“There you are,” Alexander says, turning to face us as we walk up to them.
“Have you ever seen a bunker before?” Zavy asks and a coy smile grows on her face.
“No,” Alexander says, trying to figure out where this is going.
“Adaline may have just found the hidden gem in these woods.” She turns and we follow her back to the bunker. Toby drops to his knees and speaks down into the hole to hear his voice echo back to him.
“Whoever prepared it never used it,” I say. “We were thinking we should use it as our shelter. I’m not sure if it will stop the Hounds,” I say, remembering the group of Lost Souls looking for us at this very moment, “but at least it will keep us hidden from view.” Alexander nods and we file back into the bunker to show him.
“This may have just saved our lives,” Alexander says, walking around the bunker. It doesn’t take Toby more than a few minutes to find the crate of toys in the back. “This is really amazing,” Alexander says and turns to me.
“I didn’t actually find it intentionally,” I admit but the happiness on his face only grows. “We aren’t staying here though, we’re still going to Libertas, right?” I ask in a hushed voice to Alexander.
I see a drop of joy escape from his eyes at the thought of leaving the safe haven we just discovered. “We’ll discuss it more tonight,” is all he offers.
“How about we go and see what kind of food you got us?” Zavy asks as she makes her way back toward the ladder.
“You guys go ahead. I’m going to stay down here a little while longer,” I say. I watch the three of them climb up the ladder. The quick remark Alexander had made about our plan to go to Libertas sits heavy in my head. While this bunker is the ideal hiding spot, I feel as though I’ve spent my entire life sitting underground, hidden from the world. This is the last place I want to stay. I’d much rather take what’s useful and move out tomorrow.
Now that Zavy knows about my gift I don’t want to leave her behind, because I don’t know who she’d spread that to. If Paylon found her and got it out of her, or if she took the information back to King Renon himself then I’d lose my advantage in this hunt. So now I know, no matter what, the four of us are in this together until the end.
Chapter 6
From down in the bunker I hear everyone is back to laughing and catching up, leaving me by myself. I sit down on one of the old couches along the wall and pull out the journal my mother gave me. Forever is written at the top of the book. The lock almost reminds me of a belt buckle, except there’s the symbol of a gifted engraved on it. I can remember seeing the symbol on some of the uniforms around the castle. The age of the journal is obvious with its withered corners and the wrinkles across the face of it.
I try and picture the lock opening, but nothing happens. I try again and use all of my strength. I see the lock start shaking almost giving in, but it’s no use. I stop and take in a deep breath, extremely exhausted.
I need to get my mind off this. It’s causing too much stress, and too many questions I don’t have the answers to. For example, what’s written in the journal? What gift does Alexander have, does he even have one? Did my father have the gift? Did Alexander’s mother have the gift? Where are they now? Where is Paylon? Did Codian get the Hounds? Are they headed toward us? I really need something to get my mind off this before I go insane.
My eye catches on the racks of clothes across the bunker. I get up and shuffle through the shirts and jackets. On the ground are totes with pants, shoes, and even more clothes. My eye is drawn to a bright yellow top, but I think better of it. I should probably choose something more muted that won’t call me out as a target. Instead, I pull on a plain black t-shirt and pair it with long denim shorts. The quality of the clothes is unlike any I’ve seen before.
The black shirt is a bit big on me. I take a small black band from a little metal box and tie the front up into a knot so it fits better. The shorts are a little large as well, and I think they may not have been designed to be as long as they are on me. In prison, we weren’t given shoes to wear. I think about keeping it that way, but my feet are already starting to blister from the harsh terrain of these woods. I find a pair of socks and odd-looking white shoes. They are a cloth material on top with thick rubber on the bottom. They are already scuffed with dirt, and not nearly as new as the other items in the bunker. I return my sword to my hip and I grab my small bag and throw it over my shoulder, always careful to keep them close. I climb up the ladder and see that the sun has started to set. Alexander has two wild turkeys
