sample or a lab test at any time? I was more than just my genetics. Besides, there was no possible way I could help a dying woman in labor. The thought alone was terrifying and saddening that a mother would purposely give a child life knowing she wouldn't be there for her baby.
Elsa glanced at Joshua and then at me. She made sure Chloe couldn't hear the exchange. It was the first time she'd ever said anything to me without so much as moving her lips.
Chloe glanced around oblivious to the silent conversation. “Do you mind showing me to my quarters? I could use a shower.”
Elsa led her towards the recruits’ building where Joshua and I had stayed when we'd first come into town. “I'll see you both later.” I waved goodbye and grabbed Joshua's hand, walking with him towards our home.
“That was interesting,” he whispered to me, keeping his voice down as we walked further from the city center towards home. Everyone from Torv had disappeared. I knew Mason had gone to see Chancellor Collins, but I hadn't paid much attention to the two strangers. I wondered where they had gone off to.
“I suppose it was.”
Joshua stopped walking and turned to stare at me. Feeling his hand jolted me back slightly when he stopped. I turned around. “What?” I was confused as to why he stopped moving.
“You don't find it odd that they're expecting us to help cure women who are dying?”
“I find everything here odd,” I remarked. “Shadow is nothing like I expected heading west would be.”
Joshua smiled. “What'd you think? It'd be like heading into the sunset together, living happily ever after?”
I raised a curious eyebrow. “I thought you'd never read any romance novels.”
He grinned, pulling me with him towards our home. “I never said that.” We'd lived in our new home for a few weeks with books lining the shelves. I shouldn't have been surprised he would have picked up one or two by now.
“Of course not.” I rolled my eyes, smiling as we headed inside our warm home. I curled up on the sofa, grabbing a book, and felt Joshua sliding in beside me, grabbing a blanket for us to share together.
Just before sunset the town of Shadow gathered to pay respects to Margo. The last funeral I'd witnessed had been my father’s. Many had died in Haven but none had been properly buried after the devastation. Same for Thena.
The sun had yet to set. It was perched in the sky, hanging in a delicate balance just above the water. I'd never walked this far south of Shadow. The journey on foot took over an hour and I knew we'd be walking back in the dark tonight. I didn't care. It was for Margo. She deserved a proper goodbye.
Standing before the beautiful lake, the sun falling over the horizon lit up the sky with shades of gold and red. The warm light spread across my cheeks as I felt the first tear. I listened as Chancellor Collins spoke first. He offered more than just condolences but a speech of respect and honor. “She was one of us,” Collins spoke. “A soldier who fell on the battlefield in a time of war we had not waged upon ourselves. We must remember that even those who fight against our enemy may not be our friend.” I was glad Chloe, Beckett, and Asher hadn't been invited to the funeral. I wasn't sure how they'd take to Collins’ speech. He continued, “We pay our respects to Margo. We hail her as one of the great warriors. One of the first to accept Shadow as her home, and one of the last we ever wanted to say goodbye to. Margo was a good friend to many of us here, and an even better companion for most. Her infectious smile lit up a room. Her eagerness drove us all to succeed, to want to be better and do better. Not once did she ever give up. Not once did she ever doubt what we could do together, as a community. For her we lay down our lives. For her we seek justice and retribution towards a common enemy. Her death will not be in vain.”
He opened the urn as I reached for Joshua's hand. The wind whispered as the sun further set slowly below the horizon. “Goodbye,” I breathed, swallowing the pain as her ashes danced in the wind, offering her freedom.
Lying in bed that night, with my back to Joshua and his arm wrapped around me, I slid my hand into his. “Do you ever miss Genesis?” I asked quietly, unsure if he heard me. Today had been a trying day. With the funeral and the new members of Torv, I missed the familiar. It was nice to have Joshua's arms around me.
A moment passed before I could feel him shift against me. “I miss my parents,” he admitted. “You miss your mom, don't you?” I felt his breath tickle the back of my neck. He knew me too well.
“A lot,” I sighed. “Sometimes I wonder how she's doing without me there.” I knew from Rebecca that she was okay. I didn't know how much of that was truth, and how much had been to ease my mind while in Haven.
A quiet moment passed and I was certain Joshua didn't know what to say. “It's okay to miss her.”
“I know.” I wiped the corner of my eye before it had time to slip down my cheek. “I just wish she could have come with us.” I sighed, giving a soft laugh. “Maybe that's a terrible idea. She would have slowed us down or, worse, died in Haven. I should be relieved I know she's still alive.” As soon as I said it, I grimaced. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't be.” Joshua squeezed my hand. I knew he had to wonder if his mother had made it out alive before the attack on Haven. He'd never voiced his concerns but the fear had to be there. Watching his sister, Jacqueline, vanish in the smoke must not have been a happy memory for him either. Though he'd hardly known her, she was still his flesh and blood, his sister.
“I love you,” I breathed, rolling around to face him as I stayed curled in his embrace. His eyes were closed and I could feel the agony and pain radiating off him. Though he said nothing, I knew he hurt inside. I wanted desperately to take that pain away, make him feel better, but I didn't know how. Slowly I leaned in, dropping soft kisses to his cheek and his eyes. “It's okay,” I breathed, feeling his tears, pulling him tighter to me as my hands traveled along his back, holding him against me.
I knew nothing I could say or do would erase the pain he felt and the concern that had edged itself into him when we'd left Haven. All I could do was be there for him as we held on to hope that perhaps his mother was still alive.
CHAPTER 13
Early the next morning, I joined Elsa and Chloe in the science center. It wasn't my favorite place to go, considering they'd administered the Mindonsiphan to us there as recruits. But I wasn't afraid. After all that we'd been through, somehow, I felt stronger.
Joshua spent the morning with Mason, training out in the hanger. I had no idea what they were up to but figured if I needed to know, they'd invite me out there.
Sitting across from the girls, Chloe unboxed several instruments she'd brought with her. “What are those?” I asked curiously.
Chloe smiled, glancing at me. “They're hormone testing kits. We want to verify that you are something special.”
Her words made me uneasy. Did I want to know? Was it better not knowing? Although everyone assumed I was different, if I wasn't this would put an end to it. “How will this help?” I didn't understand the relevance.
“It may not.” Chloe was honest, brutally so. “It might not make any difference at all, but our doctors and scientists have been studying the human body and reproduction for generations. I have to believe you're different.”
“And if I'm not?” I muttered beneath my breath.
“Then I guess we're no worse off than before I got here.” Chloe smiled weakly. “I was like you once, young, curious; I lived in Genesis.”
