The Chosen Ones (6 page)

“When they come to the
compound,” I whispered, pausing. “They’re there to pick the ripe ones?”

He nodded, watching me closely,
as if he expected me to go off the deep end once more. Although the horrors of
that realization washed over me in a sickening wave of nausea, I had no plans
to fall into the darkness again. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. There
were things I had to do first.

“But we’re only ripe after sixteen,”
I added, trying to piece the clues together. No one had been chosen who was
younger than sixteen. I’d noticed that years ago. We all had. Which meant my
brothers would be safe for a couple more years. At least one good thing came
from this. “So they don’t kill children then?”

He looked away, but not before I
noticed the sadness that flashed across his gaze. “They don’t typically feed
off of children, but that doesn’t mean they won’t kill them. They consider us a
nuisance, cockroaches to be smashed before we multiply.”

My stomach clenched at the
thought. “We are the enemy.”

“I don’t think they consider us
an enemy. They look at us more as animals, as…nothing.” We started up yet
another hill. I tried to keep track of the conversation but my head throbbed, my
body ached and my memories were a muddled mess. “When you reach their castle they
drug you so you sleep through the night. That way you won’t hear the screams,
you don’t see them feed.”

“The food,” I said. Everything
was falling together piece by horrifying piece. “My friend Sally ate the cake
they had given us, but I didn’t. I was too nervous. It explains why she was
sleeping so deeply when I heard the screams.”

He nodded. “They feed about once
a month, so we have that to be thankful for, at least. A few weeks in between
to regroup, and plan.”

The sudden rustling of leaves startled
me so that I froze on the trail.

“Just a squirrel,” Will said.

Sure enough, the fluffy rodent
bounded through the forest moments later, his bushy tail flickering. I
swallowed over the lump of fear that clogged my throat. Just a squirrel. I had
so much to learn. As the animal disappeared, I found myself focusing on the
shadows. Who knew what was out there, watching, waiting. I pushed aside the
thought. One worry at a time.

We started down a hill, but I
ended up slipping on the soft mud. Will was there…always there. His hand
clamped around my upper arm, keeping me from falling to my face. But the moment
we reached the trail below, he let go. Although I’d had little human contact
the last couple weeks, I was relieved when he released me. It felt too
confusing, too new and obtrusive. I crossed my arms over my chest, wondering if
I’d ever want someone to touch me again.

“They have guards posted around
compounds and their city, protecting them from us.” He released a harsh laugh.
I too found the idea ridiculous. What could we do, really? “But once in a while
the younger ones have hunting parties. Some for fun, some to weed us out.”

Weed us out, as if we were rats.
“So they come to the compound once a month to gather food for their harvest.”
We were food. As we kept chickens, they kept humans. The kindness they showed
us was a mere façade. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to vomit, cry, or return to
that city and kill the first beautiful one I came across.

“They are stronger, faster, more
beautiful than humans,” Will said. “And to them we are nothing more than cattle.”

Numbly, I followed Will, my mind
spinning. All of it, my entire life, suddenly made sense. Everything they did,
everything I had questioned, fell into place. The reason why we were kept
enclosed, the reason why we were taught only the basics of life. “They move
people from compound to compound so the gene pool isn’t tainted, don’t they?”

He seemed surprised by my
comment, his gaze jumping to me.

I shrugged, embarrassed. “They
allow us to read books on farming and agriculture. I read a bit about genetics
in one.”

He nodded. “Yes, as far as we
know.”

For a long time we walked in
silence, following the trail. Although the world around me was splendid and
alive in a way I never could have even imagined, the beauty was lost. My thoughts
were a jumble, tumbling around in my head so quickly, that I couldn’t seem to
catch and make sense of them.

“We have no choice but to
protect ourselves,” he said, as if hoping I’d understand. “The ones you see down
there are chosen ones who escaped, like you. We are all outsiders, merely
trying to survive.”

Not soldiers then. I studied the
small group hiking in the valley below us, weaving around the trees with sure
and steady steps. People who had saved me, fed me, protected me. Always moving,
always hiding. What sort of life was this? A life of struggle, of fear. No
hope. No thoughts of a future. “What if I don’t want this life?”

He released a harsh laugh. “You
have no choice. In this world it’s kill or be eaten.”

I paused on the hill, watching
the others, and he paused beside me. His attention burned, and I wondered what
he was thinking. I didn’t have to wonder for long. Disconcerted, I swiped the
sweat from my temples and glanced at him. “Just say whatever it is you so badly
want to say.”

“Fine.” He shifted, crossing his
arms over his chest, the dark gray shirt he wore stretching over his broad
shoulders. “You need to decide now, Jane. I won’t let you hold us back. You’ll
either fight with us, or you’ll be on your own. What’s your choice?”

So, it was survive or die. What
a choice. I took in a deep breath and looked around me. A few bluebirds
flittered from the branches above. This war between us and the beautiful ones
would rage for who knew how long, but the world would still go on as it was. The
trees would still grow. Birds would still fly. Flowers would still bloom. But
we…we had to fight to live.

I took in a deep breath and
faced Will. “They have murdered my friends, my family. They will murder more if
we don’t stop them.”

He watched me warily. “What are
you saying?”

“I want you to teach me
everything you know, Will. Teach me how to kill the beautiful ones.”

Chapter
4

“Ready?” Will whispered next to
my ear, his warm breath stirring the hair that had come loose from my braid and
momentarily distracting me.

I tried to push aside the odd
flare of emotion that swirled through my body at his nearness. Attempted to
ignore the blood pounding through my veins, partly from excitement and partly
from his close proximity. If I wanted to live, I needed to be able to
concentrate. Still, I wasn’t used to being touched, and his hand was tight
around my upper arm, his fingers almost stinging. I rested my hand against my
thigh. Feeling the dagger Kelly had given to me made me feel better for some
reason.

Would I ever get used to
physical contact? Because of the years of rules that had been pounded into my
brain, perhaps not. Contact at my compound had been merely about producing
offspring. But here we were free to touch, cuddle, kiss, as I’d seen many of
the couples do at night. As much as I’d always craved closeness, it made me
uneasy.

I rolled my eyes skyward,
mentally shaking aside the thoughts. This wasn’t about romance and friendship,
it was about learning to survive.

Will released his hold. “Go!”

I took off, darting through the
trees, leaping over patches of weeds and fallen branches. As children we’d
played hide and seek, but this was an adult version, a version I needed to win
in order to stay alive. But within moments I was breathless, my weak body screaming
out in betrayal. Determined to win, I stumbled on.

For days we’d been walking,
headed toward that elusive meeting point where we’d connect with the children
once more, hoping we didn’t run into any beautiful ones. And every evening, as the
others rested, Will and I trained. Trained so hard that my muscles constantly
trembled with exhaustion, trained so hard that at times I didn’t think I could
go on. At least I slept well at night. One small consolation.

When we’d take breaks during the
day hikes, Will would give me what books he had been able to carry with him. I
was currently reading a novel on the history of the world. Interesting, yes,
but there was nothing about the beautiful ones, and at the moment they were all
I cared about.

I ducked under a low-hanging
branch. In the days I’d been with him I’d grown to respect Will. I might not
have liked him at times, but I trusted him. And I could even say that Kelly was
becoming a friend. The others weren’t so easy to figure out, and were obviously
leery about letting me into their tight group, even if the sudden appearance of
newbies, as Tony called us, was common.
 

I darted left, headed downhill.
But my untrained body gave out, propelling me forward and I ended up sliding in
the damp earth. “Damn.”

Coming to a rest at the bottom,
just inches from a small creek, I took a brief moment to suck in some much-needed
air. Surely Will was already after me. I glanced back up the hill and saw the
deep grooves my boots had left behind in the mud. Will would see those tell-tale
marks and he’d follow. With a groan of frustration, I stood. Mud covered the
side of my trousers, caked into the material. I wanted to curse all over again.
Clothing was limited, and I had only two pair of trousers to my name. But I
didn’t have time to lament my bad fortune.

Although it was only Will
chasing me, it might as well have been a beautiful one. My heart hammered, urging
me to continue on, but I needed to remain calm. I studied the forest, taking in
each shadow, every nook. Hide or run?

Run.

But where to go? Will had told
me to head downwind, so the beautiful ones couldn’t smell me. But I wasn’t
running from a beautiful one. Will would easily follow my tracks down this hill,
and he’d assume I was listening and I’d run downwind. I glanced up the steep
slope. I didn’t just need to know how to protect myself from the beautiful
ones, I needed to know how to protect myself period, no matter who the enemy.
And at the moment Will was the enemy.

“Uphill it is.” I gripped a
branch and pulled myself back up the hill, this time making sure not to leave
any prints. Sweat trailed down my neck and back, as my muscles screamed in
protest. So weak that my head throbbed with each step I took. But I couldn’t
give up. I wouldn’t.
 

Hopefully Will would think I’d
headed downhill, giving me a few minutes to catch my breath. But most likely
not. We’d been doing this for three days and every time Will had found me
within ten minutes. At the top of the hill, I took a moment to glance around. Where
was he? Where was I? Pressing my hands onto my thighs, I leaned over, closing
my eyes and tried to listen, using my senses as Will had taught me.

He should have been there by
now…unless I had actually won. Impossible. I could hear nothing but the
occasional chirp of birds and my own harsh breathing. Still, instinct told me
to run. When I straightened, the trees wavered in and out of focus in front of
me, my mind spinning. I knew I was pushing myself too hard, but couldn’t seem
to quit.

Kill or be eaten.

Determined, I surged left,
behind a massive oak tree and ran straight into a hard body. I stifled my
scream. The warm, musky scent had become so familiar to me in the last few days
that nervousness quickly fled as Will’s arms came up automatically, wrapping
around my waist. Off balance, we tumbled back. Will hit the ground with a
grunt, taking me with him. As we rolled down the hill, I bit back my cry of
surprise, knowing it might attract the beautiful ones if they were in the area.
Will held me close, cupping the back of my head protectively, until we came to
a stop in a pile of wet leaves at the bottom of the hill.

For a brief embarrassing moment
we just laid there, Will’s muscled body pressing mine into the ground. As
horrified as I was to be touching someone so closely, I realized it could have
been worse—he could have been a blood drinker. Breathing heavily, our gazes
met. It was an odd feeling that swept through me…warmth, embarrassment, but
something more. Something that confused me. Something I’d been trying to ignore
since meeting Will. Was I actually attracted to him? Is this what Tom had felt
when he’d been near me?

“How’d you find my location?” I
asked, mostly to make conversation and forget, for a moment, my confusing
thoughts.

He lifted off me, brushing the
dirt from his trousers. “Luck.” He held out his hand. “I promise. I was headed
downhill when I heard a branch snap. Wasn’t even you, but a deer. Still, I saw
you up ahead.”

I slid my hand into his and
allowed him to pull me to my feet. “Damn,” I said, using his favorite curse
word.

It should have made me feel
better to know that he’d fallen for my trick, but it didn’t. He’d found me
anyway thanks to a deer. And if Will could find me, I’d have no chance against a
beautiful one. He grinned a crooked grin that had my heart flip-flopping. Annoyed
at myself, I looked away, focusing on brushing the leaves and dirt from my clothes.
I barely even liked him. Yes, he had saved me, but he was bossy, practically
heartless at times. So why did I react so oddly when he was near? It didn’t
make sense.

“Jane, you’re getting better.”
He started to reach out for me, but dropped his arm to his side at the last
minute. He, too, seemed to feel uncomfortable with touching at times. Or maybe
he just felt uncomfortable touching me. “A lot better. We’ve only been at it
for a few days. You need to rest, give your body time to get used to this type
of life, this constant exercise. Tomorrow we hike all day to the river and
you’re going to be exhausted.”

It wasn’t as if we weren’t plenty
active back at the compound. Our chores kept us on our feet. But nothing
compared to this constant movement, up and down hills. I glanced toward the
west. The sky, a brilliant pink from the setting sun, was just visible through
the trees. It was getting too dark to read any books. If we stopped training, it
would only give me time to think, to remember everything that had happened to
me, and to the people I cared about. I didn’t want to remember.