Rogue (Exceptional) (19 page)

The club was just the same as it was the last time Ally came, except for the Ordinarys all dressed up in costumes. Some mimicked animals, some mimicked objects, and a few mimicked people she thought she remembered seeing either in movies or on the cover of books in Luke's library.  Andrea, their group's shade of purple, was currently dragging Ally in a straight line across the packed dance floor, which took skill. They finally arrived in front of a group of girls that had been over to the house to see Brooke, Alexis, and Andrea, but that Ally didn't really know at all.

       Now she saw that they were the completion to their set of crayons. There was a girl in orange, a girl in yellow, a girl in white, a girl in gray, and a girl in black. She didn't know their names, and at this point, she didn't care. She smiled and said hello and played the part of social girl for the moment. Sabine had already run off into the arms of Stosh, who was dressed up as something that resembled a bear.

       The girls around her chatted at quick speeds, talking about things Ally couldn't allow herself to be interested in. She needed to be focused on her trip to the City. She shouldn't have come. Being in the same space as Stosh and Sabine wasn't going to change their outlook on anything, and Willow probably wouldn't even come. She barely left Carla’s house these days.

       "Want to dance?" She felt warm breath on her ear and spun around.

       Max stood behind her, smirking. He wore a black mask over his eyes but she recognized the hard lines of his face and the set of his jaw. He wore an odd hat with a feather sticking out the back, a white long sleeved shirt with a black vest over it, and black pants that were bunched at the knee.

       Ally couldn't help but laugh. "What
are
you?"

       Max smiled. "I'm a prince."

       "A prince?"

       "Yes," he said with a bow. "A real, live prince."

       Ally laughed again. "Someone should have taught princes how to dress better.”

       "Are you offering?" Max dipped his head toward her.

       "Definitely not," she pushed his head to the side, toward the rest of the crayon clan. "But I know a few girls who would be willing."

      Brooke and girl-in-purple were already eyeing Ally and Max with narrowed eyes.

      "I think I'll take my chances with the hideous outfit," Max grasped her arm lightly. "So, will you?"

      "Dance with you, again?" Ally eyed the dance floor. The music wasn't as fast as usual, but the space was still crowded with bodies. "Um, sure."

       They squeezed toward the middle, where Ally felt less exposed. The outside of the dance group made her self conscious, as if all the people standing around talking were silently critiquing her.  She faced Max and moved back and forth with the music, falling into an easy rhythm. Max was a good dancer, but she had discovered that she was as well. She at least looked more put together than some of the other girls on the dance floor.

       "Relax, Ally," Max leaned close to her ear to talk over the music.

       It was the same word he had used the last time they danced, but the addition of her name sent chills up her spine. When she was around Max it was easy to forget about Luke. His presence helped her forget the serious moments, and to enjoy the good ones. He was teaching her to be carefree again.

       "I am relaxed," she responded quickly. But thinking about dancing in Brooke’s heels brought on new stress.  "Okay, maybe not."

       Max cocked his head at her. "Why is that?"

       Ally closed her eyes for a moment and shrugged, even though she knew the reason. When she opened them again Max was still staring at her, his head cocked and a crooked smile on his face.

       She sighed and leaned forward. "I can’t do this.”

       “Do what?” Max’s expression grew nervous.

       “Dance in these heels,” she whispered in his ear. Her cheek grazed his as she spoke.

       He pulled away from her and laughed, checking out the torture chambers Brooke had adorned Ally’s feet with. His eyes glided back up to meet hers, and his laugh faded into something more serious.

       Ally knew what he was going to do way before he did it, but she didn’t stop him.

       His right hand took hers, and his left hand found the back of her neck. He pulled her closer and his lips pressed against hers. They were warm, and soft, and for a moment she forgot about where they were, and just how
public
this kiss was.

       She pulled back.

       “We shouldn’t,” she said as she stepped back from him.  “Maybe if things had started differently..." She stopped talking, not wanting to finish the sentence, but she could see in Max's expression that he understood. Maybe if she had never gone to the City, and had met Max first. Or maybe if she had been born in Champaign, they would have been together. But things hadn't happened that way, and she owed it to Luke to give their relationship a fighting chance. If she did that, and things still didn't work out, at least she could say she tried.

        Max leaned toward her again.  “I don’t give up that easily.”

        Suddenly the music stopped and the dim lights cut off.

        "Raid!" Someone yelled from the back of the room.

        The doors burst open, and tall figures marched into the room. In the dark, they would look like tall, menacing figures. Ally's Exceptional eyesight could see them for what they really were though. Exceptional Guards. She grabbed Max's arm and pulled him away from the chaos.

        "What is going on?" she yelled at him.

        He shook his head. "It is rare that they do a night raid. They must know you are here.”

        Ally’s eyes widened with panic.

        "It will be fine," Max was pulling Ally now, toward the back door near the stage. "We are prepared for this. We have a place we hide the Exceptionals that live here, in case the City decides it wants them back."

       “Wait, how many Exceptionals live here?” She had thought she and Carla were some of the only.”

       Max ignored her and pulled her down a dark hallway.

       They burst out into the back of the club. It was silent outside compared to the noises in the club. Since the townspeople had nothing to hide from the Exceptionals, they would eventually line up in the streets and get the interrogation over with. But Ally, Stosh, and Sabine had something to hide.

       "My brother!" Ally cried out. "And Sabine..."

       "They will be safe," Max stopped pulling her for one moment. "I saw them slip out the side door with Jed."

               "Willow?" Ally croaked.

      "Carla will take care of her, and Cody. I need you to trust me, Ally," Max's eyes pleaded with her. "Please. If I could I would drag you out of here, but I know you could fight me off."

               "What does it matter if they catch me? I want to go back anyway!" The thought just dawned on Ally. If the Guards caught her, she would have a quick trip back to the City. Back to Luke.

               "I could tell him that you guys are coming. We could arrange a meeting with the guns," she said quickly.

               Max shook his head. "We can't chance it. For all we know these Guards are working separate from Luke."

        Ally let out a frustrated groan. "Why can't anything ever go as planned? This is why we need to have several plans for our trip," she pointed out as she marched past him.

        Max caught up quickly, a slight grin on his face. "I knew you'd come around. Follow me."

        They ran toward the outskirts of town, where several warehouses stored food, goods, and weapons. Max led her to a warehouse in the middle of the pack.

        "You'll have to move the door," he peered back at Ally. "It is too heavy for me."

        Ally felt self conscious of her abilities in that moment. It felt wrong that she would be doing the heavy lifting, but it was a burden she had chosen to live with. She carried the answer to those problems in her pack each and every day.  She stepped up to the door and placed her hands along the edge, pulling it with half her strength. It budged, but just barely.

       "Man, this door really is heavy. What is it made of?"

       "Titanium, I think. Just hurry up!" Max was looking antsy now.

       Ally could hear the Guards moving through the woods, something Max couldn't even sense yet, but they were still minutes away. She gave the door a pull with her full strength and it slid to the side.

       "There is a staircase to the right. Follow it down three flights and knock on the door at the bottom two times. There are two doors, make sure you knock on the one marked with the blue cross. Another Exceptional should open it for you," Max rattled off instructions.

        "Where are you going?" She stepped into the dark doorway and watched him.

        "I have to get back to town. I'll need to be accounted for. Either me, or someone else, will come and get you when we think it's safe. It might be several hours though. Close the door behind you."

       Ally nodded and slid the door back into place, watching Max's form disappear along with the outside light. She located the staircase in the dark and hurried down the flights of stairs.  She reached the door with the blue cross and knocked two times.  The door appeared to vibrate and then slowly, it slid open. Two violet eyes peered out at her, looked her up and down, and the door slid the rest of the way open.

       "Hey, it's Max's girl," the boy Exceptional cried out. "The
special
one from the City.”

       Ally could hear the acidic undertone to his voice. Maybe she would take her chances with the Guard after all.

       "Quit it, Minx," a girl's voice sounded from inside the room. "You are just jealous that the City didn't want you."

       The boy disappeared from the doorway and a scuffle took place inside the room. Ally took the moment to step inside, and in less than a second counted twenty-three pairs of violet eyes. Ally was taken aback. She had
no
idea there were this many Exceptionals living in Champaign, and she was surprised neither Heath nor Max had mentioned it. Given the sour welcome she received when she entered the town, she was astonished that these Exceptionals were here.

       A young girl stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Neena."

       Ally smiled. "Ally."

       "Oh, we've heard all about you," the same boy from the doorway said from the ground, where a younger girl was sitting on his chest.

       "I'm Lilla," she said with a giggle. "Don't mind my brother Minx, he's just jealous."

       "Am not," Minx said from underneath Lilla.

       Ally spent the next five minutes introducing herself to the rest of the Exceptionals in the room.  A few she had seen out and about before, having no idea they were Exceptionals, but most were unfamiliar. When she asked about it Lilla had an easy explanation.

       "Most of us are wanted back in the City, so we have to stay hidden to keep ourselves safe. We work in these warehouses, keeping track of who takes what and how many items are left."

       “Yeah, not all of us get the luxury of living in the nice town homes and spending our days free of work.” Minx crossed his arms over his chest.

       "Why not just head south, get away from the City," Ally asked, ignoring Minx completely.

       "We like it here," a woman named Esma answered. "Heath is kind to us."

       “And the others?” Ally asked curiously. “They are okay with you being here?”

       There was no kind way to pose the question.

       Esma smirked. “Heath has kept our existence a secret. The less people that know, the less of a chance we have of getting caught. Besides, none of the Ordinarys in Champaign want to come to the warehouses to work. They don’t complain that someone else is doing the job for them, or question
who
is doing it for them.”

       After that Lilla led Ally to a makeshift bed against the right wall. "In case we need to spend the night," Lilla told her.

       The room was large, and Ally realized it was the basement storeroom of the warehouse they were in. She grabbed a box off the shelf and opened it up. It was filled to the top with small hairbrushes and combs. Shelves branched off into darkness since only the front of the room was lit at the moment. Many of the Exceptionals were reading books or watching movies on a small TV in the corner. Ally joined Lilla on the floor, anxious to know more about this group.

       "Why did you leave the City?" Ally asked almost immediately.

       Lilla leaned back against a couch cushion, tucking her hands under her legs. "Same reason for most of us, I guess:  differing opinions from those of the leaders."

       Ally nodded. "And now they are after you?"

       "Are they after you?" Lilla shot back.

       "Yes, but I didn't leave on the best terms." Ally thought about kidnapping Willow and then slaughtering the Guards at the wall.

       "None of us did," Lilla said softly. "Aden doesn't take kindly to Exceptionals leaving the City. We all did what we had to, to survive."

       They sat in silence for a few minutes. Ally filled the time by picking at a frayed edge on the bottom of her pants. Had she really done what was necessary to survive? Was killing those Guards necessary? Of course, she hadn't known she was going to kill them. She had been hoping to just knock them down and slow down their pursuit. And then there was the other matter, the one she rarely allowed herself to think about.

       The look on Luke's face after she had done it.

       He had never looked at her like that before. Sabine was right; Luke was most likely a different boy than the one she left. But she was also a different girl.

       "How long do these things normally last?" Ally broke the silence.

       "An hour or two if the townspeople cooperate. If someone causes trouble, or the Guards feel like checking homes, we could be here until tomorrow," Lilla answered.