Ava

When Rhett had told me about Hope City, I’d wanted a tour of the place, but he hadn’t known if he could trust me, and I didn’t blame him.

I shoved my arms through the sleeves and buttoned up eagerly.

“You missed one.” Rhett unbuttoned and then rebuttoned my shirt.

My lips quirked when he met my gaze.

He paused and though he was looking at me, he was somewhere else in time. “Do you remember the move I taught you the first day of training?”

I dipped my head. Though I didn’t want to disappoint him, I didn’t intend to lie. “No. Sorry. I don’t.”

Rhett placed his finger under my chin to tilt my head. “Hey. Don’t be sorry. Don’t ever feel sorry for what you can’t control.” Lowering his hand, he gave me a sideways glance. “You might think you don’t remember, but I bet you do.”

I gave him an inquisitive look. Before I could ask him what he meant, his fingers came close to clasping around my throat. I acted on instinct.

I gripped Rhett’s wrist, twisted without breaking my hold, and slammed him into the glass wall. My elbow pressed the crook of his neck while my other hand held his arm behind his back. One side of his face was pressed to the window.

Rhett would never hurt me, but at that moment, Rhett had become my foster father—the cat taunting the mouse before the kill. I’d become the terrified rat he had called me.

I was only thirteen. I had just lost my mother. He was the monster in my nightmares. The monster under the bed and inside my closet. But I was grown now, no longer would I be afraid.

Then my foster father became Mr. Novak. He was the monster, a monster that needed to burn in hell for eternity.

“See, I was right.” Rhett’s voice was distorted by his lips kissing the glass.

“Don’t ever do that again, Rhett.” My rapid breathing slowed, calming my palpitating heart. “You know I don’t like to be in a choke hold.”

How was I sure he knew that? It came out so naturally. I had begun to recall many past memories and being with Rhett was sure to bring back more.

“You know that I know that.” He sounded giddy, but the glass still muffled his voice. “You can let me go now. And I wasn’t going to choke hold you. I wanted to fix your collar.”

I inclined my head. My collar was turned inward, but I didn’t believe him. “You’re lying.” I shoved harder, just to prove that I could.

“I swear. I’ll fist bump swear it.”

Fist bump swear. I blinked from the familiarity of those words. “Fine.” A cackle escaped me. Instead of releasing him, I wanted to play a bit more. After all, he’d kidnapped me again. “But why should I let you go? You shot me with sleeping serum.”

“I didn’t. Ozzie did.”

I contorted my brow, baffled. “Ozzie?”

Rhett had stood behind me, but then I recalled Ozzie leaving his station next to Reyna.

“And you should take a look. We have company.” Rhett’s breath fogged up a section of the glass.

From this position, I had a clear view of the door. I hadn’t made an effort to shift to see who was on the other side of the window.

I slowly craned my neck. Reyna’s eyebrows spiked high with her arms crossed, as if to say, what did you do, Rhett? Ozzie’s jaw dropped. Standing beside them were ... holy cow ... about twenty children. They were all snickering, pointing at Rhett.

Rhett had mentioned children in Hope City, but to actually see them filled me with exuberance. I immediately dropped my hands as if I had been doing something naughty only to be caught by many little people. The youngest looked to be about five and the oldest, perhaps thirteen.

Seeing these children, especially the older ones, reminded me of the kids who had captured Mr. Palmer. I made a mental note to ask about them.

“Children.” I backed away as if they were some kind of anomaly I should be afraid of.

Rhett flexed his jaw and his arm, and then made circles with his shoulders. “They’re sweet, or at least some of them are.”

“Sorry.” My eyes were glued to them until Reyna led them away. I turned to Rhett. “I ... I’m a little bit jumpy.”

“I understand.” Rhett caressed my cheek. “You went back to ISAN with a new truth. And you’re remembering your past. It’s all happening at once. It can’t be easy for you.”

Inhaling Rhett’s scent and soaking in his words, I laid my head on his shoulder with a deep sigh. Breathe in and breathe out. He seemed to be my voice of reason, my foundation. This time I would not crumble.

My shattered walls were going back up, brick by brick. They would be stronger. No sticks. No straw. Just bricks.

Rhett kissed my forehead and the world seemed to right itself. “I’m going to fix your collar and then I’ll give you a tour. Please don’t hurt me.”

His shirt muffled my laugh.

After Rhett was done, he placed his chipped hand on the scanner. When the door slid open, he gestured for me to go first. I had a vague idea of what Hope City would look like, but I’d never imagined a place just as ruined as the Abandoned City.

The demolition of the grand building had created a dome-like cavern. Sunlight beamed through the countless cracks in pinpricks. Some solar panels had survived the destruction, providing light in the darker places.

Tents were pitched in neat rows. And toward the far back, where sunlight seemed to be the brightest, chickens roamed a gated pen inside a massive garden.

Haunting. Beautiful. Serene. No words seemed sufficient. I consumed the view and dipped my head bashfully when I noted many staring at me.

“Ava.” Reyna gave me a quick nod and a small smile. “It’s good to see you. I guess this means you are Team Rebel now.”

“It’s good to see you, too. Yes, Team Rebel.”

Those two words sounded silly coming out of my mouth. I had always been Team Ava. ISAN never felt like it was my home or part of me. I’d only stayed because I’d had no choice. And when Brooke and I became friends, I hadn’t wanted to leave her.

I’m coming, Brooke. Hold on.

“Hello, Ava.”

Ozzie kept his distance, but his hint of a smile told me he was happy to see me. Either that, or he was afraid of what I would do to him when I found out he’d been the one to dose me. I still resented he had taken the choice from me, but appreciated he cared enough to want to bring me here.

I could have played with him, made him squirm, but that was Mr. Novak, not me. I let it go and decided not to mention it—at least not right now.

“It’s good to see you, Oz.” I smiled big for him.

Ozzie relaxed his shoulders and rewarded me with a wide but thin-lipped grin.

“I’m taking Ava on a tour.”

As if those words from Rhett were some kind of cue, Reyna and Ozzie walked away, stating they had to take the kids out and would see me later.

When Rhett paced ahead, I followed, my feet grinding on gravel. The aroma of baked chicken made my mouth water and my stomach cramp. According to my observation of the sun’s position, it was time for lunch.

“There are two parts to Hope City. Families reside at this building, which is not actually a building, but what was once.” Rhett pointed to a long section of small boulders lined in a row. “That section is reserved for schools, meetings, and dining. Behind it, there’s a place to store food, and there are old stoves and fireplaces for cooking. In the farthest section, outside of this lovely home, is a stream and a well.”

I passed by women and men setting up utensils and plates. Some plates were chipped, but in usable condition. Then we went into the garden.

“They have a system. They work in shifts. Everyone contributes, even children to some degree.” Rhett offered me his hand.

Holding his hand felt different this time. I felt more relaxed, comfortable. We climbed over debris and chunks of cement and wood. Embedded amid the rubble were broken pieces of computers, tables, chairs, cabinets, and glass.

This place held history. People had worked in this building long ago. I wondered who they’d been and what their lives had been like before the meteors. How frightened they must have been.

With nowhere to run, or hide, it was like accepting death. Then I wondered if people were buried beneath the wreckage. Images of skulls and bones under my feet made me grimace.

“This doesn’t change anything. I have to go back and get Brooke out.” I wanted to get that out. This topic would come up again sooner or later. I also needed to stop thinking of corpses.

Rhett continued to hold my hand and climbed higher. “Let’s talk later. Be careful. Going down can be tricky. Follow my trail.”

I let go of his hand and hiked down to match his step. I slipped when I caught a glimpse of sub-gliders almost identical to ISAN’s. I laughed at myself. An assassin who had trouble maneuvering debris.

As soon as Rhett touched the ground, kids came through a makeshift door and bombarded him with hugs. Reyna and Ozzie smiled fondly as the other kids raced past them to get to Rhett.

The older kids gave him room, but the younger ones adored him, pushing each other aside to hug him as if he were Santa Claus.

Something inside me melted as Rhett bent to return the embraces and high fives.

“Who’s she?” a little boy asked with crooked teeth.

Rhett ruffled his hair. “She is Ava, Daniel.”

“Is she your girlfriend?” Daniel chuckled.

Jubilant laughter filled the air.

Rhett straightened. He looked at me with a knowing smile. “Yup. She is. At least I think she is. I hope it’s not one-sided.”

The gooey part inside me melted even more.

“What were you doing?” Rhett asked no one in particular.

The little ones stopped giggling.

A girl about thirteen years old eyed me and shifted from one hip to the other with a bit of sassiness. “We were playing broomball. Do you know how to play?”

Her braided hair had loosened, her cheeks were caked with a smudge of grime. Sweat dampened her forehead. Thin and pale, she reminded me of myself when I was her age. I couldn’t tell by her tone if she was challenging me or simply curious.

“I’ve never played, but I’m sure I can learn.” I gave her the same attitude back by twirling my neck the same way she had. Yup, she was just like me. I’d like her.

“Stella.” Reyna sighed through her nose, her tone somewhat scolding.

It seemed Reyna had enough of Stella. I bet she could be a handful.

“We just finished.” Reyna loosened her hold on her broomstick, letting it dip away from her. “We’re not playing again. Maybe after lunch. Maybe Rhett can ...”

Reyna tossed her broomstick at Rhett, but I caught it without even turning his way, my reflexes on high alert.

The little ones ooooohed and clapped like I was their hero.

“I want Ava.” An older boy’s eyes lingered on me a bit longer than necessary.

Rhett cleared his throat and draped his arm around the boy’s shoulder. “Jasper, you mean to say you want Ava on your team. Come with me. It’s time for lunch.” He winked at me.

His wink sent all sorts of heated tingles through every nerve ending in my body.

“Jealous much?” Reyna snickered.

“Yeah, he is.” Ozzie cackled, holding his belly.

“Shut up, Ozzie.” Rhett’s loud voice bounced off the wall.

Ozzie frowned. “Reyna said it, not me. He always picks on me.” He kicked a pebble for show, pouting like a spoiled child.

The kids’ laughter filled my heart with joy.

Reyna shook her head and giggled. “Grown-ups acting like little children. The show is over. It’s lunchtime.”

All the children whooped and dashed behind Rhett, who was still holding onto Jasper.

“The last group there gets to wash the dishes,” a child announced.

Feet shuffled faster.

“So ...” I sauntered between Ozzie and Reyna and draped my arm around Ozzie’s shoulder. “Rhett told me Ozzie is the one who shot me up with the sleeping serum. Care to explain?”

Ozzie stiffened but kept his pace even. “He did, did he?” He gritted his teeth. “I’m not going to lie. You don’t seem to understand. Ever since you went back, the cards have changed. You’re not safe there, even with Mitch watching your back. Tell me, how often is he around? He has his duties and his own agenda.”

I had to admit Ozzie was right. I only saw Mitch during training or in missions, and that was about it. In truth, I would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed, so I couldn’t be mad at him.

“True.” I patted Oz’s shoulder to confirm. “He’s not around much.”

“Mr. Novak knows more than he shares. If he hasn’t already, he’ll find out Rhett isn’t dead. He’s going to use you and then get rid of you. I did what I thought was best for you, even knowing you would be furious. Rhett was taking too long, so I stepped in. That way, you can be mad at me and not at him. See, it all worked out. Besides, you mean more to me than you realize. I’d rather have you safe with us. You may not remember, but ...”

I halted. Ozzie and Reyna realized a few seconds later I was no longer with them.

“I do remember.” My stomach clenched. “I can’t remember everything, but I do remember we were friends. Not just friends, but family. I remember—no—I feel ...” I gripped at my chest, choking up. “I remember bits, mostly, flashes of old memories, but they’re full of emotions.”

Reyna’s eyes glistened and she slowly tilted her lips. But Ozzie, big, lovable, teddy bear Ozzie, his eyes were so wide I thought his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets. He took three long swift strides toward me and wrapped his big body around mine. I released the tightness in my heart and squeezed him back.

“I missed you so much.” His words were muffled in my hair, his voice shaky. “Welcome back, old friend.”

I let the tears slide down my cheeks. When I lifted my head, I spotted Rhett standing on top of the debris, sunlight pouring down on him. The children were still and looking right at me, mimicking Rhett.

Rhett’s grin not only sent warmth through me, it said it all.

A little triumph, but a step.