Uprising (16 page)

I expected at least a few people to straggle out with their heads down, but not a single person moved from their spot. “It’s not going to happen tomorrow,” I continued. “It will be a long and slow transition, and we’ll need your support, your loyalty. You are the beginning.” I took a deep breath. “To freedom.”

“To freedom,” a few responded with zest. Fists rose into the air, and soon the tent erupted, not with protest but with approval. I laughed. I couldn’t help it.

The whole morning was chaos. The older moms put together lunch for everyone. Sofia and Anna had gotten close, and they organized the effort as a team. William took charge of separating people into groups by their abilities or skills and set up a table alongside the house to start interviews. Dr. Nickel and Mac sat at one end, Kara and Alex in the middle, and William and I to their left. Three lines formed and people joined them anxiously.

“Bloodline?” William asked the first person, who happened to be his best friend.

“Seriously?” Sam said with raised eyebrows.

William just smiled and wrote Dionysus on his list next to Sam’s name.

“So what group do you want to be in?” I asked, resting my forearms on the table.

“What are my choices?” Sam asked.

I looked over at William’s list. “Reconnaissance, Personnel, Food Service and Supply, Medical Care, Infantry, Recruiting, Weaponry, or Communications.” The groups reminded me that this wasn’t a game. Under the heading Command and Control were six names: Elyse, William, Mac, Marcus, Kara, and Alex.

“Reconnaissance,” he said with a nod.

“Me too,” Nics added, cutting in line beside him.

Rachel and Paul landed behind us and peeked over

William’s shoulder.

“Reconnaissance?” Rachel whined.

“Why?” Paul said, pulling her close to him and kissing her cheek. “What would you choose?”

“Personnel maybe.”

“B-o-r-i-n-g,” Sam said in monotone.

“So pick personnel,” Nics told her. “You don’t have to be in our group.”

“I’m not going to be alone,” she scoffed. “Put me in recon.”

It took most of the day to assign everyone to a group, and the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Training would begin in the morning.

It was easier to see the campfires at night. There were seven throughout the tents, and the cold air carried the smell of burning pine. I sat with the largest group gathered around the central fire. They were telling stories and playing games, but I only sat and watched. My mind was on other things. The prophecy. Thoughts of my people fighting for their lives. These carefree nights wouldn’t last. Who would they blame when things went wrong, when things got worse?

“Come on,” William whispered in my ear. He took my hand and pulled me off into the darkness.

It was easy to keep from being seen when we were outside the dim glow of the fire. We headed for the creek leaving the laughter behind us.

“Everything okay? Too many people?” His hand was warm against mine, despite the cold. “You know, we could forget this whole prophecy thing and elope,” he said with a laugh.

“We could,” I answered, letting myself give in to the idea, even if just for a moment. “Where would we go?”

He looked at me through the moonlight, judging my sincerity. “Come on, I know you’re not serious.”

“Just for fun then.” I pulled my black jacket tighter around me with my free hand. “Where would we go?”

“I don’t know,” he said, thinking about it. “Europe, maybe.”

“Are there Descendants there?”

“Some. Not a lot.” I could see his breath as he spoke.

His answer didn’t seem right. “Why is that? Why America? Why not Greece?”

“America used to be undiscovered.”

I nodded, making the connection. “The perfect place to hide.”

“If you ever want to get out, I’m sure we could find our own perfect place.” He pulled me in close, holding me to his chest. “I’m not above running and hiding.”

I laughed, knowing he was smiling as he rested his cheek against my forehead.

We both knew that wasn’t an option. I couldn’t run. I couldn’t hide. Everyone had been waiting for me.

13.

FOR THE NEXT WEEK Mac woke everyone at 6:00 a.m., his voice bellowing through the trees.

“Get up, you lazy dogs. All right, get up.”

Every morning eyes were wide as people began to stir. No one seemed tired. Instead it was how I imagined the first week of summer camp to be. I didn’t understand it. I ate breakfast quietly, letting the rolling pitch of Rachel’s voice fade to the background. Only she could find a reason to be excited about training for war.

“First rule,” William yelled to our training group after breakfast. “No abilities.” He paced in front of everyone with his hands on his hips, and I noticed how much older he looked having gone without shaving the past few days. “We all know Christoph and Adrianna can strip us of our powers, and everyone needs to be ready to defend themselves physically, even if it’s a last resort.” He looked at me briefly, and I was reminded of Helen’s class at The Institute when we thought she was crazy for having us duel. This seemed crazier. “Second rule. We’re not trying to kill each other here, but don’t hold back either. Christoph won’t be taking it easy on us if it comes to that. We have a healer and a medic team if needed.”

The name Christoph stuck in my head, and for a moment I thought I saw him standing across from me. I closed my eyes to clear my head, but when I opened them, he was standing there. He glared back at me clear as day, right next to William. My heart picked up as I looked around. Didn’t anybody see him? I opened my mouth to warn everyone to run, to shoot, to kill, but William walked right through him like he was a ghost. Before I’d uttered a word, the image disappeared like smoke.

You okay?
Kara asked from beside me. She stared forward as she spoke.

I turned to her, knowing she must have seen him too, at least through my mind.

What was that?
I asked.

What?

You didn’t see him?

I heard you get all worked up about it, but there was nothing there.

Even through my mind?

She shook her head.
No
.

“Kara and Alex will demonstrate,” William announced to the group. I tried to pay attention, but my eyes wandered in search for Christoph. The sight of him had left an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

Kara stepped forward, facing Alex with a smirk on her face. “This really isn’t a fair fight,” she said.

Alex raised his eyebrows. “We’ll see.”

No Christoph. I had imagined him. I relaxed my shoulders, and my heart began to settle as I focused on Kara and Alex. It was stress. Just stress.

“Remember. No abilities,” Mac reminded them, but I could see from the way they looked at each other, his rule wouldn’t last.

Kara was already swinging before Mac had a chance to say go. Her fist found the air to the right of Alex’s face. He was fast, even without his ability.

Kara tilted her head, impressed.

“What?” he said with a cocky grin. “You’re not the only one who’s gone through Council combat training.”

Despite their words, there was enjoyment behind their eyes as they stared each other down. They were so much alike. I wondered if they realized it.

She swung again and missed, but her punch was strong. If she made contact, she could easily knock him out. Next Alex threw a fist, but Kara grabbed his wrist and knocked him in the jaw with her elbow.

“Oops,” she said, and I noticed a hint of flirtation in her voice.

Alex opened his mouth wide, stretching his cheek muscles and shook his head. “Here I was taking it easy on you.”

Kara bounced on her toes. “Oh, sure.”

With each snarky comment the small crowd around them reacted. I caught William’s eye, and he gave me a look after watching Kara revel in her hit. He’d picked up on it too, and I pressed my lips together, trying not to smile at their strange way of flirting.

After a few seconds of circling, they lunged at each other. One slipped in and out of the other’s grasp, both dodging blows until Alex finally had Kara’s neck in the crook of his elbow. “Good thing you’re a girl. It wouldn’t be right to hit a girl,” he said loudly into her ear.

She stopped struggling, which made him loosen his grip. This time a cocky grin settled into
her
cheeks before she smacked him in the mouth with the back of her head. “Good thing you’re a boy,” she said. “I have no problem hitting boys.”

The people around me laughed, including William. Even

I couldn’t help but smile.

Alex licked the blood off of his upper lip and disappeared. “No abilities,” Mac grumbled from the sidelines, but

Kara didn’t let it distract her.

When Alex appeared at her side she was ready. With her eyes closed she blocked every blow as Alex snapped in and out of place trying every angle. First her palm knocked him in the chin. He disappeared. Then an elbow to the throat. He disappeared. A knee to the gut.

I’d never seen Kara fight like this, and I couldn’t look away. Everything was so fast, impossible to predict. The next time Alex reappeared it was from a distance.

“All right,” he said, feigning indifference. “So you win. Who’s next?”

Sam pushed Paul into the center of the crowd. “We are,” he said, throwing a few fake punches into the air.

Nics rolled her eyes. “Oh, give me a break.”

“All right,” Kara said. “I’ll take you, Sam. Alex gets Paul.” Sam’s smile dropped. “Wait, what?”

“This is going to be good,” William laughed next to me. Neither one of them knew what they were doing. Sam’s long lanky arms threw awkward punches, and Paul was slow without his ability to fly. By the time it was over, tiny Kara had Sam on his belly in a chokehold crying for mercy.

Nobody could keep from laughing.

I tried to relax and have fun that night, but I couldn’t get away from the image of Christoph standing in the middle of our camp. I hadn’t told anyone and wasn’t planning on it, but it was haunting me.

“Whoa, don’t mess with Kara,” Sam said as we huddled around our little fire. I hadn’t been listening to the conversation, but his loud voice caught my attention. “You saw what she did to Alex today. She’s a beast.”

I watched Kara through the flames of our campfire. She looked away from us, but she was holding back a smile.

“What she did to Alex? What about what she did to you?” Nics jabbed Sam in the ribs.

He shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t feel too bad if badass disappear guy can’t even touch her.”

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up,” Alex shook his head. His eyes stayed on Kara too long. She pretended not to notice, though I knew she did. She raised her eyebrows at me.

Really, Elyse?

I smiled at her through flickering ribbons of orange flame.

“Say it’s the perfect world,” Rachel said to the group. “You’re free to be who you are. No consequences. No prejudice. What’s the first thing you would do?”

“Start my own wine label,” Sam said without hesitating. “I’d make a killing.” All of us laughed, because he would. His wine was amazing.

Our laughter was contagious. The group next to us cheered and hollered at something. They sang too loudly, lyrics to a song I didn’t know. Anna and Chloe were over there somewhere with Mac. The stars were out. The air was fresh. People were happy tonight.

“I’d travel the world,” Alex answered. “My way.” He scooted forward, warming his hands by the fire.

“You can do that now, can’t you?” Rachel asked.

He shook his head. “Too risky. You can’t just appear on top of the Eiffel Tower without someone noticing.”

“I think we’d do the same,” Paul said looking at Rachel, and she nodded.

“How about you, William?” Sam asked.

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Not much. Get a house.” He looked at me with mischievous eyes. “Make babies.”

His last two words threw the rest of the group into a riot of taunting jeers. I threw my hands over my face to seem like it was out of embarrassment, and maybe it was a little, but really I was hiding. Hiding from the truth. He bearhugged me from the side and kissed my cheeks until I lifted my hands and kissed him back. Just a quick touch of our lips to bring closure to the moment.

“But seriously,” Sam protested. “You could be a crimefighting superhero. Hypnotize bad-guys with your love stare.”

I let myself lean into William now that the focus was off of me, but I was still red.

“That’s what I’d do,” Nics continued. “I’d be a good superhero, right?”

“I don’t know,” Sam answered. “You’re not so good at taking orders.”

“What?”

As the bickering started, I stopped listening. Kara was the only one who noticed. I couldn’t get my mind off of the idea of a baby, my baby. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. Her eyes said enough.
It’ll be okay
.

But would it?

I tried to stay positive. Everyone else was. Things were looking up. We had a system. We were preparing for battle, talking about plans of action. Sure, nothing was decided about when to act against Christoph, when to expose our race and how, but we had a long way to go before we got there. At least we were headed in the right direction. We were closer to being where we should be, closer than we were when I was alone with Mac and William, or when I was locked in the mansion.

“Well tomorrow, I’m challenging Elyse,” Rachel said with sass. “I want to see what kind of a wild woman she’s turned into, training with Kara and Mac all day.” She smiled at me. “You and me, baby.”

I laughed at her feisty attitude. “You’re on.”

As I lay in bed next to William that night, I realized they never asked me what I’d do. Maybe to them it was obvious: try to heal the sick as best I could. That would have been my answer, but would it have been the truth? The thought scared me. The pressure. The expectation. The consequences. I knew what was right. What we should be fighting for. We all wanted freedom, but freedom wouldn’t come easily. Would all of this backfire? Would I find myself in a lab, held captive, being tested if things didn’t go as planned?