The Visitors (17 page)

It was a relief to find that everyone was asleep when I finally went inside the visitors' chamber. I didn't have the energy to explain what had happened in our meeting, and I wouldn't even know where to start if I had to. Sir Andrew was to blame completely for what Noah was about to go through. Even though all the leaders had agreed to put him through this appalling surgery, I knew Sir Andrew had a huge hand in convincing the others what to believe.

Feeling overwhelmed, I climbed into bed. I was physically and mentally exhausted from everything that had happened over the last day, and my body couldn't hold out anymore. Besides, there really was nothing I could do from the visitors' chamber. As much as I wanted to be present for the surgery, I knew Noah and Lucy were right in insisting I stay here. There was nothing I could do at the lab, and Lucy didn't need to feel pressure from my lurking around. Her total concentration had to be on Noah. And what if things didn't go well? I couldn't imagine what I would do if I was in the room when he…

I couldn't think that way; I had to stay positive. Noah had to make it through the surgery. It didn't matter if it had never been done before, because Noah was special. If anyone could get through it, it was him.

All these thoughts were swimming through my head when I finally rested it against the pillow. I expected another sleepless night as I went from angry to upset to optimistic to pessimistic. The emotions took over my body as I stared helplessly at the ceiling. It didn't matter what Noah said; I knew I was completely responsible for what was happening to him. If I had never come, he would have never met me, and he could have continued his very long life in the way he'd always known. Because of me, he was about to lose everything.

That was the last thought in my head before I drifted into a restless sleep. I dreamed all night of Noah's face. His radiant green eyes looked down at me and the deep clefts in his cheeks appeared when he smiled. His lips pressed against mine and a rush of currents raced through my limbs. He was beside me, holding me as I tossed and turned in and out of sleep.

At six o'clock, I finally decided I had waited long enough. I didn't hear anyone stirring yet, but I decided they should be awake. If I had to suffer while I waited to hear the results, I needed company. Getting out of bed, I threw on the closest outfit I could find – a pair of old, worn jeans and a white tank top. I sloppily lathered my body with the protective cream, ignoring the burn that seeped into my veins. My hair was a tangled mass from the tossing and turning I had done during the night, but I didn't even bother brushing it out. I threw it up into a ponytail and walked out of my room, ready to wake everyone else and explain what we were waiting to hear before we left that afternoon.

When I walked into the common area, I found our entire crew, minus Luke, sitting on the couches and chairs. Everyone sat in silence, wearing frozen expressions. No one moved to face me when I walked into the room. I stared at all of them in confusion. “What's going on?” I asked, speaking to no one in particular.

My dad got up off the couch and came toward me. “Lucy has been here very early this morning,” he began.

“She's already been here? Why didn't you wake me? What did she say?”

He blinked and put his hand on my shoulder. “She explained everything that happened in the meeting. We know that Noah had to undergo some sort of major surgery before he would be allowed to go with us to Earth.”

“Why didn't you come and get me?” I yelled, again interrupting him as he tried to explain in his cool, rational manner.

“Lucy said we shouldn't wake you, because she knew you needed to sleep and she thought it would be better if you heard the news after you were rested.” He took a deep breath as he looked away from me. “Jady, things didn't go well.”

My heart came to a dead stop. “What does that mean?” I asked. Breathing was becoming more difficult with every second that passed.

He frowned. “Oh, Jady,” was all he could manage to say.

“He didn't…he…” I couldn't even finish the sentence that was forming in my head. “It didn't…”

Dad shook his head slowly, swallowing loudly. “I'm afraid not.”

Trying to let the information sink into my brain, I looked around the room at the others. Tears were forming in their eyes as they waited for my reaction. I turned back to my dad. “Where's Luke? Why isn't he here?” I knew I was procrastinating facing reality, but it was the only thing I could think to say.

Luke's father spoke up. “Lucy took him with her.”

“Why?” I asked in horror.

“She needed his help with…with protocol,” my father replied gently.

“Protocol?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as I thought. Then it hit me. “Oh. Oh, no. His body. Luke had to help her dispose of his body.” I began to hyperventilate. Everything in the room was spinning and the voices of my crew members grew more distant. Dad couldn't catch me before everything turned black. My legs gave out and I hit the ground.

When I came to, my dad was kneeling directly over me, the others hovering behind him. I heard a voice say, “She's waking up. Give her room to breathe!”

Though my mind felt cloudy at first, it didn't take long to remember what had caused the huge hole in my chest. Noah was gone. He didn't make it through the surgery. My worst nightmare was now my reality.

It couldn't be true. Noah was strong. He was different from the others. Maybe his body went into shock initially, but he would recover; he had to. I didn't believe there was anything he couldn't do.

I had to see for myself. There had to be something else that Lucy could do. Maybe I could help her, if I could just see her and talk to her about it. I needed to see Noah. After I guzzled the bottle of water my dad had brought for me, I stood up. When I was sure I was no longer dizzy, I took off running out the door. My father and the others called out from behind me, begging me to stop, but I ignored them. I ran faster than I had ever run before. My feet barely touched the pavement with each long stride.

Within minutes, I was at the genetics lab. I burst through the door, screaming for Lucy. “Lucy! Lucy, it's Jady! Lucy, are you here?”

I ran from room to room, looking desperately for Lucy and Noah. In my tumultuous state, I didn't hear her come up behind me. She grabbed my arm, causing me to leap into the air in fright. “Jady,” she said quietly.

“Lucy, where is he?” I grabbed her shoulders firmly, staring into her eyes. “I have to see him. If I could just see him we could…”

“I'm afraid it's too late for that,” I heard Sir Andrew's voice behind me, causing chills to run up my spine. “Noah is no longer with us.”

My hands shook with fury as I turned slowly to face him, prepared to lunge at him. I formed fists with my hands, ready for my attack. However, my rage was replaced by shock when I saw Luke walking beside him, coming closer to me. His expression was neutral as he stared at me with a steady gaze.

“What are you doing with
him
?” I asked Luke, ignoring Sir Andrew.

“Lucy brought me here,” he replied in a tone I couldn't read. “She needed someone to help her rid the lab of his remains.”

“Lucy, why?” I screamed as I burst into tears. “Why would you bring
him
here? Why didn't you get me? I didn't even get to see him!” I sobbed uncontrollably into my hands, feeling helpless and frustrated. There was nothing I could do but cry.

Sir Andrew approached me slowly. “Now, Jady, we knew there was a chance that this would happen.”

Something inside me snapped with those words. “A chance? A
chance
? You knew this would happen! You killed him!” I jumped on him with all the strength I had, almost knocking him to the ground before Luke and Lucy grabbed me, holding me back.

Sir Andrew looked amused by my outburst. “I didn't kill him, Jady. This was a suicide. He did it to himself. No one forced him to do anything. In fact, if he would have followed the rules of the society in the first place, he wouldn't have gotten himself into that predicament. If you need to blame someone, you should point your finger at Noah. Or maybe, if you're really being honest with yourself, you can admit that you had a hand in his death as well.”

I tried with everything I had to break out of the grasp Luke and Lucy had on my arms, but it was useless. My tears zapped some of my strength, making my efforts futile. Sir Andrew's eyes burned right through me as he watched me struggle to get loose. Finally, I gave up. Attacking Sir Andrew wouldn't change the fact that Noah was gone. There was nothing I could do now. Lowering my gaze, I whispered, “You can release me. I won't fight. I just want to be alone right now.”

Lucy released my arm right away, but Luke was reluctant. He looked at me carefully. “Are you sure, Jady?” he asked, trying to make eye contact with me.

I couldn't bring myself to look at his face. My hatred for Sir Andrew consumed every ounce of my being. “Let go of me, Luke,” I hissed. He did what I asked, and I backed away from all of them. My head stayed focused on the ground as I moved quickly down the hallway and back out the front door.

Once I was outside, I ran. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I had to get away from it all. My feet led me as I closed my eyes and felt the hot air against my face, running away from the town and into the woods. The branches that slapped my face couldn't even slow me down. I ran without stopping until I realized I was at the waterfall.

Noah had been right about the waterfall; it really didn't have quite the same effect during the day. The flowers and the turquoise water were still stunning, but you couldn't see the way the water lit up and sparkled the way you could at night. I sat down on the ground in the same spot Noah and I had been only nights ago. For a brief moment, I was out of my body and time went backwards. It was just two nights before, and I watched our fingers lock together, our urgent kiss.

As quickly as the flashback came, I was back in the present day and time. The hole in my chest grew larger and more painful. I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, hugging them to my body as I rocked back and forth, trying to ease the pain. It didn't work; nothing would work.

Staring at the waterfall while the tears streamed down my face, I must have sat for hours. I'm not sure when or if I ever would have moved from that spot if Sir Andrew and Lucy wouldn't have found me there. I didn't even hear them approach from behind me. I was so far lost in my own world that I couldn't even acknowledge Lucy when she sat down and put her arm around me. “Jady,” she said gently, “your crew has been looking everywhere for you. They're ready to leave.”

“I can't leave,” I replied in a monotone voice without looking at her. “I'm not packed.”

“Your father packed for you. Everyone is worried about you, Jady. Why don't you come back with me and let them see that you're okay?” She searched my eyes, looking for signs of life.

I finally looked back at her. That's when I noticed Sir Andrew standing behind us. He kept a small distance, but I knew he could still hear my words. “I'm so sorry,” I told Lucy. “I'm sorry I put you all through this.”

She pulled my head to rest on her shoulder. “No, Jady, I'm sorry. I couldn't save him.”

“It's not your fault. He never had a chance,” I told her honestly. I didn't blame Lucy for what happened. “I just wanted to see him one last time. It should have been me helping you after that surgery; it definitely shouldn't have been
Luke
.”

She sighed. “Jady, we both know you wouldn't have been able to help me with that horrendous job. I needed someone strong, physically and mentally. Luke was the person for the job. He could handle it.”

I pulled away from her shoulder and shook my head. “None of this should have happened.”

She stood up and pulled me to my feet. “Jady, I need you to know one thing before you go. I knew Noah for years. If you could have seen the difference in him that happened after he met you, you wouldn't blame yourself. He was really happy for the first time in his whole life. And if he could be here right now, he would tell you he wasn't sorry for anything that happened between the two of you.”

The tears filled my eyes again. “That means a lot to me, Lucy. Thank you.” I hugged her quickly as Sir Andrew stared at us from behind, obviously irritated that he was still waiting for me to come back with them. There was no way I was going to walk beside him while we headed back into society to meet my crew. Lucy and I kept a short distance away as we followed him in silence.

When we pushed through the final branches that shielded us from society, I caught sight of my crew. My dad sighed in relief when he saw me dragging toward him. Once we were in earshot, he called to me. “Let's go home, Jady. It's time.”

I nodded before I turned to hug Lucy one last time, and was comforted when she hugged me back tightly. “Take care of yourself,” she whispered.

“You, too,” I replied quietly. I took one last look around the society before I joined my crew. We headed back through the town to where we had landed just mere days ago. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since then. My dad kept his arm around me, letting me rest my head against his shoulder while he guided me. I felt like a robot. Though my body was going through the motions of walking, I felt nothing.

I was the first one in the spaceship. Going straight to the cabin I had occupied on our way to Verdant, I sat down in the big, cushioned chair in the corner of the room. My dad brought my bags into my room and I didn't even volunteer to help them load the rest of our items or prepare for take-off. Even though I knew I wasn't pulling my weight, no guilt consumed me as I just sat in the chair, staring at the wall while I heard my crew bustling around. Maybe I was being selfish, and maybe I didn't deserve to be, but I just didn't care. I couldn't find the point in moving; I couldn't even find the point in breathing.