I didn’t look at him. “I’m fine.”
The door banged closed, and Adam locked it, sealing us in the cabin together. “You’re too tense. If I can feel it, you can bet Hanai can. Just tell him.”
“I’m working on it. You don’t understand. This is a major secret.”
Adam folded his arms. “I don’t understand?” He stripped off his T-shirt and turned his back. “What kind of secret is this?”
I gaped at the tattoo cascading over his back and swallowed hard. “That’s a pretty big secret too.”
“What does it look like today?”
The circular lines of his tattoo had straightened slightly. The ones near the orange, electronic eye were still wound tight, but the outer edges had expanded. The black lines covered almost half of his back now.
“Well?”
“The eye is dim.” I stepped closer. “The lines shift from circular in the center to more boxy ones along the edge.” Without thinking, I reached toward the thicker lines running over his shoulder blade.
He lurched forward. “Don’t touch me.” He pulled on his T-shirt in a swift movement. I studied the floor, trying to understand what I’d done wrong.
“You know what the tattoo means?” His voice foamed with danger.
“It means you’re an active sentry.”
His teeth flashed white in a brief smile. “Exactly. So if you touch me….”
“They’ll know where we are,” I whispered.
Adam was only inches away. “So don’t touch me.”
“But you’ve touched me….” I trailed off, thinking of his warm lips on my forehead, his hand in mine, the way he’d brushed his fingers across my bare shoulder at the bathing pool.
“Yeah, but if I initiate the contact, I can choose to transmit the location or not. I haven’t reported in for months and months, yet I’m still active. You know I’m electronically connected to the tattoo?”
I nodded, unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. Noticeable redness hugged the area around his eyes, almost like a mask.
“My first alert in eight months is that your prints are now in the system, and that I should bring you to Tarpulin should I happen to find you.”
I stepped backward and sat on Hanai’s cot while Adam pulled on his green jacket. “When did the alert come in?”
“Middle of the night.” He tucked all three knives into his belt loops. “You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours. Until we’re ready to tell.”
“Already done,” I said.
He stepped in front of me, took my hand, and pulled me to my feet. Slowly, deliberately, he cupped my face in his palm. He closed his eyes and sighed. His body shook from shoulder to foot and back again. Adam moaned, and his face twisted in pain.
“Adam?”
“Shh.” Several moments later, he opened his eyes, and they shone with something I couldn’t identify. “I can do this. They’ll never find you—not because of me.”
I was about to ask him what he meant by “do this” when he leaned down and kissed me.
At first, I was too surprised to move. Just like last night, his lips burned. They pressed nicely against mine. Without thinking, I laced my fingers through his curls. He slipped his hands to my back, pulling me closer.
Something coursed through my body. Something I’d never felt before—not even with Jarvis. A strange sense of belonging accompanied it.
Just as suddenly as he started, he stopped. “Holy tornadoes, Gabriella.” He stepped away, breathing hard. “Sorry.”
Then he left, the cabin door swinging closed in my face. I sat back down, staring at nothing. His ashy scent lingered, and I breathed it in. I relived the kiss—the pressure of his mouth, the gentle firmness of his hands.
I hadn’t even seen it coming.
Status: Confused.
“Let’s go, Gabe.” Adam’s voice cut through the illusion, hard and tough, not the husky tone I’d just heard say my girl name. I shook my head to dislodge the spongy feeling in my brain.
Outside the cabin, Adam stood with a knife extended toward me. I took it without speaking. He turned around and said to Hanai, “Lead the way, man. We’ve got heaps to do to get you jokers knife-worthy.”
Hanai grinned before striding into the forest. I glanced at the knife, semi-repulsed from holding it, and sighed before following them into the trees.
After twenty minutes of meandering, Hanai stopped in a clearing. The ground had a generous covering of snow that I managed to melt before Adam could bark the command.
I kept my eyes down, still pondering what had happened in the cabin. Somehow he’d blocked the transmission. But why did he kiss me afterward? I wished I hadn’t liked it so much.
With the ground clear, Adam demonstrated how to hold a knife. “They’re weighted. Can you feel it?” He stopped in front of Hanai and adjusted his hold on the handle. “Too high. Down here. Feel the difference?”
Hanai nodded as Adam moved over to me. “You too. Scoot it down.” He didn’t touch me as I moved my hand lower on the handle.
The knife did feel different, almost like I could balance it on my thumb. A patch of tiny bumps ran under the joint of my first finger.
“Okay. Now, keeping your knife is important. If your opponent can disarm you, you’re dead. Gabe, you’re up first.”
I took my position—feet a manly shoulder-width apart—across from Adam while Hanai loitered several feet away.
“Keep your knife,” Adam said. Like that was an adequate instruction.
I gripped it tighter. Adam lunged forward, and I stepped sideways to avoid him. He elbowed me from behind, the blow landing on my triceps. The force traveled down my arm and the knife slipped from my fingers. The cool metal of his blade kissed my neck.
“You’re dead,” he said.
Time: Three blazing seconds.
I twisted out of his grip and glared at him. I didn’t look away as I bent to pick up the knife.
“Hanai,” Adam said, ignoring my hostility.
I leaned against a tree while Adam disarmed Hanai with his bare hands. At least Hanai wasn’t very good at this either.
Adam disarmed me again and again. And again. After half an hour, I wanted to punch him. Instead, I watched him start in on Hanai again. He led with his right foot, but the blow came from his left hand. He rocked back on his heels before using his body weight to deliver the disarming blow. Hanai’s knife landed several feet away. All that after only five seconds.
Adam wasn’t even breathing hard. I gripped the knife and spread my feet the way I’d just seen him do. I looked into his eyes for only a second before focusing on his feet.
This time he led with his left foot, but it was a smaller step. I jumped backward, forcing him to commit. He placed his full weight on his right foot. I shuffled left, narrowly escaping the blow that swept in from his left hand.
He adjusted his body and rocked back. I held up one hand and spewed fire as he lunged. He spun to avoid the flames, but I stepped right through them. I held the knife to his throat before he could regain his footing.
His breath washed over my hand as he laughed. “Nice one. All’s fair in war, especially Elements.”
He grinned at me, and I couldn’t help smiling back. I took off my sweatshirt and tossed it toward the tree I’d been leaning against.
“But I don’t have an Element,” Hanai complained.
“Use what you do have,” Adam said. “With your stealth, you may never come into a hand-to-hand battle. But Gabe here is as clumsy and loud as an ox.”
Hanai laughed with Adam.
“Funny,” I said, folding my arms.
“Just a joke,” Adam said.
“Really witty.”
Adam shrugged and disarmed Hanai in record time. When it was my turn again, he said, “Attacking. You stand different to attack. Last time you copied my feet, which worked. But you really should have a wider stance to attack. You can balance your weight better and have more freedom of direction.”
>
“Freedom of direction?”
“Just get set up.”
I spread my feet again, my left one about a foot in front of my right. Adam stepped over and put both hands on my shoulders.
“A little lower,” he said, pressing down. “See how that centers you more? Yeah, spread your feet…move the right one back.” He pushed my thigh back.
My heart hammered out of control. Adam affected me in such an unfamiliar way. I didn’t know how to classify the feelings battling inside. I felt strange, and hot, and out of control. I blinked and pushed down the fire threatening to explode out.
A trace of a smile lingered in his eyes. “Okay, disarm me this time.” He scanned me from head to toe.
I shuffle-stepped with my left foot. Adam mirrored me with a step to his right.
I stepped forward with my right foot and pushed off hard, leaping into the air.
He expected the blow to come from my left—his right. He moved just as I swung around in a complete circle. My right foot connected with his elbow, knocking the knife to the ground.
Adam grunted as I landed in a crouching position, my own knife still raised. He kicked up, and I blocked his boot with my left hand.
I straightened, swinging my blade in a wide arc from right to left. Adam gasped and clutched his chin. Time slowed down as I finished the attack.
A slash of red discolored the knife. I dropped it, stumbling backward. He groaned, the sound mixed with pain and disbelief.
“Blazes!” I stepped forward. Blood dripped through Adam’s fingers. I pulled off my T-shirt. “Lie down.”
He obeyed and I dabbed his chin with my shirt. Hanai joined me, pouring water from a skein. When I saw the tiny cut, I giggled because of my nerves. It sounded so girly.
“Just a little scrape,” Hanai said. “I’ll bandage it.”
Adam closed his eyes. His breath was shallow. His face whitened.
“Adam?” I reached out but pulled back before I touched him.
He swallowed and shook his head. Hanai returned and taped a square of cloth over Adam’s chin. “You’re going to live.”
Adam remained on the ground, his chest heaving. I looked at Hanai. “Could you give us a minute?”
Hanai nodded and gathered his medical supplies before retreating. Keeping my bare hand covered with wet fabric, I washed Adam’s bloody hands as well as the smears on his neck.
After a few minutes, he opened his eyes.
“Can’t stand the sight of blood, huh?” I asked.
He sat up slowly. “Now you know why I’m a terrible sentry.”
I rocked back on my heels, holding my soiled T-shirt. “At least you’re not as clumsy and loud as an ox.”
He managed to laugh. Then his gaze raked over my body. “Did Hanai see you like that?”
I looked down at my cream-colored camisole. Skin-tight, it left very little to the imagination, even if what I had was very little. I gasped. Adam eyes were glued to my chest. He licked his lips.
I clutched the bloodied T-shirt over myself.
“Yeah, I saw her.” Hanai appeared next to Adam silently, as if he’d been hovering there the entire time.
“At least my father’s ‘lovely fire’ comment makes sense now,” Hanai said. “And why Adam’s—”
“Shut up,” Adam warned.
Still clutching the soiled T-shirt to my traitorous chest, my mind raced with how I could cover up without giving them another eyeful. I spun on the balls of my feet until I was crouching with my back to them. I started to pull the blood-soaked shirt over my head without lifting my arms too much.
“Don’t Gabby,” Adam said. “That’s sick. Here.” He retrieved my discarded sweatshirt and handed it to me over my shoulder.
I quickly put it on, picked up my knife, and stood. I took a deep breath and turned around.
Hanai and Adam both stared at me, with different expressions on their faces. Hanai’s eyes blazed with anger, and Adam had a look I couldn’t place. He wasn’t mad, or satisfied, or anything I would’ve understood.
“Gabby, huh?” Hanai spat.
I blinked in response, surprised by the snap in his voice.
“She’s cool,” Adam said. “We just weren’t sure how you’d react.”
“So you lied.”
“Firemakers aren’t supposed to be girls,” I said, hating the weakness in my words.
“Councilmen—or women—aren’t supposed to lie to their Council.” Hanai took a step forward. His eyes never left mine.
I wanted to tell him where to get off, but I thought he might rip me limb from limb. “We should’ve told you sooner.”
“Yeah, you should’ve. Did you think I’d never find out?”
“We wanted to tell you last night, but Gabby was just too tired.” The lie rolled smoothly off Adam’s tongue. It sounded so true.
“You guys slept together,” Hanai said. He looked half hopeful, half shocked.
“No, we didn’t,” I said a little too loud.
Adam grinned and clapped Hanai on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. You can sleep with her tonight. I’ve already warned you about how clumsy she is. Talks in her sleep too.”
“Infernos.” I turned and stomped through the trees.
“Let her go,” I heard Adam say. “You and I need to talk.”
I located the smoke and purposefully turned away from the Outcast settlement. I didn’t want to hear their Unmanifested conversation about my girliness. Surely that’s what Adam would lecture Hanai about.
She’s really not that bad. It’s okay she’s a girl.
Or maybe, She’s not like other girls. Sure, she knows nothing and well, hasn’t been trained, but I think we should stick with her.
Like Hanai would believe him.
I suddenly felt like I should stop. I silenced the imaginary conversation so I could listen to the forest. I looked up and then down. After a fifteen-foot drop, the forest floor continued unbroken. I scurried down the embankment and stood in front of a square door.
The earth had buried a building.
I bent over and brushed away the leaves at my feet. Cement.
The door felt like metal. When I lifted it, a loud squeal came from the moving parts, and rotting splinters fell from the wooden beams above. A horrible smell of decay burst from the garage. Boxes littered the left side. Darkness filled the remaining space.
I charred the cement at my feet. Some of the leaves caught the fire. I let them burn, inhaling the smoke. Now I’d be able to find my way back, preferably with Adam and Hanai. They were probably wondering where I was, but as I turned to leave, something glinted in the corner. A doorknob.
I crossed the garage and examined the door. Material: Pine. Status: Stuck.
I twisted the knob and leaned my whole weight into the door. It swung open with a deafening screech. A damp, moldy smell emanated from the dark hallway.
I lit both hands and threw a ball of flames down the corridor. I may not have had formal training, but I knew enough to check for danger before entering an unknown area.
I saw crumbling walls, a low ceiling, and more debris on the floor. No bones, no bodies, no traps. I pulled the flames back to my body before they made friends with the walls and ignited into a lasting relationship.
I stepped into the hall, holding my hands out for light. Whoever had lived here had left in a hurry. Family pictures still hung on the walls. Some of them had a glass covering, the portraits obscured by decades of grime. White plaster littered the carpeted floor. This dwelling was ancient. See, carpet had been discontinued immediately following the Manifestation. Too flammable.
The hallway turned left before ending in a small room with a single bed, a cushy chair, and a sink in the corner. Another door led from the room, but when I opened it, I found the ceiling had collapsed, filling the space with soil and rocks.
I turned back to the bedroom. By the faint glow of my hands, I searched the three cupboards surrounding the sink. A few cans of food stood on the
shelves. A couple boxes too. I pulled it all out and set it on the counter. We could come get it later.
Dirt disfigured the bedspread. The chair had once been blue. When I touched the crusty upholstery, dust filled the air. I coughed before I noticed another door behind the chair.
Several coats hung in the closet. When I pushed them aside, my hand brushed something silky. Sparkly things glittered on the navy blue fabric. But the top part of the dress was missing. Thin straps connected the front panel to the back, just like my camisole.
Next to the dress hung an assortment of T-shirts. Several pairs of boots lay scattered on the floor. I had the sudden thought that perhaps this place shouldn’t be disturbed, so I turned to leave empty handed.
I had just pulled down the garage door when I heard voices.
“Are you sure she’s over here? Why would she come this way?” Adam’s words came out in annoyed bursts.
“Look, can you feel her spirit? She’s way less hyper than you. Shut up. I need to concentrate.”
“I am not hyper.”
“Whatever. Are you going to tell her, or should I?”
Their footsteps—Adam’s at least—came closer. I wondered what he needed to tell me.
“I’ll tell her. We can’t have any more secrets.” He stopped moving. “But you keep your big mouth shut about my soul…yearning for hers, got it?”
Hanai laughed. “You just said no secrets.”
“That doesn’t affect our Council. I’m working through it.” The leaves rustled again as he resumed walking.
“You keep saying that like you’re solving a problem. Gabby is not a problem. Did you see—?”
“Shut up.”
Silence. Neither one of them moved or spoke. I worked hard to keep breathing in and out. See, I wanted to let them in, both of them. Right into my life, to share my deepest, darkest secrets. But I’d been hurt too many times before.
I dug my fingertips into the frozen earth and rebuilt the wall around my heart. It flopped against the confining barrier, but I thought of Jarvis and then Patches. They’d both chosen other things over me. So had Cat and Isaiah, even if their something better was a Council.