Numbers Ignite (12 page)

“It is our pleasure to serve,” Father’s voice said from the other room. He turned the corner and stepped into view, brushing his hands clean. “The clan
is
our family. We’re all on the same team. If we can help these people fight their illness, everyone will benefit.”

I glanced again at the stranger in my bed. “Not everyone.”

“Vance.” Father bent down until we could see eye to eye. “This settlement is a refuge, a place where people can find peace and happiness. We’re the lucky ones who get to serve them.”

I didn’t understand, but I was suddenly tired of the conversation. “I know. Sorry, Dad.”

“Someday you’ll understand.” He put a massive hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. “In the meantime, I need your help. I’d like you to stop thinking about yourself for a few minutes and help us save lives. Can you do it?”

“Yeah.”

“What was that?” he prompted.

“Yes,
sir
.”

Someone knocked on the door as I followed my father around the corner. Another sick person, most likely. An entire family sat propped against the wall, all pale and weak. It was the Ashby family. They had a dog named Clyde they let me play with sometimes—worthless for hunting but fun to chase around.

“Go find another blanket,” he told me. “They’re in the chills stage.”

“There aren’t any left.”

“Go to the next wing and ask if they have any to spare.”

“Yes, sir.”

The front door was open. Mom was speaking with someone with her arms folded. I slowed and stopped. It was Edyn’s mother.

“…sure he didn’t realize how cold the water was,” my mother was saying. “Kids do stupid things sometimes.”

“She could catch this dreadful illness!” the woman said. “If she breaks out in chills and fever, I’ll be extremely upset.”

“Simply being cold doesn’t make one ill,” my mother began. “It has to be bacteria or a virus—”

“Don’t start. I expect that you’ll take care of this and make sure it never happens again.” Her statement rose like a question.

“Of course.”

The door closed, and my mother turned around. She didn’t look surprised to see me there. But the weight that pressed her down into the earth seemed even heavier. Her thin legs were barely able to hold her frail weight.

“I didn’t push Edyn in,” I insisted. “I only threw some water at her. She’s just trying to get me into trouble.”

Mom shook her head. “Edyn’s mother and I were best of friends once, you know.”

I kept silent. I had a feeling this wasn’t about me anymore.

“When I had a son, and she had a daughter, I assumed it was meant to be,” she continued. Mom reached out and smoothed my hair. “Neither of us expected to have such spirited children. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I think the two of you will have many grand adventures together.”

“With Edyn?” I said with a snicker. “I can’t stand her.”

She looked down at my wet boots, her lips pressed tight. I’d forgotten to take them off and braced myself for another lecture.

Instead, she turned and walked away.

When I arrived at Ruby’s for school the next day, I half expected my students not to show up. Surely they’d told their parents about my forbidden history lesson. Any minute now, Lillibeth would come charging in and demand that the school be shut down. But when I walked in, my students were already seated—every single one. There were several more, actually. Some of the older kids had brought their friends, and smiling children covered the walls of Ruby’s dwelling, sitting wherever they could find an empty spot on the floor. We wouldn’t fit in here much longer.

It’s only a matter of time before they tell on you,
I reminded myself as I greeted the kids. But until then, I would answer their questions honestly. They deserved that much, and I couldn’t think of a better contribution in this place than that.

A few minutes later, Mandie was having her say about a bombing in Tokyo when Coltrane ran in. His eyes were wide, and he gasped for air. “We’re under lockdown,” he managed. “We need to get all the kids home right now.”

The children gasped, and then there was mayhem. Older children reached for their younger siblings, all shouting and scrambling for the doorway.

“Lockdown?” I repeated dumbly. “What happened?”

“A helicopter.”

“Choppers fly over us all the time,” Ruby said, waving good-bye to Clara. “Shouldn’t be a cause for concern.”

“This one landed right above us,” Coltrane said. “They’re searching the ground. They seem to be focused on the abandoned town, right by the north exit.”

Searching the ground
.

Ruby swore under her breath. “Children, hurry, it’s time to run home. Leave your belongings.”

“Ruby!” Mandie exclaimed. “You said a bad word.”

They were looking for me. I knew it then as clear as if Coltrane had said exactly that. NORA was on my trail.

And I’d led them straight here.

“Amy!” Coltrane said sharply.

“What?”

“I said I’ll help Mandie get home. Can you find your way back by yourself?”

You’ve killed us all.

Everywhere I went, people got hurt. That was why I needed to leave this place. There had to be somewhere in the world I could go without endangering anybody. At that moment, all I wanted was Vance. I wanted to bury my face in his shoulder and have him tell me everything was all right. I wanted him to say it wasn’t my fault, any of it, and tell me I wasn’t alone.

It was time to leave.

“Yes,” I finally said, and I realized that the decision was made. “I can get there just fine.”

I wandered several minutes before realizing that I had no idea where the exits were. We’d traversed every quadrant, some several times, but he’d never actually shown me how to get out. Remembering a previous conversation about the abandoned town being near the north exit, I kept heading straight toward the northern quadrant. It took almost half an hour to find it, but there it was.

A metal door like the one that guarded the defense lab loomed ahead, but someone was in the way. He sat with his leg extended across the door, the other leg bent at the knee, and his head tilted back as if asleep. Great. A guard.

I patted the nutrition pills in my pocket and stepped forward, hoping he’d be asleep. But the moment I reached the door, he looked up. “Turn around and go back or you’ll regret it.” With a start, I realized it was a woman. She had short dark hair and broad shoulders, but her facial features were definitely feminine. She couldn’t have been more than thirty years old.

“I’m Amy,” I said.

“Violet,” she said in a bored tone. “And, no, I’m not letting you out. I know exactly who you are.”

Cursed numbers. Why hadn’t I removed my implant? I decided to ditch the formalities and come straight to the point. “NORA is looking for me. If I don’t go out and meet them, they may find your exit.”

“If you come climbing out of our exit, then they’ll definitely find it, don’t you think?”

“Well, I won’t do it while they’re looking. I’m not stupid.”

“You must be if you think I’ll believe your lies.” She pulled her legs in and stood, towering over me. “This door leads to a tube that goes upward. You climb the rungs and open the hatch overhead to get out. A girl climbing out of that would bring them onto us faster than a hummingbird’s wings.”

“I’ll find a way,” I said stubbornly.

“You’ll stay right here and go down with us. Should’ve thought of that before you became a spy.”

I wanted to punch the girl in her pretty nose, but that would only hurt my case. “If I was a spy, why would they be tracking me? Besides, there’s only one helicopter out there. If they knew you were here, they would have brought the entire fleet.”

“Okay, tell you what.” She folded her arms. “I’m going to call Lillibeth. She’ll send guards to take you away. But first, tell me you’ve never been trained by the military.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. “That’s not a very accurate measure of loyalty. I’m here in peace.”

“Then tell me this. Have you ever killed someone?”

You’ve killed us all.

Tali. Vallorah. A palace guard. Hundreds of people I didn’t even know, citizens who were willing to risk their comfort and safety for change. They haunted my dreams, and now, here in the present, they held me in a tight grip. It was almost as if someone choked the breath out of me as I squeaked an answer. “Yes.”

I had expected Violet to leap into action then, or at least try to arrest me. But instead her expression softened. “Me too, before I came here. I could tell. You have that look.” She removed a radio from her belt and dialed. “Lillibeth? I have your guest right here. She says she wants to leave.”

There was static, and then a voice responded. “Sending someone right away. Keep her there, no matter what. Do not let her open that door.”

“Copy that.” She clipped the radio back on and folded her arms again.

“I don’t want to fight you,” I said, feeling the desperation build. “But I have to get out there and stop them before it’s too late.”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option. You can try to get past me, but that will only get you thrown into a cell. You’re not the only one with training.”

I looked at the door again, then at Violet. “I care about these people.”

“So do I. Sorry, but you’ll have to take it up with the elders. Or Lillibeth, although you’d have better luck reasoning with a viper.”

I sat on the floor and leaned my head back against the wall as I’d seen her do, my mind racing. There were probably guards at all the exits, especially right now. How would I get permission to leave? The elders, with the exception of Ruby, would all jump to the same conclusions Violet had. And Lillibeth wasn’t being very helpful.

Minutes later I heard footsteps coming down the tunnel. I stood, ready to argue, but then Coltrane turned the corner. He jogged toward us, holding a baglight. “Amy! They’re gone. The chopper is gone.” He reached me and pulled me in for a hug. Stunned, I stood there for a second and then pulled away. Coltrane’s face was radiant. “They got in and left, and now we’re safe. Come back with me.”

Relief flooded my body. “We got lucky this time, but I still have to leave. They’re looking for me, Coltrane.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would they do that?” He waved to Violet, who simply stared after us, motionless, and then we headed down the tunnel again.

“I have to talk to your mom,” I said.

The community is still under lockdown, so she’s busy right now, but she’ll be back tonight. May as well come back and wait, then we’ll clear all this up.”

But as we walked back to the dwelling, there were several things I knew for sure.

First, these people were in danger as long as I was here. If NORA was desperate enough to send a chopper after me, they wouldn’t stop looking until I was found. Second, I was a prisoner. There were likely guards at each exit, and now they’d be watching for me. Third, I needed supplies. Lillibeth was the one person who could change all that, and she was about to get an earful from me.