Read Online Escape to Eden by Rachel McClellan - Free Book Online Page B

someone else there too, chasing me. They giggle. It’s a child’s laugh.
    But then there is no laughter.
    I’m with someone else and we’re boxing. It’s a faceless man. He’s teaching me to fight. Where to punch, where to kick. I’m tired, but I can’t stop. There’s a sense of urgency pushing me harder and faster.
    The scene changes; I’m back at the ocean. Resting, watching waves crest and then fall. They never give up their motion. The sand is cool between my toes when I curl them. I’m not alone. The giggling child is here too. It’s a boy. A beautiful boy as still and serene as the forest at our backs. I feel such pride when I look at him. Such love.
    My heart stops beating, and I wake up screaming. Anthony and Colt come rushing into the office, both of them commanding the lights on.
    “What is it?” Anthony says. “What’s wrong?”
    I look at the man in the painting; there’s a pain in my heart so great I think I’ll crumble into pieces.
    “I’m so sorry,” I say, my eyes tearing.
    Anthony takes me by the arms. “What’s wrong?”
    I meet his eyes. “The boy at the Institute.”
    Anthony frowns. “I know. Bram is going to help him.”
    “He’s my brother. And I left him. I left him alone!”

I lean against the wall, sucking in great breaths to try and break the invisible band crushing my chest. I left my brother! I wipe at the tears on my cheek with the back of my hand. The man in the painting stares at me, accusingly. I’m more disappointed in myself than you could ever be . Out loud I say, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
    “Why do you keep saying that?” Colt says, looking from the painting and then back to me. This is the first time he’s spoken since finding out about my brother. Anthony left a few minutes ago to call Bram.
    “I made a promise to him,” I say.
    “To your brother?”
    I shake my head. “To him.” I nod at the painting.
    “This man? But how do you even know him?”
    I inhale deeply. It’s a shaky breath. My memories have all returned—how Max and I were captured, our time at the Institute, and my life in hiding . . . much of it is painful.
    “He’s my father,” I say.
    His face goes pale, much paler than it already is. “Howard is your dad?”
    “That’s not his name. My dad’s name is William. William Radkey.”
    He doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s staring at the painting, his expression pained as if he’s just been poisoned. “I need to tell Anthony. Wait here.” He walks to the door, but before going through he places his hand on the doorjamb. Without turning, he says, “Patch, I’m sorry.”
    “For what?”
    He leaves without answering. I go to stand but wobble a little, my head spinning. How much sleep did I get? I glance at the clock. Only a few hours. It’s not even dawn yet.
    I go after Colt, still fighting for breath. My brother’s all alone. Because of me. I think back to when I’d had a small moment of clarity just before they dosed me with a new round of anti-memory serum. I had actually been in the same room with Max drawing. Ebony was watching us interact, probably making sure the serum was working on both of us. Max didn’t seem to recognize me, but when his hand brushed mine as he reached for a marker, the fog in my brain lifted. I tried not to show it, but Ebony must’ve noticed. I saw her moving behind the glass to come into the room. I reacted quickly and wrote the words “Run Now” as small as I could on my pinky fingers. Thank goodness no one had noticed.
    Colt is in the kitchen next to Anthony, who is speaking low into an earpiece wrapped around the top of his ear. “—need to know what time it starts—” he’s saying when Colt tugs on his arm.
    “You’re going to want to hear this,” Colt says.
    Anthony looks from me to him. “Get me what you can,” he says. “I’ll see you soon.” He reaches up and removes the earpiece. To Colt he says, “What is it?”
    Colt shakes his head. “You’ll never