I walk away from them, and my sweet little boy comes to join me once again as the storm outside rages on.
“How did you guys make it over here?” a girl asks Hale.
“We followed Araya’s lead, and we walked with ground treaders. It was a very clever idea,” Hale murmurs adoringly while taking his place beside me once more.
“And you’re gifted too? And you’re a captain?” she gushes, and I can see her swooning eyes as she props up to revel in the beauty of my man.
“I am and I am,” he snickers out.
“And you’re a captain too?”
“I am,” Brazen murmurs proudly.
“What’s your compound like?”
“I’m a field captain, so I don’t run a compound. I go to other places, and I keep an eye on things going on outside the walls that could affect the lives within the United and sometimes outside the United.”
“That’s awesome. I want to be a field captain,” a boy utters with adoration oozing out.
“I want to be a compound captain,” Hale’s admirer coos.
The rattling above us turns into thunderous crashing, and all the children - young to teenage - come to seek refuge in our protective circle.
“How much longer will this last?” a girl shivers out.
“Not much longer,” Hale answers, and we start hearing the creaking fading into a duller threat as if on cue.
“I’m glad you came,” the little boy that has been with me all along utters.
I kiss the top of his head, his eyes lighting up all the more from the simple show of affection he never feels. Then we hear the winds almost dead outside.
“We’re all glad,” a girl almost whispers, her eyes hiding the scars not shown on her body.
She’s the keeper - the one who cares for them like a mother.
My heart almost breaks as I watch the children snuggling into her. She strokes their hair just as I once did to my younger forgotten family. She’s been the one to comfort them, be strong for them, and stand up for them. I can see her spirit barely unbroken. I can see her reason for living being only the young ones congregated around her. I’ve felt that before.
I have to look away and my eyes fall on the boy still clinging to my waist. My fingers stroll over the boy’s tags disguised as a necklace - something the forgotten are required to wear at all times. His identification number, his room number, and then his name are engraved on the metal. Rex Marx.
“That’s a strong name for a strong boy,” I whisper into his ear, and that sweet, glowing smile emerges to show his soft dimples.
“It should be safe to get out of here now,” Brazen says while standing to his feet.
He continues holding onto the hands of the children that should fear him, but they feel as safe as I always have in his presence. Hale continues to be adored, and he keeps a small girl on his hip while holding the hand of another when he stands.
“How much olophine is still in your system?” I almost whisper.
“Enough to blast us out of here without consequence.”
“Why do you need olophine?” Brazen asks curiously.
“Because I lose control of my sanity I if I don’t. If I ever use it to its full potential, it takes a hell of a lot more than one vial. I’d appreciate it if you kept that out of other circles though,” Hale murmurs as he hands him the small girl he’s holding.
Even he feels safe in Brazen’s presence. He’s never revealed that to a full blood before. He wouldn’t feel so safe if he knew what Brazen was trying to do to me - or with me rather.
“I have no reason to share it with anyone,” Brazen says to ease Hale’s concern.
Hale stands in front of the rubble that has accumulated since we hid down here, and it explodes and sizzles into ash so that we can emerge effortlessly. We climb up the stairs to see the destruction of the prison-like school - or what’s left of it. Hands grip tighter to all of ours as we near the center of the compound, and relieved faces begin to emerge.
