I could feel the guard tensing with anger, his fists balling at his side. I pretended not to notice as I continued splashing my hands around in the water, making a show of washing them a few more times.

  “That’s enough,” the guard growled. He took a step forward, and I made my move.

  The handful of water splashed into his face, shocking him for only a second, but gave me enough time to aim a knee to his groin. He doubled over, and as his head dipped forward, I slammed it down onto the stone sink, taking out a chuck from the corner. Blood poured from the gash on his forehead as he slumped awkwardly to the ground.

  I acted fast, dragging his limp body into a stall where I struggled to pull him up onto a toilet. He must have weighed a ton, and the dead weight made it even more difficult. I smacked his head against the stalls’ side walls or the stone at the back more than once before I managed to get him seated, propping him up against the wall, so he hopefully wouldn’t fall over. It wouldn’t be long before he woke up, and then I’d be in real trouble. I swiped his ID card and ran.

  I didn’t waste any more time as I sprinted out of the bathroom. The hallway was still empty, but the smear of blood and pool of water in the bathroom would be a red flag the minute someone passed, so I had to be quick.

  I knew from all the other times they’d taken Vic they went down the same hallway leading towards the bathroom. I’d seen it a few times when the door didn’t immediately slam shut, but from there it was anyone’s guess.

  The hallway quickly split into two, one curving back around in what might have been a full circle, while the other headed left in one straight line. I took that one. The halls were empty, and I had nowhere to hide if anyone found me. Every door I tried was either empty or required a higher security level. I swore under my breath as I kept moving.

  A room at the end of the hallway was visible through a thick-paned window. I could see figures through the glass. The room was lit with bright fluorescents shining into the dimmer hallway I stalked through. I slowed my pace before I reached the glass window, keeping tucked tight to the wall. This was the last room in the hall, a door straight ahead might have led to a stairwell or another room, but it was likely locked like all the others. There would be nowhere to run or hide if I was found, but at this point I didn’t care.

  I peeked around the corner and the large room behind the window came into view. There were three people chained to the wall across from the glass—one of them was Vic. All three had coal black eyes and were staring straight ahead at something in the middle of the room. My gaze fixed on the object; it was the artifact I had brought back for Dr. Merinda.

  The two other chained kids began thrashing, pulling against their restraints, but Vic crouched down and covered her ears.

  I couldn’t see what the two kids were trying to reach for without stepping into view, but Vic’s eyes were fixed in the corner near where I hid, staring at something just out of view.

  “It hurts a hell of a lot less if you just give into it,” a voice sounded into the room. Though it was distorted by the glass wall, I instantly knew it was Dr. Allard. “If you continue to fight it, you’ll be of no use to anyone. And you know what will happen then.”

  I saw Vic’s gaze bounce to where I assumed Dr. Allard stood then back to whatever the other kids were clawing and scraping to reach.

  “You’re stronger than the others,” Dr. Allard continued. “Not just in will power, but in the physical sense. When you give in, I’ve seen you tear those things in two. Don’t you want to feel that kind of power again? Isn’t it exhilarating?”

  Vic shook her head, but her body was already moving to stand. Involuntary movements from the way she twitched and fought it.

  “You have five seconds to make your decision before I release it,” Dr. Allard said. “And you know it always goes for the weak ones first—you’ve seen it. Haven’t you?”

  I strained to see around the corner while keeping out of view, but a shadow loomed near where I hid, and I couldn’t risk being seen.

  “Five… four…” Allard began. Vic was shaking violently. Her hands dropped to her side, but they didn’t raise or reach out as the others did. “Three… two…”

  I didn’t hear the last number before a black figure slid into view—a Reek. The monster moved towards the kids, its head tilted to the side before locking on Vic. The others pulled themselves towards it, straining to reach the Reek, black eyes following its movements. The Reek ignored them all, taking an unsteady step towards Vic before it began to sprint.

  I covered my mouth, unsure I could watch it tear Vic apart, but unable to close my eyes.

  It was on her in two strides. All I saw for a moment was black. All I could hear was the guttural screams of the Reek. Its body towered over Vic’s small frame, and the other two kids were too far away to do anything but continue reaching and pulling. I stood, stepping into view and slammed my fists against the glass.

  “No! Stop this!” I cried.

  Dr. Allard glanced at me from where he hid, protected by another thick layer of glass. Two guards moved towards the door into the hallway, but my eyes were locked on where Vic had been.

  “No,” I whispered.

  A scream pierced my ears, and for a moment I thought for sure the Reek had killed Vic, but then I realized the scream wasn’t pain—it was a battle cry. Black flesh and bone were torn from one of the Reek’s arms. Tar-like blood spewed from its body before its head was ripped clean from its neck.

  The black body slid to the ground. Vic was covered in its blood. It coated her hands and her clothes; it marred her teeth and her face. She was breathing heavily through clenched teeth, her eyes were still coal black, but her body didn’t shake or tremble with restraint. She’d given in to whatever demon was inside of her, and she’d destroyed the Reek without any weapons but her bare hands.

  The last thing I saw was Dr. Allard’s smile before I was tackled by the two guards who’d raced towards me. I didn’t fight back when they picked me up by my arms and legs and carried me back to my room.

  When Vic was returned an hour later, cleaned up and dressed in a new set of white clothing, I didn’t say a word. She curled under the blanket, turning her back to me and fell asleep.

  I, on the other hand, couldn’t close my eyes. Because what I’d just witnessed was more terrifying than a thousand Reeks. Those monsters were dangerous in large packs, but they could be dealt with individually. They weren’t controlled by anything but blood lust. But whatever they had done to Vic, to the other kids… It was like the Reeks had been recreated in humans who could be controlled with the help of the artifact. And it meant whoever held their chain could control the entire world.

  SIENNA

  “I need to go out,” I said, standing before Jayla who sat on the armrest of an old chair.

  “Where?” She narrowed her eyes.

  “The DEZ.”

  “Not much to see,” Simon said. “It’s just a pile of rubble now. They haven’t even bothered to clean it up.”

  “I just want to see it with my own eyes,” I said.

  “Why would you ever want to see that shithole again?” Em scoffed.

  “I just do.” I kept my chin high, feeling like a child among everyone. They’d been treating us like kids, too, Theo and I. Back in Eres, I’d felt like their equals, but here we were basically just told to sit back and wait to be told what to do, and it was pissing me the hell off.

  A part of me wanted to say something, to remind them we weren’t useless, but getting into secure locations, breaking people out, that was their territory. Theo and I could survive whatever was put in our path, but plans and strategy weren’t our expertise. So I had kept my mouth shut the last two days.

  But today I wasn’t going to just let them push me away and tell me to shut up. I’d expected them to say no or mention how it was a bad idea, but I still had to ask.

  I wasn’t sure why either. The place had been a prison—yet it’d also been the only home I’d ever know.

  “I can leave anytime I want. You aren’t my guardians.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  Em tilted her head and took a subtle step forward, but Jayla stopped her with a wave of her hand. “Leave at dusk and don’t get caught.”

  I’d expected way more push back. I’d expected a flat out no, but maybe she understood what that place meant to me, to us.

  Theo even had reservations about going out there. “It’s not going to be what you remember,” he said.

  “I know,” I’d admitted. “But it was our home.”

  He didn’t fight me any more after that. Maybe he was trying to make me happy seeing as he still refused to explain anything that was going on. I’d asked him if he’d ever met the King and Queen of Kuros, and his response had been a deflection asking where he’d have a chance to meet them. There was a tension in my chest, clenching so tight it became hard to breath, but he wouldn’t say anything.

  I had busied myself over the last two days with learning how to pickpocket, a skill Caspian apparently excelled at. It would come in handy whenever we finally left.

  Two hours later, when the sun began to set, we made our way south towards the DEZ. It wasn’t unusual to be sneaking through Cytos, avoiding the guards roaming through the streets. What was weird was the silence. I’d always known Cytos to be full of life, full of energy, but now it was dead—soundless.

  Gustov’s men trailed behind us on Jayla’s orders. Only the soft crunch of boots on wet snow indicated they were nearby. More were stationed near the DEZ and were ready to intervene if anyone spotted us. They were allowed to be on the streets of Cytos, but they might still draw attention if we weren’t quick. Both Theo and I wore the heavily patched up coats with an arrow pointing up on our backs, and I kept mine wrapped tight. It had snowed overnight, and the thick layer of wet slush crunched under our boots. It was the early weeks of winter, the snow heavy and cold, and it left a chill deep in my bones I had a hard time shaking off. A hood covered my face from view. While the men of the North weren’t forbidden anywhere in Cytos, one look at us and we’d be exposed immediately. So we kept to the alleys and avoided any patrols flying down the streets.

  The cold wind pushed against us as we rounded another corner. I could see my own breath in the frigid air, and I wrapped the coat tighter around me and tucked my hands into the pockets.

  “Any word from Leanna?” I asked Theo, keeping my voice low.

  He shook his head.

  The King of Kuros had been making Leanna wait. Em said it was a play for power, a way to show us he held all the cards. We hoped by the time we returned, we’d have word from him. The plan was to get in and out with the genetic kids… if all went well.

  “Sienna?” Theo reached for my arm, pulling me back into the shadows of an alley. “Are we okay?”

  I let out a sigh. I’d been distant the last few days, even if I found myself curled in his arms every night. I was furious he was keeping things from me and hurt he didn’t seem to trust me. He wouldn’t tell me what was going on with him and Leanna, or how he seemed to know so much about Kuros. I’d stopped asking, stopped hoping he’d tell me.

  “I just want to get Vic back, that’s it. We can deal with everything else after that’s done.” I turned to walk away.

  “You just have to trust me, Sienna.”

  “You keep saying that, yet it doesn’t feel like you trust me.”

  “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “I’m so sick of you saying that,” I said, looking skyward. “You are not my protector, you’re supposed to be my friend, my…” For some reason, my voice choked on the word. I swallowed. “You told me you loved me, yet right now it feels like I mean nothing to you. You’re lying, I know you are Theo, and I can’t understand why.”

  He reached forward, pulling me so close I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. “I do love you.”

  “Then prove it,” I said. “Tell me the truth.”

  He sighed, closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to mine. He was silent for so long I was sure he wasn’t going to say anything, and when I went to pull away, he gripped me tighter. “I’ve seen the King and Queen of Kuros before,” he said.

  I froze, staring at him. “Why wouldn’t you tell me this before?”

  He sighed. “Because I wasn’t supposed to be there. I was fifteen, and I’d snuck out of the DEZ for the first time and ended up at city hall. They were there, for a banquet, as was Leanna. It’s how I knew the Queen was Carbon—I saw the silver cuff around her wrist—though she quickly hid it, I noticed. They saw me too, when the guards escorted me from the property, and Leanna believed they would recognize me, that it might help convince them to help us if they remembered who I was and how I was treated. They’d been horrified to see the guards throw a child out, but I’d run before they had a chance to say anything to them.”

  “And they recognized you?”

  He nodded.

  “That’s why you believe they will help,” I said.

  He nodded again. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, and I didn’t trust that Leanna wouldn’t somehow spin this to her advantage.”

  “Isn’t that why you should have told me?” I countered. “If you thought she was going to double cross us, you should have told Jayla or Caspian.”

  He rubbed a hand to the back of his neck. “I just wanted to find a way to help everyone myself. I didn’t want to get you all involved when it could mean nothing.” I could see the guilt, see the way his eyes dropped and his shoulders sagged. He had never kept secrets from me, and it was eating him up inside.

  I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. He moved, drawing me closer, kissing me harder. “I’m so sorry, Sienna,” he whispered between kisses. “I just wanted to help.”

  I wanted to be mad, to tell him his plan was stupid and dangerous, but instead I kissed him back. I had made many mistakes too, had tried to do things on my own, and I knew what it felt like to want to help those you care about.

  I pulled back, linking my fingers in his. “Let’s just go,” I said.

  He nodded and began walking back down the alley. I couldn’t help but wonder what else Theo had kept from me. I felt like that wasn’t it, but we had to focus on the mission. For now, his plan to get the King and Queen’s help may have worked, but we wouldn’t know until we were back. I had to get Vic back. It’s also why I had to see the DEZ… this place was my connection to her.

  We walked for another hour in silence before we reached the edge of the city where the tall buildings disappeared. Despite being told what to expect, I was still shocked when I saw what remained of the DEZ. Cement blocks were scattered everywhere, covered in mud with broken rebar sticking out from the debris. A light layer of snow covered the ground and rubble. As we inched forward, I noticed the deep crater beneath where the building had once stood. Underground tunnels led all throughout Cytos.

  “One of the men said they’ve managed to follow a few of the tunnels, but most have either been closed off or lead to nowhere,” Theo said.

  I knelt, brushing my hand across the blocks of cement at my feet. “I didn’t think I would miss any part of this place,” I whispered.

  “It’s not the place you miss, it’s the people.”

  I nodded, standing and wiping the dirt from my hand on my pant leg. I stepped onto one of the broken rocks then across to another until I was standing on the ledge before the deep hole. There was nothing left of the DEZ, no sign of the Quads we’d grown up in or the classrooms we’d spent so many hours learning in. It had all been demolished. The hallways were absent, and there was no way to get to where we’d once slept. It was all gone. That part of me, that life… gone.

  The subtle whoosh of a shuttle moving towards us echoed in the distance.

  “We should go,” I said, even as I struggled to pull my gaze away from the rubble.

  We quickly made our way back to the alley before the shuttle passed by. The light from it flooded over the rubble of the DEZ, and that’s when I saw what they were looking at… footprints.

  “Shit,” I mumbled, tugging Theo. “We have to get out of here.”

  The spotlight followed our footprints in the snow right from the DEZ to the alley we now sprinted down.

  “Stop!” someone shouted from the loud speaker in the shuttle.

  We ignored the order and took the next corner. I heard the shuttle take off, likely coming around the next street to cut us off. This had been a terrible idea. What the hell was I thinking coming here? I’d thought if Jayla had allowed us to go, she believed it was safe, but I should have known better. I was smarter than this, but my emotions were getting the best of me lately.

  “This way,” someone hissed. In the dimming light, I saw the arrow on his chest pointing north and didn’t hesitate to follow. The man directed us into a building where we sprinted through the brightly lit hallway.

  A few people heard our heavy footsteps and peeked out their doors, but the man leading us just moved faster.

  We exited on the other side of the building where another man was waiting. “Follow me,” he ordered, heading to the left while the man we’d just followed through the building went the other way.

  My lungs burned against the cold air, and I did my best to ignore the slight ache in my leg. It was healed, and I’d tested out running a few times already, but it was weak and I was out of shape. When my pace began to slow Theo gripped my hand and pulled me faster.

  “Across the street here, you’ll see a door on your left. Head inside.” The man didn’t wait for us to acknowledge the order before he circled back and headed the opposite way.

  We found the door unlocked and slipped inside. There were three people waiting. One tossed me a jacket while the other handed Theo new boots. A woman helped me remove my own boots, and pulled my hair forward so it covered half of my face. Within seconds, neither I nor Theo looked the same as we’d come in.

  “Just act like you’re from here and head to the shuttle out front,” the woman hissed in my ear before disappearing.