into the hallway.

A wind kicks up, lifting my hair and blowing papers to the floor. But it doesn’t have enough power to make them let go of my shoulders. I’m not strong enough yet.

I walk with them down to the first floor. No one says a word. Just before they put me in the car I try to break free, yanking my arms toward the center of my body to get them to drop their grip. Their hands release my wrists, and I turn on my heels, sprinting back toward the front of the building.

My eyes connect with Skylar’s through the crowd. He’s waiting at the back door of the Capitol Building.

“The park!” I scream.

His brows furrow because he can’t hear me.

“They’re at the park!” I gesture wildly. His eyes go wide as hands clamp around me and pull me back to the awaiting vehicle.

“They’re at the park!” I scream one last, hopeless time.

I can hear the cheers of the crowd and the chants of protesters just on the other side of these walls. The noise blurs into a steady hum of energy radiating from the people.
Hurry Skylar. You’re my only hope.

Evan secures plastic cuffs over my hands, binding my palms so they press against each other. Darren puts his hand on my head and eases me into the backseat. There’s no reasoning with security. They’re under strict orders, and they’re trained to follow those orders at all costs.

I’m not giving up. I can’t afford to give up. If I don’t find a way out of this it won’t just mean my parents’ deaths. It will mean Westerfield will take over as leader of the North American Sector, make it his mission to hunt and kill The Revealed, and throw the world back into war. He’ll become a dictator who will concentrate power in even fewer hands, mainly his own.

Darren rolls the window down as we approach the house and punches in the gate code.

“You have to listen to me.” I lean forward. “You can’t keep me here.”

“Your father’s orders.” He shrugs indifferently, pulling the car around to the front of the house.

“No,” I try again, “you don’t understand. If you keep me in this house my father will be dead before they announce the winner. Roderick Westerfield has no intention of letting my father win, don’t you see? He wants power any way he can get it, at any cost.”

“Miss, your father has plenty of security making sure he’s safe,” Evan pipes up from the front passenger seat.

“It isn’t enough.” I try to pull myself closer to him, but hands hold me back. They’re smart, because I’m seriously considering my options. “There’s a sniper, Evan. Come on, you’re not stupid.
Think
about this!”

He gives me a hard look for a moment, and I have him. But then he looks away.

I kick the seat in front of me.

The car stops at the front of the house, and I’m escorted inside to my room. They lock the door behind me. No one bothers to untie my hands.

Now this house really is a prison.

Immediately, I go to the balcony only to find five security members patrolling the grounds below. My father doesn’t mess around when he gives orders.

“This is kidnapping!” I yell down.

“It’s for your own good,” one of the security guards responds. He is a large man, more pudgy than muscular, but I don’t doubt he would take me down in a heartbeat if I jumped over the ledge. “If we don’t protect you, The Revealed will take you again.”

My fists clench and I mumble, “I’m part of The Revealed, you moron.” I grind my teeth as I turn back toward the window.

Although, being a member of The Revealed doesn’t seem to be doing me much good right now. My mind isn’t strong enough yet to use the elements like Zared or Rory. I can’t throw out my hand and make the glass explode. I can’t move the trees to attack like the others.