Yarik sighed. “I never asked what happened to the kids after they left. For twenty years, I blindly trusted our government to do as they said they would. It wasn’t until you snuck out of the DEZ and I watched those drunken idiots attack you when they found out what you were. They were afraid, as if they hadn’t seen one of your kind before, hadn’t met a Marked kid from the DEZ. They’d only heard rumours of what you were capable of. I had only my most trusted men follow you, watch how the people treated you. You did a good job of staying hidden, but the few times you weren't, it was clear the people feared you. I had a friend in Cytos, and I implored her to take care of you, and in the end, it cost Ava her life.” Yarik rubbed her hand across the back of her neck. She had sent Ava to help me? All this time and Ava had never said a word about it. “That was when I started asking questions. And that’s when everything changed.”

  I watched as her face transformed from the stern Carbon instructor I thought hated every one of us, to a woman who was only doing her job, not knowing what we were being prepared for or why. That didn’t mean she liked us. That didn’t mean she would have treated us any different, but even she knew we didn’t deserve whatever fate we were walking into. That revelation terrified me.

  The first guard reached the bottom of the stairs, and Yarik had to pull me towards the door to get my feet to move again.

  “I don’t know how much longer I can help you or any of the kids, for that matter. When we learn too much, suddenly we forget it all. I’ve managed to stay under the radar for long enough, but it won’t last,” Yarik said into my ear.

  “You forget it all?” I asked.

  “They wipe our memories.” Yarik sighed. “I don’t remember where they’re sending you, even if I once did, because those memories are gone.”

  Pushing open the door, Yarik snapped her spine straight and tugged me along, my mind reeling. Someone was wiping the Carbons’ memories? Whatever we were about to face, they didn’t want anyone to know about it.

  On the other side of the door was an open platform. What looked like a shuttle sat on a long, skinny track leading into a tunnel. The shuttle was four compartments long, skinny with no wings. The humming noise finally became evident as I neared the shuttle and noticed it hovered a few feet above the track. The magnetic pulse of the track below was the source of the energy I felt around us.

  We stopped before it, and I was thankful when Yarik let me stand beside Theo. I placed an arm around him, and he gripped my waist to keep himself from falling. He had to lean on me to stand, and he swayed where he stood.

  “You…okay?” he whispered. From the worried look on his face, I realized he thought I had suffered the same pain as he had. But my pain had all been inside. It was my heart that broke for him.

  I nodded. “I’m fine.”

  Governor Grayson stepped between the crowd and stood before me with a friendly smile on her face. “It is so nice to see you again.”

  I narrowed my eyes and opened my mouth, but the warning look on Yarik’s face had me changing the words I wanted to say. “It’s nice to see you too,” I lied through my teeth.

  “It pains me to have to see any of you Marked Kids weak or hurt, but you will see in due time that it was all for your own good and for the safety of our people.” Grayson nodded to herself. “Everything we do is for a greater cause than you or I could ever understand. I know that one day, you, too, will see that everything we have done was to create a better world, a better place for everyone to live in.”

  “At the sake of our lives?” I spat.

  Governor Grayson shifted on her feet, her mouth twisted. “Sometimes sacrifices are necessary to see change. And though I wish you well and hope to see you again, I am confident your life will not be wasted. You are strong. You’re a fighter.”

  “What if we refuse to fight?” I said.

  Grayson shrugged. “Then I suppose you will die.” She took a step closer, the friendly smile gone. “But if you expect to keep him alive, I suggest you do as you’re told. I have a lot more patience than others you will see. It would be wise to keep that smart-ass tongue of yours in check in the future.”

  I swallowed back the fear rising inside of me.

  “Anyway, enough chit-chat. I think it’s time you get going.” Grayson’s smile returned. “I do hope we meet again, Sienna.” She walked towards the door before she stopped and glanced over her shoulder to one of the guards that had dragged Theo and me here. “Oh, and please take care of Ms. Yarik for me.”

  Yarik froze behind Grayson. “Ma’am?”

  Grayson looked Yarik over, her lips pursed. “Sorry, dear, but you know far too much.”

  A bullet went straight through her skull before Yarik had opened her mouth. Her eyes were wide and unblinking before she dropped to the ground.

  I gasped, my hand covering my mouth, but I couldn’t look away from the lifeless body before me.

  A guard shoved Theo and I into the shuttle. My shins hit the metal seats lining the narrow space. Through the window, I watched as one of the guards bent down and dragged his knife across the back of Yarik’s skull. He dug the knife into the opening and pulled out a little microchip planted at the base of her skull. He crushed it under his foot before unceremoniously dragging Yarik’s dead body across the cold cement, a trail of blood following.

  The shuttle took off so fast I nearly fell off my seat.

  We were finally leaving the DEZ, something I had dreamed of for so long, but this was not the way I’d planned it. The future I’d dared to dream of was now a shattered memory with no way to pick up the pieces.

  I’d been searching for a way out and I’d gotten it. Only now, I realized sometimes the way out didn’t always lead to a better future.

  Chapter 34

  Jayla

  It was the first time in more than four years I had slept in. I woke up after the sun had risen, which was more than rare…it was completely unheard of.

  Caspian spent the night in my bed with his arm draped across me. When I stirred to get up, he pulled me close and kissed the back of my neck before he let me go. I couldn’t help the smile filling my face as I threw on my clothes. My dress from the night before was thrown across the floor.

  I tossed Cas his pants and shirt, to which he grumbled about not wanting to get up yet, before I snuck out of the room.

  Emery was in the kitchen, a fresh cup of coffee in her hands, and a knowing look on her face, which I tried to ignore as I poured my own cup.

  “Good sleep?” Em asked.

  I shrugged. “It was okay.”

  Her brows bounced in response. “I’m sure Caspian would be disappointed to hear he was just okay.”

  “I was more than okay!” Caspian yelled from behind the closed door and Em chuckled.

  “Oh, shut up,” I yelled back, as he opened the door and strolled out with only his pants on. My cheeks flushed as I noticed the scratch marks across his back and chest. The ones I had made last night.

  “I would say it’s about time, but that would indicate I care, which I don’t.” Em smirked as she slid past me and took a seat in one of the oversized chairs.

  “Oh, don’t act like you haven’t secretly been team Caspian all along,” Cas joked, as he took a sip of the coffee I had poured myself, and I swatted him away.

  “If only to stop the constant sexual tension around here.” Em waved a hand dramatically.

  “I’m beginning to rethink my decision here,” I mumbled.

  “Can’t.” Caspian shrugged, a cocky grin on his face. “Pretty sure I said no take backs.” He winked, and I just about threw my coffee cup at him.

  I released a long breath through my nose. “Can we just get on with what we’re supposed to be doing today?”

  “Yes, dear,” Cas chirped, and I levelled a heavy glare at him. “All right, we’re not at the nickname phase yet. Sorry. Noted.”

  Em chuckled before clicking on the tablet Simon had given us so he could communicate. “We’ve been given coordinates to meet them…oh, an hour ago.”

  “An hour ago?” I nearly spat out my coffee. “Why the hell didn’t you wake us?”

  “First of all, I wasn’t about to step foot in that room and risk seeing something I couldn’t un-see.” Em shuddered. “And second, this was the first night you’ve slept without waking both of us up with your screaming. So, excuse me for wanting to enjoy a little extra rest myself.”

  Cas looked at me as if to ask what Em was referring to, but I waved him off. She was right, though. Most nights when I did sleep, I woke up from nightmares I could hardly remember. And even if I tried to act like everything was fine, Em always knew.

  “Go get a damn shirt on, and let’s get out of here,” I ordered Caspian, and he gave me a salute before planting a kiss on my cheek, then ran next door to get properly dressed.

  I was pulling on my boots when Em stepped up beside me. “You deserve it,” she said. I glanced up with a confused look on my face. “To be happy. You deserve it. Don’t forget that.”

  She left before I could say anything, but a smile grew on my face. And for once, I didn’t hide it.

  “What the hell took you guys so long?” Simon asked when we rapped on the door to the warehouse he’d sent us to.

  “Bad directions?” Em shrugged.

  He sighed and mumbled something crude under his breath before rushing us inside. We entered a small hallway before reaching another door.

  “Before you go inside, I need you to remove your weapons and leave them here with Tommy.” He nodded to the large guard standing by the door.

  “We don’t need weapons to kill you, Simon,” Em said sweetly with a vicious smile on her face.

  “Oh, I’m well aware of that, but it would make the boys inside feel a bit better. Especially considering you three have been hunting quite a few of them for some time now.” Simon shrugged.

  Em tilted her head. “Fair enough.” She removed her two swords, a gun, and three smaller knives hidden in her boots. She smirked each time she pulled a new weapon out and gave Tommy a little wink. His eyes widened.

  I had only brought Azrael and a pair of small knives with me, but it was still hard to leave my gun behind.

  Once we were all disarmed, Simon led us through the door where eight Carbons stood. Reyes wasn’t with them.

  “Your Commander sends her regards but was unable to meet us today.” Simon followed my glance around at the party gathered. “All right, let’s get down to it. The shuttle you guys will be on leaves tonight. With the information you were able to obtain last night, my men have confirmed the shuttle will contain a small party of men consisting of two pilots and one guard, so this will be the best opportunity to get you in.”

  “Tonight? Isn’t that a day too early?” I asked. Sienna and Theo’s graduation test wasn’t until tomorrow, and we had assumed we’d travel when they did, especially because that was our plan to get them out.

  “I’m afraid your friends’ graduation test was unexpectedly moved up. It happened yesterday. They’re already gone.” Simon delivered the news with zero remorse.

  “What do you mean, already gone?” I seethed. “You knew this was happening, and you didn’t think to tell us?”

  Simon shrugged. “Plans change. I can’t control that.”

  Em let out a low growl as she stepped a foot closer to Simon and he stilled, but he didn’t back down.

  “I only found out after their test was already complete. My source went to great lengths to get word to me that there had been a change in the timeline, and she did everything she could to protect the little freaks,” Simon said, and I thought Em might take his head off right then and there with her own hands. I gripped her arm and shook my head. She stepped back, but the murderous look on her face didn’t disappear.

  “Did your friend happen to mention where they were taken?” I asked.

  “Unfortunately, she didn’t survive the night to give me any more helpful tidbits to keep you happy,” Simon said. “The fact that you know they graduated early came at a great cost in and of itself, which included the life of my source inside the DEZ and a few guards we had stationed there. I’d suggest you just take the news and be done with it.”

  I sighed. We didn’t have time to deal with this, not if Sienna and Theo were already gone.

  “When does the shuttle leave?” Caspian returned our focus back on the mission.

  “At nineteen hundred, it will leave from the military base just outside of Cytos. We can get you there, and my men will help get you on the shuttle, but from there it’s up to you guys to get back,” Simon said.

  “Do you have a location where the shuttle is going?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Do you know what’s inside?” I tried.

  “No.”

  I let out a frustrated breath. “What do you know, then, that is of any use?”

  “Be at the entrance to Cytos on the south side by 18:30, and we’ll get you on the shuttle. That’s it,” Simon said, and I had to bite back my retort.

  “Fine,” I said and turned back towards the door we came from.

  “Oh, Miss Jayla,” Simon said, and I glanced over my shoulder. “Please don’t be late this time.”

  I responded with my middle finger.

  I didn’t know how they planned to get us into a military base and then onto a secure shuttle without anyone seeing, but I figured it would help if we could hide ourselves. All three of us wore black clothing, covering us from head to toe. A scarf rested over my nose and a hood over my head, so the only thing visible were the whites of my eyes.

  “On time, wonderful,” Simon teased, as he offered a hand for me to step into the small transport shuttle.

  I refused his offer and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’d like a word before we leave,” I said. “Alone.”

  Em and Cas swiftly moved into the shuttle as Simon hopped down, and we stepped a few feet away. I felt Caspian’s gaze follow me the whole way, but I turned my back and spoke quietly to Simon.

  “What do you know about Carbons having their memories erased?” I asked.

  Simon’s brows rose. “You’ve been chatting with Fred?”

  “Fred’s dead,” I said.

  Simon frowned then shrugged. “He was bound to get himself killed one day.” I glared and waited for him to answer my question. “I obviously wouldn’t know much about it, given the fact I’m a Carbon, but it’s not hard to spot the bits and pieces of your life that go missing.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, if I knew, don’t you think it’d no longer be missing?” Simon asked. My jaw tensed, and Simon shifted on his feet impatiently. “All I know is that someone doesn’t want Carbons remembering what really happened in the war before the Peace-Making. There’s like a black spot on my memory that blanks out bits and pieces from the war, shortly after, and…who knows how much more. Trust me, it’s not something you need to worry your pretty little head about. We’re handling it.”

  “Handling it?” I cocked a brow. “Is that even possible when you’re the ones susceptible to mind alteration?”

  Simon growled. “Not alteration, deletion. No one can change what we think or do, not anymore. They can only remove things, and I would assume at great cost, considering how many of us they would have to gain access to.”

  I frowned but decided to keep this conversation as civil as I could. There was no use starting an argument about who or what could be used as a weapon. Carbons had been used in this way before. Who was to say it couldn’t happen again?

  “We best be going,” Simon said with restrained irritation.

  I stepped into the shuttle and took a seat beside Cas. Simon stood at the front.

  “When we get there, stick close to Kieran here.” He nodded to a small man wearing traditional Cytos army fatigues of green and black. “Don’t worry about being seen, just stay within ten feet of him, and you’ll be fine.”

  I scrunched my brow in confusion and looked at Kieran. Starring back, he raised his hands and everything behind him disappeared. The front half of the vehicle was gone, and the cement ground below could be seen. It appeared as if a huge chunk of the shuttle had been ripped off. Kieran looked as though he sat on air. I gasped.

  “Never seen a Carbon’s abilities, eh? Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything,” Simon mused at our slack-jawed faces.

  Kieran released his powers, and the front half of the shuttle reappeared. Carbons were restricted from using their powers; they had cuffs muting them for that very reason.

  “How?” I asked.

  “You mean how did we override the cuff?” Simon pulled the sleeve of his jacket up a bit to reveal the silver cuff. “Compliments to your Commander and her considerate work giving us a bit of our powers back. She was selective, though, on whose cuff she would dismantle.” Kieran smirked behind Simon.

  Before I could ask any more questions, the shuttle lurched forward and took off, taking my stomach with it. I avoided looking out the windows, so I didn’t vomit all over the place. I was not a fan of flying.

  It took only five minutes to arrive at the military base. The sun was still setting, but large floodlights filled the entire compound. Soldiers in green and black army fatigues were everywhere, running around so fast they looked like ants from this high up.

  Our shuttle lowered near a larger cargo shuttle, the one I assumed we’d be taking, and Kieran was the first to open his door, nodding for us to follow. We stepped outside, and it was hard not to duck down. By the time we’d passed four soldiers unnoticed, I began to relax.

  We stayed on Kieran’s heels, Simon walking close beside us, and I wondered if he could see where we stood or if Kieran cloaked us from even him.

  We approached the larger shuttle where an armed guard and two pilots were checking over a tablet with a supply list. More than a dozen large metal crates filled the back of the transport shuttle.