36. Willa / Greer
CHAPTER 36
WILLA / GREER
W e’re in the cafeteria grabbing breakfast when we hear the sound of helicopters. Rushing outside with River, I watch two Army helicopters land and unload passengers. From the nearest one, soldiers in camouflage, holding guns, emerge. My heart sinks when I see who steps out. Oliver, Beckett, Quaid, Jax, and several students I’ve gotten to know, like David, Talia, and Gabe. Now I know who’s leaving. There won’t be anyone left.
River’s gasp has me turning to the other helicopter where emaciated people are rubbing sleepy eyes and slowly disembarking. These must be the captives. I swallow hard. They look rough. If it hadn’t been for River, that would have been me. A pulsing power emanates from them.
Like the others, River feels powers. Maybe that’s why he gasped. I haven’t really felt them until now, but there’s definitely an invisible wave coming off these people. They must be powerful if I’m picking up on it.
A tall, lanky young man with a petite brunette tucked under his arm is staring at us with a murderous expression on his face. Or rather, at River. The girl tugs on his arm, but he shakes her off and stalks toward us.
“Shit,” River mutters.
“You bastard!” the young man roars before clocking River in the face. “You’re a fucking traitor. Aidan, Jordan, Freddie, Mark, and Hector. Gone because of you. You sold us out! Why? Tell me!” he continues to whale on River.
River says nothing. Nor does he fight back.
It hits me. Lance. One of the guys from Atlanta who was captured. The group Jordan told me about who he felt guilty about not saving. River too. “Jordan is fine. He’s living in Atlanta. Or at least he was when we saw him a couple of weeks ago.”
His fist freezes in mid-air, and he turns to sneer at me. “You sure about that?” His voice is taunting. “What do you think, River? Or is she a liar like you?”
River shoves him. “Get away from her.”
Quaid strides over and gets in between the two. Fire erupts across his body, physically forcing them to step back. “What the fuck is going on here?” His amber eyes flick over my body as if making sure I’m not hurt.
Lance suddenly splits into two. Literally. There’s one of him standing by the girl and the other tackling River to the ground.
“Sergeant!” Quaid yells, and a stocky young man in fatigues comes running over.
He points at the two slugging it out, and the soldier quietly orders them to sleep. River and Lance, or rather both Lances, slump to the ground.
Hmph. That’s the asshole who put us to sleep before we arrived here. I turn toward Quaid. “That’s a shitty way to handle it. They’re only going to be more pissed off when they wake up.”
He lifts a shoulder. “I don’t have time to coddle anyone. Tell them when they wake up that if they don’t cool off, I’ll throw them in the brig.” He stalks off, muttering something about double trouble.
I look at the girl across from me. Anger simmers deep in her eyes. “Hi. I’m Greer.”
“You with him?” she asks, jaw clenched so tightly she can barely get the words out.
“River?” I clarify. When she nods, I confirm. “Yes. Jordan told me Lance and the rest of them were captured, but there were too many for River and him to fight. They both felt incredibly guilty about it.” I hope she’s more reasonable than Lance.
She snorts. “I’m Dani. How long have you known River?”
“A couple of weeks,” I reply. Wow, it seems longer.
“That explains it. He’s lying to you.”
A couple of soldiers come over and lift Lance’s bodies. She positions herself next to them. “Lance is the best guy I’ve ever met. He’ll do anything for his friends. Trust me. If he hit him, you can bet your ass River deserved it.” She taps one of the soldiers on the arm. “I’m going with him.” Her tone is firm and after glancing across the yard at Quaid, the soldier nods.
I wait, but no other soldiers come over to get River. Looking around, I see Quaid and Oliver watching him from across the yard. I learn why a moment later. Grass and dirt moves over River’s body, covering him completely. Thirty seconds later, he sits up.
“What the hell?” he mutters angrily. “That bastard. I hate being put to sleep.”
“Here, let me help you up,” I say, reaching down with my hand. He takes it, but the second he stands, he pushes me away and stomps off. “You’re welcome.”
Frustrated and confused, I stare after him. Is he upset because he’s hurt that his friend accused him, or is he angry because Lance is telling the truth?
Beckett walks up to me. “Would you mind helping me get these people settled? There are twenty-two of them. We need to provide each one with clothes and food, then give them time to decompress.”
I paste a smile on my face. “Sure, but I don’t think we should lock them in their rooms, though. They’ve been prisoners long enough.”
A grim smile stretches across his face. “Completely agree. Follow me, and I’ll show you where we keep the supplies.” He scans my face. “I saw what happened with River. Don’t judge him until you know the full story. Sometimes, this world forces us to do things we would never do, including hurting our friends.”
Surprised, I turn to Beckett. “I won’t. Believe me. I’m not qualified to judge anyone.” After all, I killed two people. I acted in self-defense, but does that make it acceptable? I’m still not sure of the answer.
“I guess not,” he muses. His silver eyes have darkened to grey storm clouds.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask, the irony not escaping me. “I might not have empathic abilities or whatever like you, but I’m a good listener.”
“Some other time,” he murmurs, shifting his feet. It’s obvious he’s uncomfortable being on the other side of the proverbial couch. He stops at a large building with no windows. “This is our supply warehouse.”
“What is it with all the tan? Is that the only color the Army is allowed to use?”
He laughs, and the dimple in his chin deepens. Such a small thing, and yet, I’m practically drooling. “It is the official color. Want the real reason or the one they give us?”
Intrigued, I raise an eyebrow. “The real reason.”
“Some important general visited the bases in the 70s and decided everything needed to be uniformed and standardized,” he says, then laughs. “And cheap, of course. The Army buys things in bulk, you know. We have warehouses full of this paint.”
I laugh. “Clearly. This is an old base. Do the newer ones look like this, too?”
He tilts his head. “You never went to a base with Lionel?”
I shake my head. “Nope. He took a desk job when my parents died so he could be home with me. Most of the time, he worked from home reviewing contracts, or so he said. Now, I wonder what he really did.”
“Hmm,” he says, and I can tell he’s curious, too. “Anyway, they call it Creech Brown after the general himself.” He chuckles when I wrinkle my nose.
“And the official reason?”
“Technically, it camouflages the buildings. Enemies aren’t able to distinguish important buildings like operations from less important ones like the mess hall. And, supposedly, it makes the buildings harder to see from a distance,” he tacks on.
“Still fugly, if you ask me,” I say with a laugh, and he agrees with a chuckle.
We pile the supplies into several rolling carts by the door of the warehouse. Once they’re full, we start wheeling them toward the dorms.
I can’t quite figure him out. “You know, I’ve been around individuals in the military my whole life. When I was younger, my dad’s friends would come to visit. Plus, Lionel, of course.” I pause, wondering how to put my question. “You don’t seem like the military type.”
His lips curve in a wry smile. “I grew up wanting to help others. At the time, I didn’t know why. Now, I know it’s because I didn’t have any barriers. I used to soak up all the emotions from those around me. The weight of their feelings made me want to do something to ease their burdens. I thought about becoming a doctor, but I felt the emotions would be overwhelming.”
I raise both eyebrows. “And war isn’t?”
He shrugs. “When I joined, there was no war. I thought the brotherhood would be a great support for someone like me. And for a while it was.” He glances at me, and I see an ocean of sadness in his eyes. “Like Raven, the Army conducted experiments on those of us with powers. They made me do despicable things to the men and woman I called friends and colleagues. When I resisted, they brought in someone with mind control to force me, which is why I understand your aversion to it.”
“That’s the real reason the government doesn’t corral Raven,” I say, with a dawning note of terror. “They want a way to use and control us like their own personal army.” It makes sense. Why else would they condone Raven’s horrible methods?
Wind catches my hair, whipping it into my face, and I stop the cart.
“Here, let me,” he offers, smoothing it back from my face.
“Thank you,” I tell him, staring up at this enigmatic man. “What happened after the experiments?”
“Except for Oliver and Quaid, everyone turned on me. When they were tapped to lead Phoenix operations at this compound, they submitted a list of soldiers to join them, and I was lucky enough to be on it. They knew I committed terrible acts, but they didn’t hold the past against me. Instead, Oliver thought helping people would be a better use of my powers,” he informs me. “His support saved me. And that’s why I think you should hear River’s side. All of it. Without judging.”
“I will. Thank you for sharing your past,” I say, wanting him to know how much it meant for him to tell me something personal about himself. Kind of evens the playing field between us. Not that he’s going to be here for much longer.
“This is the last batch. Why don’t I finish up and you go find River? He really needs a friend right now,” he suggests with a gentle smile.
I reach up and place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you again.”
* * *
River’s sitting by the stream with his hands buried in the mud when I find him. His relationship with the earth and nature is quite remarkable. It reaches for him when he’s in pain and carves a path when he’s running from the enemy. As I stand there, a flower curls itself over his shoulder.
“Mind if I join you?” I ask softly, not wanting to disturb him.
His shoulders droop at the sound of my voice. “I hoped to have more time before I had to confess my sins, but time is against us.”
I sit down beside him and draw my knees up. “It always has been.” I remind him. “Let’s start with something easy.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “Shoot.”
“When that guy put you to sleep, how did you come out of it so quickly? I mean, I was standing there. I saw the ground cover you. Does it heal you?” I know it’s an odd question, but I could have sworn the water did the same to me that night Trent and Tommy tried to kill me, because the next day, I woke with no bruises, broken bones, or soreness.
“It does,” he replies with a grin, looking down at his hands. He pulls them out of the ground and shows me his dirty, bruise-free knuckles. With a sigh, he digs them back into the wet mud. “There are so many things I have to tell you. I don’t know where to start.”
Part of me doesn’t want to know, but I have serious decisions to make myself, and I can’t do that until I know the truth. “Start at the beginning.”
“The beginning is my favorite part because it led me to you,” he says, looking at me. “No matter what you hear, please stay for the entire story. Okay?”
Shit, it’s bad. I swallow but give him my word. I’m not sure I would have if I hadn’t spoken to Beckett earlier, but he convinced me to hear him out. “I will. Promise.”
“Our beginning wasn’t at the gas station. It began on campus,” he begins.
I raise my head to clarify. “My school? I would have remembered if we’d met.”
He shakes his head. “One day, you ran into a football star. Unfortunately, he wasn’t very smart. When he saw the mark on your shoulder, he decided to search his father’s files. His father, on the other hand, is very, very smart. An alert immediately went to his phone informing him of his son’s activities.”
Chills erupt across my arms, and I pull my knees in close to my chest as if they can help protect me from whatever he’s going to tell me. “Trent.”
He nods. “Hightower thought his son was in trouble, and he sent me to save him.” He pauses. “Remember when you told me about your stalkers? You thought you had two but weren’t sure? You did. Trent was one, and I… was the other.” He thrusts a hand through his hair, ruffling it up, then smiles.
“The first time I saw you, I thought the dunce had made a mistake. You didn’t feel like you had an ounce of power,” he says with a shake of his head. “You were also the prettiest girl I’d set eyes on in forever.”
Shock renders me speechless. Of all the secrets I thought he’d reveal, this wasn’t one of them. Senator Hightower, leader of the Ravens, sent him to what… eliminate me? I look around the deserted forest. If so, he’s had plenty of chances. I return my gaze to him.
He searches my eyes, then continues. “I stopped following Hightower’s orders the moment I took that first photo. I was standing in the bushes, waiting for you. You came out of the library and stopped at the top of the stairs. Your hair was sticking out everywhere, and you looked so tired. I couldn’t help myself. I thought you were beautiful.”
He laughs at the look on my face. “For the first time ever, nature gave me away. A twig snapped and scared you off.”
That jolts me out of my stupor. “The envelope with the pictures… that was you? You broke into my car? You followed me everywhere. Nowhere felt safe. You scared the fucking hell out of me.” I shove him hard and stand, my body trembling with fury. “What is wrong with you?”
He jumps to his feet and grabs me. “I was trying to scare you! Make you run. Trent, the Hightowers, they wanted me to kill you. I couldn’t do it. Most of us with powers are ready to run at a moment’s notice. I didn’t realize until later you didn’t know anything about our world.”
“So, this is my fault?” I ask in a dangerously quiet voice. Water splashes over my feet, and I look down and see the tiny stream has diverted itself. “You left me at the mercy of Trent and his buddy Tommy. Do you know what they did to me? They drugged me, kidnapped me, stuck me in a fucking shack in the middle of the woods, beat me, and threw me off a cliff!” My voice raises higher and higher with each word.
“And when that didn’t work, they scaled down to finish the job. If I hadn’t been by water or had these powers, they would have killed me. Where were you? If you wanted to save me, that would have been a great time to do it!” I yell at him.
I jerk my hands from his, but I have no intention of leaving. He has my full attention. I want answers. I deserve answers.
He clenches his fists. “I’m sorry. Hightower became suspicious and sent his goons to pick me up. I tried to get word to you that afternoon, but neither you nor Lionel were at the house. I swear, I didn’t know what those neanderthals were planning. If I had, I’d have found a way to get you to safety,” he says with a shake of his head. His green stare implores me to forgive him, but I can’t.
“You could have come to me and Lionel. He would have taken you seriously. Instead, you let them ruin my life,” I insist, trying to understand his point of view, but it’s so damn hard. Not only did his stalker activities scare the shit out of me, but doing nothing to prevent them from kidnapping me made him their accomplice.
He sits down on a nearby rock and hangs his head. “Everything about you took me by surprise. I didn’t know what to do. For the first time in my life, I put someone else ahead of my mother and sister. To be honest, I hated myself for it. I wanted to save you, but I knew Hightower would kill my family. I was stuck.”
My jaw drops at his confession, but I’m still so furious. That’s why he’s so protective about his family. They’re captives.
“You should have saved me. Period.” If he had, I wouldn’t have killed Trent, and I might have had a chance. Now, there’s no going back. “You could have easily told Senator Hightower I didn’t have any powers. He would have called off Trent. Instead, you selfishly stayed, which put me in Trent’s sights, reinforcing his right to kill me. Or so he thought.”
He winces. “Honestly, I didn’t think he’d believe me. He’s extremely paranoid. But you’re right, I should have come up with another plan. You threw me for a fucking loop, and my whole head was spinning. I couldn’t think.”
His answer doesn’t ease the anger, but it I force myself to exhale slowly and sit down next to him. “This story sucks, by the way.”
He chokes on my words. “It totally does. You don’t even know the worst part.”
More? I angrily cross my arms over my chest and brace myself. “Tell me.”
His voice is hoarse as he continues, “Lance is telling the truth. For three years, Hightower has held my mom and sister hostage while he sends me out to find a unique talent or a lot of power. I turned in Lance and the other guys. Not just them, either. Countless others. I convinced them to trust me and sold them out. I didn’t know what else to do. When I first started, I thought I could do it a couple of times, then he’d let us go.” A tear rolls down his face. “I was completely na?ve. My success fueled his need for more. If I refused, he’d torture my mom or experiment on my sister. And me when I returned.”
This is really, really bad. “Damn. You’re the villain in this story. You’re Raven.”