Gravity (The Taking) (13 page)

Jackson reaches the ground and looks up. “You can jump. I’ll catch you.”

“Jump?!” I whisper-scream. “I’m not jumping.” I eye the branches in front of me, tangled and chaotic, and a moment later I’m within them, swinging from branch to branch just like Jackson before finally landing on the ground, a triumphant smile on my face. “Did you see that? I just…um…well, whatever you did, I did it, too! Isn’t that amazing?”

But his expression seems worried, even afraid. “Uh, yeah, amazing. Let’s go.”

I hesitate, wondering what’s with his changed mood, but then my focus is on the forest trail. Goose bumps rise across my skin. The forest isn’t just dark, it’s blacker than black and thorny and overgrown. I stop short. “Won’t they sense us?”

“They?” He smirks.

“Never mind. Let’s go.”

“No, no, no. Who’s ‘they’?”

I sigh, shaking my head. “You know the stories. The wild Ancients who stalk the forest like animals wanting to feed off our souls.”

I glance over to see him fighting back laughter. “Trust me, there’s no one in the forest but you and me. And besides, am I detecting fear? Is the future commander actually
afraid
?”

“No, of course not.” I stare through the thick branches and leaves, trying to find wandering eyes or razor-sharp teeth. “Fine, okay. Let’s go.”

Jackson leads the way, tearing down spiderwebs and overgrowth. We’re several yards into the forest and away from earshot of anyone when something dawns on me.

“Hey,” I say, turning on him. “My patch. I lost it the night you asked for my help, and then the next day it just reappeared. Did you—”

“Yes. I took it and then returned it when I told you to close your eyes. I was afraid you wouldn’t believe me if I just told you what I was. You’re too skeptical for that. I had to show you.”

“So have you always been assigned to me, or was there someone before?”

“No, all the leaders are assigned RESs, and with you being a future leader, you were assigned an—um—trained RES.” He looks away like he’s hiding something.

I stop. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing. Look, we’re here.” He motions beside us, and I crane my neck to peer up at the largest tree I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s like someone took a normal tree and then stacked a couple more on top of it. The knobby branches fork off in strange directions, like it’s reaching out for something, but that’s not the weirdest part. In the center of the trunk, as though it’s been cut out of the wood, is a dark triangular opening that must be six feet high. The opening slants to the right in a painful sort of way, and I wonder if this tree can feel, because if so it seems miserable. “What is this thing?” I ask.

“This is our original entrance, called the Unity Tree. It’s the only port not monitored by Mainland.”

“What do you mean,
monitored
?”

“We created and continue to control all the ports on Earth so leaders of your world can travel to ours as needed,” Jackson says. “But humans still monitor them. Not this tree.” He points to the Unity Tree. “It can only be seen if you know where to find it. I thought maybe this could be, you know, our place. For coordinating and stuff.” He glances up, looking nervous.

I inch forward, reaching out to touch the tree, when Jackson takes my hand gently in his, surprising me.

“It’s a portal, remember,” he says.

“Oh, right.” I step back from it, pulling my hand from his. The chill of the forest seeps through my clothes and I wrap my arms around myself.

“Jackson?” I ask.

“Yeah?”

“I need to know what happened at school.”

“I thought you might,” Jackson says, walking over to lean against a nearby tree. “Though I don’t know much. Zeus gave a last-minute order. I found out moments before the bomb exploded.”

“But why the school of all places? Didn’t he know you and Mackenzie were in there? Didn’t he—”

Jackson pushes from the tree, tossing a twig to the ground he’d been fiddling with. “Oh, he knew; he just didn’t care. Zeus has changed, hardened. He doesn’t care who he hurts, least of all me. The clock ticks away, and everyone
thinks
it ticks toward Zeus’s decision, but really it’s his mind. He’s closer and closer to losing it, and trust me, when he does there won’t be anything or anyone left to fight for. That’s why we need the strategy now. He’s convinced that if he knows the strategy, he can stop it from happening and negotiate coexistence. That bit of information could have prevented the attack at school today, but I can’t find it.” He kicks at a rock, causing it to crash into a patch of leaves. “I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’ve involved anyone that could be useful, but still I couldn’t prevent this. I couldn’t help those people today. I—”

“Stop,” I say. “This isn’t your fault. You’re doing everything you can. You aren’t the one who can prevent this, anyway—I am.”

…

That night I dream I’m running through the forest screaming Jackson’s name, but he doesn’t respond. Laughter floats through the leaves, as sharp as the wind before a storm. It taunts me forward, yet I can’t make out the words. I stop in front of the Unity Tree. But where darkness lay in its center before, I’m now greeted with a light as small as a candle. I walk toward the light, reaching out to touch its warmth, and then I’m inside the tree, a sparkling waterfall gushing down from above me and disappearing into a sea of roots below my feet. It sparkles green and yellow with hints of shimmering pink mixed into the water like flecks of glitter. I think I’m there alone, absorbing this magical place, until the scene changes and I’m standing on a stone cliff overlooking a lake, Jackson by my side.

He leads me out onto a path beside a smaller pond, where several Ancients stand on flat bamboo-looking boats, an older one watching me. Lightning fills the sky, and then the man is in front of me. He releases a musical laugh, and then leans in until his face rests against mine. “Danger lies with those who ignore the signs.” I pull away to look at him, my words failing me, but he doesn’t say more. Instead, his eyes dart to Jackson, and only one word can describe the expression on his face—
fear
.

CHAPTER 12

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I jerk up in bed and stare at my door. What the—?

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The last of sleep evaporates from my brain, and I go to my closet, pulling out the gun Dad gave me for my birthday last year and edge to the door before the next round of banging can start up. I slip beside the door, hit the open button, and whip around to blow the head off my intruder, only to scream in unison with Gretchen, who is on the other side, her fist still midair, her face painted with shock.

“Seriously?” she says as she pushes the gun out of her face and walks into my room. “You need to invest in some quality nerve pills. Like the kind retired Ops take so they can sleep at night. The hard stuff. That’s what sick people like you need.”

I sigh heavily as I return the weapon to the small gun cabinet in my closet. Maybe my reaction was a little rash, but after yesterday’s attack, I’m not sure what to expect. “What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Have you seen the news?”

“No, what’s going on?”

“It’s insane.” She taps my T-screen to awaken it, clicks the convert button, and then surfs through the channels until she reaches the news. And she’s right; it’s horrible. Protestors have popped up all across the country, maybe the world. Some are burning their patches, others chopping down their Taking trees. It’s the largest show of rebellion I’ve ever seen, and I can only imagine what horrors lay in store for these people. Their passion is admirable, but it’s also futile. They still think we have the control, when I’m starting to wonder if we ever had control. Something doesn’t feel right to me. Jackson claims Zeus wants the strategy so negotiations can be made before a war erupts, but it feels like the war has already begun—if nothing else, droplets of it, spreading through our world. I’m not sure delivering the strategy to Zeus will stop the attacks, but knowing what we have planned is vital to figuring out how to stop the rising tension. I can’t say what Zeus will do—I can’t even guess—all I can do is trust Jackson.

“Hello, anyone in there?” Gretchen asks, snapping in front of my face. “I asked you if it’s all right if I click that message.” She points to the screen where an emergency message from Parliament flashes in red.

I reach over her, tap the message, and then crack each of my knuckles one by one as the letter fills the screen. A voice-over sounds through my speakers, reading the letter to us in a thunderous voice.

“Today, October 15, 2140, Parliament announces a mandatory education day. All applicable students are expected to arrive promptly to their respective schools. No excuses will be accepted. Any student not accounted for will be summoned into questioning. We appreciate your cooperation.”

Then the letter folds away, disappearing as quickly as it emerged. Gretchen and I stare at the screen. A mandatory school day. That’s never happened before—ever. I can’t imagine Dad agreed to this, but maybe he did. Maybe it was his idea. The only reason they would do this is to show the Ancients that we can’t be bullied into coexistence. Everything is moving much faster than I thought.

Gretchen reaches over to click off my T-screen when another letter appears from Coach Sanders—Op testing continues today.

…

Gretchen and I walk into school wary. Everyone looks as uneasy as we do, even the professors. The Chemists must have sent their construction team to work through the night because everything looks exactly as it was before, as though nothing happened. As though the Ancients didn’t try to wipe out our school just twenty-four hours ago. Sure, no one died, but plenty of students and professors were injured. Forcing us to come back so soon is torture. They want to show face to the Ancients, but they’re doing it by punishing us. It isn’t right. And what’s even more shocking is that we have another round of Op testing today, which means Parliament wants a stocked military as soon as possible.

The halls are silent, the students are ghosts, dazed and empty. Law is waiting at our lockers when Gretchen and I arrive. “You okay?” he asks, his eyes darting from me to Gretchen, where they linger. I glance from him to her. Gretchen’s cheeks redden, her eyes looking anywhere but at me. Hmm, that’s odd.

I start to ask what’s going on when I spy Jackson in the middle of the hall. Mackenzie walks up to him and whispers something. He straightens, smiling, and then pulls her to him, wrapping his arms around her. I look away.

“Hey, are you okay?” Law asks, and I can hear the question in his voice. He’s worried I’m mad at him for not telling me about the brother thing. And maybe I should be, but I know it wasn’t Law’s fault. Besides, from what they told me, it sounds like he hasn’t known for very long himself.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I crack my neck and drop my notes tablet into my locker. I won’t need it for testing today anyway. “We should get to testing. See you later, Law,” I say.

Gretchen steps in line with me and loops her arm into mine. “What’s going on, Ari? You can tell me. Is it…Jackson? I know you said you’re just friends with him, but it sort of seems like—”

“I told you, we’re nothing.” I shake my head, but I can’t meet her eyes. I don’t understand how I’ve gotten myself into this. I can’t have feelings for Jackson. Can’t.

Gretchen’s face fills with hurt. “I’m your best friend, Ari. You can trust me, you know?”

I stop outside the F.T. door, fighting the overwhelming emotions swirling through me. “I don’t know. Okay? That’s the truth. It’s like gravity disappears when he’s around and I’m lost, no longer sure of anything. I think… I don’t know… He’s just different than what I thought.” I tug at my ponytail, twirling it around my finger again and again. I can’t bring myself to admit I have feelings for him, even to Gretchen.

She tilts her head, her expression full of concern. “Does he feel the same way?”

I shake my head. “I’m not sure.”

“Not sure of what?” a familiar voice says from behind us.

I cringe as I turn.

CHAPTER 13

Jackson opens the F.T. door, holding it so we can go in front of him. Gretchen shoots me an excited look and then nods toward him. “I’m going…um…on in,” she says. “See you after, Ari.”

I start to follow, but Jackson grabs my arm. “Wait.”

“Yes?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I say.

“It doesn’t seem like nothing.”

Then before we can say anything else, Coach Sanders flashes the lights then yells from the back door, “Testing is out here. We’re all set up.”

Once we’re outside, Coach lines us up in front of a giant metal obstacle course. I’ve heard these are used in actual Operative training to force Operatives to think quickly on their feet. I have no idea what we’ll face inside, but I do know whatever it is will use every form of simulation and advancement the Chemists can throw at us.

“As you know,” Coach says, “you have all passed your limits test and have advanced forward to this very crucial element of testing. Today, you will be judged on your resourcefulness and your ability to handle unusual weapons. I can’t tell you what you’ll find in the obstacle, but I can tell you to expect anything and to trust no one. Your job is to get through in ten minutes. Anyone not on the other side in ten will be disqualified.”

“Do we all go in at once?” Marcus Wilde, a tall, slim boy—another Engineer legacy—asks. His father is a Lead Op and has a reputation for being as tough as Dad, so I can imagine he’s asking to prevent any mess-ups that would then get back to his father. Little does he know asking this sort of question suggests weakness.

Sure enough, Coach gives him a hard stare. “You’ll figure it out.”

“But,” Lexis says, “how are we supposed to—”

“Begin!” Coach shouts.

Everyone jumps into the entrance at once—everyone except me. I wait for the others to disappear and then enter, not wanting anyone else to see which way I go. As soon as I’m inside, a loud
bang
followed by
click-clack-click
sounds from behind me, and I turn to see a metal door where the opening to outside stood just moments before.