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“There is no other way!”

The fact that I say this during this type of crisis means everything. Anex had us trapped. No way out.

“There is. Follow me.”

I don’t know this woman. I don’t trust her. I barely remember her, but the set of her jaw is familiar. A mirror to my own when I’m determined. We head the opposite way, up an incline on the backside of Serendee. A screech cuts through the madness and a loud voice echoes over the crowd, amplified by a megaphone.

“Everyone, remain calm! Get to the ground! Follow orders, and no one will be hurt!”

That’s when I see them. Men and women pouring into the field. They’re wearing black vests, letters imprinted across the chest. Helmets and guns held in the air.

Thwap, thwap, thwap… I look up and see a helicopter circling above. The sound of the wings competes with my thudding heartbeat.

“We have you surrounded! Get to the ground!”

“What is this?” I ask, paralyzed. “Who are these people?”

Gunfire blazes across the field, and I see people fall, one after the other, tumbling down. Fear grips me, my spine rigid and unmoving. I want to run to help while also wanting to run away.

Camille grabs me and drags me away to a wall covered in thick ivy. She drops my hand, frantically pushing through the foliage. She stops suddenly, hand clasped around something hidden and yanks back. An old creaky, wooden, door falls open.

On the other side is a vehicle. Black and shiny. A man in a blue tie and mirrored sunglasses opens the car door and roughly pushes us inside. We’re moving before the door even shuts.

“Did Elon do this?” I ask, trying to reconcile everything I saw. Everything I heard and smelled.

“No,” she says, looking out the back window as Serendee fades away. “I did.”

Unlike many in Serendee,I’ve spent time outside the walls. I worked in the Center recruiting new members. Elon took me clothes shopping in an upscale boutique. I’ve eaten in expensive restaurants and met up with Rex in a bar. I’ve even gone to a fraternity party, drank too much, and had sex in a closet. But I’ve never been here: The police station.

“You’re not in trouble, Imogene.” The woman that repeatedly tells me this has short reddish hair and thick glasses that make her eyes look too large. Her badge says Agent McNair, and I don’t like her. “We just need you to talk to us about Timothy Wray.”

Timothy Wray. Anex. The man who groomed me, branded me, violated me. My leader. I can’t bring myself to say any of this. One thing he instilled in all of us is that the government is not to be trusted.

“I just want to go home.”

“There is no home,” Agent McNair replies. “Not until this shakes out. The entire compound is considered a crime scene.”

“She means with me.” I look up at Camille—my mother—who hasn’t left my side. She’s the one that did this, invited these people into our home. “Imogene is my daughter, she’ll come home with me.”

I wish that statement brought me something other than fear.

“Where is Levi?” I ask. “Rex and Elon? Where are they?”

We’re in a small room with a window covered with blinds. The bottom left side is askew, giving me a small view of the outside room. It’s been nothing but a steady stream of people since I arrived. Each person is dressed in the clothing of Serendee. Each one as lost as I feel. Unmoored by the events of the night.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the whereabouts of anyone from the compound.”

“Stop calling it that!” I hiss. “It’s not a compound—it’s a community.” I narrow my eyes at Camille. “It’s not fair to all those people, and you know that.”

I wanted to escape Anex—to live my life in peace—but I never wanted to hurt the people that lived there. Whatever happened tonight isn’t what any of us wanted.

“What I know is that you’re tired, traumatized, and need rest.” She gives the agent a hard look. “Can we leave, or should I call my attorney?”

“Look,” the agent says, sighing as if she feels as exhausted as I do. Doubtful. “Although the majority of your friends aren’t in jail. They’re being held in a safe space until we can work this out.”

“I don’t care about the majority of my friends. I want to know about three in particular. Elon, Levi, and Rex.”

She flips through a pad of paper on the table. “You just listed three of Wray’s highest confidants.”