I KNOW TONIGHT is supposed to be the night. Papa’s note was more than clear. But when Waverly and I are pulled out of our cell about an hour after sundown, I can tell something is wrong, especially when we’re told Warden Black wants to see us.
As we walk, the guards marching behind us, Waverly reaches out and touches my hand. She looks at me and smiles. “Embrace what happens,” she whispers. “Trust your gift.”
“Stop talking,” one of the guards snaps.
I look away from her, not knowing what to think. We’ve talked about the fact that the Starborn blood is in me, but what do I need to be looking for? How will I know when it happens?
“How are you doing, ladies?” Hutch asks as we walk up to Warden Black’s office door. His smile is so wide and genuine.
“Fine, Hutch,” I say.
He opens the door for us, and we walk into the office. There is no hiding my surprise when I see Holbrook standing next to Warden Black’s desk. Black sits in his chair, not looking up at us when we enter.
Holbrook smiles smugly, his hands clasped behind his back. “Things have become so interesting since I was here last,” he says. He looks straight at me. “First, there is you. You lied to me in your interrogation. Your father is here. Prisoner 3,333. Liam. The blood test put you two as a match.”
“My parents are dead,” I say.
“The labs don’t lie,” he says. “You two are a perfect match. And you both have Starborn blood.” He walks in my direction and stands over me. “What can you do? What is your power?”
When I don’t answer, he smiles. He looks so much younger than Warden Black, so much more polished. He has a confidence that bleeds out of him.
“You know,” he says as he clasps his hands behind his back and starts pacing the junky office. “I am so tired of the inefficiency of this place.” He looks at Warden Black when he says this. Then he looks back at me. “The prison is shutting down tomorrow. All the guards will be gone, and all the inmates will be dead.”
He couldn’t have shocked me more than if he had me tied to a chair and electrocuted me again. I knew we were on the brink of something bad, I could feel it, but I didn’t realize it was this.
“Lucky for you, you’re going to be spared,” he says. “I’ve got plans for you. We need to find out what you and your father can do.”
“He’s going with us?” I ask, forgetting to lie, knowing I can hide no longer.
“Of course,” he says.
All of a sudden, I feel like it would be better to be shot and killed than to be taken anywhere with Holbrook.
“That is unless you can tell me now,” he says. “Can you do anything? What is the gift that resides within your blood?” He stops in front of me and reaches out and grabs me by the neck, but I don’t even feel it as a bright white light flashes in front of my eyes.
The room is hazy, and it’s like I see it from an outside view. Waverly and I aren’t in it, and it’s just Holbrook and Black sitting across from each other.
Holbrook sets a brown leather shoulder bag on the desk. “There are ten more Pass Cards. When those guards end their shift tonight, we can give those out.”
Black nods. “Are you sure the plan is for tomorrow? Are you sure we can’t just lock them in?”
“If we just lock them in, they will escape. The guards have enough guns. We can kill them all. I’m taking the girl and her father with me, but if the father makes things difficult, I’ll use the girl as leverage.” He stands from his seat and walks to the other side of the desk. “And if prisoner number nine is who I think she is, you have a lot to answer for.”
Black looks up at him, stunned. “What are you talking about?” Black starts to stand, but Holbrook shoves him back into his seat.
“I’ve looked into the records. I’ve looked through every prisoner number. Prisoner number nine doesn’t have a name next to her number and I have never questioned her. But if she’s who I think she is, I’m going to make sure you’re arrested when we get to Screven.”
“Arrested for what? Mismanagement of records?”
“For hiding a Starborn. I don’t think that would go over very well with Jeremiah.”
Black hunkers down in his seat and crosses his arms.
“Did you call the girl and her cellmate?”
“Yes,” Black says.
“Did you call the father?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Another flash of light and I’m back in the present, Holbrook’s hand around my throat. “I said, what power do you possess?” he screams.
“Stop it!” Waverly yells out. “She may have Starborn blood, but that doesn’t mean she knows what her power is!”
Holbrook lets go of my neck and stares Waverly down. “Do you know who I am?” he says, pulling a knife from his belt.
“I do,” she says.
“You left me for dead all those years ago.”
“It’s because of me you’re alive. I don’t have a lot of regrets in my life, but you breathing right now is certainly one of them.”
Holbrook slams the butt of the knife against Waverly’s cheek, and she falls to the ground with a thud..
“No!” I scream.
What is going on? What could they be talking about? What just happened to me? I know I just saw a vision of the past—the few moments before Waverly and I walked into the room. Holbrook and Black were planning to kill everyone. Once Papa gets here, Holbrook might even kill me.
A crackle from the radio on Black’s desk cuts through the air.
“Sir, we’ve got a problem.”
“What is it?”
Prisoner 3,333 isn’t in his cell. It’s empty.”
My heart pounds in my ears.
Black swears, slamming the radio down on the desk. He presses the button then brings the radio to his mouth. “Find him.”
“Looking now, sir!”
Waverly is back to her feet and Holbrook holds his knife menacingly. “Where’s Liam?” he spits. “I know you know.”
The radio crackles again. “Code red, code red! All the prisoners have been released from their cells! Code red!”
Holbrook and Black look at each other, their eyes wide. Then Holbrook turns to Waverly. “You knew this was going to happen,” he says. “Because you’re a Starborn. One who can see the future. You’ve orchestrated all this. Haven’t you?”
“I have orchestrated nothing,” she answers as she pulls herself to her feet. She rubs her cheek with the palm of her hand. “You brought this upon yourself. The world has suffered because of people like you and Jeremiah. This is just the beginning of the end for all of you.”