Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
I let silent tears roll down my cheeks. I’m not even angry. I’m a helpless shadow of myself, and I’ve never felt further from my dad and his never-ever-give-up spirit.
Blue Arrow Island has wrung every ounce of hope and goodness out of me, and it will never quit. Maybe it’s time I accept defeat.
37
“This is the grossest misuse of my skills yet. I got shot, it happens. I’m fine now. Assigning me to be a neighborhood gossip feels like a punishment.” - Decoded message from ILF undercover operative Nightingale to ILF handler Hiro Tanaka
Briar
Movement makes my eyes fly open with alarm. I pat my hip instinctively, trying to find my holstered gun there.
Nothing.
Someone’s descending stairs. I find my holster; it was on the ground beside me.
“Finally.”
That’s Nova, embracing Ellison. I exhale and sit up, my body ready for a fight, but my mind telling it to relax.
Pax comes down the stairs next, pulling the bunker door closed behind him. A torch in his hand lights up the small space.
“We need to get out of here,” he says. “We’ve got about an hour ’til sunrise and they’ll be all over this jungle when there’s light. They have heat sensors. They don’t know much about aromium, but they know the predators in our jungle are no fucking joke, so they’re getting strapped.”
“This might be the best place for us,” Amira says. “If they don’t know about it and they have heat sensors, we’re safe in here.”
Pax shakes his head. “All they’ve got to do is break one person who knows about these bunkers. Then we’re all fucked.”
“He’s right,” I say, my voice groggy from sleep. “We have to move.”
“Move where, though?” Nova says. “If they have heat-seeking equipment, they’ll find us wherever we go.”
“I know a place.” I get to my feet.
The torchlight sends shadows flickering over the faces of everyone crammed into the tiny space. Nova and Ellison are standing with their arms around each other, Ellison wearing a large backpack. Beside me, Amira gets to her feet. The pale skin of Olin’s face is streaked with dirt, his hair a wild tangle that resembles a campfire.
And Pax—my friend-enemy-ally— saved all of us a few hours ago.
I want Marcus back, but that’s not an option. These people around me are worth fighting for. They’ve all had my back, and I won’t let them down.
“We’re going to McClain’s cave,” I say. “It has thick flowering vines over its entrance and the smell of the flowers will cover our scents. There are bats in it, so no screaming.”
“Lovely,” Amira mutters. “I don’t suppose any of them are billionaire superheroes?”
“On this island, you never know.” Ellison smiles.
“You know the small waterfall near the field where we found the flowers?” I ask Amira.
She nods, serious now.
“The cave is close to that. Look for orange flowers.”
“We’re all going together,” Pax says.
“I know. But in case something happens to me, she’ll be able to find it.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you,” Amira says, like she can will it into fact.
“Let’s stop talking and get there,” Nova says. “Pax is right, we’re sitting ducks here.”
We gather our meager possessions and leave the bunker. After getting some sleep, I’m more clearheaded. Less sad and helpless—more white-hot furious at Ingrid Voss for whatever she did to Marcus.
The inky shade of the jungle at night is already dusty gray. A single bird calls, asking the others if it’s time to wake up. Thick, post-storm air carries scents of decay and renewal: floral perfumes, rotting leaves, and the freshness of rapidly flowing water in a nearby stream.
“I’ll take the back,” Pax says.
I nod and meet Nova’s gaze, silently asking her if I can lead our group. She’s on alert for both herself and Ellison, who isn’t used to evading jungle predators, both animal and human.
Nova gives me the slightest nod, and I incline my head at Amira, telling her to take the position behind me.
She’s completed the transition from Olympic archer to primal one. Amira is lethal not only because her aim is flawless but also because she doesn’t hesitate for even a fraction of a second when she shoots.
A bow is like an extension of her arm. Her mind doesn’t have to go through as many steps as other people’s do when shooting arrows; it’s just part of her being.
I wish she had more arrows. But a genie with a lamp could stay busy around the clock here—we work with what we have.
“I need the switch,” I say to Olin.
With my aromium activated, I’ll be able to see better in the dark, hear anyone approaching from further away, and run faster.
Ellison doesn’t have her implant anymore, but the rest of us do. Amira, Nova, and Olin all tug down the waistbands of their pants so I can scan the spot on their hips where the implants are.