Shymers (22 page)

The man watches me, something stirring in his eyes. “Is that right?”

I nod. “She’s my friend.”

“A pretty little thing like you?” he asks, frowning. “Friends with my Kai? How do you expect me to believe something like that?”

At least I have his attention. I shrug and continue rambling. “It’s like I told you, I’m a Shymer. We used to spend every lunch break together. I tried talking her into quitting smoking because her coughing fits were becoming so terrible, but she wouldn’t listen.”

The man laughs and finally drops the knife back into his pocket. “No
w
tha
t
sounds like my Kai! Wait a minute—are you that new girl from the Free Lands?”

“Yes,” I say, offering my hand to him. “I’m Olive.”

His eyes reflect his smile and his large, warm hand wraps around mine. “Well I’ll be damned. I’ve heard all about you. My Ka
i
di
d
like you—she liked you a lot. She talked about you all the time. She said you don’t think like the others and sound more like one of us. I’m Chance, by the way.” Still holding my hand, he turns back to his friends. “Hey guys! This i
s
Oliv
e
!”

The way he said my name is a little unsettling—it’s as if my name reall
y
mean
s
something. Just how much did Kai talk about me? The group gives out a low holler of recognition and begins walking our way. I squeeze Zeke’s hand, fearful of what is about to happen to us.

“Are you her brother?” I ask Chance. What other kind of relationship would they have? He called he
r
my Ka
i
, like he owns her or something. He looks far too young to be her father.

Chance laughs, shaking his head. “I was he
r
boyfrien
d
. She wouldn’t have told you about us because she could have been suspended earlier for being with a Rebel. She was the love of my life.”

Zeke gasps beside me. The concept of a Shymer having a boyfriend is foreign to him. I am reminded of the time I first asked Bree about Harrison and how puzzled she became when I asked if he had a girlfriend.

“You talk like she’s—” I say.

“We got word yesterday that she died,” Chance cuts in, nodding his head slowly. “We were gathered out here for a party in her honor. It was what she wanted.”

From the pained expression on his face, it’s clear that he loved her dearly. My own heart aches. Kai probably died all alone in a little room without getting to do anything on her playlist. Even though she had a different attitude from the other Shymers and spoke of the Rebels often, it never occurred to me before that it was because she was actuall
y
in lov
e
with a Rebel.

A tear falls from my eye when I reach out to touch Chance’s arm. “I’m so very sorry.”

His eyes scrunch together in confusion. “You are?”

“Of course!” I answer, surprised. “She was my friend! I loved her too, although probably not as much as you did. That’s why I’m so sorry. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one.”

Chance’s eyes turn soft, despite the hard lines and his tough appearance. All at once he pulls me to him for a suffocating embrace, sobbing in my ear with a sound unlike anything I have heard before.

When I glance over at Zeke in the darkness, he looks to be in complete shock.

* * *

While waiting for their plan to take shape, I shift my weight. All the eyes burning into me remind me of the first day I entered the school. Why are these Rebels staring at me and not Zeke?

“We’re sorry to have interrupted your evening,” I offer. “But again, we are very thankful that you’re helping us like this.”

One of the girls, who fo
r
certai
n
cannot be over eighteen, rolls her eyes. Dark clusters of hair stand out against her head and like Kai, piercings of metal pepper her face. “Don’t b
e
sorr
y
. Helping all of you out tonight has been a real joy. We don’t have anything better to do with our lives. Lighting cars on fire and setting off fireworks are exactly how we want to spend the wee hours of morning.”

Chance explained that they try not to use the same distractions too often, but he hadn’t mentioning lighting cars on fire. The Rebels are even more dangerous than I had first thought. But who else have they helped tonight? Could it be my friends?

“There were others just tonight?” I ask.

Again, she rolls her eyes. “Yeah. First it was the guy who looked like a Future but wasn’t one, then the girl wh
o
wa
s
one.”

“Harrison and Tayrn?” I ask excitedly. “Did they come here separately or together?”

Another girl pushes her way through the crowd. She is short with purple hair that is styled in the most unusual crown around her head. “It was them. They didn’t come together, but we got them each over safely. They’re waiting for you on the other side.”

I holler out and jump into Zeke’s arms. “They’re okay! They made it!”

Moaning, Zeke presses his hand over the spot where his communicator had been. I had to look away when Chance held his knife in the flames of the fire and Zeke waited quietly at his side for the procedure. They both insisted it was necessary to remove the communicator as the government could track us with it.

My wild hug must have jarred the fresh wound. “I’m sorry,” I say, resting my hand over his. “I forgot.”

One of the older boys frowns at me. “You’re a bit squeaky for a Shymer. They’re usually pretty quiet. Are you sure you’re not really a Future here to turn us in?”

Chance stares him down. “Quiet the hell down. Kai told us about Olive and we knew this would happen one day. Now is a good time for them to leave, before things get ugly.”

I tilt my head. What could he mean by things getting “ugly”? Then I realize he just used old world sayings. “Where did you learn to say things like that?” I tease.

Chance chuckles. When relaxed, I can see how Kai was drawn to him. He has a good sense of humor and even a bit of charm. He’s even attractive in a rough sort of way. “Kai comes from a long line of Rebels. We used to read their books from the old world.”

I am reminded of the comment Kai made one day to Bree when they were discussing Rebels
.
I think there are a lot of things about me that would surprise you
.
Now the conversation makes total sense. Not only was Kai secretly raised by Rebels, but she was dating one. I wonder if the book was anything like the one Harrison’s family has.

The purple-haired girl looks over at the horizon. “All this is really sweet and everything, but we have to hurry before the sun comes up. If daylight hits, you’ll have to wait until after the first shift again to cross.”

Chance nods in agreement. “Just remember, hide in the patch of blackberries by the first waterfall you find. The Rebels on the other side check that patch every afternoon for any refugees.”

Although I know exactly where to find the patch of blackberries he speaks of, I am still terrified by the thought of being discovered at this point. Yet it’s too late to turn back now. They may already be searching for me at the orphanage.

And Harrison is waiting on the other side.

“Don’t be nervous,” Chance says with a soft smile. “We have helped dozens of people over this wall. Once our friend on guard sees our signal, he’ll power the system down just long enough for you to pass over. Then you’ll be home free.”

Zeke and I crouch behind a tree near the wall as instructed. The purple-haired girl stands close, ready to throw a makeshift ladder they fashioned from twine and wood. A hook is attached to the end so it will catch on the top of the wall. The last one of us to crawl over is to unhook it before jumping down so they can use it again. The ladder looks rough and fragile. It worked for the others, so I have faith that it will work for us. I have no other choice.

Far enough away that we can barely see them, Chance and another Rebel crouch near the ground, preparing to light the signal.

“I still don’t understand where they got thos
e
firework
s
,” Zeke whispers in my ear. “They sound unsafe.”

“They don’
t
ge
t
them anywhere,” I answer. “They make them with a special powder. They were used in the old world. Every July they would have a big celebration on our country’s birthday.”

“Why would anyone want to celebrate this place?” Zeke grumbles.

I don’t answer. The book from Harrison’s grandfather and the stories my parents told made the old world sound like it had been a happy place, when people were free to do what they wanted. I have kept hope all these years that my parents told me the truth about the old ways, and weren’t just repeating another fairytale to help me to sleep at night.

Near Chance, a small dot of red light glows and quickly becomes a sputtering fuse. Seconds later, there is a loud whistle followed by an equally loud pop. An explosion of white streams burst through the sky. More explosions go off, and more loud whistles ring through the sky. Zeke and I are in so much awe by the magnificent sight of it that we don’t see the purple-haired girl throw the ladder over.

“Hurry it up!” she cries. Soldiers begin yelling out from the lookout tower on top of the wall. We watch as they scramble around.

“You first!” Zeke insists, holding the ladder for me.

The purple-haired girl’s hand suddenly clamps over my wrist. Her gaze is intense and her Shymer mark flashes in the darkness. “Keep an eye on Tayrn for me.”

I frown back at her. How does she know Tayrn? Finally, I nod. “I will.”

“Now hurry!” she urges.

I smile back at her. “Thank you.”

She motions for me to climb, so I do. Each wooden step creaks when my weight settles onto it. Zeke begins climbing up behind me and the ladder buckles. The backpack he carries—filled with enough supplies to get us by until we meet up with the Rebels on the other side—seems to make his balance uneven. He wobbles back and forth. Seeing him directly under me makes my heart pump even faster. If I fall, I will land on him and injure us both.

When I am a few feet from the top of the wall, the ladder bows down. I grip the rope tightly, fearing the ladder is going to break. Suddenly, the wall vibrates. Snapping my head to the side, I see the movement of soldiers returning to their post. We are somewhat concealed by distance, but the sky is getting lighter by every minute. Before long they may be able to see us.

A surge of energy passes through me. This may be my only chance to see Harrison again. I propel myself as much as I can, grabbing the top of the metal wall as I approach it. The wall is still very warm from the intense daytime temperatures, but not quite hot enough to burn my skin. My arms have never been the strongest, and it takes extra effort to hoist myself up.

“Hurry!” I call out to Zeke.

He is still having difficulty in climbing the sagging ladder. Either the rope has worn thin from too many escapes, or the purple-haired girl should have made Zeke wait until I was totally off. With the orange glow spreading across the sky, she may be more worried about how much time we have before becoming discovered with the daylight.

“It’s not going to work,” Zeke calls back to me. He is still a few feet down from where I wait. A step breaks, dropping him even farther. I try to reach down with my hand to help him, but it’s no use. There is still a gaping distance between us.

“Try again!” I say, still hoping I won’t have to leave him behind.

“No. I’ll have to try again another time. It won’t hold me. You have to go now before it gets too light!”

“I’m not leaving!” I say. My weight shifts as my body threatens to drop from the wall.

“You have to go now!” the purple-haired girl tells me. “Once the sun is fully up the helicopters will be out. You have to run!”

“Go. I’ll find you,” Zeke insists. My leg slips from the wall just as the next step snaps. Zeke falls to the ground, landing awkwardly on his back. He looks up at me and waves his hands. “Run!”

My hands, slick from perspiration, threaten to drop me. The new daylight is suddenly harsh to my eyes. If I don’t make it now, I have lost my chance for the day. I reach up to hoist my entire body higher. My legs kick around to the other side before I let go.

The feeling of nothing around me but air is unsettling. I grasp for something—anything—although I know there is nothing I can hold on to. My body hits the hard dirt with such force that I make an “oomph” noise when the wind is knocked out of me.

Everything inside aches, feeling broken from the fall. For one painful, awkward moment, my lungs can’t seem to fill back up with air. Once they finally do, I shut my eyes and let the pain rush through me. Twisting my head to the side, I find myself surrounded by very tall grass.

I made it.