Hope (Book 2, Harvester of Light Trilogy; Young Adult Science Fiction) (4 page)

The look of
heartbreaking longing in Ash’s eyes made me suddenly feel guilty for being so
caught up in my own worries.  I wanted to give Ash what he asked for, but I
wasn’t sure how long I would be able to pretend the outside world and all its
horrors didn’t exist.  He was one of only a few people who truly understood me
and knew how hard it was for me to let things go.  All I could do in response
was nod my head, letting him know I would try my best to give him one night
where I didn’t worry about anything but being with him.

The dance was held
near an elaborate dolphin inspired water fountain in the center of Central Park. 
White lights twinkled in the trees around us giving the illusion of a million fireflies
lighting the festivities.  A band was set up on a stage playing songs which had
been popular before the war.  Everything looked perfect.  Everything looked
normal.

Zoe turned out to
be a natural dancer.  It didn’t seem to matter what song played she knew
exactly how to move her body to the beats.  I felt like a fish out of water
flailing around on hot concrete desperately trying to not make myself look like
a complete fool.  Ash was about as bad at dancing as I was, but I couldn’t
quite tell if he was doing it on purpose just to match my own poorly timed
steps or if it was real.  I hoped for his sake he was just trying to not make
me feel bad.

“Hey guys!”

Kirk and Teegan
bounced over to us.  I saw Kale’s mouth open slightly as his eyes went all googly
at the site of Teegan and wondered if he even realized he was doing it.

Kirk had worked
his magic once again with Teegan.  Her hair was perfectly straight falling down
to her waist.  She had the barest hint of make up on her face but Teegan was
someone who didn’t need the assistance of make up to accentuate her natural
beauty.  She wore a white chiffon dress with a heart shaped bodice which set
off the rich cinnamon brown color of her skin.

“Hi,” Kale said,
staring at Teegan like she was the fifth wonder of the world.

“Oh my god,” Zoe
said, grabbing Kale’s hand and Teegan’s hand and firmly placing them one on top
of the other.  “Go dance with the girl, you goof.”

Kale’s eyes
widened like a trapped animal.

“But…” he started
to say before being cut off by Zoe.

“Listen, you like
her and she likes you.  I’m tired of being your go between.  Now shoo,” Zoe
waved her hands like she was chasing away two children.  “Go have fun.  You can
thank me later.”

Kale turned to
Teegan.  A slow grin spread his lips before he tugged Teegan onto the dance
floor and twirled her into his arms.

“I guess you’re my
date now,” Zoe said, lacing an arm around one of Kirk’s.

“That was very
impressive, Ms. Zoe,” Kirk complimented.  “You may have the makings of a match
maker.”

Zoe shrugged like
it was no big deal.  “Come on let’s dance!”

Before I knew it,
Ash and I were alone again, just in time for the first slow song of the night.

Ash pulled me in
tight against him.  I wrapped my arms around his waist and laid my head on his
chest as we swayed to the music.  The warmth emanating from his body lulled
mine to relax for the first time that night.  The gentle play of his hands
trailing down my back to rest on my hips felt so natural I didn’t feel the need
to move his hands to a less intimate site.

“Skye…”

Reluctantly, I
lifted my head from Ash’s warmth to meet his pained gaze.

“What’s wrong?” I
asked. 

“Come with me,” he
said in a hoarse voice, taking one of my hands to lead me away from the others
around us.

Underneath one of
the twinkling trees in the park, Ash ducked behind it and leaned his back
against its trunk using it as a brace before pulling me in close to his body. 
In the secluded oasis, I felt his hands travel up and down my back as he looked
into my eyes with so much tenderness I wondered what he would say next.

“I know I never
showed how much I cared about you when we were in the Eastern Kingdom, but I
never felt like it was the right time to tell you,” he began.  “That’s why I
kept bringing us back to the barrier.  I kept praying we would find a way to
make it through.  I knew if I could only take you somewhere we didn’t have to
struggle so hard to survive I could show you how I really felt about you and
maybe we could start a real life together.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Skye:
for us to have a chance at a real life without having to worry about the
harvesters taking our children away.  And now we have that.  We have a chance
to be happy if you’ll just let go of the outside world and give me a chance to
make that happen.  I love you more than anything or anyone.  I just couldn’t
allow myself to admit it to you before now.  I don’t want to lose you to
someone else without you knowing how I feel.”

My heart yearned
to accept Ash’s offer of happily ever after.  How many cold, sleepless nights
in the Eastern Kingdom had I wanted him to offer me his love?  For more than
five years I silently pined for Ash.  My heart aching for him to love me the
way I loved him.  It was a love I thought could never be broken.  Then I met
Jace and everything changed for me.  Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be possible to
love two people at the same time, but I couldn’t deny my love for Jace anymore
than I could deny I loved Ash.  And I couldn’t lie to Ash.  He deserved to know
the whole truth.

“Ash, I…”

A loud boom from
the direction of the dance cut my words off.  Ash and I looked around the tree
back towards the dance floor.  A fire now blazed in the middle of the stage
where the band had been playing.  People were screaming and trying to get as
far away from the fire as possible.  A man with long messy hair, dressed in a
ratty looking green coat was silhouetted by the flames behind him.  He grabbed
the microphone off the floor where the singer must have dropped it and spoke.

“You should all be
ashamed of yourselves,” he yelled, crazed with anger.  “Prancing around here
like you ain’t got a care in the world!  Well let me tell you good citizens of
the south, y’all are just as bad if not worse than the harvesters!  At least
they ain’t pretending to be your friends by offerin’ food and clothes.  At
least you know where you stand with those bastards.  No, it’s the ones offerin’
you help you can’t turn your backs on!”

A group of ten
guards made a mad dash towards the stage from every direction.

“Do you know what
your government is doin’?” He demanded, realizing he didn’t have much time left
before he would be taken away.

“They’re rounding
up those of us left on the surface on this side of the barrier and tradin’ us
in to the Queen just so you people can have your cushy little lives down in
this hole.  I hope y’all go to hell like you deserve for lettin’ it happen
right under your damn noses!”

The man didn’t get
a chance to say anything else.  He was tackled by two guards causing the mic to
fly out of his hands into the flames behind him.   For a moment, I thought the
guards were going to push him into the fire too, but instead they tasered him,
quickly rendering him unconscious.

The dance was
quickly dispersed by the guards.  We were ordered to return home immediately
and not venture out onto the streets anymore until further notice.  Ash and I
went back to the dance floor and found our friends before we left.

“Did you see
that?” Kirk said excitedly.  “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

“Dude looked off
his rocker to me,” Kale said with a shrug, almost non-plussed by the
accusations made by the man.

“We should get the
girls home before something else happens.” Ash took my hand into his and
quickly led the way back to our apartment complex. 

When we reached
the door to our apartment, Zoe said, “I’ll go let your Dad know what happened.”

After Zoe was gone,
Ash brought me in close to his body to plant a chaste kiss on my lips.

“Promise me you’ll
think about what I said tonight,” he whispered.

“I will,” I replied,
instantly feeling like a coward for not saying anything about my feelings for Jace.

“I’m not in any
rush, Skye.  I’ll wait as long as I need to have all of you.  Half of your
heart isn’t enough for me.”

But what if that
was all I was able to give him? I thought to myself.  Before I could voice the
question, Ash turned from me and went into his apartment.

Chapter 4

The apartment was
quiet when I walked in.  Zoe was no where to be seen.  I presumed she was in
her room changing into her favorite pair of pink sweats to sleep in.  Blue was
lying in front of my father’s study door.  He raised his head and padded his
way to me as I entered.

“Dad in his
office, Blue?” I asked, not really expecting a response back from my Weimaraner
but people who love their pets tend to do that.  We talk to them like they
actually understand everything we’re saying.

I knocked softly
on the study door.  I didn’t get an answer so I pushed the door open to double
check and found the room empty of his presence.  I was just about to close the
door when I heard muffled voices.  Stepping further inside, I went to stand in
the center of the room until I heard the voices again.  They were faint but
definitely coming from the right of me.  Against that wall was a tall
bookshelf.  I walked over to the shelf and could hear the voices more clearly. 
My father’s voice was unmistakable and from his tone he was extremely angry
about something.

I stood frozen not
sure what to do.  If I looked for the way into what I had to presume was a
secret room, would he be angry with me for finding it and invading his
privacy?  But, why did he have a secret room in the first place?  Who was he
arguing with so vehemently on the other side of the wall?  Before I had a
chance to decide my next move, the bookshelf swung inward and my father walked
out.

He looked startled
when he saw me and stood completely still, like he had been caught doing
something he shouldn’t have.

He didn’t say a
word to me just continued to walk behind his desk.

“What’s in there?”
I asked, sure he wouldn’t volunteer any information without being asked
directly.

“Every person on
the council has one,” he said, like that should be answer enough.

I stared at him
waiting for him to say more but he didn’t.

“Who were you arguing
with in there?”

I half expected
someone else to come walking out of my father’s secret lair but they never did.

“I don’t have to
explain everything I do to you.  You’re my daughter, not my keeper.”  My
father’s sharp words cut me to the quick.  It was the first time he’d ever used
such a dismissive tone with me. 

“Dad, what’s
wrong?  Does it have to do with the man at the dance?”

My father’s eyes
narrowed on me.  “Drop it, Skye.  There are things happening which you simply
don’t need to worry about.  They don’t concern you.”

He may have been
my father but that didn’t stop my temper from flaring up. 

“The council is
trading humans on this side of the barrier to Lucena so the people living down
here don’t have to worry about being invaded by the harvesters.  How can you
stand there and tell me we shouldn’t discuss what’s happening?”

“You don’t know
what you’re talking about,” my father’s temper was quickly matching my own, now
I knew where I got it from.  “Let the matter drop.”

“No,” I said, not
wanting to go against my dad but feeling the need to make him admit the truth
of what he knew to me.

“I am your
father.  And what I say goes underneath this roof, young lady.”

Under any other
circumstances I would have laughed at such a clichéd statement but my father
sounded completely serious.  I had never seen him look so mad before.  Why was
he so scared to tell me the truth?

“When Lucena sent
you here, was that part of the message you were made to give to the council? 
Was that part of the bargain to keep her from coming through the barrier?”

My father turned
away from me and looked out the window behind his desk.  I could see his
reflection in the glass against the darkened city outside.

“Things aren’t
always so cut and dry, Skye.  Sometimes you have to dance with the devil to
keep him, or her in this case, away.”

A low pitched
whine of a blaring siren broke through our conversation.  It was a civil
defense siren which was a common sound to be heard during the war between the
harvesters and humans.  It usually meant wherever you were living was either
being invaded or a nuclear bomb was on the way.

A pre-recorded
woman’s voice resounded over the blare of the siren. 

“You have… fifteen
minutes… to evacuate before detonation of self- destruct.”

My father whirled
around to face me.

“What’s going on?”
I asked, as waves of bad memories almost overwhelmed me with the rise and fall
of the siren.

“I don’t know.” 
My father reached for the phone on his desk and punched a red button located on
the key pad.

“Jon Blackwell,”
he said to whoever came on the other line.  He paused listening to the person
on the phone.  My father nodded his head, “All right.”  He hung up the receiver
and looked up at me.  “There are trip wires around the perimeter of the city in
case of an invasion.  All fifteen of them have been activated which
automatically sets off the self-destruct.  Go to your room and grab whatever
you can carry in a small bag.  We have to leave
now
.”

He walked from
behind the desk and dashed back into his secret room.

Zoe was stepping
out of her bedroom when I walked back into the living room.

“What’s going on?”
She asked.

“Hurry up and grab
a bag of stuff from your room,” I told her.  “We have to leave the city.”