Frequency (The Frenzy Series Book 3) (23 page)

“What did Tage say?”

“He called me a cockblocker.”

I laughed out loud. “That sounds about like him.”

“Tell me a story and I’ll let you go with us.”

Roman narrowed his eyes. “Once upon a time…” he smarted.

“…there were two human brothers.” I needed to know his story and Pierce’s.

Swallowing, he sat down, stretching his legs out and looking up at the sun. “Once upon a time, there were two human brothers. They were best friends. When the entire world began fighting against itself, country against country, friend against friend, ally against ally, the brothers decided to help defend their own country. They wanted to do something important. So they joined the military, were assigned to the same unit and shipped out to the coast. Fighting was hard. Other countries tried to invade via a neighboring island. The brothers were tired and weary. So were the others who fought alongside them.”

“One night they were given a reprieve, a night to rest and kick back. There were no sirens, no explosions, and no bombs. They took full advantage of that night with women and liquor. When they left the bar, Pierce—the far less handsome brother—got into an argument with a man who looked like he’d had way too much to drink. In the scuffle, the man bit Pierce. It turns out that he wasn’t drunk at all. He was Infected, and now Pierce was, too.”

“Pierce had to be quarantined. The virus was tearing through the populace quicker than the bombs could tear it apart. The far more handsome brother still fought for his country. One night, he was patrolling a section of beach by himself because his unit was so thin, there was no backup. A woman approached, claiming that she could help me and others win this war. She could give us all immense strength and make us damn-near invincible. The handsome brother was so tired that he asked to know more. She told him that if he wanted such power, he had to listen closely to what she had to say. She came close to him and he listened, her mouth to his ear. She bit him. The pain was worse than anything he’d ever felt in his life.”

“The handsome brother woke on the beach, so hungry he was absolutely mad. A note was in his pocket. The words scrawled on that paper would change everything.”

I looked at him, his dark eyes blurring from the tears they held back. “What did the note say, Roman?”

“It gave directions to Blackwater. It said there was a sanctuary for our kinds: mine and my brother’s. It said:
Your blood can heal
. But that was a lie. My blood didn’t heal anything. It damned those who took as much as a drop. Though it kept Pierce alive, it didn’t heal him. She was a liar. Why wouldn’t she say that the
venom
healed?”

I blew out a breath. “Maybe she didn’t know. Maybe she meant for you to heal the battle-wounded. It’s hard to say without asking her.”

He swallowed, wiping the wetness from his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. I know you don’t want to hear it for the one thousand and first time, but I can’t stop.”

“I’m sorry, too. How old were you?”

“Eighteen. Both of us were.”

“I’m sorry for you, Roman.”

“You shouldn’t be.” There was a long moment of silence. “Can I go with you now?”

I smiled. “Yeah. You can go. You’ll need a horse, though.”

“The Colony said we can only take one, but Mercedes said I could ride with her.” My eyebrows hit my hairline at that admission.

Lately I’d noticed the glances the two exchanged and how helpful Roman was when it came to my sister. He hauled water for her, split wood, carried it indoors. He lifted heavy pots from the hearth and doted over her as though she were his. Maybe he wanted her to be. Time would tell that, too.

Tage’s footsteps, I knew them by heart, approached from the sidewalk. “You okay? Hey Roman.” His blue eyes locked onto mine.

“I’m great. Roman’s helping me plant.”

“Maggie’s ready for you.”

“Okay.” I stood up, dusting the mud from the knees of my skirt. “I should probably change.”

Tage nodded, watching me walk inside.

Easing Maggie’s door open, I was greeted with a hug. “It’s been too long!”

I laughed. “I saw you just yesterday.”

“We have a lot of catching up to do. And now that you’re leaving, we have less time to do it in. I have a surprise for you!” She hugged me tightly and swayed us back and forth.

“You don’t have to do anything for me, Maggie.”

“I know I don’t
have
to, Missy. I
want
to. Now help me up the steps.”

Lying on the bed in the room where she first began to teach me to sew were dresses; four of them in different shades: purple, blue, green, and yellow, with small flowers sewn on the hems and collars. “They’re amazing, Maggie,” I said, stepping back to admire them. I didn’t want to cry on them. Blood stains were a bitch to get out of light fabric. She handed me a rag and hugged me tightly again.

“I’ve been working on them all winter. Don’t tell Mercedes. I know she needs some new dresses, but yours will always come first, Porschia. I love you like you were my own daughter. I’ve worried about you so much, but you’re resilient. You’re beautiful and fierce.”

“I’m a freak,” I blubbered.

“You are
not
a freak. You’re perfect. And you can handle this. If anyone in this whole world can handle being something beautifully different, it’s you. Your heart leads you. Make sure you let it.”

I nodded, unable to form coherent words.

“I’ll miss you. I know you have to go and how important the journey ahead of you is, but I wanted you to have a piece of me to carry with you…or wear on you, rather.”

Smiling, I hugged her again. “Now, no more tears,” she admonished. “They’ll ruin the fabric.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re coming for dinner tonight? I cleared it with Tage. Your Father, Ford, and Mercedes are coming, too.”

“Can Roman come?”

She pursed her lips together.

“He’s not so bad now, Maggie. Give him a chance?” A dark part of me understood Roman, his motives and actions. I understood his loyalty to his brother, because despite all she did to make my life hell, I loved my mother. She didn’t deserve the punishment Saul handed down.

She took a deep breath, her wrinkles deepening. “I trust you. If you say he deserves a second chance, then that’s exactly what I’ll give him.”

“Thank you. Let me help you back downstairs?”

“Of course, dear.”

I helped her take each step, slowly but carefully. At the foyer, she paused. “See you in a few hours.”

“In a few hours.” We’d had dinner every day this week now that Mercedes was better and I’d had time to calm down from all the craziness that had happened.

Walking home, I was shocked that some neighbors actually waved at me as I passed by them, my arms full of pastel dresses. I wiggled my fingers back at them, making the children giggle and their parents smile.

Blackwater would survive because its people were strong. They worked and helped one another. They shared in tragedies and triumphs alike. They were a community. In the days that passed after the Elders were removed from power and banished from the Colony, a new council was formed. Comprised of nine men and women, they would make decisions based on the majority of votes among them.

There was no more manipulation, no hunger for power. Would it come to that again one day? Maybe, but for now things were good. There was no longer a need for a treaty. Most of the formerly Infected chose to move into the Colony. They claimed houses that were empty, most huddling in the night-walker part of town. As much as the colonists were afraid of them, they were afraid of the colonists. Circumstance and fear drove a wedge between the worlds. While that gap was being bridged, the small separation seemed to be a soothing balm on wounds inflicted a long time ago.

Pierce stayed in the city with a few others. I assumed Saul was still in the forest, as were the Elders. Brian Yankee and a few others trekked through the woods to help them every few days. No one faulted him for that, because he did as any child would do.

I asked Brian for a small favor and he granted it. Within a day, a small wooden marker was erected in the cemetery bearing my mother’s name. He had taken his time carving it, giving her the respect she deserved, that anyone deceased deserved, because he understood that love was love. It was neither right nor wrong. It didn’t have to make sense; it simply was. Father cried when he saw it. Ford and Mercedes placed bouquets of flowers at its base.

Soon, Brian had requests from other residents. He carved them for the fallen, the Infected and night-walkers alike, that fell victim to Pierce and time.

Tage said there’d always been a darkness in this world. He said that though some night-walkers might be reluctant to change, we had to give them the option. Now that we knew how to tamp out some of the darkness, it was our duty to bring the light.

The sun warmed my shoulders and face.

The fabric of the beautiful dresses fluttered happily in the warm breeze. No longer a symbol of control, I would wear them proudly because I wanted to. The decision was mine.

Children laughed.

Birds sang.

Puffy clouds floated over the clear blue sky.

An axe fell upon wood.

In the distance, the water cascaded over the falls.

Animals bleated.

And I smiled.

Thank God for his many blessings in my life.

I want to thank my husband, kids and parents for their constant support. Their love knows no boundaries and they are my blessings.

Thanks to Stacy Sanford for wielding your red pen upon this manuscript and making it amazing. Also for not beating me with said red pen for my love of commas.

Thanks to Nathan Weller for modeling for the cover, Marisa Shor for designing the covers for this amazing series and to Allyson Gottlieb and Marisa for making the interior as awesome as the exterior.

Thanks to Amber Garcia. She is my right hand and I appreciate all that she does on a daily basis for me and my books.

Thanks to my street team! Ladies and Gents, you are simply amazing! Thank you for your love and support, but mostly for your enthusiastic cheerleading skills!

Readers: Thank you for loving these books! For you, I have a surprise. I’m writing book four.