Brothers who’d been through so much, who’d fought together in the clan wars back on Mobo, and mourned the loss of their sister. They’d sworn to never part again in the hours after Magnum managed to pull Steele out of the Abyss. Now, they stood in the hallway staring silently.
“I’ll do it,” Magnum said finally. “Go. I’ll take care of her.”
Steele didn’t know what to say. It was his responsibility. She’d been sent to his dream and it had been on his heart to save her, to keep her safe. How could he not do this for her?
How could he do it knowing that once it was done she’d be lost to him forever?
He didn’t answer and couldn’t look at Magnum any longer. He walked away, steps heavy, heart crumbling, beast folding to the pressure once more.
It was Saturday morning at Safeside. Ravyn knew this because Saturday mornings were always full of laughter and playing. The few children they had down here did chores and had tutoring hours throughout the week, the same as if they were living above. But on Saturdays they were allowed to sleep in, which they never did. Instead there were exuberant games of tag and hide ’n’ seek that Ravyn encouraged because it was a sign of normalcy they needed. Sure, there were video games that normally kept them occupied whenever they weren’t working on schoolwork or doing something that was needed to keep their living quarters in order, but satellite signals so far belowground weren’t always good.
Kal needed to work on that. He’d said he would but she would check with him this morning to see how that was going. The television reception was sometimes spotty as well and if this was going to be their home for the foreseeable future, it needed to have all the comforts they could manage.
She turned over on her side with thoughts still flitting through her mind and breathed a heavy sigh. Her eyes were still closed and she burrowed down deeper into her sheet and comforter, inhaling the sweet floral scent of the fabric softener she used when washing her clothes. It was one of the small indulgences she allowed herself down here. Their money was always sparse and she never wanted to use it for selfish reasons. Taking care of the others was always the priority.
But this right here—the warmth and the comfort, the familiarity and the—her eyes shot open and she stared into the dark room. Where was her music?
She knew it was time to get up but she didn’t hear the music that normally came on as scheduled. For a few seconds she lay still, sensing something different in her surroundings. It was a subtle change, but she knew it the moment she opened her eyes, she just had to figure out what it was.
Could someone be here with her?
Of course not. This place was secured tightly all day and all night, and besides, nobody knew they were down here. It had been their secret for the last four years. Even when they allowed new people to come, they were always blindfolded when they were brought to the location. Only a handful of them went above anymore and they were all sworn to secrecy. No, nobody could be here.
Then why did she feel so freaked out and why was she keeping her words in her mind, instead of talking to herself aloud the way she normally did, because she knew there was no one around to answer?
Proving how foolish she was being, Ravyn pushed back the sheet and comforter and eased her legs off the side of the bed. When her feet touched the rug beneath her bed and she stood, her legs wobbled. She gripped the table beside her bed to steady herself. Seconds later she let go of the table and stood on her own. Extending her arm to switch on the lamp, she looked around her personal space the moment it was filled with the warm glow of light.
Everything was the same. Her desk, the dresser, the door to the bathroom only halfway closed, the door leading out to her office securely closed, but not locked. She rarely ever locked that door because the door to her office was locked.
“You’re being ridiculous,” she told herself and took a step toward the bathroom.
Everything around her slanted to the side and she felt a wave of nausea so severe, she immediately stopped and bent over grasping her stomach. Stumbling to the bathroom, she pulled up the toilet seat and was prepared to chuck whatever was roiling around so violently in the pit of her stomach, but the feeling stopped as quickly as it had begun.
“Great. I thought that was over with.”
When the flu symptoms had finally eased she’d been ecstatic. Now, she turned on the water in the sink, washed her face and brushed her teeth. When she was done she stood back and looked into the mirror, expecting to see a familiar face staring back at her. It was, but then it wasn’t. Her lips seemed swollen and her eyes a little brighter than they normally were first thing in the morning. With a shrug, she dismissed that as silliness and set about her day.
Thirty minutes later Ravyn stepped out of her room and into the hallway. The light here was brighter and echoes of laughter, music playing and what she thought was someone stacking boxes sounded in the distance as she began to walk.
“Whoa, mornin’, Ravyn,” Lorna said when they almost collided at the next corner.
“Good morning,” Ravyn replied. “I was just coming to see what you’d prepared for breakfast. I’m starving.”
Lorna raised a brow, but then smiled brightly. “That’s good to hear. You hadn’t been eating much in the past couple
