Page 47

AMITY

Vale falls with a thud, his body sprawling against the black gravel of the roof.

Buzzing fills my ears. I look around to see if there’s an aircraft somewhere, but there’s nothing.

Only the Security Officer, Tessa, with her long blond braid, straightening with a satisfied look on her face. She nods to me.

“Good work, Bloome.”

Jeremy turns to me in surprise, recognizing the last name. His men shift back, clustering next to the stairs. Putting themselves on one side, leaving me with the CSOs, Vale’s body between us. I guess the Brotherhood was working with the PS, but why? And what has Vale done to make so many enemies?

I want to crouch down, to see if he’s okay, but their eyes are sharp on me. I count and count, I slow the intake of air to my lungs, but I’m gasping, my emotions falling out of my control. I suck in the cool air, more than I need, and a wave of dizziness overtakes me .

Tessa steps forward and reaches her hand out to my shoulder.

“Okay, Amity. Okay, it’s over now.” She gently folds me over, my head below my heart, first-aid for hyperventilation or a panic attack.

But now I’m closer to Vale’s body spread out on the ground. I waver, losing my balance as I sway. The Officer jerks me up and issues a soft command. Two women step forward, one at Vale’s head and one at his feet. They bend and heft his body up, and the militia men cringe back further.

Tessa turns to them.

“We’ll take him to the elevator, and you’ll lead us to the back door. Our van is waiting.”

Jeremy nods, his eyes wide. The guys up here all talk about their rights and how the PS is ruining everything, but they don’t seem inclined to cross them, despite having guns.

As the Officers disappear down the stairwell with Vale, my mind starts to clear and I stare daggers at Jeremy.

Feeling my gaze, he stares back, not so cocky now.

“You sold him out?” I ask, keeping the question light. Pushing back the bitter edge I feel.

His men shift on their feet nervously. Jeremy clears his throat.

“Just ah—just cooperation between…”

“Between the Brotherhood and the PS?”

“Shut up, girlfriend, just go. He didn’t have to come here, you didn’t have to come with him.” He spits on the ground. “The Forge thinks they’re in charge of everything up here and we’ve had it. They’re not the government. ”

Tessa nods. “Exactly.” Her eyes linger on him. “Our agreement holds. You’ve fulfilled your side.”

I follow as we take the steps to the fourth floor and the elevator and join the women holding Vale’s unconscious body.

One of the Brotherhood guards gets on, pressing into a corner to keep space between himself and the clutch of CSOs. He puts a key into the control panel, pressing a button for the delivery exit.

The ride is silent, and when the door opens he scoots out and leads us down the hall, away from the door I used earlier, to a back door.

Outside in the dim light there’s a white van that’s way too clean to be up here in Anchorage.

I don’t notice much else. I’m numb as I watch them load Vale’s body onto the floor of the van. Then I step forward to go after him and Tessa stops me, holding out her arm.

“Stay here with me. Now, give me your wrist.”

“Where are they taking him?” I ask quickly as I comply, holding out my right arm.

She pulls a SafeGuard from her pocket and a fastener and the device clicks to lock onto my wrist. I watch her dispassionately, waiting for an answer.

Instead of answering, she asks me, “Do you know what was on that laptop, Amity?”

“Um, my mom said it was plans that could allow the Forge to attack Greater Maryland.”

She smiles gently.

“There was nothing. But they thought they were getting plans for our communications systems, electric grid, and water supply.”

Water supply? My stomach drops. The back door of the van swings open and a woman steps back out, handing something small to Tessa with a murmur.

Tessa examines it and then shows me.

“And he had this in his pocket.” It’s a device for delivering a quick shot of disabling drugs. I recognize it immediately.

“Who do you think this was for? His buddies?” she asks, and answers her own question. “It was for you.”

“No. He wasn’t like that. Isaiah and the Forge may have been planning stuff, but Vale wasn’t like that. He tried to protect me.”

Tessa smiles sympathetically. “And maybe in his own way, he did. There’s a helicopter waiting for you at the airport. You’re heading back to Maryland.”

“Vale?” I ask

“He’ll be detained. It’s an option of last resort, but we need him in our jurisdiction. To keep Maryland safe, and to have more leverage over his father.”

Tessa continues briskly. “He’ll be okay. The men in the camps are not mistreated. Now come on, we’re behind schedule.”

Something’s rising in me, like I’m going to scream or throw up. She says he’ll be okay but I know the Society is not worried about Vale, they’re thinking about the public good.

Vale was acting on what he thought was right, what he was taught by his father. Vale didn’t leave me. Even at the end, he was trying to take the blame with Jeremy, trying to get them to let me go. Something inside me snaps and I push past her.

“I need to go with him. Let me in there.” I lunge for the back of the van and try to shove past the woman sitting on the bench. “Take me too,” I gasp. “I’ll go back, but I need to stay with him.”

Tessa is at the door of the van, her expression hardening. She speaks to me like a child.

“Amity Bloome, listen to me now. We have different transportation for you.” The girl next to me, not much older than me, grabs my arms and stands up to pull me out of the van.

“No.” I dig my heels in. “What harm can it do?” I must still have pull. “I want to stay!” My voice is shrill. “Ask my mother, call her,” I demand.

Tessa frowns. “You can speak to her yourself when you get to the airport.”

My mother is here? I reel, taking in this information. Why didn’t she tell me? They take advantage and drag me out of the van while I struggle. They’re so strong.

“Stop it,” Tessa snaps. “You could be disciplined for this. You think this is how a girl in HighClear behaves?”

“What’s the harm in letting me stay with him?” I cry out, shoving against the women who are restraining me.

She shushes me, glancing around. “We’ll talk about it with your mom, like I said.”

I yank an arm free and pull toward the van even as Tessa shuts the door and pounds on it. It pulls away. The girls holding me are strong, but I throw an elbow into one and she doubles over .

“Get off me!” There’s command in my voice, strength that wasn’t there before I came here. Before I went to Oath Day with Zeph and ended up mixed up in this mess. I take a swing at the other girl but she ducks and holds me tight.

They let go finally when another car drives up. Tessa opens the back door and turns to me. Her voice is flat now. “Get in. I’ll be reporting your behavior to your mother and your commander.”

“I don’t care,” I snap back. My control is still out of reach, far from the place I can snatch it back and stop myself from responding. I get in sullenly and one of the CSOs slides in beside me. Tessa speaks to her before she closes the door.

“She needs to be delivered to the airport, to the care of Calista Bloome. If she resists,” she looks over at me, “subdue her.” She says the words clearly and they are obviously meant for me. Then she slams the door, frustrated, and we pull away from the Brotherhood.

The girl next to me takes note of my still heaving breaths. “Amity,” she says in a low voice, too quiet for the woman in the front of the car to hear. I’m not going to face her, but I turn my head a little bit in angry acknowledgment.

“They’re taking him to Frederick. The camps are in Frederick,” she whispers. The Institute is also near Frederick. “It’s not over, you can find him there, try to help him.”

I glance up fully now, narrowing my eyes at her mistrustfully.

“They have my brother too,” she continues. “In the camps. ”

I give her a slight nod and turn away to rest my forehead against the cool pane of the window, watching the sad storefronts slide by.