Moirai (11 page)

“Hi.” The older woman smiled, still holding Adelaide in
her arms. She hadn't moved to get down. “I'm Madeline.” She offered me her free
hand.

I shook it with a brief nod. “I'm Olivia,” I offered,
smiling weakly in return.

“I remember,” Madeline nodded. “You saved us back in
Thena. I wanted to come here and thank you personally.”

Adelaide put her feet back on the ground with a thud as
she glanced between us. “Olivia?” Her voice was soft and timid, almost afraid
to ask and yet needing to say what was on her mind. “Can I live with my Auntie
Maddie?”

I nodded slowly. “That's up to Madeline,” I acknowledged.
I wasn't sure what she felt up to now or in the future. Nearly two weeks ago
she'd almost died. She looked to be in perfect health, but I couldn't be sure.

“I would love to have you come live with me, Adelaide,”
Madeline smiled. “And anytime you want to come visit Olivia, I'm sure she'd
like that too.”

“Can I?” Adelaide asked, glancing back towards me. “Can I
come over and see you?”

“Of course.” I bent down to give the girl a hug. I
glanced at Madeline. “Where are you staying?” I wanted to make sure Adelaide
would be comfortable and well cared for.

“Chancellor Collins is putting me up in a house at the
end of this block.” She gestured towards the left. “He's offered to assign
someone to tutor Adelaide with schoolwork,” Madeline admitted. “He seems nice.
Incredibly helpful. I hoped you might continue teaching her some basic
self-defense after school? I heard she's pretty good with a Bo Staff.”

I smiled faintly, relieved she wasn't upset for what we'd
already taught her. “Of course,” I nodded. “Come in.” I gestured, realizing I
was being rude. “Everyone's been so supportive in providing us clothes and
toys. You should take it all home with you,” I encouraged, walking up the
stairs and hearing Adelaide's soft patter right behind me.

Between the three of us, we piled the clothes and toys
together, and walked down the block to their new home. It wasn't much to carry
but certainly much more than Adelaide had come to Shadow with. Helping Adelaide
unpack in her new home, I already felt my heart tug, realizing I would miss
her. Even though she was only a few yards away, it was still difficult knowing
I wouldn't be the one tucking her into bed and keeping her safe. I had to trust
that Madeline would do a decent job and in some ways it worried me.

Finally finishing unpacking, I headed for the door.
Adelaide gave me the biggest hug. “Can I say goodbye to Joshua later?” she
asked me. He hadn't been around that morning and I nodded, giving her a hug in
return.

“Of course. I bet I'll see you both tonight at dinner.” I
smiled, knowing we almost always ate in the cafeteria and I'd likely see
Adelaide and Madeline in there if they joined us.

Adelaide grinned, waving as I walked outside. “I hope
so!” She smiled, continuing to wave. “Bye Olivia!”

Already I missed her. I bit down on my bottom lip, trying
to keep myself from crying. It was stupid. She was fine. She had a family that
loved her. She didn't need me. It still hurt though. Watching her return home
to a family she was a part of, I never expected. “Goodbye,” I whispered but the
door had already closed behind me and I was halfway back home.

By the time I reached the front door, I was surprised to
see Joshua inside. “What are you doing back already?” I wiped at the stray
tear, not wanting him to see me upset.

“Taking a break from work,” he remarked. “Where's
Adelaide? What's wrong?” He walked towards me, wrapping his arms around me as I
moved my head to his neck, pulling him tight.

“She's with her family,” I whispered, trying to be happy.
It wasn't easy.

“What do you mean, Olive?” His voice sounded wary. He
pulled back, trying to stare at me.

“Her aunt, apparently she was one of the people I rescued
from Thena. She's alive and fine.” I wiped the tears with the back of my hand.
“I should be happy, I know,” I acknowledged. “Adelaide wanted to go home with
her. I couldn't say no. I mean, she is her family. Besides, at least we can
still visit her. She lives just down the street.” I tried to make light of the
situation. I felt Joshua pull me towards the sofa as he sat down, bringing me
onto his lap.

Joshua stared at me curiously. “Why didn't you mention
this to me sooner?”

“Mention what?” My tears had dried but my heart was
heavy. I rested my forehead against his, staring into his eyes.

I felt his hands moving down and across my back. “That
her aunt was one of the people you rescued from Thena. Besides, I thought they
both died?”

“Me too,” I sighed, leaning in and kissing him softly.
Every ounce of me ached. I wanted to feel needed. I needed to feel loved. My
lips moved over his hungrily and my fingers slid down his torso, finding the
edge of his shirt and working my fingers beneath the material.

Joshua pulled back, resting a hand over mine. “Not like
this, Olive,” he told me, shaking his head.

I nodded, knowing he was right. “Adelaide didn't see who
we rescued. She couldn't have known her aunt was here. Besides—” I let out a
heavy sigh, resting my forehead against his again. This time I closed my eyes.
“She didn't exactly have any papers on her. There was no way to know who she
was. Adelaide has her family back. She deserves to be happy,” I remarked.

I felt the pad of his thumb stroke my cheek as my eyes
fluttered open. “So do you,” Joshua whispered. “Maybe it's better this way.” He
tried to make sense of all that had happened. “We can't bring her with us
across the country fighting the government. She needs a family here that can
protect her.”

“I could have been that family,” I whispered. I knew
Joshua was right. Shadow was going to expect something of me. They hadn't
treated us with Mindonsiphan merely for fun. There were expectations we had to
meet. A war was coming and they needed us to fight in it. We were trained
soldiers and soon we'd be ready.

He kissed me softly, quieting me as we shifted on the
sofa. I found the plush material against my back as he propped himself above
me. My fingers reached his cheek, staring up at him. “You never told me why you
were home early.” I needed a distraction.

“It doesn't matter.” He leaned down, kissing the pain
away. “One day we'll start our own family,” he whispered between kisses. His
warm breath tickled my skin and I felt my body flush as his lips found their
way down to my neck.

“Josh,” I moaned as my palms moved across his back,
pulling at his shirt, wanting to feel his skin, needing to feel more.

Our kisses were hot and fierce and finally Joshua pulled
back, gasping for air. I didn't have to ask him why he stopped. We weren't like
other couples. Maybe sex wasn't talked about, but it was only because there
were no consequences of such actions for other people. We weren't so lucky. I
couldn't risk getting pregnant. I didn't know what it would take, once or a
hundred times, but we couldn't fall into our desires. Not now, not yet. It
wasn't time.

As disappointed as I was that Joshua pulled away, I
respected his decision and knew he was right. We needed to wait.

It had been more than a month since Jaxon, Mason, and
Margo left the rebel city in search of the outlying rebel cities of Torv and
Spade. In just a few weeks so much had happened. We'd had a drone fly over our
city and attack our allies. We'd managed a search and rescue mission with just
two members of Shadow leading it and we'd saved three lives. If that wasn't
enough excitement in Shadow, an outlaw had nearly found his way into town and
another had been murdered just a few klicks from our home. After all that
happened, I always kept my ear trained for drones. We never knew when our skies
would turn deadly. Our lives seemed always to be at risk. It had become a
familiar though unsettling feeling.

Today, Joshua, Hazel, and I trained. Hazel knew most of
the aggressive moves. She hardly took it easy on us. It was tough training with
Hazel but it was imperative we were skilled and could adapt to any situation.
Besides, my understanding of the Mindonsiphan was you use it or lose it. If you
didn't continue training and using your abilities for six months, the process
would remain forever dormant. I wondered if it was true. Neither of us took the
chance, spending nearly every waking hour practicing and studying our craft.

“So, when do we start using swords?” I joked, blocking
Josh's blow with my right arm and slipping my leg beneath his, knocking him
flat on his back.

Joshua grunted as he picked himself up. “I don't want to
be around you with a sword.”

“Oh, come on!” I laughed. “I have a dagger. It's just a
smaller version.” The smile never left my face as I motioned for him to come
closer. I waited for him to approach me, expected an arm, and raised mine to
block only to feel myself flat on my back, my feet pulled out from under me.

“All's fair in love and war, dear,” Joshua teased,
offering me a hand to help me to my feet. “For the record, I never fight you
with your dagger. In case you haven't noticed.”

“Scared?” I taunted him. Joshua laughed. “No, I just
don't have a death wish.” I didn't argue. “You want to go again?” he asked.

“Give me a few to recover?” I still felt out of breath as
he'd caught me off guard, knocking the wind out of me. I went to grab some
water, surprised when I heard all the commotion outside. I couldn't quite make
out what was going on. I jogged out of the gymnasium into the hallway, making a
sharp right where the panel window lit the halls. I wiped the dirt and grime
away with my hand, getting a better look.

“What do you see?” Joshua asked, coming to stand beside
me. I hadn't heard him follow me out of the gymnasium.

“Looks like they're back,” I said, seeing the vehicle
with Mason and a few others I didn't recognize. “Where's Margo and Jaxon?” I
felt even more confused seeing visitors they'd brought with them. “Are they
allowed to do that?” I glanced at Joshua and saw Hazel was already outside. She
must have used the gymnasium exit to see what was going on.

I eyed Joshua, my stomach flip-flopping in confusion. “I
thought visitors weren't allowed?” Though I knew we'd rescued our allies from
Thena, it still felt like a different situation not knowing the people of Torv
and Spade and knowing even less if we could trust them. “Should we go out
there?” I asked Joshua as Hazel approached the new guests. Why had they brought
back people from the rebel cities? Would the Chancellor have been against it?
It was a huge risk to the town and its people.

I didn't waste another minute waiting for an answer as I
moved away from the window and headed for the main door, curious as to what was
going on. “Where's Margo and Jaxon?” I asked as we slowly moved towards the
vehicle. My stomach tensed and I felt the color drain from my face as I saw a
small urn in the backseat. Someone hadn't survived.

Mason's face was pale, somber as he let out a heavy sigh.
“We ran into an ambush. Margo and I drove to Spade while Jaxon was discussing
particulars with the high council.” His eyes glassed over, holding back his
tears as he trained his stare down on the ground in front of him. “We didn't
even come close to reaching the front gate before we were attacked. Guards
stood at their posts and without so much as a warning shot, arrows started
whizzing by our heads. Three pierced Margo's chest. I turned the vehicle around
and high-tailed it out of there. No sense in both of us coming back in urns.” I
could see the pain behind his eyes as he did his best to act tough, unaffected.
“I drove her back to Torv for help but it was too late. By the time we got
there,” he shook his head, “she'd already bled out too much. They couldn't save
her.”

I moved closer, wrapping my arms around Mason, giving him
a hug. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered, knowing it must have been awful to witness
such a horrific event. Just hearing about it made me want to cry. Margo had
been a good friend during training: she challenged me and made me stronger. She'd
been one of the few recruits I could actually rely on. I paused, almost afraid
to ask. “And Jaxon?”

“He stayed in Torv for the time being. He felt he'd be
more help there than in Shadow.” Mason finally caught my stare. “I think he
wasn't ready to say goodbye to Margo.”

I nodded faintly, understanding. No one was ready and
driving back would have made it all the more real. “I'm not sure any of us are
ready,” I whispered, pulling back as I chewed my bottom lip. I felt Joshua's
hand find mine and I glanced at him with a weak smile. He didn't have to say
it: he was grateful we hadn't been the ones to go.

Mason turned to look back at the three he'd brought with
him. None of them said a word. His attention didn't stay on them for long as he
cleared his throat, trying to sound calm. “This afternoon I think we should
have a ceremony to remember her by.”

“Of course,” Joshua agreed. “That would be nice.”

Three unfamiliar faces stood outside the car. One woman
and two men. Neither had introduced themselves to us. They seemed awkward and
uncomfortable. The woman waited until we were done talking. “I'm Chloe, and
this is Beckett and Asher,” she introduced them. “We're from Torv.”

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely, shaking their
hands.

“We're sorry for your loss,” Chloe offered, giving a sad
smile. I wondered if she'd met Margo at all in Torv. Mason swallowed the lump
in his throat. “Chloe is a reproductive specialist. We invited her to Shadow to
help Elsa in the lab.” I nodded, slowly beginning to understand why she'd been
given an invitation.

“And Beckett and Asher?” I asked. I wasn't afraid of
digging where I didn't belong.

Mason glanced at the two young men he'd brought along.
They looked to be in their mid-twenties, not much older. “They're engineers.
They study electronics and have hacked the power grid twice. With some tech
we've found over the years through the Gravelands, I was hoping they might be
able help us anticipate Cabal's next attack.”