“Whoa,” I say out loud and Zavy laughs, dropping my hand.
“It’s freaky, right?” Zavy laughs, “I was trying to talk to them and they were responding, I think. I just don’t know how to use my gift so I don’t know how much of the information I got right.”
“It’s like talking through your thoughts, right?” I ask, trying to understand it, and Zavy nods.
We walk in silence for what feels like hours. The sounds of our footsteps clicking on the cement floor fill the tunnel. Every few minutes there will be the marking of a gifted painted on the side of the tunnel, confirming we are moving in the right direction. Some of the group members have started humming a new camp song they must have learned one of the many nights they spent out in the woods. It’s a simple but beautiful melody only made up of a couple of notes. The magnificent part is when they layer the melody and the notes overlap they create stunning harmonies. I realize how much I miss music. With my memories restored I’m reminded how much my father loved it.
Mio doesn’t want to stop to eat again, so instead, we eat as we go. We pass Cinder’s bag of berries around the group and take handfuls. Mio promises us there is a real meal waiting for us when we get out of this tunnel. The time seems to drag on and on and I know we must have walked miles. I feel guilty knowing it is only taking this long because the girls can’t go any faster. I’m the one who said they could come with us. I look forward and see Molly stumble along with the group, her legs giving out. I run up to her and let her lean on my side.
“Mio, how much longer?” I ask and I’m beginning to worry these girls won’t be able to make it much farther.
“It should be right,” Mio starts and takes a few more steps forward until finally the flat end of the tunnel is illuminated, “here.”
A smile falls on my face, “See, you made it,” I say and look at Molly who seems to have found a second wave of energy and stands up on her own.
Mio climbs up the ladder and pounds three times on the ceiling of the tunnel. We stand in silence for a second until the tunnel becomes illuminated in a blinding white light. I blink a couple of times to clear my vision and watch Mio climb the rest of the way up. We wait until Mio yells back down to us that it’s all clear to come up. I help Molly up onto the ladder and then follow behind her.
When we surface outside of the tunnel it’s like we’ve climbed into a different world. The building Cooper mentioned is more like a home. We’ve climbed up into what seems to be the living room. The wood floor is a nice change from the cement tunnel we’ve been in all afternoon. Different white glowing lights hang from the ceiling and plush elegant couches are placed throughout the room. I turn around and see large glass doors that open to a deck that looks to the ocean with the stars reflecting into the water. It’s breathtaking.
For a second I’m just taking in the amazing room that has manifested in front of me, but quickly my mind comes back to life and I’m back in survival mode. It’s night. We’ve been in the tunnel all afternoon. I look down at myself and then scan the rest of the group. I am shocked by how awful we all look in this very clean and polished home. Our faces are caked in dirt, our shoes are soaked in dirty water, we have mud dried to our nails, and knotted hair. We hardly look human.
“I see we’ve had some additions to the group,” a questioning voice asks and I turn to see a man about Mio and Cinder’s age standing next to Mio. He has short brown hair and dark brown scruff down the sides of his face.
“We do. Sorry if it’s an inconvenience. Some things change after seven years,” Mio says and glances at me. “Everyone, this is my little brother Leo.”
“Brother?” Cooper asks.
“Little?” Leo scoffs. “Just two years.”
“Who’d you think I would have connections with here?” Mio asks.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say and shake Leo’s hand. “When we were traveling through the tunnel we came across these girls.” I place my hand on Molly’s shoulder and say, “Molly is hoping you know her mother, Eleanor Fisher?”
“I can’t say I’ve heard that name in months,” Leo says.
“Did you say, Eleanor Fisher?” a woman’s voice rings into the room as she enters. “Oh, sorry. I’m Leo’s wife. My name’s Kimberly.”
“Yes, do you know why that name sounds familiar?” Leo asks her.
“Well yeah, she was one of those three ladies that were executed a couple of months back for stealing from the food storage unit they worked at. Why?” Kimberly asks and turns to us.
“Executed?” Molly asks in a broken voice. “Adaline, that can’t be right.”
“Molly, I’m so sorry,” is all I can say. I tighten my arm around her shoulders. Kimberly gives me an apologetic glance, not knowing it was Molly’s mother we had been talking about.
“What are we going to do?” Molly asks with her face buried in my side. I look up to Mio and see him roll his eyes because he knows what I’m about to say.
“You can come with us and I’ll see if I can find somewhere for you, okay? You don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of you,” I say, feeling a sort of protection over her, much like the one I once felt for Titus.
There’s an awkward silence
