Chapter Thirteen

I lock the door behind me, and then bolt to the closet to see if Caius is there, waiting. He’s not. He should be here by now. I start to pace and twist my fingers together in a braided knot. I’m afraid something has happened to him.

Plopping onto my bed, I grab my AllinOne. It’s still open from earlier so I stare at the screen, hoping for a new message.

Goose egg.

Something’s wrong. I can feel it.

Maybe I can find the way to Jax’s house on my own. How hard can it be? He’ll listen to me if I ask him to do something. Won’t he? After the way he treated me in the last few weeks before school was out, I can’t be too sure. I can always lie and say that I want to see my kitten. Surely, he still has her.

I put on a dark T-shirt and dance warm-ups. They are the closest things I have to real clothes other than the few pieces my sponsors have given me. Glancing at Clipper, I take a deep breath and then move into the closet.

Outside, there’s an enforcer at the entrance to our dorm. Finding out what happened to my family is a burning fire in my belly and I can’t give up or go back now.

I climb out of the pipe and skim in the opposite direction of the dance studio, of the sentry. My back is flat against the wall and the brick catches the cotton fabric of my shirt. I tug it away, figuring I’ll circle around the back of the building and slip into the trees.

From there, I wind my way to the towering oak. I wish Caius was here and I’m worried about what might’ve happened to him. Every noise puts me on edge. But I keep going. If the council has their way, I’ll never find out what happened to my family. I still don’t believe what they say about my brother is true. He would never hurt anyone. I’m certain of that.

With his tech skills, Jax is my best chance to find out the truth. Sending a message through our AllinOnes is too risky. The message would leave a trail.

Caius told me where Jax lived before. I made him describe his house and what it was like to be outside of school property. I can find it. There’s no way to contact him without drawing attention, except to sneak out and go to his house. He’s in trouble. He’s dropping a hint. There has to be a better way to communicate. I don’t know how to make messages pop up and disappear like he does. And I want to see my friend.

The night air is warm, humid, still. There’s nothing to mask my footsteps. I walk as lightly as I can. By the time I make it to the tree line, a thin sheen of sweat is already forming on my brow, a mix of nerves and humidity.

There’s so much rolling around in my head by the time I climb the oak. My heart is thrumming against my ribs. I turn at every chirp.

Part of me wishes that I’d run into my boyfriend, that he’d be waiting for me on the hill. I hop down and lose my balance, rolling halfway down the hill until I can stick my leg out to stop me. Grass is everywhere. In my hair, my eyes, and all over my clothes. I’m thankful that the ground isn’t wet.

Caius isn’t there.

I crest the hill and look down. Icy fingers close around my spine at the thought of running through the cemetery alone. It’s beautiful in a weird way. But also creepy when I think about the fact that so many dead people are inside that gate. I scale the fence and my warm-up catches on the hook at the top, ripping a chunk of cloth. I fall on my backside. The fleeting thought that I should run back the other way disappears, and I push up to my feet.

I block out the images rolling through my head, the one where a dead person’s hand pushes out of a grave and grabs my ankle is harder to forget.

By the time I reach the other side, my nerves are on edge. I’m at the main entrance now and once I take a few steps out the other side, I have no idea what I’m going to find. If it’s unsafe in any way or someone’s watching Jax’s house, I’ll bolt.

He’s Legacy but his family isn’t as well off as Caius’s. I imagine that my boyfriend lives in an estate similar to the Chaffee’s place. Jax’s house is large and it sure doesn’t look like his family is hurting for anything, but it’s not as grand as an estate home. He lives on a tree-lined street filled with two-story colonials. His street is all white siding, black shutters, and columns. There are only two classes of people in Maine; wealthy and poor. The only diversity is how wealthy. Our life in Chicago was the same. Is it like this in every country?

I’m standing in the very back of Jax’s yard trying to remember if he has a dog. I don’t recall him saying anything about one before and I would remember something like that. I have no idea which room is his bedroom and I’m terrified to get closer. But then I didn’t come all the way here to go back empty-handed.

From the windows, the kitchen is in the back of the house and takes up three-quarters of the right-hand side. There’s a formal dining room to the left. It connects to a formal living room as I walk the perimeter. Jax’s mother bounds down the stairs. She’s looking down, distracted by a spot on the floor. But then, she’s not expecting someone to be staring at her from outside. I feel like a creep, slinking around in the middle of the night.

Jax’s mother turns, her back is toward me, and I exhale. A hand covers my mouth, suppressing my scream.

“It’s me.” Jax’s familiar voice whispers in my ear. I can barely hear him over the sound of my own heartbeat, which is like a mallet tenderizing my rib cage.

I force calm over me that I don’t feel as I drop-spin out of his grip. Thanks to Rhys, I’ve gotten pretty good at defensive maneuvers. That, and the fact that I grew up with a brother who treated me like an equal and not some fragile doll.

“Don’t yell.” He glances around, and it quickly becomes evident that he’s not only worried about his family finding me.

I hear drone noise in the background.

“Get inside.” We slip inside the house using the back door and he leads me up a back staircase to his room. He turns on his closet light and cracks the door. He’d already closed his bedroom door and placed a rolled-up shirt at the bottom so no light can leak into the hallway. Jax is paranoid.

He motions for me to sit near the window. It’s the farthest place from the door.

“What’s going on?” I whisper as he hands me Chelsea. I snuggle the kitten up to my face. She’s unbelievably soft, and her fur tickles my cheek.

“They have surveillance drones on my house.” He takes a seat directly across from me. Our knees are practically touching. I don’t move back.

“Who?” What would anyone want with him? He’s Legacy and a good student. Sure, he gets into trouble, but it’s summer break.

“The school. The council. I’m not sure. Someone’s been keeping an eye on me ever since”—his eyes flash at me—“your birthday.”

“When you tried to give me that note?” I stare at him, waiting for an answer.

I think he’s going to tell me more, but he looks away. There’s so much anguish in his expression I don’t push for an explanation.

“How did you know it was me outside just now?”

“I set up security alerts once I noticed the drones making routine rounds.” He retrieves his AllinOne and then takes his seat again as he holds up the screen. “I rigged a camera outside that’s motion sensitive and wrote a program to send an alert every time it detects movement. You can’t imagine how many times I’ve jumped out of bed only to find a squirrel. But it’s a good system.”

He’s excited. He has that glittery look in his eyes like he only gets when he’s talking about technology. He’s brilliant actually.

“That’s amazing, Jax.” I’m in awe of his talent. This is the first time things are like old times between us. I stroke Chelsea and she purrs. She arches her back and then climbs off my lap and into his.

This makes Jax extraordinarily pleased with himself.

“You thought I’d kill her. Told you I could take care of a cat,” he says with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

I smile, too, relieved for the break in tension. And then I remember the real reason that I’m here.

“They said my brother is dead.”

“Who did?” His smile fades.

“Eleanor Chaffee. The headmaster. Councilwoman Snyder.” I don’t lift my eyes to meet his.

“When did they say it happened?” That’s not the reaction I’m expecting. He’s not shocked at all, and I realize he must’ve been trying to tell me that day in class.

“Around my birthday. They say that my mother and brother are dead, and my brother is responsible for setting a fire that killed others.” Tears threaten. I fight them back, determined to maintain my composure.

“Your mother? When?” He’s as stunned as I was when I first heard.

“Not long after my brother supposedly went rogue and tried to kill a councilman. They say he killed his wife and children. There’s no way. Trevor would never…” a sob escapes before I can suppress it, “hurt anyone.”

“I know.” He’s attempting to reassure me. He’s never met my family. They were never allowed on campus. The only things he knows about them are what I’ve told him. “I tried to warn you, but you already know what Mrs. Randol did.”

“So you knew,” my voice is so low.

He shoots a look of apology but I’m not ready to accept it. There’s holding out information and then there’s this.

“I’ll do what I can to find out more. They might be on to me”—he gets a twinkle in his eye—“but I’m smarter than they are.”

“I don’t want you to do anything that could put yourself at risk,” I warn. I’m still mad. I understand that he had to hide the news from me. It’s still not cool.

“Come on, Tori,” he snorts. “When would I ever get myself in trouble?”

We both laugh at that one. When wasn’t he getting himself in trouble was a better question?

“I’m serious, Jax,” I say. “This isn’t setting an accidental fire in the History building because you overclocked your AllinOne.”

His expression turns serious and his right hand goes over his heart. “I’m glad you use big words now, like, ‘overclocked,’” he teases.

We both laugh.

A noise in the hallway startles us. He reaches over and shuts his closet door, effectively cutting out all the light. The room is plunged into darkness and all I can hear is us breathe. My heart’s racing and so is Jax’s but I don’t think for the same reason.

Time for me to ghost.

All is quiet after a stressful few minutes that feel like they stretch on for an hour.

“I better get back to my dorm before someone realizes I’m gone.”

Jax makes no move to open the closet door again.

“Tori,” he says so quietly that I almost don’t hear him.

“Yeah?”

“If Caius hadn’t come along when he did, do you think…” my friend gets so deadly quiet that I hold my breath, “never mind.”

There’s a long and awkward silence.

“Are we okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, sure,” he responds but it sounds like the wind has been knocked out of him.

“I miss hanging out together,” I add.

“Me, too,” he concedes.

“Do you still talk to Adalynn?” I’d told myself that I wasn’t going to ask, wasn’t going to care. And yet, her rejection still stings.

“Not really,” he says, adding, “summer,” like that explains everything.

Maybe it does.

“I better go.” This feels like the last time I’ll ever see him. Everything is dramatic and over-the-top lately and I think it’s because I miss my family. I’ve been off balance ever since hearing about my mother and Trevor.

Jax leads me outside. We stand in the yard for a few minutes, searching for drones in the air.

“When I find news about your family, I’ll send it over the AllinOne. I’ll use the disappearing message feature.” Before I can respond, his arms encircle me and he’s pulling me in for a hug.

I hug him back.

We stand there for a long while after, neither one of us knows what to say. It should be awkward, but it isn’t.

“I’ll be on the lookout for a message.” I finally speak first and I’m surprised that my voice is husky. I blame it on the fact that my eyes are starting to water.

“I’m sure that I can find something,” he reassures.

I should be relieved. I’m not. Sadness overwhelms me.

“Okay. I better go.” I turn and run, not want to show how thin my grip on my emotions are.

I make it to the cemetery before the sobs begin. When I can’t hold them back any longer, I drop down on my knees and cry. I can’t explain the emotions overtaking me. It’s late and I’m worried that Lieutenant McAvoy has been searching my room but there’s so much more than that. With everything spinning out of control I have no idea what will happen next. Everything I’ve been working for is gone. Poof.

Pushing up to my feet, I grunt when I’m knocked over. I feel the exact spot of contact explode on my ribs. Scrambling to right myself, I catch a glimpse of Rhys as he moves to stand over me.

His foot connects with my side again and I go flying. I cough, gasping for air.

“Think you can slink around at night and not get caught, Aldridge? Think again.” His foot slams into my hip.

I curl up in a ball to protect my vital organs.

“What’s your problem, Rhys? Do you need to beat up on a…a…girl to make yourself feel bigger?” The word is all I can think of at the moment. It falls short.

He circles me with a wicked grin. Any thought that this guy could’ve ever been cute dissipates. Good looking people could be quite ugly once their true personalities came out.

“Big vocabulary escape you right now, Aldridge?” he taunts.

I keep my arms in tight. He wants to hurt me. I can see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. He’s been waiting for this opportunity for three years and he has that my-ship-has-come-in sneer.

I want to punch him in the face. Put another bruise on his cheek to match the one Caius gave him.

“Where’s your boyfriend now?” Rhys snarls, and then jabs his foot into my shoulder.

I wince and swallow my scream. I won’t give him the satisfaction of hearing me call for help.

“Anything happens to me and I’ll report you.” My argument is weak, and he knows it. I can tell by the devilish grin on his face.

“Who says I don’t have permission to be out here? I’m not an experiment-gone-wrong like you. I have a right to be here.” Rhys circles again and I’m being patient, waiting for an opportunity to strike back. As it is, he won’t stop until I can’t walk away from here.

“What is your problem?” I ask. My attempt to distract him fails.

“You. And all the other people like you. None of you belong here. You don’t deserve to be with us.” He circles me like a buzzard ready to pick at a dead carcass. His temper is rising like flames from an out-of-control fire. “The council will be made to see the problems your kind causes in our society. I don’t care what they try to do, you’ll never be one of us.”

“Snyder won’t like this,” I warn.

“She’s not going to be in power much longer. She’s a puppet and she doesn’t deserve the office.” Rhys kicks me again. This time, I catch his foot and spin, tripping him and taking him down with me. At least we’re on a level playing field now. I can outrun him if I can manage a head start.

I throw punches and kick as hard and fast as I can. My fist connects with his jawbone, causing his head to snap back. Pain shoots through my knuckles.

I feel one of his hands tangle in my hair. He lifts my head and lands a hard right on my cheek. My face explodes and I cry out.

“You’re supposed to be so perfect. What are you going to do now?” Rhys says and there’s so much venom in his voice. I have no idea what I’ve done to make him hate me this much. But then maybe a guy like him doesn’t have to have a reason. He just hates.

I curl my right leg up until I can position my foot on his chest. With everything I have inside me, I kick. Rhys is jolted back. He’s cussing and I hear him spit. Blood? I sure hope so.

There’s enough room in between us for me to scramble to my feet. My head is already pounding but adrenaline has kicked in. I’m shaking, but it gives me the boost needed to run up the hill toward the Oak.

Rhys’s heavy footsteps aren’t far behind me and I can hear his breathing. Short. Pant-like breaths. I don’t risk looking back. It might slow me down a half-second and mean the difference between making it onto that branch and going another round with him. I’m already going to pay enough of a price for the last one.

I reach for the branch and expect to be jerked back at any second. I hear curse words and the sounds of someone rolling down the hill. Rhys must’ve tripped. Thankful for the lucky break, I scramble onto the branch. He won’t be far behind and I’ll have to slow down and keep an eye out for drones. Can I break the branch and make it impossible for him to follow? I jump up and down until I hear a cracking noise. One more and half the branch breaks, and then tumbles onto the ground.

A few seconds later, Rhys crests the hill and curses. He’s stranded. He’s not supposed to be here, so he won’t tell on me.

I pray that Caius is safe in his dorm room and not looking for me over that hill or he’ll be as isolated as Rhys.

My heart is a frantic drumbeat in my chest as I climb down and then lose myself in the trees. I hardly realize I’m limping until pain throbs up my leg. I must’ve rolled my left ankle. There’s no time to stop and deal with it now. I push on.

By the time I reach my room, my head is pounding against my temples. Caius isn’t there and my heart weighs heavy in my chest.

I check my AllinOne.

No messages.

After a shower, I fill my tub with cold water and soak my left ankle. It’s swollen up like a balloon and is black, blue, and a few shades of gray. There’ll be no dancing on that for a while. I wrap it as tightly as I can with a cold, wet hand towel.

My face hurts. There’s a cut on my cheek that looks bad enough to leave a scar and another on my hairline. At least I’ll be able to cover that one easily. I put on the sweater Trevor gave me and tug the sleeve over the white burn marks on my arm.

This time, I don’t want to cry. Dance is the one thing keeping me sane in this nightmare. The thought of having that taken away even for a little while makes me want to scream. I want off this crazy ride and out of this nightmare.

I lie there, awake, waiting for him to show.

He never does.

I’m worried.