EXALTED (An Exalted Novel) (32 page)

“Deal.”

The first metal box is too close to the ground for us to sleep safely, so we climb on top of it. Ethan hoists me up to the one above. From the second box, I look down to Ethan and Lily. They stand side-by-side looking up at me. He’ll have to touch her for her to make it up here. No one says anything as we all realize this at once.

In the dim light, I can see Lily looking up at Ethan and Ethan looking back down at Lily. They’re having a standoff. Lily wins. Ethan finally grabs her and lifts her straight up over his head by the heels of her feet. I have to slide on my belly, across the threshold of the box, and hang halfway ou
t to catch her hands. Once I have a firm hold, I easily tow her in.

Ethan is last. I hang back out of the building ready to catch Ethan or do whatever I can do to help him reach us. He doesn’t jump up to me or scale the wall. He drops back down to the ground instead. “
I’ll sleep in this one at the bottom. I can keep watch from there.”

“Are you sure?” I ask him.

“Yes. That box probably can’t hold the weight of all three of us anyway.” As he says this, the box groans loudly underneath us. After a few seconds, it proves to hold firm.

“Okay. See you in the morning,” I call down as Ethan ducks into the box below us.

We all settle in for the night, hungry and exhausted. As Lily curls up next to me she asks, “Where will I go tomorrow when you leave me?”

I don’t answer her, because I don’t have an answer yet.

Darkness fills the floating metal box and my mind, as I drift off to sleep. And it’s darkness that I see again when I’m jolted awake by the sound of something smashing against metal and glass below me.

I cautiously poke my head out of our box and look below for the source of the sounds. Ethan is grunting as he struggles with someone. I can’t see anything through the blackness of the night, so I slither out of the box and dangle above the one Ethan was using. I let go.

After dropping onto the lower metal box, I crouch to get a better idea of what’s happening before I jump in to help. I see the shadowy outline of two figures throwing punches and slamming one another into the mounds of concrete all around. One is shorter and moves like Ethan—quick and powerful. He gets off two good blows to the attacker’s face and stomach, but the other figure is putting up a good fight. The attacker is leaner and taller than Ethan. He uses his height to his advantage when he fights. He whips Ethan’s legs out from under him in one swift motion.

This must be an Exalted if he’s able to hold his own against Ethan.
Is it another trainee?
I can’t place him as a trainee I know, by his build or his movements. He fights with precision, but there’s something extra there; a rawness that our trainees don’t have.

I decide that I have watched long enough
. Ethan is on the ground and about to take another hit. I pull the dagger from my boot and launch myself off the metal building and onto the stranger’s back. Ethan shifts forward, but backs off when he sees me. I squeeze my legs and arms tightly around the attacker’s body and neck. I bring my face forward against the side of his face so I can tilt his head back and expose his throat. When my face rubs against his stubbly jaw and hairline, and I inhale his scent of rain and sweat, I instantly know who I’m fighting.

Ryker.

I drop my dagger and release my furious hold. I drop to the ground and step away from the familiar man now turning to look at me. Ethan yells, “Mena! What are you doing?” 

In the blink of an eye, Ethan has snatched up my fallen dagger. “Stop!” I scream as he raises the knife overheard, aiming for Ryker’s heart. I throw myself in front of Ryker before the dagger makes contact with him. It does, however, bury itself into my back.

“No!” Ethan and Ryker both scream at once.

Ryker drops to the ground while still embracing me. “Don’t move,” he warns me and then yells at Ethan, “get my bag, you moron!” After Ethan has returned with Ryker’s camouflage bag, Ryker opens it and pulls out a homemade candle. He lights it and has Ethan hold it over me.

As I lie across Ryker’s lap facing the ground, blood starts to drip over my shoulder. It pools onto the hard surface below me. Even though it’s darker than the night around me, the redness stands out against the asphalt like a beacon.

The pain in my shoulder is searing and numbing at the same time. My vision starts to get spotty as I teeter on the verge of losing consciousness. Or is that the candle flickering?

* * *

When I wake up, it’s light outside and I’m lying on my side with something under my head. I roll my head to the side and see that the sky above me is clear. It reminds me of Ethan’s eyes. Ethan’s eyes!

I bolt upright. My shoulder screams at me not to move too fast.

No! How long have I been asleep? I need to get moving or I won’t place first.

I look around, trying to assess the situation. Ethan is pacing off to my right and Ryker is sitting on a metal pipe to the left of me. Lily is at the end of my feet crying. They all rush to my side when they see that I’m awake.

Ethan is the first to speak. “I’m so sorry Mena. I didn’t know you were going to jump in front of him.”

“I know. It’s okay, Ethan.” I try to reassure him. His face is full regret.  He turns away from me and begins pacing again. “How long was I out?” I ask.

Ethan stops walking to answer me. “You were out for about four hours.” He pauses briefly. “He patched you up pretty good. The knife hit your shoulder blade and then went off to the side. It stayed close to the surface, but you still need to get proper medical care.”

I can tell he’s anxious to get moving again, but he’s being patient for me. He’s trying. So I’ll try for him.

As I struggle to stand my head spins. Ryker reaches out to steady me, but I’m not a weakling. I don’t accept his outstretched hand. I stand on my own and gather up my things.

Lily has stopped crying, but dried tears remain on her rosy cheeks. I suck in a deep breath before I deliver the news that I’m leaving her. I kneel down so that I’m eye level with her. “Lily, you’re going to go with Ryker to a new home. He’ll find a good family to take care of you,” I tell her as I hand her my backpack, which I won’t need any longer. Her bottom lip quivers as she stares unbelievingly at me.

“What! Mena, please reconsider.” Ryker is clearly upset by my choice to return to the Republic. “I mean, yes, I’ll take the girl, but won’t you come with us? With me? Isn’t that what you decided before they injected you with the Pump?” He nods toward Ethan. “He told me what happened.”

Lily begins to sob again as she clutches my bag. Ethan has stopped pacing and watches me as I move closer to his adversary. His brow furrows in disapproval, but he doesn’t say anything or try to stop me. He already knows he’s won. I mentally block him and Lily out as I turn back toward Ryker.

“I hadn’t made my decision yet. And now, all I want to do is get back to the Republic and finish first. It’s all I can think about.” As I tell Ryker about the force that’s driving me, his face falls.

He moves closer to me. He reaches out to take both my hands
and looks into my eyes. “I understand that you can’t feel anything right now, but I know you remember how you felt before that bastard drugged you.”

He’s so close, our faces inches apart. I can feel his warm breath fall across my lips, but it’s not having the effect on me like I know it would have had only days ago. I take a step away from him. He echoes my gesture and backs up too, letting my hands drop.

I know my heart would want me to go with him. I beat my palms on my forehead in frustration. The constant headache is increasing in intensity, beating me from the inside out. I drop my head and my hair falls around my face. “I remember,” I finally whisper to Ryker.

And I do. I remember how I felt about Ryker, how my body responded to his, and the rush I got every single time I saw him. I also remember how fantastic it felt to win the first two trials. I remember my parents and the hugs we shared. I consider Ethan, our longtime friendship, and the possibility of the new life we could have together in only a few short hours. The soft kiss we shared. The comfort and stability he will provide.

I remember the disgust I felt learning about the Republic and their reign over the Exalted and the citizens. They keep us drugged and locked within their walls. I was so angry. That is the one thing I remember the most. The Anger.

But I could have it all if I returned. I could fight them from the inside and still be who I was meant to be. Finish first. Be United. Protect the citizens. See my parents. However, I would have to give up Lily and Ryker. I would have to give up being free. Either way, I’d be giving up a lot—more than I want.

Ethan interrupts my thoughts and calls from where he’s standing, “Mena, we’re so close. It’s only a few more hours away and the watches haven’t beeped yet. We could still be first, together.”

I look from Ethan over to Ryker and then to Lily.

I look within myself.

Suddenly, it all seems clear. And I realize now, that I had made my decision long before I met Ryker and Lily, before things started to c
hange between Ethan and me, and before I learned about the Pump. I know who I am, who I was meant to be, and what I should do.

My name is Mena. It means Strength and Knowledge. I will live up to my name.

I write Young Adult Fiction, mostly Dystopian/Sci-Fi novels with a splash of romance and a hint of sarcasm. I'm also a graphic artist, wife, mother, and Red Vine lover. I grew up in the Deep South surrounded by bayous, magnolia trees, crawfish and great people. My culture is a huge part of my life, and you can see some of those details in my writing.

EXALTED
, is my first YA novel. I’ve also written another YA novel called
Zoo
. Look for it if you haven’t read it yet!

DENOUNCED (EXALTED: Book 2)
is coming summer 2013.

Thanks for reading!

Connect with me online:

facebook.com/author.tara.elizabeth

authortaraelizabeth.com