There Once Were Stars (23 page)

“Okay, team,” Roe says, climbing out of the truck. “I want to focus on collection from the forest floor. Bio wants us to gather some mossier forms of vegetation. Evan and Nat, can you survey the area? Report back by lunch.”

“We need a box and a shovel,” Evan states.

Waldorf, standing across the truck from us, wrinkles his brows together. My breath catches in my throat, waiting for someone to uncover our plan.

“Tassie asked us to gather some flowers from the meadow, seeing as she missed it last time,” Evan explains. Waldorf shrugs and goes back to unloading, his expedition scarf hanging loose in front of him.

“Of course,” Roe says. “But only one box. This isn’t a trip to feed everyone’s fancies.”

Evan grabs a shovel and hands the box to me. We start our trek up the hill. It’s rockier on this side, but thankfully, it’s not steep.

“What is the land like between here and your dome?” I ask Evan. This is something I’ve been curious about. More so since I realized he’s going to be making the trek back after we destroy the virus in my dome.

“Pretty much like this.” Evan gestures around us. “Maybe a little hillier in some parts, a few more trees in others.”

“I don’t like the desert around the dome,” I say. “Maybe it’s because that’s all I’ve stared at my entire life. I wish I could see more of this stuff.”

Evan holds his hand out to me. “Come with me. You’d love it. The farms we’ve established around our dome have helped with terraforming the earth. It’s full of fields of different crops. Some, we left in the dome of course, to protect them, just in case.”

Was leaving a possibility? I’d just come to terms with moving outside the dome. But completely leaving everything I know. It was a lot to think about.

“I’d like to see us develop the outside,” I say.

“You will,” Evan says. “It takes time. I understand why people are afraid of change. I mean, our dome isn’t perfect. There are a lot of things we still do that don’t make sense to me. But that’s society. It takes time to implement change.”

“Look.” I reach the top of the hill. “We’re here.”

In front of us is the large meadow, nestled in its half circle of hills. The forest flanks it, to our right. I look down to see if I can find some marker that matches my mother’s map, but all I can see is a meadow.

“This will be harder than I thought,” Evan says. “But we only have until lunch before Roe has to send people after us, so let’s get looking.”

I walk down the hill into the meadow. Evan is far ahead of me. “I don’t understand,” he shouts back. “It should be in this general area. There’s nothing here—what are we supposed to do, start digging?”

Everything around us is tall and wild. What did my mother see? What stood out to her? I try to think about what she saw on the day she died; the day she chose her hiding place. That fateful day nine years ago. Then I realize something that answers my question.

“Evan!” I call out. “Evan, come here!”

He runs over to me. “What’s up,” he asks, out of breath.

“I think I figured it out. It was my birthday. The day my parents died. Well, my birthday was over a month ago.”

“I don’t get it.” Evan looks confused.

“The flowers.” I spread my arms. “They weren’t in bloom—my mother would have been able to see more of the ground. Those are terrain maps, right? They would have marked everything on the ground that stood out, rocks, logs, and whatever.”

“We need to canvass the area,” he says. “Here, hold my hand.”

He takes my hand in his and we begin walking around the meadow, making rows as we travel. We cover a good section where we think the “X” might land, but after an hour we take a break.

“I brought you this from the cafeteria.” He hands me an apple as we sit in the grass. “I know how much you love your fruit.”

“Thanks.” I take the bright red fruit and roll it in my hands. “Did you grow up with lots of fruit?”

“Nothing as perfect-looking as yours. We started to grow things organically, without any outside influences. They come out a little spottier and less hardy, but once the dome came down, we had to rely more on nature.”

“I didn’t get to eat much fruit while I was growing up. We were rationed in the apartment districts. One fruit, per week, per person. Sometimes Jak would sneak me some of his. Where he lived, extra rations came three times a week.”

“That’s terrible. People who live in better areas get better food more often? Even more reason to bring this place down.”

“It really wasn’t that bad,” I say. “I knew we were different, but didn’t think much about the divide. It wasn’t until I went to Jak’s ceremony that I saw how much more they get.”

“Jak was a good friend to you, wasn’t he?” Evan asks, fidgeting with his apple.

“He was. He always looked after me. But in the end, he was the one who had them bring me to the Axis.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

It wasn’t my choice, that’s what makes it bad. After my parents died, I made it my mission to make sure things that happened to me were my choice. Jak took that away from me, when it came to my contribution assignment. I sit in silence, unable to answer Evan’s question.

“If he hadn’t, we may have never been able to do this.” He runs his fingers across mine and leans over, brushing his lips along my neck. I reach up and entwine my fingers in his hair, as his kisses reach my lips, and move over to the opposite side of my neck. A small moan escapes my lips, and I open my eyes. A dark object sits in the grass behind Evan. My heart jumps in excitement and I push him away.

“What happened?” Evan says with disappointment.

“Look! Behind you. I think we found it.”

Evan rolls over and looks behind him. “I can’t believe it!”

He stands up and grabs the shovel and we run over to an old rotted log, decomposing amongst the grass. I nudge it with my foot and its fragile exterior caves in where I make contact.

“Where should we start digging?” Evan asks.

“I don’t think we need to,” I say. “I keep thinking about what my mother saw that day. She didn’t plan to hide this stuff. It just happened. She probably didn’t have a shovel, right? She found the next best thing.”

“The log,” Evan says, agreeing. He begins to push the log out of the way. Parts of it crumble in his hands, while other pieces are easy to push back. As the log breaks apart, it reveals a metal box.

I drop to my knees and grab the box with both hands. It shakes in my grasp. Evan puts his hands over mine, and I look up at him through blurry eyes as a tear escapes down my cheek.

He wipes it away. “It’s okay, Nat. You can do it.”

I slowly open the lid, which has rusted over, just as its surface deteriorated on the outside. As the lid lifts, my heart drops into the pit of my stomach.

“It’s ... empty,” my voice escapes in a whisper. “I can’t believe it. Where are the files? Where’s the proof?”

I look up at Evan, and he grabs the box from my hands, staring at it in disbelief. “It can’t be,” he says, shaking his head. “Maybe this is the wrong box?”

My head spins. All this build up for what? Nothing. If we can’t prove what my mother found, we can’t bring down the Director. Her death was for nothing.

Then I see it. I see the truth. It’s standing up on the hilltop watching us. His glasses and long scarf give him away. I jump out of the grass and lose all self-control.

“What did you do?” I scream at the top of my lungs. “What did you do to her?”

Waldorf stares at me from afar. I start running towards him but he disappears down the other side of the hill. Evan catches me before I reach the hilltop.

“Don’t stop me.” I push Evan away as he tries to reach for me. “It was him. Can’t you see? He took everything. He is the traitor.”

“Wait!”

“No!” I scream at Evan and break into a run, chasing after Waldorf. He’s much older than me, but I have to climb the hill to reach him, so I’m farther away than I’d hoped. I can see him far below, talking to Roe and packing up a vehicle. By the time I get to the bottom of the hill on the other side, Waldorf, Roe, and Mr. Richards are driving away.

Evan comes up behind me and I am about to yell at him again but instead I collapse in to his arms, sobbing. Defeat overtakes me. Mrs. Richards and Cardinal come running out of the forest, and I quickly let go of Evan and wipe my face.

“Where’s the other vehicle?” Mrs. Richards asks warily. “And my husband?”

“Waldorf,” Evan says.

“Oh dear,” Cardinal nods. “I guess we’ll find out now if he ever truly believed in the cause.”

My dreams haunt me. Uncle Alec stands on the other side of the dome, calling to me for help. Behind him, my parents are ripped apart by the infected. Their screams ring out, piercing my ears. “Run. Run away,” I scream. He doesn’t listen to me. As the infected reach him, I wake up in a cold sweat.

I try to sit up, but Evan’s arm is lying on top of me. He stayed with me last night. I feel safe knowing he’s here. But I also feel watched. I’m sure Evan’s ulterior motives are to keep me far away from Waldorf, until Roe has a plan. Waldorf—the man everyone thought loved my mother, when in reality he was the reason she was murdered.

The next day,
Evan is very quiet. He only responds with one-word answers and is withdrawn at breakfast. In the lab he storms out of Roe’s office, knocking some of the maps onto the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I kneel to pick up some of the papers.

“You have to ask?”

“It’s not my fault,” I shoot back.

“I’m sorry,” he grumbles. “Everything is stalled, now. What do we do? Your mother’s files are gone. I can’t get a straight answer from Roe at all. She keeps telling me the matter is being dealt with. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Has Roe ever let you down? She must have a plan, and she’ll let you know when the time is right.”

“Yeah. Well, it sure would be nice to know when that’ll be, as I rot in here.” He throws his hands up in the air.

“Rot?” My voice drops. “Is it really so bad here?”

Evan jerks his head up. “I didn’t mean that. I’m not myself today. I should go cool off.”

“Do you want me to come?”

“No. Stay here and find out what’s going on. Whatever happens, make sure you stay out of trouble.” He stares at me in silence, and then kisses me on the forehead before walking out of the lab.

Roe motions me into her office.

“What’s going on?” I ask as I walk in. “Evan is wound up. Can’t you tell us what’s happening with Waldorf?”

“I can,” she says. “After you talk to Waldorf. I tried rattling his cage all night with Richards, but he’s refusing to talk unless he can speak to you first.”

“Me?” I spit out a nervous laugh. “You can’t be serious?”

“I am. Your mom is the link between you and Waldorf. I think his guilt has finally caught up with him.”

“What if I don’t want to talk to him? I despise him. There’s nothing he can say that will change that.” I shake my head.

“If it’s our only chance to get your mother’s files, will you still ignore his request?”

“He still has them?” She nods and I let out a long sigh. “Fine.”

“That’s what I thought,” she says. “Here.” Roe hands me a key card. It reads
Microbiology Division
.

“He gave you this?” I’m shocked.

“Yes,” she says. “We’ve already taken a copy. He promises much more after he talks to you.”

“What am I supposed to say to him?”

“I don’t care if you say nothing,” Roe says. “But, get going before he changes his mind. He might be our only chance to destroy whatever they’re hiding in those labs, once and for all. I’m relying on you to tell me whether we can trust him or not.”

“I’m not qualified to make that decision.”

“Do you think any of us are?” she asks. “Do you think one day we all woke up and decided we were cut out for treason and espionage? No. But one day, thanks to your mother, we woke up and realized that everything here is a farce. There is no
Peace. Love. Order. Dome.
Instead there are these giant lies and the people in power who hide behind them.”

“But what if I’m wrong?” I ask.

“Trust your gut,” Roe advises. “They were
your
parents. If anyone should hate him, it is you. If you realize you don’t, then maybe there’s something we can use him for. Get going, Greyes. Now.”

I leave Roe’s office with ID card in hand. My coworkers’ stares burn into my back as I leave the lab. They all know. They all know that Waldorf was the traitor—the one who had my parents killed. And now they know I have to go beg him for the proof. I slam my hand against the elevator button. I’ll be damned if I beg for anything.

I walk into the elevator and slip the ID card into the slot under Floor 50’s button. Like B2, an ID card is the only way to get through the restricted access. I brace myself as the elevator whisks me up to Floor 50, faster than I can prepare.

I get off the elevator, shaking with each step I take. I need to face Waldorf, but the idea of confronting him scares me. I’m not afraid of him so much as I’m not ready to hear the truth come from his lips. But I don’t have a choice. I take a deep breath and push open a glass door that has his name written on it:
Karl Waldorf, Head Microbiologist
.

His dark and puffy eyes widen the minute I enter. I force myself to meet his gaze; he looks exhausted. Where did Roe and Mr. Richards take him last night? He looks as roughed-up as Evan did that day he left B2.

“You came.” He scrambles to stand and greet me. Thankfully, Mr. Richards is here with us. He puts a hand on Waldorf’s shoulder, pushing him back into his chair.

I make myself swallow, trying to moisten my mouth, which is so dry, I have to force my tongue to move. “You didn’t leave me a choice.”

“We all have a choice.” He plays with some papers on his desk.

“Well?” I cross my arms against my chest, willing myself to stay. “Get on with it, then.”

“Can we have some privacy, please?” My back stiffens as Waldorf makes his request to Mr. Richards, who looks at me with concern.

I nod. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll be outside this door, Nat. Call me if there’s trouble.”