Read Online The Cross (Alliance Book 2) by Inna Hardison - Free Book Online
Authors: Inna Hardison
Tags: Young adult dystopian
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play with us, Brody. Ams promised me she wouldn’t try to kill you anymore, at least not tonight, because she said she is too happy to be angry now, even at you, so she won’t.”
He saw Ams standing on the far side of the giant fire, still smiling, waiting for her friend. He couldn’t do this.
He shook his head, “I can’t, Laurel. I am sorry, but I can’t.” She nodded softly letting his hand go, and ran back to the fire, her arms waving wildly, child-like.
It didn’t matter if Laurel got Riley to let her go with him; he couldn’t take her. This girl running around the fire was good, Riley good. He couldn’t make her go to a place behind the walls, without trees, and fires and Ams in it. He could never do that to her, even if she thought she wanted to do it. Even if it was the only way for him to help Trina. But he could tell she had her own reasons for this, from before him. He had to find a way to talk to her, get her to tell him what happened to her, so maybe he could help her not want to go back anymore. He walked over to them, smiles suddenly gone from their flushed faces, and looked at her, “Can we talk, please,” and went back to the cave, hoping she’d follow.
She did, after a while, and stood there in front of him, watching him, waiting.
“I need to know why you want to go back. Not because of Trina, but from before you met me, the other things. I need you to tell me, if you can, need to know what happened to you.”
She slid down the wall and sat next to him, like the last time, and told him about all of it, starting with when Riley fell into the compound, and how Ams saved him. She told him about Hassinger, and what she did to Riley, and how Ams had to stitch him up after that, and he couldn’t help but flinch when she told him that. And about meeting Kaia, the non-mute mute, and things not adding up for her after that. She told him about Drake, and how she snuck sage leaves to him for years without anyone knowing. How he helped them run, and then Drake and Keller, and how he was kind to Keller in the end, and he knew she told him that part because she wanted him to think of Drake in that way, but he always had anyway.
She told him finally about finding Reston, the city with nobody in it, and all that happened there. About the way Stan looked at her and Ams at first, and then finding that field of bones and knowing why he thought of them that way. And how Ella took the tag out of Drake there, and Stan gave Ella her voice back.
And she told him about how it changed her, being in Reston after she knew what her people did to everybody there. How she thought the implant in her could make her do horrible things. Maybe not now, but someday, because it didn’t make sense for anyone to do something so awful to someone else on their own, without something making them do it. Told him how she asked Stan to get it out of her, hoping that he could, and him drawing it for her on a pad, the tiny connected dots inside a drop of blood, and telling her that he couldn’t get it out of her, out of any of them. And how she almost killed herself with Drake’s mushrooms after he told her that, to make sure her implant never hurt anybody, only Ams and Riley wouldn’t let her.
She stopped then, not looking at him, just breathing. He reached over and took her small hand in his, wrapping his fingers around it as tightly as he could without hurting her, feeling every kind of wrong for asking her to tell him any of this.
“I am sorry, Laurel. You don’t need to keep going. You don’t need to tell me anything.”
He had no right to make her remember this for him. He knew he couldn’t help her fix how she felt, make her un-see any of what she had seen. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for her to go, but she didn’t go. She took a deep breath and kept going.
She told him about leaving Reston, and about finding the waterfall, and she seemed happy telling him about that.
He saw Ams standing on the far side of the giant fire, still smiling, waiting for her friend. He couldn’t do this.
He shook his head, “I can’t, Laurel. I am sorry, but I can’t.” She nodded softly letting his hand go, and ran back to the fire, her arms waving wildly, child-like.
It didn’t matter if Laurel got Riley to let her go with him; he couldn’t take her. This girl running around the fire was good, Riley good. He couldn’t make her go to a place behind the walls, without trees, and fires and Ams in it. He could never do that to her, even if she thought she wanted to do it. Even if it was the only way for him to help Trina. But he could tell she had her own reasons for this, from before him. He had to find a way to talk to her, get her to tell him what happened to her, so maybe he could help her not want to go back anymore. He walked over to them, smiles suddenly gone from their flushed faces, and looked at her, “Can we talk, please,” and went back to the cave, hoping she’d follow.
She did, after a while, and stood there in front of him, watching him, waiting.
“I need to know why you want to go back. Not because of Trina, but from before you met me, the other things. I need you to tell me, if you can, need to know what happened to you.”
She slid down the wall and sat next to him, like the last time, and told him about all of it, starting with when Riley fell into the compound, and how Ams saved him. She told him about Hassinger, and what she did to Riley, and how Ams had to stitch him up after that, and he couldn’t help but flinch when she told him that. And about meeting Kaia, the non-mute mute, and things not adding up for her after that. She told him about Drake, and how she snuck sage leaves to him for years without anyone knowing. How he helped them run, and then Drake and Keller, and how he was kind to Keller in the end, and he knew she told him that part because she wanted him to think of Drake in that way, but he always had anyway.
She told him finally about finding Reston, the city with nobody in it, and all that happened there. About the way Stan looked at her and Ams at first, and then finding that field of bones and knowing why he thought of them that way. And how Ella took the tag out of Drake there, and Stan gave Ella her voice back.
And she told him about how it changed her, being in Reston after she knew what her people did to everybody there. How she thought the implant in her could make her do horrible things. Maybe not now, but someday, because it didn’t make sense for anyone to do something so awful to someone else on their own, without something making them do it. Told him how she asked Stan to get it out of her, hoping that he could, and him drawing it for her on a pad, the tiny connected dots inside a drop of blood, and telling her that he couldn’t get it out of her, out of any of them. And how she almost killed herself with Drake’s mushrooms after he told her that, to make sure her implant never hurt anybody, only Ams and Riley wouldn’t let her.
She stopped then, not looking at him, just breathing. He reached over and took her small hand in his, wrapping his fingers around it as tightly as he could without hurting her, feeling every kind of wrong for asking her to tell him any of this.
“I am sorry, Laurel. You don’t need to keep going. You don’t need to tell me anything.”
He had no right to make her remember this for him. He knew he couldn’t help her fix how she felt, make her un-see any of what she had seen. He leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for her to go, but she didn’t go. She took a deep breath and kept going.
She told him about leaving Reston, and about finding the waterfall, and she seemed happy telling him about that.
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