Gravity (The Taking) (18 page)

“Okay,” Law whispers. “Someone should stay here as watchman—or watchwoman in your case, Ari.” He grins as though he made the wisest crack on the planet.

I roll my eyes. “Funny. So, who’s staying here?”

“Well, shouldn’t it be you, Law?” Jackson asks. “Considering you’re the one with access to this stairwell?”

“I thought of that, but if we’re caught down there it would be better for Ari or me to be caught than for you.”

I can see the logic working through Jackson, and finally he sighs. “Fine, but what’s our warning call?”

Law smirks. “How about honesty. Scream honesty and we’ll know someone’s coming.”

Jackson looks like he might deck Law but instead grinds his teeth together. “Then go already. Hurry back.”

We get past the second landing and down the next flight of stairs before I tug on Law’s arm, stopping him. “What was that about?” I whisper.

“Ask him.” Then he places his finger to his mouth. “We’re almost there.”

Law tiptoes down the final flight of stairs, which ends at another landing. There are three doors at the bottom, one on the right and left, then a set of double doors straight ahead. He slides his keycard in a scanner beside the double doors and then ushers me into President Cartier’s private office. The room is dark except for a few recess lights, and even though there is no one there except us, I can’t keep chills from racing up my spine. This is so risky.

Her office reminds me of Dad’s—bookshelves line three walls, windows the fourth. A giant mahogany desk sits against the windows with a matching mahogany chair in front of it. Beyond the desk, there is no other furniture in the office.

We edge past the desk toward another set of double doors, opposite from the ones we just entered, when I hear a voice that stops me cold—Dad, thunderous and angry, booming from the other side. “The situation no longer lends itself to negotiations,” he says. “I vote for an immediate attack as soon as final analysis can be made.”

“But how accurate is your data?” a voice I don’t recognize says, but his accent suggests that he works for President Krane. “Do you understand the ramifications on human life if you are wrong? Humans could die right alongside them! We need more research. Send your findings to our lab. Let us test your theory.” His tone hints that he thinks the European labs are more qualified than ours, something I’m sure doesn’t go unnoticed by Dad.

Law’s eyes meet mine. He knows Dad isn’t going to let the conversation die there, but before Dad can argue, the African president chimes in, her voice meek compared to the others. “I would prefer to compromise with Mr. Castello. Are you sure negotiations aren’t possible?”

Everyone starts talking at once, until finally President Cartier silences them. “I’m afraid not, Ninkini. Our attempts have not been successful. And of course, all research will be shared among the four major Chemists labs. Now please remember, we must stay a united front if we hope to succeed. The attacks continue daily; we have no choice but to respond. Can we all agree an airborne tactic is best?”

A muffling of agreement comes from the room, and then a clicking sound against the double door sends Law and me racing back to the secret stairwell and up the two flights of stairs until we reach Jackson. Law pushes us out the main door and then slows to a walk, his breathing as heavy as mine. “So, it looks like they’ve made a decision,” Law says to Jackson. “Airborne attack.”

“Hmm,” Jackson says. “Do you think satellite missiles?”

Law shakes his head. “I can’t say for sure, though I know they’ve talked about that before.”

“I don’t think so,” I say. “Cybil said the strategy would involve xylem, something that prevents its healing ability. Did you get a gold keycard to the lab?” I ask Law and he nods.

“Yeah, the research there tells me this isn’t a traditional attack. It’s something more inventive than that. I don’t think they plan to use missiles. I think their plan is biological.”

We stand in silence for several minutes, trying to find the answer, when finally Law says, “This is crazy. We aren’t going to figure it out tonight. Let’s get back to the party before someone notices and then start fresh tomorrow. Work for everyone?”

Jackson wavers but eventually agrees. We time our entrance back into the party so it doesn’t look obvious. When it’s my turn, I weave my way through the crowd in front of the band, everyone jumping and singing along. I decide I should keep away from Law and Jackson for a bit and, unsure of what else to do, head to the bar for some water.

It’s overcrowded, so I stand to the side, waiting to be helped, when an arm yanks me backward. I stumble as I’m dragged back, back, back. Finally, I wheel around and see Brighton, who looks like he’s stolen two or ten of the adult drinks. He jerks me toward him, kissing me hard before I’m able to wiggle free and punch him in the face.

He rubs his jaw and grins. “Love it; hit me again.” I back away, but he matches my steps. The music is too loud behind us for anyone to hear. My eyes scan the abandoned hall, searching for a door, exit, something, and come up empty. He outweighs me by a hundred pounds. Still, there’s no way his reflexes are as good as mine.

“Look,” I say, hoping to reason with him. “I don’t know what you’re doing. But I’m going back to the party. Okay?” He doesn’t say anything. I inch backward, spinning around to run, when he grabs my hair, dragging me deeper into the hall. I cry out, and then heat strikes my chest, burning through me, like a flame turned on in my soul.

I flip over him and thrust my hand into the back of his head. He hurls forward, but it’s not enough. I kick him again and again and again.

Someone screams from the entranceway. Then I feel arms wrap around me. “Ari, what are you doing?” Jackson lifts me off Brighton and carries me through a doorway I didn’t notice before. It’s a plush room with a large bed in the center and not much else.

“Answer me,” Jackson snaps.

“What?” I ask.

“What were you doing out there?”

“What are you talking about? I was trying to get away from Brighton, and then you found me. What’s your deal?”

He studies me, and then his shoulders relax. “Nothing. I must have…I don’t know. I thought…” He sits on the edge of the bed and peers up at me as though I’m someone else.

“What’s happening to me, Jackson?” I say, breathless and tired. “And for once, can you just be straight with me?”

He ignores the question and walks toward the door. “We should get back out there. Dance or something.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening.”

He spins around, his eyes wild. “I don’t know what’s happening, okay? None of this should be happening. None of it.” His head shakes as though he’s fighting to keep from saying more.

“None of it?” I feel the weight of his words smashing into my chest. “You mean us, don’t you? You’re such a hypocrite! You want me to trust you, yet say I can’t. You act like you care, then push me away. I’m not built that way! I can’t just turn off my feelings.”

“Well, you should! Trust your instincts, Ari. What do they tell you? To trust me? I’m betting not. I can’t be trusted.”

My face burns with anger and frustration. “What’s this really about? You say I can’t trust you. I think the problem is that you don’t trust yourself. Why? Why do you hate yourself so much?”

“Because they own me. Why can’t you see that? What I want doesn’t matter, and the sooner you separate yourself from me, the safer you’ll be.”

“I don’t care,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “I know you’re worried. I’m worried, too. But I can’t help it. I care about you. There, I said it. I care.”

Jackson lifts his head, his expression so cold it sends a chill down my spine.

“Don’t.”

CHAPTER 19

Now that I passed Op testing, Dad canceled our morning training permanently, which would normally be a relief, but this morning I wanted to work off some of my frustration…and anger.

I cried myself to sleep waiting for Jackson to arrive. He never came. I considered going back to the Unity Tree, but I couldn’t let my dignity drop that far. I told him how I felt. There’s nothing else I can do. And now that the sadness has buried itself deep in my heart, anger has taken its place.

I enter the main hall at school, my eyes straight ahead, unfocused. I don’t want to see him. We’ll go back to the way things were before. All business. All animosity and sarcasm. And I’ll pretend that I don’t feel like he shot me in the heart.

Gretchen finds me and loops her arm into mine. “Guess what?” she asks, practically beaming.

“What?” I say, the word almost a whisper.

“Wait, what’s wrong?” She eyes me with concern.

“Nothing.”

Gretchen starts to press me for more when Jackson rounds the corner. He stops. I cut over to my locker as though I’m computerized, void of any emotion.

“Ari…” Gretchen whispers. “Jackson is staring at you. No, wait, he’s coming over. He’s coming over!” she squeals, shaking my arm.

Within seconds, I feel his presence behind me. I close my locker, swallow hard, and turn around, faking disinterest. “Yes?”

“Can we talk?” he asks.

“I think you said enough.” I turn back to my locker, afraid if I continue to face him I’ll either cry or hit him.

He edges closer, so close I feel his body against my back, his breath on my neck. “Please. Let’s talk.”

“There’s nothing to say.”

“Ari, please…” He tries to turn me back around, but anger lashes through me and I jerk away, my emotions taking over.

“What do you want from me, huh? I told you how I felt. You don’t feel the same. It’s fine. Let’s move on.”

Jackson glances around and then back at me, lowering his voice. “You didn’t give me a chance to finish. You stormed off. And then I wasn’t sure you— It’s— Look, I’m sorry. I overreacted. I was stupid, a coward…but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel the same way.”

I open my mouth to argue and then snap it shut. “What did you say?”

He brushes my hair from my face, and then before I can say another word, he kisses me, ignoring the crowd of people in the hall. I want to lose myself in the moment, but the presence of everyone around us comes into focus—the jocks who worship Jackson, the stupid girls who chase him, Gretchen…Law. Oh no, Lawrence. I pull away and look over at him. His face is hard, unreadable.

Jackson stiffens and steps between us in a flash. “Don’t even,” he says, shaking his head at Law.

“I think Ari and I should have a conversation this morning. You know, the truth. Ever try it?” Law smiles. I hate that smile. He’s being cryptic and mean, two things so rare in Law it’s impossible to miss them now.

Jackson sputters, his face growing tense. Everyone in the hall freezes, anxious, waiting to see what the two most popular boys from opposite sides of town will do.

“Think about who you will hurt. Is that really what you want?” Jackson asks.

Law looks at me, his face full of pain. “Ari, please just think about what you’re doing. For me.”

I start to ask what they’re talking about, but Gretchen interrupts, her fists clenched tight. “Are you serious?” she screams at Lawrence, pushing him in the chest. “What about— Am I just—” Her head twitches, and I wonder if she’s going to punch him or break into sobs. “She doesn’t want you. Can’t you see that? And you don’t want her, either. I know it, and deep down you know I’m right. Why can’t you just let her go?”

Law looks like she punched him in the gut even though she never moved. His eyes shift from her to me and back. “I…I don’t know.” And he walks away, his hands in his pockets.

Gretchen leans against our lockers.

“Gretch…” I say. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

Her face falls. “Nothing. It’s his decision. You’ve already made your choice.”

Jackson studies Gretchen with strange curiosity and then says, “He feels the same way.”

She looks up with skepticism, but there’s hope in her eyes. “What? No, he isn’t sure.”

Jackson laughs. “Oh, he’s sure all right.”

Gretchen shrugs, but I can tell she feels better. We go to class, hoping to quiet the gossip before it starts, but it doesn’t help. Talk spreads through the entire school, some claiming the four of us are in some crazy affair, though most seem to focus on Jackson and me and my decision to be with him over Lawrence. The professors ogle as much as the students, watching us with a new curiosity. The privileged, like me, don’t normally mix with the lower class. So even though Jackson is gorgeous, it’s a shock that I would choose someone considered by most to be beneath me.

I’m about to leave school when a stab of reality hits me.
Dad
. I hadn’t thought that far and now my throat feels tight, my stomach jelly. My future is planned out, not by law or anything, but it may as well be. Dad will lose it. And Mom. She loves Lawrence. Suddenly the kiss in the hall feels reckless, selfish, even. On top of all that, Jackson is an Ancient. If Dad knew I’d fallen for one of them
…
well, I may not have a future at all.

I make my way to the orchards out back, stalling for time, hoping I can think up what to say to Dad. Mom is a bit more romantic. She
might
understand. Dad cares about nothing but obligation. He’ll view my decision as a mark against me, as though I’m one of his staff instead of his daughter.

It’s a nice day, full sky with a slight overcast, which makes everything look peaceful. I’m jealous. I wish the clouds would cover my worries, shadow them with white fluff so I no longer care, or at the very least no longer think about it. Everything with Jackson gave me a moment’s pause to think of something other than the attacks and the risk of war, but soon, I’ll be back at the lab with Cybil, face-to-face with the horror.

I try not to think about it. One thing at a time. Besides, if Dad kills me then there’s nothing I can do about the rest anyway.

Gretchen spots me from the hill and breaks into a huge grin, which I hope means she and Lawrence talked. “Hey, hey, hey!” She pounds the space beside her, telling me to get up there, to no doubt discuss what we couldn’t earlier. I release a long, relieved breath, feeling giddy.