Escape to Eden (35 page)

His arms stay limp at his side, but after a few seconds they slowly come around me. “You’re welcome.”

The room has gone quiet, but I don’t care. The warmth of Colt’s body, his scent of autumn leaves and apples, and the way his fingers are gently going through the back of my hair soothes the ache in my heart.

“What’s this?” a familiar voice asks.

Colt’s arms drop, and I step away. My father’s standing in the doorway, dark circles under his eyes. My guess is he didn’t sleep at all last night.

“I was just telling Colt thank you for taking care of Max,” I say.

My father scoops up Max. “Yes. We are forever in your debt, Colt. Whatever you need, just say it and I will try and make it happen.”

Colt clears his throat. “I’d like to get Sage and Max to Eden as quickly as possible.”

I close my eyes briefly, unable to ignore the sting of his words. Maybe he doesn’t feel the same way as I do.

My father looks from Colt to me. “I think that would be wise as well. They can leave as soon as the group is ready to go.”

I flinch. “They? Aren’t you coming with us?”

He walks over to me. “I want to, really I do, but I need to be here. There are a lot of people relying on me.”

I’m stunned and not even sure what to say. Eventually the words leave my mind and out my mouth. “And what about your own children who you haven’t seen forever, who have been locked up for weeks, who have come close to dying multiple times?”

He takes me by the arms. “I raised you with all the knowledge I have of this world. I trained you, sometimes hard I admit, but it was all for this day when you would have to go it alone. You don’t need me anymore; nor does Max. I love you both, more than you could possibly know, but there’s a whole world that needs my help. Do you understand?”

“I get that you are important, and that you want to help everyone, but why does it feel like this decision is super easy for you?”

This makes him pause. He exhales and lowers his arms. “It’s not easy, but I guess I just don’t let myself think about it or it will hurt too much.”

Over his shoulder I see Colt. His eyes are on the floor, and his jaw muscle is flexed. “You’ve become like them, Dad. Mom would be so disappointed.”

This makes him bristle. “You’re probably right, but she never had to do the things I’ve done.”

“Regardless, it’s a choice you make. To shut yourself off from feeling.”

“You sound like your mother.” He chuckles quietly as if thinking back to another time. “Look, I’ll make you a promise. You go to Eden now with your brother, and I promise to come as soon as my work is done. Besides, you’ll like Eden. There are so many others like you that you won’t even miss me or anyone else here. Life will go on, Sage.”

And there you have it. He has no intention of following us.
Life will go on
. For everyone. And I’m expected to just forget what I feel, as if my feelings never mattered at all.

“I’ll be ready shortly.” I pick up Max and leave before anyone can stop me. Tears sting the back of my eyes, but I won’t let anyone see. I walk quickly down the empty hallway back to Max’s room.

There will be people like me at Eden.

Original humans.

Complete strangers.

Tears run into the back of my throat. I thought things would be different when I found my father, but I was wrong. He is part of this world now.

I slip inside Max’s bedroom and close the door. My back presses against it, and with Max I slide slowly to the floor. Maybe I’m being naïve, and it really is better that I go to Eden sooner than later. Had I been in this world as long as my father, maybe I’d have stopped caring too.

Max drops his head to my shoulder. He is all that matters now. I have to protect him and the only way to do that is get him to Eden.

I give him a gentle squeeze. “You ready to go on another trip? I think you’ll like it. There are people like us, but more important we’ll be safe.”

I hold him for several more minutes before I set him on the bed so I can change into a pile of girl clothes someone has left near the door. Probably my father by how perfectly they fit. And the color of my shirt, a dark turquoise, is my favorite color. Max is already dressed in fresh clothes most likely given to him last night.

All that’s left to do is check our pack. I set it on the bed and rummage through its large pockets. It could use more food. And, if possible, a new outfit for each of us. The ones in it are dirty and in desperate need of a wash.

My door opens and Jenna appears. “So I hear you’re leaving soon.”

I unfold a shirt from the pack and shake it hard. “Looks that way.” Dirt billows into the air.

I expect Jenna to say something sarcastic, but instead she says, “You’re better off at Eden, you know that, right?”

I don’t answer because I don’t know what’s better for me anymore. I straighten and grab Max’s hand. “We’re ready.”

“Before we go, your father wants to meet with us.”

“I thought he was busy with his experiments.”

“He’s going to tell us where Eden is, and I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to know. I bet it’s underground somewhere.”

I kneel down and speak to Max. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” I kiss him on the forehead and follow after Jenna.

She guides me to a part of the building I haven’t been to yet. Only a few lights are on in the narrow hallway. Parts of the plastered walls are broken and crumbled, exposing rotted wood. There’s a moldy smell that makes me hold my breath, but Jenna doesn’t seem to notice it. She’s humming softly.

“It’s up here,” she says.

The room we go into isn’t much better than the hallway, but at least there are more lights. Around a metal table sits my father, Colt, Tank, and Anthony. They are speaking quietly until they see me.

“So where are Max and I being shipped off to?” I ask.

Tank whistles. “Those Original boys don’t stand a chance.”

Colt shakes his head. “Shut up, Tank.”

Jenna snickers and sits down next to Anthony, who seems especially quiet. He’s the only one who hasn’t looked at me yet.

“Have a seat, Sage,” my father says before Tank and Colt can get into a further argument.

“I’ll stand.”

He tightens his lips, but continues. “What I’m about to tell you must stay confidential. Not many Primes know the location of Eden and it has to stay this way. I can’t stress the importance of this.”

“We get it,” Colt says. There is color back in his face, which makes me feel a little better.

My father looks at him sharply. “No, you don’t. I’d rather not tell you this secret, especially knowing your past, but you saved my children.”

“So where is this place?” Jenna asks. “It’s underground, right? Some hidden bunker or maybe a giant cave in a mountain.”

Anthony’s head rises. “Too obvious. The Institute’s already scoured every mountain and used thermal imaging to look underground. It’s got to be in a place that the Institute would never go to. A place where even if they did look and saw people, they
still
wouldn’t go there. “

Jenna frowns and taps the top of the table with her fingernails. “Where’s that?”

“There’s only one place the Institute avoids, and you can’t be thinking of sending her and Max there,” Colt says. “There’s no way.” His face is pale, and I think he might throw up.

“What? Where?” I ask.

Jenna slaps the table. “Clueless here! Fill us in already.”

“Purgatory Island,” my father says. There are more lines on his face than normal. Creases of worry and concern etched deep into his skin. I want to focus on those lines, to pretend I hadn’t heard those two words, but they’re like flies in summer and refuse to be ignored.

“So you’re sending me to hell?” I ask, but Jenna’s voice comes at the same time and is much louder.

“What brainless idiot would put a bunch of Originals on the most dangerous place on earth?”

“I would,” my father says. “Yes, it’s dangerous, but once they reach the compound they are completely safe.”

I rub the back of my neck, where the muscles still ache from my earlier seizure. “Compound? You mean the prison? The one that has been overrun with mutated Primes?”

Colt stands suddenly, knocking his chair backwards. “This is insane. I can’t even believe we are discussing this. Anthony?”

Anthony is staring down at the table.

“You knew, didn’t you?” Colt asks.

“I found out last night.”

Colt turns away and walks to the other side of the room.

Tank leans forward, his fists tightened. “Why can’t Sage hide out with Max in the forest? She did just fine for years and the Institute never found her.”

“But they did eventually,” my father answers.

Colt whirls around. “Because you led a Canine right to them!”

This time my father stands. “Actually, I believe that was your fault, Colt.”

“How long has Eden been there?” I ask before the tension in the room explodes into something physical.

“A little over forty years.”

“Forty years?” I ask. “How is that possible? You’re fifty-years old!”

“Forty-seven,” he corrects with a frown. “And it was my father who started the project with a few others. Eden is safe, I assure you.”

“But getting there isn’t,” Tank says.

Jenna leans back into her seat. “Well, I’m not going.”

“You don’t have to,” my father says. “In fact, none of you are going, not the whole way at least. There will be a few Originals waiting as soon as you get them to the bay. They know the island better than anyone.”

Colt places his hands on the table. “I’m not leaving them alone until they get inside this supposed safe compound.”

“You’re not in any condition to be doing anything,” my father says. “Now sit down.”

“I’m just fine.”

“Not for long,” Jenna mumbles and the room grows quiet.

Colt looks around the room at each of us. I’m the only one who will meet his gaze. His normally bright blue eyes appear dull and lifeless.

“I’ll be in my room,” he says. “Come get me when it’s time to go.”

As soon as he’s gone, I turn to my father. “The serum I stole from the Institute. What does it do exactly?”

He seems taken off guard by the question, but quickly recovers. “It temporarily masks the pDNA, tricking the body into thinking it’s repaired, but eventually it wears off and cells begin to die again. The whole process can take several years.”

“And what are you trying to do with it?”

“In a nutshell? Take out the toxic pDNA altogether so humans can live as long as they did before.”

“Hello varicose veins and arthritis,” Jenna says and lowers her head to the table like she’s bored.

“If you think it’s possible,” I say, “why hasn’t the Institute done it yet? Surely their big brains are more than capable.”

“They
can
do it,” Anthony says before my father can answer. “But they won’t. They found that by reverting the DNA back to what it was, Primes slowly lose their special abilities, making them like Originals, or really just normal humans. I think the thought of that disgusts Techheads.”

“But it’s not just that,” my father adds. “The Institute holds all the power. They are controlling people with promises of new DNA or threats of withholding their technological advances.”

“We are at their mercy,” I say, finally understanding the Institute’s motives. As long as they are the ones developing the drugs, we will always need them.

“How long until you develop a cure from the oDNA Sage gave you?” Tank asks. He props his legs up on the table. He is the only one who doesn’t seem affected by this news.

“It will take time, possibly years.”

“I don’t care about that right now,” I say, warranting the confused looks of everyone in the room. Even Jenna lifts her head. “Colt has the Kiss. I want you to give one of the oDNA serums to him. This will temporarily save him, right?”

“I have so few—” my father begins but I interrupt him.

“Do this one thing for me.
Please
. I’m about to walk out of your life, and you may never see me again. Grant me this one wish.”

His gaze lowers to the table, and he shakes his head. “We have to think about what’s best for the future. I need every vial you gave me for the experiments.”

Anger wells inside me, a burning inferno I fear might explode from my head. There may be logic in his words, but I’m too mad to care.

“Hell balls, William!” Jenna says, surprising everyone. “Give your daughter this one thing. It’s not like she hasn’t earned it.”

“I agree,” Anthony adds. “Both she and Colt have sacrificed so much to get you those vials. It’s the least you can do.”

Although bringing the vials to my father was an afterthought, I’m glad Anthony made it seem like the oDNA was our first priority. This type of logic resonates with my father. I glance at Anthony appreciatively.

My father’s shoulders sag as does his countenance. “You don’t understand. If the trials fail then I’ll have no backup serum, and, as you already know, it’s very difficult to come by.”

“I’ll get you more,” Tank offers. “Save bat boy.”

“Look at me, Dad,” I say. His gaze rises to mine. I’m so full of desperation that I pray he can see it bleeding from every pore. I need Colt to be okay. I can’t go to Eden knowing otherwise.

My father closes his eyes. “Fine, but if I do this, he’s going to have to stay under my supervision for at least forty-eight hours. Those injections make a person severely ill before they get better.”

Tank lets out a low whistle. “There’s no way you’re going to get Colt to stay here while you and Max leave, Sage. You know this.”

“But if he doesn’t stay, he’ll die,” Anthony says. “One more seizure will kill him.”

I stand, feeling stronger than I have in a long time. “Leave it to me. I’ll get him to stay one way or another.”