The lack of dripping water told Ellyssa the cave was dead. She could only imagine its spectacular beauty in its heyday.
Shifting focus, her eyes flowed from the picturesque scenery to three rows of lights suspended from long wires. Then her gaze traveled toward the people sitting in the center of the room.
Ellyssa stood still, amazed at the variety of races she’d only seen in history books. Her eyes flitted from one person to the next, noting the subtle to extreme changes within skin tone, hair color, eyes, varying degrees of body and facial shapes, the little ornaments that hung from their ears or pierced parts of their faces. Children sat with parents, smiling and laughing. It was beautiful. So unlike the pale white, sterile world in which she had been raised. Here, everyone was an individual.
The Renegades sat at long, rugged wooden tables on log benches. A far cry from the formal dining room to which she was accustomed. Even without the amenities, though, the atmosphere welcomed her. Warm. Homey. All the things missing from her life.
Rein smiled encouragingly. “Let’s get something to eat.” He pointed to a line of people holding the same red trays the doctor had brought in to her.
She spotted Trista next to the row of hungry Renegades. The perfect blonde stacked dishes into a black bin. She smiled and waved at Ellyssa.
Ellyssa remained with her legs anchored to the ground. An air of wonder, like the day she’d escaped, bubbled in her.
She returned her attention to the people. The pale green eyes of a female she hadn’t met stared at her. Another female, with reddish-brown skin and beautiful auburn hair, elbowed a male, with a large nose and huge brown eyes, next to her. Afterwards, heads swiveled around toward her.
Feeling awkward and out of place, a nervous smile popped unexpectedly onto Ellyssa’s face as she continued to look at all the different Renegades. Then, she met Candy’s glare. The redheaded female’s eyes kept moving from her face to her hand intertwined with Rein’s, and back. The fiery redhead’s face pinched into a look of revulsion. The exact opposite of Jason’s, whose gaze scrolled the length of her body, hungrily.
Ellyssa’s smile fell away.
An urge to jump into both of their heads stirred, but to get a read with so many voices was impossible. She kept her shield firmly in place.
Ignoring the crew of onlookers, Rein pulled her toward the line, where others waited to be served. As they passed the tables, conversation resumed, but the words were clipped. She still felt their stares burning into the back of her head.
“Everyone pitches in here,” Rein stated, giving her hand several little squeezes. She wasn’t sure if it was for encouragement, or him gauging her response. “Some are assigned kitchen, cleaning, hunting, et cetera.” He grabbed a tray and pushed it into her grasp. “Today’s special is deer stew.”
“What?” Ellyssa’s stomach churned. She hoped she had masked the disgust. It would seem rude after all Mathew had done for her. But deer…? At The Center, protein came from animals raised in a sterile environment and fed an all-grain diet, free of bacteria and germs, not from wild animals. Then she started to wonder about the food Mathew had brought her. She’d never considered questioning its origins. Her stomach sloshed again.
“You’ll love it.”
The corner of her mouth pulled back as a male with pretty teeth and tight curly hair poured a ladleful into a bowl and handed it to her. Grudgingly, she peered into the bowl. Little chunks of meat, carrots, and potatoes swam in the watery broth.
“This way.” Rein led her between tables until he stopped by a male with neatly-combed ash-blond hair, hunkered over his bowl and shoveling spoonfuls of soup into his mouth. He looked up when Rein set his tray down and sat across from him. He was nice-looking, about Rein’s age—early twenties—with a straight nose and strong chin.
“Ellyssa, this is Woody.” He patted the space next to him.
“Hello,” she politely said as she took the offered seat.
Woody watched her, grey eyes sliding across her face, before he jerked his head in response. A piece of his hair flipped over and fell into his face. He brushed it away and resumed eating.
A slight frown formed between Rein’s eyes. “Woody?”
Woody dropped his spoon on his tray. “I told you how I felt, Rein,” he sniped, then stood.
The moment he spoke, Ellyssa remembered his voice, still irritable, like in the old store. Ill at ease, she wanted to know what he’d told Rein, but instead she poked at the pieces of deer meat.
“If you’ll excuse me.” He walked to a cart with large brown bins and tossed the remains of his dinner in. Then he disappeared into a tunnel on the far side of the room.
Red flushed over Rein’s face. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.”
Determined to try the meal, she spooned some of the stew in her mouth. Surprisingly, it tasted better than she’d originally thought. Either that, or her taste buds weren’t as picky as they used to be. Fine dining wasn’t something someone indulged in when on the run. She finished the watery broth with her slice of bread.
“Did you like it?” Rein smiled. “By the look on your face, I wasn’t sure.”
She nodded. “Yes, it was good.”
“Good.” He got up and took both trays to the bins. “Would you like to see more?” he asked. His eyes shifted over Ellyssa’s shoulder, and his smile fell.
“Hey,” called a musical voice, sending a grinding displeasure down Ellyssa’s spine.
Ellyssa spun around and watched as Candy’s braids bounced in sequence with her steps, beady eyes set in a glare. The redhead stopped right in front of her, their noses almost touching.
She pointed her index finger at Ellyssa and jabbed it in the air. “Just because they’re letting you take a tour, against my protests, don’t think you can just parade around here whenever you want.” Candy’s hand moved forward to poke her in the chest. “I’m keeping—”
But before Candy made contact or could finish her sentence, Ellyssa’s hand snapped out and grabbed her by the wrist. Candy’s ugly face grimaced and her beady eyes widened. Silence spread as conversations stopped, and Ellyssa could feel hundreds of eyes on her. She held fast to Candy’s gaze.
“Do not ever touch me,” Ellyssa hissed, emphasizing each word. “Ever.” She released her wrist.
Candy rubbed her wrist, still shocked. Ellyssa gave her one more warning look before turning away. She almost bumped into her escort, who looked as shocked as Candy. Ignoring Rein, Ellyssa brushed by.
“Hey, I’m not done with you.”
“Stop it, Candy,” Rein snapped.
“Don’t tell me what—”
“Shut up,” Rein warned.
Ellyssa heard him jogging behind her, his steps loud against the ground. “Wait up.”
She slowed until he reached her side then resumed her pace.
“That was amazing,” Rein said.
Without responding, her steps quick and short, Ellyssa followed the tunnel as if she knew where she was going. She didn’t have a clue. This network of long corridors hadn’t been included in the tour. She assumed, if she followed the cables, they would eventually lead her to the room with the generator. From there, she’d find her way back to the hospital room.
Rein reached down and grabbed her hand. “Ellyssa,” he said, stopping.
She turned on a heel and faced him, her face composed and blank. “What?” she said calmly, even though a surge of anger enveloped her, and she fought a mounting desire to go back and finish what Candy had started.
“I knew you were fast from your response in the store. You took us completely by surprise.” He blinked, shaking his head. “This time, though, I didn’t see anything more than a blur. How do you move so fast?”
Ellyssa paused before answering. “Special training.”
Rein’s lids rose. “Special training. Like, for what? To be a soldier, or something?” He paused for a moment. “The Center. Of course.”
Ellyssa wished she hadn’t said a thing, not now, at least. She nodded.
The emotions on Rein’s face changed visibly, one to the next, as he absorbed the realization of what she
