Etherworld (8 page)

“Is there a chance that what happened in the tunnel wasn't an accident?”

Josh narrows his eyes at me. “What do you mean?”

“Maybe my dad wanted to get separated from us on purpose,” I say, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Why would he do that?”

“He didn't want me to go back to Elusion. He didn't want any of us to, and now he's gone.” I swallow hard. “My father told me he ran away from the firewall in the Mount Arvon Escape to keep me out of danger, so maybe he's doing that again.”

“I hardly know him, but I don't think he'd abandon you like that,” Josh disagrees.

“That's the thing: I
do
know him,” I say, my voice strained. “And I don't think he's telling us everything. It's little things, but they add up. Like on our way to the mines, he seemed reluctant to talk to me about Etherworld, and when things didn't make sense, it was like he just wanted to distract me.”

“What wasn't making sense?”

“How you and I got here, for one,” I say. “We were able to enter Etherworld through the firewall of Patrick's Phase Two Escape, but Zared and the others couldn't—they needed to break an algorithm to get into my father's domain. How do you explain that?”

“Gimme a second.” Josh paces a little. He's quiet for a moment, but then out of the blue he snaps his fingers. “What if the Phase Two Escape is connected to your dad's domain, just like the rest of the system? Your dad's domain was created first, so maybe it functions like a foundation for the Escapes that are being built. Maybe the Escapes aren't separated until they're completed.”

Leave it to the tech master to come up with a rational response.

“Maybe, but it doesn't explain why my dad has been acting so cagey,” I say. “I have to find him.”

I pivot on my heel and walk in the direction of the bridge that leads to the ammunition piles, but Josh steps in front of me, blocking my path.

“No one knows that tunnel better than your dad. What if he comes out only to find that you've gone back in? How much time will that waste?” His voice is calm. Reasonable.

“I can't just sit here and wait. If someone you loved was out there, you wouldn't be able to stay either.”

He hesitates, looking into the night sky. “You're right; I wouldn't,” he says, finally, turning back in the direction of the firewall. “Let's go.”

“You're going with me?” I say, touching his arm and stopping him.

“We're a team, remember?”

I grin appreciatively as I take his hand. I'm glad I'm not in this alone.

“Regan! Josh!”

The sound of a panicked voice screaming our names pulls us out of our bubble. We turn back toward the Great Space. Wyatt is on the ground, covered in soot with torn clothes, gasping for air. Malik is on his knees, peering at him.

“I found him at the third entrance,” Malik says. “He's been screaming for Zared, so Nora and Ayesha went to go get him.”

“He was in the tunnel with my father.” I squat down so that I can meet Wyatt's frantic gaze. His pupils seem really dilated. “Where's my dad? What happened to him?”

“Zared, we need Zared,” he mutters. He's in some kind of trance.

“Wyatt,” I say, placing my hands on his cheeks and forcing him to look at me. “Where is David? Where is my dad?”

“What happened in there?” Malik asks, his voice cracking a little bit.

“The tunnel split, separating us from Wyatt and David,” Josh informs them.

“So your dad is still stuck inside?” he asks me.

Before I can answer, Wyatt points over my shoulder, shouting, “Zared!”

I turn around and see Zared, Ayesha, and Nora running towards us. Wyatt tries to stand, but his legs buckle underneath him. “We need to go back, now!”

“Whoa,” Zared says. “Where's David?”

“He got more ammunition and went back in,” Wyatt says slowly, as if every word is painful. “He's going to try and destroy Elusion by himself.”

I was right. In an effort to spare us, my dad's intentionally leaving us behind.

“We have to go back in. We have to get him,” Wyatt says again, pleading with Zared.

“It's impossible,” Ayesha says. “No one knows the code for the portals to the Escapes besides David.”

“How did Anthony and the others get back into Elusion?” I ask.

“We're not sure,” Malik says. “David swears he wasn't followed through the tunnels, but I don't know how else they would have gotten through the firewall.”

Wyatt is still staring at Zared, who starts backing away from us, his gaze cast on the dust-covered-ground. Like he has something to hide.

Like he knows something he's not supposed to.

I narrow my eyes at Zared. “Do you know how to open up the portals?”

He hesitates, glancing toward Ayesha.

“Answer her, Zared,” Josh demands. “Do you?”

He nods.

“How?” Malik asks. “David wouldn't give those codes up, to anyone.”

“I'm afraid that's confidential,” Zared says through a nervous cough.

“Are you kidding me?” I say, outraged.

Zared sticks out his chin, totally defiant.

“You opened the tunnel for them?” Nora says. “When David specifically told us that we shouldn't leave?”

“They looked like they were getting sick, okay? They were sweating all the time; it was as if their bodies were coming down with some kind of fever,” Zared says, pacing, probably to avoid our stares. Ayesha puts her hand on his back to comfort him, but he shrugs her off and turns away. “I warned them about returning, just like David warned us, but they were so sure they'd be okay.”

Zared stops speaking, too choked up to continue. He feels guilty. But I'm guilty too. I saw how badly my father was sweating down at the mines and in his room, and I didn't even mention it.

“Wyatt, where did my dad go? Did he tell you?”

He takes a deep breath and says, “To the Red . . . Canyon.”

“Zared, can you lead us through the tunnel and open the portal to that Escape?” Josh asks.

“I think so,” he says.

“I'm coming too,” Malik says, puffing his chest out. I smile gratefully.

“Count me in,” Ayesha says.

“Oh, that's great,” Zared snarls and starts pacing again. “You and Malik on a suicide mission.”

“He has a point, Regan.” Nora walks over to me, her face practically wrinkling with tension. “Please, call this off. Before we lose anyone else.”

Josh gently puts his hand on her shoulder. “We can't, Nor. This is the only way to get home. We should just stick to—”

“The ‘search and destroy' plan? It's already failed; can't you see that?” Nora says, pleading with her brother. “There's no way I'm letting you go back in there after what happened to Claire.”

Josh's eyes lock with mine. I'm not sure if Nora means to do this, but she is asking him to choose between her and me—a choice he shouldn't have to make. Although his main motive throughout this ordeal has been to save his sister, he's already sacrificed so much for me and my dad. The idea of telling him to listen to Nora—to let me go alone—is making my head pound, but I need to try.

“You should stay behind,” I say. “Zared can teach you the code for the tunnels and portals. Just in case—”

“Regan . . . ,” Josh begins.

“It's okay,” I say. “I'll come back, and then we'll finish this together somehow, I swear.”

“Let me be clear: There's no way in hell you're going in without me.” He gives me a half grin and then turns back to Nora. “Sorry.”

Nora sighs in frustration, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you
ever
listen to reason?” she asks.

“Guess I take after my big sister,” he says with a shrug.

Nora rolls her eyes, playfully elbowing Josh in the ribs.

“Ouch,” Josh jokes. Nora barely touched him.

“You deserve a lot worse for being so pigheaded.” Nora smiles.

As I watch them laugh and tease each other good-naturedly, I can't help but think about how Patrick and I used to make each other stronger. How we never let anything or anyone come between us. I have Josh now, but I still miss having a best friend.

“If you won't stay here, then I'm going back with you. Even though I think it's crazy,” Nora says, letting out a great big sigh.

“You don't have to do that,” Josh reassures her.

“Yes, I do,” she says. “Regan might be the reason you found me, but I'm the reason you came looking.”

UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE

HarperCollins Publishers

..................................................................

I LEAP THROUGH THE PORTAL OF THE RED Canyon Escape and land on my feet. In front of me is a trail framed by two towering walls of sedimentary rock. Everything is a shade of red, tinged with Elusion's golden shimmer. There are crimson pine trees and a narrow stream of water that looks like a long ruby ribbon; even the bright, cloudless sky looks like a canopy of rose petals.

I let out a deep, cleansing breath and feel buoyed by a sense of hope. I stand up, noticing that Elusion has automatically outfitted me with deep-treaded sneakers, spandex shorts, and a pair of fingerless bike gloves. In my right hand is a sleek, transparent ball that gives me purpose.

This time, I haven't forgotten why I'm here.

“Hello?” I call out.

I turn around, searching for the team that came with me through the tunnel that Zared secured for us—Josh, Ayesha, Nora, and Malik. But unlike in the previous Escape, there is no sign of the firewall, nor can I see anyone else. It's as though I've just arrived out of thin air.

“Josh?” I yell, cupping my hands around my mouth. My voice echoes through the canyons, fluttering along on a breeze and then returning to me like a boomerang. If he were in proximity, he would've responded. He and the rest of our crew were right behind me when the portal opened. How can I be the only one here?

“Dad!” I shout.

Nothing.

I'm alone, but I feel strangely comfortable, filled with a sense of déjè vu. I head toward a winding trail and follow it down and around the side of the cliff. I glance at the lush, red-hued ravine below. No wonder I feel like I've been here before. My dad showed me pictures of this Escape when he was developing it. But it's even more beautiful than I could have imagined.

In fact, it's almost a shame we have to destroy it.

I stop to inhale the comforting smell of pine, and feel a sense of unbridled gratefulness that the Escape is still intact. My dad couldn't have found the trigger yet, or else I would have walked into a nightmare. I know he's around, somewhere.

There's so much ground to cover, and I don't have my bearings. I look at my wristband to see the time, but it's just two sets of blinking double zeros.

I stop as I see a row of black mountain bikes perched near a swath of blossoming shrubs. I hurry over to them, filled with a sense of relief. This is going to make life so much easier. As I get closer, I notice another bonus: there are pouches connected to the frames, which the bombs will fit in perfectly.

I pick out a bike—the one with the fattest tires—and place the bomb inside the pouch. I grip the handlebars and roll the bike backward. I'm about to hop on when I hear someone calling my name.

“Regan!” Josh is making his way toward me, running from around the bend. He's holding a glass sphere in his hands and is wearing a similar outfit to mine, the tight Lycra shorts showing off the muscles in his legs. He's smiling widely, as if he hasn't seen me in years.

The moment he's in kissing range, I put my free hand on the back of his neck my body jolting with a subtle electricity as I gently pull him toward me.

I press my lips against his, closing my eyes, every thought evaporating. All I can think about is Josh and this moment. We're here, together. And I don't think I've ever felt this good.

Josh moves his mouth to my cheek and then to my ear, covering my face with soft, butterfly kisses. I'm so distracted, I almost drop the bomb. I catch it in the nick of time and slowly wiggle away. As much as I want to lose myself with him, there are more important things we have to do.

“Check it out,” I say, motioning toward the bikes. “We have wheels.”

“Nice,” Josh says, giving a thumbs-up.

“Where's your sister?” I ask. “And Ayesha and Malik?”

“They aren't with you?”

“No,” I say. “When I jumped through the portal, I just materialized here all by myself.”

“Same with me,” Josh says, squinting like he's putting together the pieces of this mystery. “Do you think something happened to the tunnel before we exited? Zared said that might happen if the Escape was unstable.”

“I don't know. Look around, everything seems so . . .”

“Peaceful?” I ask.

He nods and then asks, “Should we wait for Malik and the girls?”

Instead of blinking double zeros, my watch is now showing two sets of blinking double fours. Are these random numbers a sign my time in this Escape is somehow being measured? But before I express my concern to Josh, it evaporates. I'm staring into Josh's amber eyes, inhaling the fresh, sweet air.

What were we talking about?

Malik. Malik and the girls and whether we should stay here and wait for them. “I don't know,” I reply. “What if you're right and something happened to the tunnel? What if instead of entering the Escape at the top of the cliff they came in through the ravine?”

“Good point,” Josh says.

“I think we should head down,” I say.

Josh nods in agreement. We place the bombs in our respective pouches before climbing on the bikes.

“I'll lead the way,” he says. “Be careful. The terrain looks rocky.”