I’M WALKING ALONE down the road leading to my village, Springhill. It’s the dead of night. Nothing can be heard but my footsteps against the dry dirt. The moonlight helps me see the village in the distance. Though the night hides much of its quaint features, it looks different than when I left less than two weeks ago. Maybe it’s the darkness. Maybe it’s the loads of material and equipment scattered about in preparation for Screven to build a wall around its newest colony.
So much has happened since I left. I’ve learned more about myself and the world around me than I thought possible. No one would have thought that I, Mora of Springhill, would ever have super powers.
But now I’m here, walking back to rescue my grandma, and my little brother, Jake, from the grips of Jeremiah and his soldiers.
Although I’m weaponless, I don’t fear the greyskins on this dark road. The supernatural gift I hold within me could take out any number of them. But now I know the ability to move objects with my mind is limited and can leave me drained of energy if I use it too much. It is a reality I learned only two days ago. Right now I would be dead if it weren’t for Connor.
I still can’t get the images out of my head. He has saved my life several times and he doesn’t even have the abilities of a Starborn.
His brother, Aaron, can make electricity bend to his will. Danny can lift a vehicle over his head. Heather can move faster than any being on Earth. But it was Connor who saved my life when the greyskins were close to devouring me. And he’s the only one who hadn’t been against Jeremiah. I’m not entirely sure what his view is now. He saw the way Jeremiah came after us. He knows that Jeremiah somehow sent the greyskins to Salem just so he could blame the Starborns for it. But Connor has been very silent about the whole situation.
As the colonists of Salem listened to Jeremiah’s declaration of our betrayal, Connor had pulled up with his truck and told me and the others to get in. All I remember from that moment was Aaron holding my hand tightly and the deafening sound of bullets slamming into the back of the truck. After ten minutes of chase, I did what I had to do.
I stuck my head up and raised my hands, ignoring the calls from everyone for me to get down. With heavy concentration, I was able to flip the pursuing vehicles. The chase was over in just a few seconds.
Connor didn’t stop driving for several miles. Finally, when it felt safe to do so, we stopped and checked ourselves for injuries. Though none of us said anything, we were all checking for bites and scratches too.
All of us were clean.
I still have the tiny canister that holds a blood-drawing needle in my pocket. If I wanted, I could test my blood to see if I’ve been infected. But I haven’t seen a greyskin since we left Salem. If I’d been bitten, I would have died and been a walking corpse by now. I can’t help but wonder if my special abilities would still work after my death. Would I still be moving things with my thoughtless mind? Would I have the power to pull people to me with an invisible rope so I could eat them?
I shake the thoughts out and shift my mind back to the task ahead of me.
Walking slowly, I think about the others that came here with me. All of them know that I can move things with my mind, but none of them except for Evelyn know that I can actually see someone from far away if I have been in physical contact with them. It’s a strange feeling. It’s almost like I am there with the person, even though I’m only there in spirit. They can’t see me. They have no idea. I have mixed feelings about this power. I like that I can see them and what they are doing, but I don’t like that I have to hide it from them. If Aaron or Connor knew that I could spy on their every move, they would probably never talk to me again.
It’s also something that I have a hard time keeping myself from doing. My mind drifts to Connor. He’s hunkered low behind some bushes just outside the village, holding tightly to his rifle. There are building materials all around him, something I’ve seen shipped in while watching my brother and grandma for the last two days. The wall that Jeremiah has ordered for Springhill will be stronger than the village has ever had before. It will provide true protection.
When I had originally gone to seek Jeremiah’s help, I had no idea that within a few days I would be attacking his guards to keep them out of my village. I know that on the outside it looks crazy. He’s building walls to protect my friends and family, but I’m here to stop him. I have to do this because I know that the walls come at a great cost. Springhill would have to give up its freedom. All Jeremiah wants is power over the rest of the world and he won’t stop until he’s gotten it or he’s dead.
I know he is against me, against all the Starborns, but I can’t help but feel the tug of war within me. Did the people of Salem have it so hard under his rule? Aaron seems to think they did. Since we all left Salem there has been little conversation among us, but last night I asked Aaron this question: “Before all this started, were people’s lives so bad within the walls built by Screven?”
“One doesn’t have to be near starvation to feel the weight of an unjust leader,” he told me. “Though there have been plenty of days that people of Salem have had to go without food. They strap the wristband to us so they can monitor everything we do. They tell us exactly what to grow in our gardens, then take most of it from us to feed the lazy people of Screven.”
“It wasn’t worth the price for protection?” I asked.
“It’s good to have the protection,” he said. “It’s better to have freedom and protection.”
Everyone else in the group heard this conversation take place. None of them chimed in — not even Connor who stared silently at the ground in front of him. I asked no more questions and told myself that it didn’t matter anymore. I’ve made myself an enemy of Jeremiah. I have made my decision to fight him and my path is now set. My family and friends don’t need the walls of Screven. We will build our own walls and learn to fight the greyskins off the best we can. Besides, they have me now. When I left, I was just a normal girl with a gun and knife. Now, I’m a girl with abilities like no other.
I’m a Starborn.
Springhill is much closer now. I feel that my feet carry me too rapidly to conflict. The trees are shadowed all around the village and within it. I’m sure that when Salem formed, the founders thought it would be a good location to hide from the greyskin herds. They were so wrong.
My vision changes to a view of Danny and Heather waiting just on the other side of Springhill, opposite of Connor. Normally, Heather’s temperament is as fiery as her bright, red hair, but now she seems anxious, maybe even scared. Danny rests a big hand on her shoulder and rubs it gently with his thumb. She turns her head and smiles briefly; a sight that is rare.
Aaron is alone, waiting just south of Connor’s position. During our planning, we knew Aaron would need to be in close proximity to an electrical source. He stands confidently among the trees near the Tower. It’s the tallest point at Springhill and the source of electrical power for the village. It’s also the most heavily guarded area of Springhill, so he will have to remain vigilant.
Evelyn stays with the truck. Though she is a Starborn, her talents are worth little in the physical realm. A handshake or a touch on the arm is all it takes for her to know everything about a person: their past, who they really are, and what they think. Even their memories. But a power such as that is useless in a fight. She didn’t argue when we told her to stay behind until the fight was finished.
It won’t be long until the Screven guards see me. I try to collect my thoughts. We have a plan to get rid of these guards though I’m not sure it’s a good one. I’m hoping to keep the killings at a minimum, but I suspect the guards won’t give up easily. If this is the case, they will die. All I really have to worry about is the safety of my family and the other villagers.
Jake and Grandma are asleep. It’s good because they are safe for the moment. It’s bad because they aren’t prepared for what is about to happen. There is another problem too. They are heavily guarded. Jeremiah must have ordered his men to keep a close watch on the two of them in case I show up. They may have already heard of what happened at Salem, but they don’t know from experience what we Starborns can do.
A light cuts through the darkness like a blade and floods over me. My hand reaches up to shield my eyes.
“Who goes there?” a commanding voice calls out from behind the light.
I don’t answer at first, but simply stand here and wait for my eyes to adjust.
“Is it a greyskin?” I hear another guard ask.
“Nah. It would still be walking if it were,” someone answers.
The loud voice sounds out again. “Identify yourself, or you will be shot. We have our sights fixed on you and we won’t hesitate to fire.”
“I’ve lost my way,” my voice cracks. My eyes still haven’t adjusted to the light. It’s so bright it’s difficult for me to open them. “I’ve been traveling for days, looking for food.”
“You will find none here,” the guard calls out. “Be on your way or you will be shot.”
I take a step forward and I can hear the sound of fingers gripping tighter to the metal guns, poised to fire bullets through my body.
“This is your last warning, traveler. Go back, or you will be shot.”
My hand drops from my eyes. I still can’t see a thing, but I can sense the anxiety from the guards on the other side of the light.
I take another step forward. Their grips tighten.
Nothing is said from the other side. I’m certain the guards are looking at each other, wondering if they should really shoot an innocent woman looking for food. My next step is the last straw.
“Fire!”
Each gunman squeezes off at least three, maybe four rounds. All I see are the bullets that would have hit me. With deep concentration, I turn the floodlight around on them. There are ten or twelve guards staring at me with mouths gaping open. Inches in front of me, bullets float in the air, still hot and spinning. With another thought, I send them shooting back exactly where they came from.
At least eight guards fall to the ground as their own bullets rip holes through their chests, legs, and arms. The leader of the guards stares at me, stunned at what he has just witnessed.
“Sound the alarm!” he yells out. “It’s the Starborn!” A screeching alarm rings out over the entire village, maybe waking every villager. And it’s probably loud enough to catch the attention of every greyskin for miles.
I take more steps toward the guard as he stands his ground. He pulls up a radio from his belt and says something to a Commander Burns, telling him to get the kid and the old lady.
Jake. Grandma.
A simple flick of my wrist sends the radio flying from his hands, though I’m sure the order has already been received. He pulls out a pistol from its holster and aims at me. I could throw it from his hands, but I don’t need to. He fires at me. I swat the bullet away like an annoying fly as I stomp forward. He shoots again and again. His gun is worthless on me. Twenty feet. Fifteen feet. Ten feet. He never cowers away. His clip is empty and I let the last bullet fall to the ground. Five feet away from him, I stop.
I reach out my hand as though I’m grabbing his neck. His feet dangle in the air as I lift him off the ground. His eyebrows jolt upward and his hands grab at his neck to try and tear away the invisible hand that holds him. Without saying a word, I command the radio back to the side of his head.
“Call them off,” I say. “Tell them it’s a false alarm.”
The guard says nothing, but only tries to shake his head.
“Call them off!”
He grits his teeth in refusal. With barely a wince, I smash the radio into the side of his head and slam him into the ground, annoyed by the noise of the ringing alarms. As I walk by his body, I don’t check to see if he’s breathing. I don’t care if he’s breathing.
Lights turn on all around the village as the commotion alerts guards and villagers to the threat. I’m sure most of them are thinking it’s another greyskin attack.
I jump behind a stack of building materials meant for constructing the walls around Springhill. With my mind, I seek out the others. We knew the alarm would sound. That was their signal to start the takeover.
Heather is moving faster than lightning, dagger in hand. Screven’s guards aren’t even able to see who or what is cutting their throats before they fall.
Danny is running alone. Some guards see him in the shadows, point their guns and shoot, but he ducks quickly behind some trees. The bark splits off on the other side of him, but then the guards fall to the ground as a blur runs past them. A smile forms at the corner of Danny’s mouth.
“Thanks, Heather,” he says.
“Don’t mention it,” she says, now standing next to him. “Come on, let’s get to the Tower.”
At the Tower, Aaron is stealthily making his way to the side entrance. Two soldiers stand ready at the doors, fingers on their triggers. Aaron closes his eyes, seeking out the nearest electrical current. The light above the door must have enough juice running through it to at least knock them off their feet. It smashes as a blue light zaps through the tops of their heads and they fall to the ground.
He tiptoes over to them and slings one of the guard's rifles over his shoulder while he cradles the other's gun in his hands. He reaches out to the door handle, but it’s locked.
Heather is running from place to place, clearing the path for a much slower Danny who is making his way to Aaron’s position. Guards don’t even have a chance to shoot as Heather takes them down one-by-one.
One guard jumps in front of Danny to shoot him, but Danny’s quick reaction takes the guard by surprise. Danny grabs the gun and rips it from the guard's hands, holding it like a bat. With a swing, he sends the man sailing to the dirt. The Tower is only about a hundred yards away from them now.
My eyes open wide, suddenly aware of my surroundings. None of the guards have seen me, but it’s only a matter of time. I can hear several of them shouting orders. Others are scrambling in the chaos to carry out those orders.
My job is to make sure Jake and Grandma are safe. Connor’s job is to help cover me in the next few minutes. It’s up to the others to secure the Tower. The Tower is the central location in the village of Springhill. The narrow, five-story building oversees the colony and stands above most of the trees. It acts as an electrical source for the village in its lower, basement levels, but also the meeting place for the elders. Once we take the Tower, we’ll assert our victory over the Screven guards that now have control over the village.
I stand with shaky legs. I’m not nervous because of the injuries I could sustain. I don’t even fear a stray bullet that could catch me off guard. I fear the death of my family. Jake and Grandma don’t have the same ability as I. They are as normal as any other person. All it would take is the squeeze of a trigger finger and the two of them would be dead, their bodies ripped apart by bullets.
I hear a distant loud crash directly ahead of me. I dare not close my eyes, but I’m sure that it is Danny breaking open the Tower door. They are in.
I walk slowly through the village. People have begun to emerge from their homes, craning their necks in every direction to see what the commotion is about. As people filter out, I am better able to stay hidden in the crowd. The guards don’t know what I look like. Some of them probably don’t even know I exist. Their bullets would be wasted on me. Now my biggest fear is being recognized by one of my fellow villagers. The darkness is my friend and I keep my head low as I walk steadily forward. My house is only a minute or so away. All I have to do is get there.
Guards yell for the villagers to get back in their homes. I can’t help but notice Bill, an elder, ignore the Screven guard as he rushes past.
“I said get back in your home!” the guard yells.
“Ah, shove off,” Bill answers. His large build and scraggily, red facial hair is more than enough to intimidate a normal person. But this guard has a gun, and he’s unafraid of the large man.
“This is your last warning,” the guard says, raising his gun up.
Bill hesitates for a moment, looking down the barrel of the rifle. “I’d like to see you put a bullet in an elder. See what the people of Springhill have to say about that.”
“You make the mistake of thinking that I care,” he says, squeezing too tightly on the gun. “Get back in your home.”
Bill shakes his head and takes another step forward.
Idiot. In a blink, I swipe my hand, tripping Bill at the ankles half a second before the shot booms through the air that would have sent his brains flying. He yells out curses as he flails in the dirt. The guard takes aim at him again and I swipe my hand a second time. The gun fires in the air, and with a twirl of my finger, swings around and slams the guard in the chin, knocking him out cold.
Bill scrambles to his knees, looking in every direction for what could have caused such a phenomenon. Then his eyes fall on me.
“Mora?” he says. “You’re back.” He stands to his feet and looks down at the guard on the ground. “What in the world is going on? We’ve heard rumors about you.”
“All of them true, I’m sure,” I say hurriedly. He rushes toward me as if to get a better look. “I’ve got to get to Jake and Grandma.”
He reaches out and grabs my arm before I can move. “They’ve got a tight rope on them,” he says. “Ever since they came in here. We knew you must have spoken to Jeremiah, but to see the Screven guards come in without you was weird.”
“There’s a lot to explain,” I say, pulling my arm from his grip. He lets go easily, and I continue my walk to my home. Bill follows closely behind.
“They say you’re a fugitive. That you and some others killed a bunch of guards.”
“That part isn’t true,” I say as I step behind a tree to hide from a group of guards making their way to the Tower. Bill quickly steps in behind me. “If you don’t want a bullet in your brain, I’d suggest you go back to your home,” I say.
“If the rumors are true, then I would say that was a threat coming from you.”
I raise up my hands. “I’ve got no gun.”
“I hear you don’t need one anymore.”
“How many guards are posted at my house?”
“Normally, five,” he says. “Now I bet there are twenty.”
“Thanks,” I say, beginning my walk again.
Bill follows.
“Go back,” I say. “I don’t want you involved with this.”
“I’m an elder,” he says. “I don’t have to do as you ask.”
I turn on him. Lifting up my palm, it’s as though I shove him to the ground with the force of a truck. He slides across the dirt on his back for a good ten feet. He begins yelling and cursing, and I fear the guards will hear him. But he won’t follow me anymore. My hasty walk turns into a jog, and from there it’s an all-out run until I reach the building nearest my home.
I stand in the darkness, scanning the area to see how many I might have to take on alone. Bill was right. About twenty guards surround my home, undoubtedly with Jake and Grandma inside. The guards won’t be a problem for me, but for my family, it’s another story. I can’t just go in thinking I can tear the guards apart without consequences. I’d bet several of them have a weapon trained on my little brother and grandma. No supernatural power could help them here. Except for maybe invisibility, but that is a gift I don’t possess.
The alarms throughout the village cease, and the silence is instant. The others must have made it to the top. Closing my eyes, I see all of them together inside the control room at the top of the Tower. Screven guards lay at their feet. Heather is busy looking for the controls to the loudspeaker system. Danny looks over his few scrapes and bruises. Aaron seems to be glowing from the electrical energy inside him. He certainly found his power source.
“You didn’t fry the speakers did you?” Heather asks.
“I didn’t think I did,” Aaron says.
Heather messes with a few of the buttons until a loud screech sounds through the air, then silence.
“It’s ready, go ahead,” Heather’s voice echoes over the village as the microphone picks up her voice.
I open my eyes, knowing Aaron now stands over the microphone.
“Soldiers of Screven,” he begins. “The Tower of Springhill has been taken and all of you are completely surrounded.”
I stand and watch as the guards surrounding my home look at each other and whisper their confusion and hold more tightly to their guns as uncertainty seizes their spines.
“You are now ordered to drop your weapons to the ground,” Aaron continues, “place your hands on your heads, and get on your knees. This will show us that you wish to live. Otherwise, you will be killed. There is no other option for you.”
The guards turn their heads more frequently now, unsure if what they are being told is true.
This is Connor’s time to shine.
“The countdown will begin for those of you still standing. Five…four…three…two…one…”
A shot from somewhere in the woods echoes through the night air, and one of the guards standing in front of my home falls to his knees, blood drooling from the exit wound in his chest.
The guards duck low, still standing as they scan the dark woods for the unseen shooter.
“Let’s try that again,” Aaron says. “Five… four… three…”
A couple of the guards drop to their knees, placing their hands on their heads. Others stand in bewilderment.
“Two… one…”
Another shot, another guard dead on the ground. The rest of them drop to their knees in surrender, fear gripping their insides.
The screaming starts.
“No!” a guard yells. “Get back up! As your commander, I order you to stand!”
The commander runs to the front door of the house, pistol drawn, and barges in as Aaron begins another countdown. None of us wore the Screven wristbands, and we don’t have radios, so the plan was for Aaron to stop after three countdowns.
A couple of the guards stand at the commander’s orders, more afraid of him than the phantom shooter.
“Two…one…”
The third and final shot sounds through the air and a third guard falls lifeless.
The commander smashes open the front door from the inside, pulling Jake and Grandma out onto the porch. He jerks them in close to himself, using them as a shield against Connor’s gun. I’m not confident in Connor’s aim at night to be able to take out the commander in a standoff. What if he misses? What if he hits Jake or Grandma? It’s up to me now, and that’s what I was afraid of. I have the ability to stop bullets, send objects flying at targets, or even slam someone with an invisible, crushing force, but I’ve never been in a standoff where someone I cared about was in harm’s way. I’ve never had to rely on such accuracy. If I mess up even a little bit, all will be lost.
What could I even use? I wish I still had my knife, but even that could prove too dangerous. What if I sent it straight for the commander’s head and in the last second he pulled Jake in its path? Would I be able to stop it in time?
“Come out and show yourselves!” the commander yells. His pistol moves from Grandma to Jake, back and forth. “I know there’s only a few of you! You’re nothing but murderers using scare tactics to stop good people from being protected.”
Lies. I can’t know for certain if this is something he has been ordered to say or something that he truly believes — something planted into his brain directly from Jeremiah. It doesn’t matter.
Out of the darkness, I step forward into the faint light of the moon. The commander’s head jerks toward me, as do Jake’s and Grandma’s.
“Mora!” Jake says through tears.
I want to smile at him, but I don’t turn my gaze from the commander.
“You,” the commander says. “You’re the one they’ve been telling us about. You’re the one with the powers.”
“Put down the gun,” I say. “You’re outmatched. If you hurt them, you and all your men will die.”
“No doubt, I’m sure,” he says. “You’ll kill us just like you killed the guards in Salem. In the darkness. Without mercy.”
My first instinct is to argue with him. To make sure Jake knows that I never touched those men. But the commander is just trying to draw me in. I won’t have it.
“Let them go,” I repeat.
“I don’t bend to the wishes of a murderer.”
I’m not sure what to do. The others and I went over this possibility during our planning, but we were never able to come to an agreement on how to get out of the situation. Aaron just said, “Do what you do. You’re a Starborn.” Connor would stare down his scope, as I’m sure he is now, looking for an open shot. I told him not to do it unless he was completely sure. Apparently he isn’t.
But how can I just do what I do? My brother and grandma’s lives are at stake. What can I do?
The commander’s pistol goes back and forth from Jake’s head to Grandma’s head. He is obviously frustrated and scared. He knows what he’s up against. Perhaps he truly believes that we killed all the guards in Salem. Maybe that’s the story Jeremiah has fed him. Truth is, I only killed Krindle. Rob died in the explosion. But those two were the real murderers. They killed their own guards so they could blame it on us. And they had somehow called in a giant herd of greyskins. Jeremiah had declared war on the Starborns.
The commander’s hands are shaking. I’m afraid that he could accidentally pull the trigger.
“Just put down the pistol,” I say.
“Give yourself up.”
“Okay.” I kneel to the ground and lift my hands in the air. “You’ve got me. I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize my family.”
The commander seems perplexed by this. His skin is slick with sweat and his teeth grind in anticipation. I kneel calmly.
Just do what you do.
My left hand falls slightly. Through the air, I grab hold of the commander’s wrist. His eyes widen in terror as he feels the invisible grip. With all his might he tries to move the pistol to Jake’s head, but I won’t let him. He tries to resist as his wrist contorts and turns toward his own head.
His arm shakes in resistance and he falls down to his knees as the barrel of the pistol is forced against his temple. He shouts out in fear, knowing he has no control over his next move. To anyone else looking, it would seem to be an act of suicide, but everyone knows better. All I have to do is focus on his finger to squeeze and pull the trigger.
Grandma and Jake scramble away from the commander toward my direction, but my eyes stay focused on the man that intended to kill them.
“Mora, we’re safe,” Grandma says through relieved tears.
I can barely hear her. The commander and I stare into each other’s eyes. He knows I’m about to kill him. I know that I don’t have to. I can’t help but listen to the voice in the back of my mind.
Jake is watching you. All he has heard in the past two days is that you’re a murderer.
My breathing is heavier. I want to pull the trigger. I have no desire to kill this man, but for a moment I imagine he’s Jeremiah. The man who had been the hope of our village only days ago is now our enemy. The commander is not the one I have to worry about. He is not the man that Jake should see me kill.
With a flick of my wrist, the pistol flings out of the commander’s hand. With another swing, I slam his head against the ground.
I can’t help but feel relief when Jake wraps his arms around my shoulders and my grandma kisses me on the cheek. Behind us comes the footsteps of Danny, Heather, and Aaron.
“Everyone okay?” Aaron asks.
“Yeah,” I say, looking at him in the eyes. His smile is bright even in the darkness. I hug Jake again, and am about to tell the others to begin gathering the guards when I see the commander moving. He kneels on the ground and pulls a gun from the dirt, aiming it at us. I’m about to try and block whatever he may send our way but a shot from the woods is all that is needed to stop the commander. Connor’s bullet shoots straight through his heart, ending whatever leadership these guards may have had.
I don’t know what the villagers of Springhill have been told about the Starborns. No doubt it has mostly been lies. But all of them will learn soon enough what has happened and what is going to happen.
All that matters is that Jake and Grandma are safe.
Jeremiah has already given Springhill what it needs. The materials for an impenetrable wall have already been delivered. Springhill’s protection is secure. At least, now that I’m here it is.