Chapter 48
chapter
forty-eight
Haven
We don’t stop until the city dissolves behind us, its towers cloaked by night and fog.
The facilities’ alarms fade into distant static, replaced by the soft hum of the engine and my own ragged breathing.
Gray makes us throw out our Smart Cards.
My stomach sinks as it hits the pavement, clinking as we drive away.
Without it, we won’t be able to purchase anything.
Warrick keeps the balance at a healthy amount for my sister and me.
We’re on our own now.
We swapped cars. Gray had another one stashed in the woods, covered by branches and leaves.
The one we escaped in was military issue and likely had a built-in tracker.
I switched to the front seat to question Gray.
He seems overly prepared for our escape.
His appearance––while perfectly timed––is rather odd.
His hands grip the wheel, and every few minutes, his eyes dart to the rearview mirror to see if we’re being trailed.
“How did you find us, Gray?” I ask.
Mercy was in her own cell. He must have gotten to her before he came for me. That means he knows in some capacity why we were arrested. He might even know that I’m an Untamed.
“It’s a long story,” Gray says. “My father can explain it, but we work with Prue.”
Shock knocks the air out of me.
“You’re with us?” I ask, surprised.
The last person I would expect to join the Resistance would be the straight-laced Sullivans. His father, while kind, is also rigid about rules and structure.
“Yes,” he says, staring at me, for one long moment. “I always have been.”
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“My father and your mother were close,” he says. “They fell in love an—”
“Wait, are you our brother?” Mercy asks, staring at Gray and then me, as if she’ll find a resemblance.
I shudder at the thought. I had my tongue down Gray’s throat before.
“No,” he says quickly. “Come on, Mercy.”
“It was just a thought,” she says sheepishly.
“It was after my mother died,” he explains.
“He helped her settle in at Division Eight and paid her bills to keep you all afloat when he learned about the pregnancy. She told him about her fears regarding your powers.” His eyes dart to me again.
“He was deployed in the Wastes when the execution happened. He would have saved her.”
My throat tightens, and I glance back at Mercy to see the same pain reflected in her eyes.
“You lied to me,” I whisper.
“Yes,” he admits. His shoulders drop in guilt. “To keep you safe. Prue never told him she was using you as an undercover spy. He was mad when he found out.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore, they know what I am,” I say. “The Supreme Director knows.”
“Knox told me about the arrest,” Gray says. “He took me to Mercy. And she explained the rest.”
I glance back at Mercy, surprised.
“Knox helped you?” I ask.
Her cheeks flush.
“I think he felt bad for me,” she says, staring down at her lap.
I don’t know how she can’t see that he likes her. He risked his neck to get her out. He went against his best friend for her.
“He knows that Ender is compromised,” Gray says. His eyes flash towards me. “And that the Commandant would not want you or your sister to be hurt, despite how it may appear.”
The mention of Ender makes my chest ache. I can’t stop thinking about how he defended me in front of his father. How he broke every rule he’s ever followed for me. He owes me nothing. Yet he risked everything.
“We left him,” I say. I sit upright. “We have to go back for him.”
“His Bind was upgraded.” Gray shakes his head. “Ender is gone.”
“That’s not true,” I say. “We can fix him.”
“How?”
“I’ll force him to remember,” I say. “I’ll remind him of who he is.”
“And who is that?” Grayson scoffs. “A raging asshole?”
I open my mouth to defend him when Mercy speaks.
“Can she do that?” Mercy asks. “Can she fix him?”
“This is exactly what your mother warned us about,” he says.
“At any minute, they can turn our emotions off remotely. We have no control, no autonomy. We’re trying to find a way to remove the implant without blowing off our heads, but it’s difficult.
The one person who can help us got arrested a few months ago. ”
“We can find a way to help Ender,” I say. “He doesn’t want to serve his father. Not anymore. Not after everything.”
I saw it in the arena. Ender was done with him.
“Let’s get you to safety first,” Gray says. “And then we’ll worry about everything else.”
Several miles later, we finally reach our destination. The forest thickens around the road. Bare branches scratch at our roof. The trail forks, veering sharply off the asphalt and into the dirt path ahead. Gray drives into the shadows until a massive stone facade appears.
It’s a building constructed into the mouth of a cave. The car slips inside the opening.
Light fixtures hang down from the stone walls. Rebels move along the upper balcony, rifles strung across their backs. Their stance is alert and defensive.
Mercy helps me out of the car. I’m battered and bruised. Blood is caked to my skin, and I’m in desperate need of a bath.
Sullivan steps forward, followed by Prue.
“Girls,” Sullivan says, eyes wide with relief.
He wraps his arms around us, and tears slip out of my eyes.
I’ve missed him so much. Our presence here feels more comforting, knowing he is with the rebels.
I’m not sure how to process the information about him and my mother, but it makes sense.
Sullivan was more of a father to us than Orson Warrick.
It made sense that he loved the one person who meant the world to us, too.
“You’re safe,” Sullivan says. “Nothing can hurt you here.”
It doesn’t feel that way. Things feel even more dangerous than before.
The Director knows about me. Ender is broken.
And I don’t know how I’m supposed to fix it all.
My lungs tighten at the thought that Ender is still back there, alone and confused.
All my anger towards him has faded after that last encounter.
I don’t blame him for the death of my friends, even though their demise weighs heavily on my chest. Whatever monster he is was made by his father. Malric Vale is the true villain.
Sullivan releases us with a fatherly pat on both our heads. He must have loved our mother if that affection could flow down so purely to us. He always bought Mercy new books from his travels, and I new weapons. He nurtured our interests and cared for us.
I have so many questions for him, about my mother, about their relationship, about my powers, and what Idris confessed. It must have been Sullivan who told them about my mother’s suspicions.
“Later,” Sullivan promises, sensing the questions in my eyes. “I’ll tell you everything.”
Prue steps forward. Her steel eyes locked on mine.
“You made it,” she says, relieved. “We were worried about you.”
“Gray came in the nick of time,” I say. “They almost stuck that thing in me.”
I shudder at the thought of being implanted. They would use me as a mindless soldier, forcing me to turn on everyone I loved.
Prue gives Gray an approving look.
“Well done, Grayson,” she says.
Then she turns to Mercy.
“You must be Mercy,” she says warmly. “Welcome.”
People trickle in. It strikes me then that this isn’t just an outpost, it’s a settlement. Children cling to the hips of their mothers, wide-eyed and nervous. Men with thick beards study us with keen eyes.
“Haven Warrick is one of us,” Prue calls. “An Untamed. A powerful one, at that. One that we must protect at all costs. The Director wants her, and he will send his best to capture her.”
I shift, unnerved by the sudden attention. Mercy slides her hand in mine, sensing my discomfort.
“We have been plotting and surviving, but our numbers are growing, our network strengthens with each passing day,” she continues.
“Together we can end the regime. We can build a world safe for those with powers regardless of their classification. We will not kill those we deem dangerous before they’ve committed a crime.
We will not force an implant on those we spare to control them. ”
Murmurs of agreement arise. Her words spread like wildfire. Even I am cast in wonder at her ability to command attention.
“We have survived the worst, and now it is time to fight!” Prue yells.
Cheers arise, and boots stomp the ground.
Prue turns to face us.
“Will you join our forces, Haven?” Prue asks. “And become a weapon the Continent fears.”
After everything, a part of me is scared of what the future holds. It was easier to hide undercover, safe from both sides. But my mother would not have stood on the sidelines; even without power, she would have fought.
So, I will fight with everything I’ve got.
“I accept,” I say, my voice steady. “I will not fail.”
Prue smiles, satisfied by my answer.
“Good. We start at dawn. And Gray,” she adds, voice lowering so only he hears, “this one is yours to keep alive.”
Gray meets her gaze and nods once.
“Welcome to the Resistance,” Prue says.
And for the first time in days, I allow myself to hope. Because if anyone can take down the Director and bring Ender back, it’s us.