Rogue (Exceptional) (24 page)

       "Two days," he answered. "That is about half of the time it took the Rogue back in Champaign."

       “Maybe because I was just an Exceptional," Ally thought out loud.

       Sabine giggled. "Who would have thought there would be a day when someone could be
just
an Exceptional?"

       "What is this place?" Ally finally had a chance to look at her surroundings. The cell seemed to be sectioned into rooms, and had walls where there should have been bars. There were blacked out windows on the back wall, and the only way to see into the hall was through a few small windows by the doors.

       "The Guard called it an apartment," Sabine responded. "It has two bedrooms down that hall, a bathroom, and a kitchen. This is a living room of some sort, at certain times of the day we have access to a TV that comes down out of the wall."

       At least Luke was imprisoning them in style.

       "Luke told me that we'll have to stay here until they have a chance to talk to with Heath. The attack has them all feeling untrusting." Ally spoke to the others, even though Hank and Tilt still wouldn't look at her.

       "I don't blame him," Max said. "I would do the same. At least we aren't being kept in those little cells."

       "And we are all together," Sabine added.

       Ally felt a stab of pain in her gut. She needed to talk to Sabine, and Stosh, as soon as possible.

       "Are we sharing a room?" Ally asked, hoping she could get Sabine alone.

       "Yes!" Sabine said quickly. "Stosh is in our room as well, and Max, Tilt, and Hank are in another. Come on, I'll show you."

       Ally thought that Sabine sounded awfully upbeat considering the circumstances. Then again, she was used to being held against her will, and had spent her entire life in the City. The room was a modest size, with two beds stacked on top of each other and a single bed pushed against the opposite wall. There was a small closet full of clean clothes in all sizes, and a mirror hanging on the wall. Other than that, it was empty.

       "Sabine," Ally said slowly.

       "I know," Sabine's voice cracked as she spoke. "I was told yesterday."

       Tears started to stream down Sabine's cheeks and Ally wrapped her into a hug. Her own emotions were feeling off again, and she couldn't seem to conjure any tears of her own for her friend.

       "We'll figure something out," Ally said.

       Sabine shook her head against Ally's shirt. "No, you have to let me go. It isn't worth the time or the trouble. There are more important things to take care of."

       "I won't leave you here," Ally pulled back and looked down at Sabine. "It isn't safe here, and not just because of the Rogues."

       "I'm serious, Ally. Don't make me a priority."

       "Does my brother know?"

       Sabine shook her head. "I don't know how to tell him."

       "This isn't your fault, just tell him what you were told," Ally said.

       "Okay, send him in."

       Ally left the room and found Stosh in the living room. Once he had left to see Sabine, Ally sat down on the sofa next to Max. It was a stark white color, and very comfortable. It reminded her of the furniture in Luke's house.

       "You look different," Max said to her.

       “That is the first time you’ve said that to me.” Ally smiled at him.

       “You keep changing on me…” he responded.

     Ally laughed. "This is how I used to look, for eighteen."

     "I know, but Exceptional Ally is the only one I know," he responded.

     Ally rolled her eyes. "I've always been
Ally
. Just because my outside changed, doesn't mean my inside did."

    "Unfortunately, that isn't always the case," he replied.

     "Where are Tilt and Hank?" She had just noticed their absence.

       "They disappeared to our room. I think they feel guilty for what happened with Jed. They were closer to him than the rest of us," Max rubbed at his jaw, which was heavy with stubble. Maybe razors were considered a weapon in here.

       "Well they shouldn't. None of us knew, Luke said he proved that. Do you think
someone
back in town set this up?" It was something that had been on Ally's mind since Luke told her of her groups innocence.

       Max shrugged. "Who knows? I would like to believe that my Uncle would never do it, but I don't know who to trust anymore. This world is so messed up."

       Ally reached over and took his hand lightly.

       "What do we do now?" Max peered over at her.

       "We wait..." Ally said with a sigh.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Luke sat at his desk, watching a rubber ball roll back and forth across the surface.  He had been in the same position for an hour now, running over the mornings’ events in his head. He felt shaken and confused. He had worked too hard recently to shut down his emotions and handle his job with a steady mind. But now, all he could think about was the girl in the apartment below. What was it about her that he found so familiar? He knew it wasn't his Ordinary. The two couldn't look more different. He had thought when he went to the ORC he had picked a blonde out of preference. Now he found that he had picked her for a change. Something drew him to this Allona girl, and it was something his mind had previously thought to deny.

He couldn’t even bring himself to think about the shadow he had seen when Allona was in his office. It had drifted through the door and wrapped itself around her, disappearing into her skin. It was the first time he had seen it make that much contact with a person, and he had no idea what that meant.

     "Luke," Pax had been sitting in the chair across from his desk, staring out the window and occasionally dozing off. "I have to report to training in ten minutes. Is there anything you would like me to do?"

       The ball stopped rolling across the desk, pausing on a random scrap of paper.

       "Actually, there is. I want you to look up information on that girl downstairs. Allona."

       Pax's expression showed concern. "Aren't there people more qualified for that? I don't think I would be..."

       "No," Luke cut Pax off. "I need you to do it. I don't want people to know that I’m interested in her."

       "Are you though?" Pax asked. "Interested in her I mean? It’d be natural for you to want to know information on all of your captives."

        "They aren't captives. They are guests ... with limitations," Luke added. He realized how silly those words sounded coming from his mouth, but Pax had the good intention to remain straight faced.

       "I should have time tomorrow morning," Pax said as he stood. "Come to the training center for lunch and I'll have the documents ready to transfer to your mini-port."

       Luke watched Pax leave before he put the ball back into motion. His mini-port beeped frantically and he grabbed it from the desk, checking the screen.

      
Rune.

        He turned the mini-port off and stood up. He had slept in his office the past two nights, and it was time to go home. His mom would need someone to talk to, and would want updates, and then there was Rune. He had to deal with her.

       It took self-control not to stop on the containment floor and see Allona. He felt a pull toward her this very moment, but he fought it off. He made it out the front doors and down the street before he realized how stiff he was. He relaxed slightly, trying to enjoy the walk home. It was a cloudy afternoon, and it was already growing dark even though it was barely dinnertime. At this time of night most Exceptionals were headed home, while Ordinarys were already inside, finishing chores or cooking dinner. He enjoyed the less crowded street for his trip, and was glad no one stopped him along the way.

       When he had finally stepped into the foyer of his home, he was almost run over by his frantic mother. She was wearing a blue, feathered gown and eye shadow to match. Her lips were a deep purple, which matched the giant clip holding her gray hair high on top of her head.

       "I'm going to see your father," she said so quickly it all sounded like one long word. "We were supposed to get time together later this week, but the hospital called and said that I could see him tonight."

       She beamed at the thought, pulling a hot pink coat on over her clothes. In a flash she had kissed his cheek and was on her way out the door. Luke realized that he hadn't even said hello.

       "Lukin?" a small voice called from the den.

       He took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway, peering around the dim room. Rune sat in one of the chairs, her feet on an ottoman and a large book in her hand. She had learned to read in the ORC and had made good work of the Mathias' collection of books.

       Luke tried to smile but it was a weak effort. "Are you feeling well?"

       Rune just nodded. "Better than before, actually. Artis is going to help me up to bed in a minute," she motioned to the door. On cue, Artis came trotting into the room. She was a short and plump Ordinary, with wild brown hair and skin full of freckles. She had been hired on several weeks ago to take over laundry and housekeeping, and proved to be diligent and strict. Luke was thankful that Rune was headed to bed, even if it was early, because he didn't have the energy to talk.

       He left the den and headed into the kitchen, finding Mazzi fast at work. Even if their numbers had dwindled for the evening, the cook seemed to be preparing a feast for twenty.

       "Smells good, Maz," Luke took a seat at the high counter that framed one side of the kitchen.

       Mazzi was one of the few people he could let his guard down around. She had been their cook since he was a baby, and was one of the few consistencies in his life.

       "Just wish there were more people to enjoy it," Mazzi said as she stirred a pot of something brown on the stove. She was obviously off put at all of the people canceling on dinner.

       "That just means there is extra for me," Luke replied.

       Mazzi smile at him, the gesture fading quickly. "Penny for your thoughts? You look tired, Mr. Lukin."

       Luke rested his elbows on the counter and put his hands on either side of his face. "Nothing important, Mazzi. There is just a lot to handle at work right now, and not enough time to prepare everything for when the Rogues arrive."

       Mazzi nodded while stirring. "Any updates on where they might be?"

       "Our patrol found a small group of them about six days’ journey east of here. Not enough for an attack, but we are sure they aren't traveling in one big group. They must have left the eastern City as they felt fit, either that or they are holed up somewhere ... waiting."

       Mazzi shivered at the thought. "So it could be a week's time before they arrive?"

       Luke just nodded. "The boundary walls are fortified, the Guards are prepared, and the Ordinarys are being moved to safety soon. I think we'll pass through this one unscathed."

       He didn't want to say what he really felt. He
hoped
they passed through it unscathed.

       Just then a thought occurred to him.

       "Mazzi, would you remember any of my friends from when I was a little?" he asked.

        Mazzi turned the stove off and moved the pot over to simmer. "I might Mr. Lukin, why do you ask?"

       "The Guards brought this girl in a few days ago. There is something so familiar about her, but I can’t figure it out. I know that I wouldn't recognize her or her brother, since they used to live in the settlements, but one of their other friends is from the City."

       Mazzi stiffened.

       "The girl from the City has red hair, and I think her name is Saby. No, Sabine."

       Mazzi dropped the spoon she was holding.

       "What is it, Mazzi?"

       The old cook shook her head. "Nothing, just lost my grip. I can barely hold on to my mind these days."

       "Everyone else in their group is from the outside."

       "What are their names?" she asked casually.

       Luke didn’t see why that mattered but it was nice to share information with someone outside of work. "There are three Ordinarys from a settlement south of here, Champaign. Tilt, Hank, and Max. I think those are their names. The siblings, the ones that escaped from the settlements, their names are Allona and Stosh."

       Mazzi's face paled. "And they are in your cells?"

       Luke just nodded, growing worried. "Do you know them, Mazzi?"

       The cook recovered, wiping at her brow. "I need to go get more salt from storage. My beef and potato stew just isn't right without the correct amount of salt."

       Luke watched her disappear from the kitchen, feeling unsettled about the conversation they had just had. As he looked around the kitchen he felt a pang of familiarity at the kitchen table. He could almost picture a group of Ordinarys his age seated around it, eating breakfast and laughing. Their images turned into shadows and slipped from his mind, along with the few positive feelings he had for the night.

       He did know one thing, however.  He now had a plan to uncover what he might know about Ally.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

They had spent two days in the apartment, and even though Ally loved her friends, she was growing tired of them. A small clock near the main door was all that gave them insight to whether it was light or dark out. Just as Luke had said, the Guards came and took Sabine their first evening here. Stosh had locked himself in their room, deciding it was better to hide than risk going after the Guards. He had barely spoken since Sabine left, no matter how many times Ally tried to reassure him they would get her back.

       "I'm so tired of this rubbery food." Tilt forced a bite of chicken.

       In Champaign, the food was all natural and freshly prepared. In the City, the food was more manufactured and mass-produced. Ally had developed a taste for both, so she didn’t dislike either. At least they weren't living off of bread and water.