Uprising (21 page)

William walked ahead to speak with Mac about today’s session, so when I felt a hand on my arm, I flinched. I turned my head just in time to see Alex’s face before we disappeared. We were gone in seconds, reappearing in a separate part of the forest.

“Look,” he said immediately. “If you think it’s too dangerous, that’s fine, but I’m going. On my own if I have to.” His eyes sharpened ready to take on a challenge.

“What are you talking about?”

He looked away irritated. “The mind-wipers.”

“I knew it,” I said quietly. “You were planning something. You know William’s right. The Council will see you coming if you go back there. They’ll be waiting for you.” Deep down I was glad William had made the decision for us not to go, even if it wasn’t the right one. I didn’t know if I was ready to face what was out there. Not yet.

“You can use whatever excuse you want, but we have a lead here. You can’t just sit on it.” The words came out like fire. “Because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared. I’m being smart,” I argued, but inside I knew that was a lie.

“That’s what you call it?”

Without giving me a chance to answer he grabbed my wrist, and we were back before anyone realized we were gone. Helen turned to face the front of the group of fifteen, and William headed back in my direction.

“This is real training. This isn’t for fun,” she said. “Sure it is,” Mac laughed under his breath.

Helen looked at him a little taken aback. “Excuse me?” William took my hand as he joined the group, his face tensed with concern.

“It’s all a game if there’s nothing at stake,” Mac answered. She raised her eyebrows. “Do you have a better idea?”

“First of all, we need moving targets.” He stepped out

in front of us standing almost a foot taller than Helen. “Nothing you’ll be shooting at ever stays still.”

From the minute he said moving targets I knew where this was going.

“Mac,” I said, trying to discount the idea.

“I’m sorry, Elyse. People have died. War ain’t no picnic.”

“I’m in,” Sam said before he knew what he was signing up for.

“We’ll be starting off in groups of three,” Mac yelled. “One will be the shooter, one will be the protector, and one will be the target.”

William gave me a look like he’d seen this coming. “No way.” Nics laughed. “I’m not doing that.”

“Look,” Mac said, pulling a Glock from the weapons table. “Anyone who’s going to learn how to shoot someone should know what it feels like to get shot.” He shrugged like it was a simple fact. “If you don’t want to be on this recon team, go ahead and leave.”

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to move. No one did.

“Good,” Mac said with a nod.

Sam’s face was suddenly wary of what he’d volunteered for. “Is he serious?”

“Well, I already know what it feels like to get shot,” Rachel huffed with resentment.

“Yeah,” Paul said, worried for her. “Can she just sit out?”

“No excuses,” Mac bellowed, making eye contact with

every one of us. “You can always leave.”

“Let’s just say, on the off chance, one of us gets killed,” William said sarcastically. “That might be a little bit of a problem, don’t you think?”

“Nope. We’ve got I-bring-people-back-to-life boy right here.” He nodded toward Aaron. “And Elyse knows how to heal. Suck it up. You’ll be fine. Besides, it’s the protector’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“So we’re going to shoot at each other?” Sam asked like maybe it was all a joke.

Mac loaded the Glock in his hand with a click. “Yep.” William shook his head, but I couldn’t argue. As

ridiculous and crazy as it sounded, Mac was right. We needed to train under pressure, to feel the fear of getting shot while trying to aim a gun or take out a mark. I felt guilty for thinking that. Maybe I had lost some of my humanity to the fight.

“Any volunteers?” No one moved.

“I’ll go,” I said before anyone else. “I’ll be the target.”

“Elyse,” William said without thinking.

“It’s fine.” I stepped forward. “Someone’s got to go first.” My toes flexed and curled inside my shoes, my feigned confidence masking the fact that I was nervous.

“Good,” Mac said, pleased by my offer. “Nics, you’re the shooter. Ian here will be the protector.” He slapped a gruff hand against the back of the youngest boy in our group.

“I’m not doing it,” Nics said with attitude. “No way.”

“All right. You’re out.”

“Nics, it’s fine. I’m a healer. I know pain. I can take it,” I said, hoping she believed the words coming out of my mouth. “Besides, maybe I’ll shoot you before you shoot me.” I adjusted my dart gun on my thigh, moving it higher.

She eyed the Glock Mac held out in front of her and looked back at William before taking it. “We’ll see,” she said, trying to joke about it, but she was nervous, too. I could tell.

The crease deepened between my eyes as I realized this was really going to happen.

Ian and I walked out about twenty paces from where Nics stood. He was maybe fourteen years old in human terms with frizzy curls and freckles. I tried to tell myself it didn’t matter. With Descendants, it was all about the power of your ability that determined a person’s strength. I didn’t know what Ian’s was, but I hoped it would protect me long enough to shoot the first dart.

“Ian, step back a ways. Protect her from a distance,” Mac yelled. I moved my bracelet back and forth nervously, readying myself to draw blood from my left wrist.

The minute Mac said go, everything changed. My vision went black, and all I could do was listen. I heard Nics steady her footing. I heard the watching crowd inhale and exhale in staggered patterns. I heard Nics swallow, grip the gun tighter. Then I realized I shouldn’t be able to hear those things. Nics stripped me of my sense of sight, but Ian must have been amplifying my hearing. I could make out everything. The bullet released from the chamber, cracking the air like shattered glass, and I jumped. It was so loud it hurt, but I could hear it flying toward me, a buzz that broke through the atmosphere. I heard William suck in a breath, heard him curse quietly to himself as he watched. I stepped to the side quickly, and the bullet whizzed by my left ear hitting a nearby tree.

Adrenalin kicked in. I steadied my feet, listening to the direction of the breeze as it pushed the old dry leaves around like nature’s wind chime. I heard the crunch of nervous feet, the click, the bullet. I knew exactly where it was going, heard it so clearly that I could reach out and catch it. I ducked as it flew over my head. The group whispered. They were impressed. So was I.

Nics shot three more bullets, and I dodged them all. I heard the last one hit the dirt with a dull thud, burying itself into the earth. It was too easy. I could’ve probably taken her out just by the sound of her shuffling feet, but I was having fun. I smiled. I felt invincible.

Then things changed. I could see again. Nics must have realized the blackness wasn’t fazing me. I caught sight of William, a proud grin gracing his face as he looked back. He was a distraction. That’s what she wanted. I was too slow moving out of the way of the next bullet, and it grazed my arm. I winced and fell to my knees. I looked back at Nics expecting to see remorse, but she only raised an eyebrow and shot again. The bullet passed so close to my ear, I felt the air move. My heart kicked into gear, pumping harder. The bark behind me broke and splintered into pieces. I reached for my holster and grabbed a dart, but by the time I had it between my fingers I realized something was wrong. The world was pulling away from me. This had happened before. Everything distant, blurred. I heard nothing. I needed the sound. It was my only protection. I shook my head and brought my hands to my ears, trying to make them hear. Too late. Nics smiled and aimed one last time.

“Nics,” I yelled, trying to get her to stop, but the bullet sank into my shoulder, tearing my flesh. I felt the pain everywhere and cried out. The last thing I saw was William rushing toward me before they all disappeared.

This time when my surroundings began to transform, I was aware that what I was experiencing was a vision. Adrianna stared at me, only I wasn’t staring back at her. I was somewhere outside my body, watching the two of us have a conversation. I couldn’t hear what we were saying, but I didn’t seem to be in danger.

We were in an office. I didn’t think it was hers. She sat against the front of the desk, not behind it. There were Latin textbooks on the shelves to her left, and light filtered through the windows on the right. The moment didn’t last long, only a few seconds, and the next time I blinked I thought someone turned out the lights. Then all I saw was a face. Small, young, skin the color of milk chocolate, and wide weepy eyes. It was
her
face. The one Christoph was looking for, the girl at the warehouse. The mind-wiper.

Everything around me pulled away again, disappearing, leaving me in blackness.

When I came to, William’s face was hovering above me. “Ellie,” he said, his eyes searching mine. He brushed my

hair back and grazed my cheek with his thumb. “Are you okay?”

I grabbed his hand, confused as he pulled me up to sitting. His palm was bloody and my shoulder tender. People were huddled around, staring at me.

“What happened?”

He laughed. “Well, Miss I-want-to-play-the-target, you got shot. Big surprise, I know.”

I shook my head. I’d completely forgotten about target practice. “I’m fine. I think . . .” I looked around at their curious faces. Prying eyes, listening ears. “I need to talk to you.”

“All right, next three,” Mac yelled to the crowd.

William lifted me to my feet as the group around us began to mill about wondering who was next.

“Sorry,” Nics said as I rubbed my shoulder. “I got a little carried away.”

“No, you did good. You got me,” I said with a half-smile. “Yeah,” she shrugged, smiling back. “Got you good.” William led us to the back of the group while another

three were selected.

“Something happened before you got shot,” he said. “What was it?”

“I don’t know. I just . . .” I knew I should tell him about the vision, but that would mean telling him about my theory, about the baby. I couldn’t, not until I was sure there actually was a baby. I didn’t want to think about it. There was no baby. I wouldn’t believe it. “We just . . . have to get to the mind-wipers,” I said, unwilling to be more specific.

He laughed uncomfortably. “Now? You just got shot, Elyse.”

“Yeah, well—”

“It’s too dangerous,” William responded without thinking. “Things are going to be dangerous, William,” I said. “We can’t hide forever.”

His eyes narrowed with suspicion. “What happened? Why’d you change your mind?”

The visions replayed in my head. The warehouse, the girl, Adrianna. Alex was right. I had to make a move.

“It doesn’t matter,” I answered. “What matters is that we have a lead. We can’t just sit on this information and do nothing.”

“No.” He crossed his arms, resisting the idea. “You could get hurt or—”

“William,” I interrupted. “It’s not your choice.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“You always tell your dad I’m the one who calls the shots, right?”

He looked away and nodded. “I’m sorry I get like this. I can’t help it.” He sighed, giving in. His hands reached for mine, and he pulled our laced fingers to his lips. “All right,” he said. “How are we supposed to find them? There’s probably a reason everyone thinks they don’t exist. Anyone who gets close probably gets their mind wiped.”

“I’m not sure, but we should make a plan over dinner. Maybe Kara has some ideas.”

A gunshot made me jump. “Elyse!” Helen shouted. “We need you.”

18.

THE REST OF TRAINING was a lightheaded blur. I’d lost a lot of blood healing gunshot wounds, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the vision. Whatever these visions were, they meant something.

We stayed in the woods until nightfall. Until our muscles ached. Until our hands were blistered. Until I had no more blood to give.

Back in the caves the smell of food wafted around the camp. Normally I wouldn’t be looking forward to the grilled chicken and beans we’d been having every night. Making food for a large group was more complicated than it used to be, and I missed Cearno’s cooking. Our nightly meal was bland and dry, but tonight my mouth watered at the smell of it. I was starving.

“So are we going to talk about the plan?” Alex asked from his seat beside me. I knew he only sat there because he wanted something.

I’d called a meeting. Over dinner was the best way to be subtle about it.

“What plan?” Dr. Nickel asked.

“We have new information,” I answered. “Christoph is after mind-wipers. It’s important we find them first.”

Dr. Nickel, Mac, and Anna sat across from me, like a panel of judges I felt I had to get approval from.

“How?” Anna asked.

“We need to find Adrianna,” I said. “She helped us once. I think she’s the key.”

Anna shook her head. “You can’t go back to that house, Elyse.”

“The last place she was seen was at The Institute,” Rachel added from a few seats down, and she was right. Adrianna would be there. In an office. I’d seen it.

“You sure you want to risk it?” Mac asked, stabbing a piece of chicken with his fork. “Didn’t go over so well getting that information in the first place.”

William raised his eyebrows. “He has a point.”

I looked out at the groups of people gathered at tables talking cheerfully over dinner. All of them were here to see me take down The Council. They expected things of me. “We’re going to try.”

“All right.” Dr. Nickel nodded. “Tell us what you want us to do.”

“I’d like to start at The Institute. I’ll need Alex for transportation and Kara, but no one else needs to come.” I waited for William to protest, but he didn’t. He avoided my eyes and didn’t say a word. “Mac, you should stay to look after those here, and Dr. Nickel, it’s best you lay low. I just need a few minutes with Adrianna. I don’t want her to feel like we’re launching an attack.”

“When do we leave?” Kara asked.