“Yes, I’m coming.” She shakes her head, her dark hair blending in with the night. “That’s what best friends are for. Just get on the damn bike and let’s go.”
Yikes, she’s right. We need to hurry. I lift the bike up, glad all I got was a skinned knee from my collision with the wagon. Stupid thing. I get back on my bike and we both ride fast, trying to catch back up with my brother. However, there is no luck.
This can’t be. This would be the answer to all my problems. “We have to find him. I need this.”
“Wait,” she calls out and slows down. “I think I know where they might be.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” I slow down and turn toward her. “Where do you think they are?”
“Well, we’re heading toward the mansion.” She looks at the roads. “So, I’m guessing that’s where they’re heading; to gather and discuss the situation prior to transporting.”
Holy shit. She’s right. That makes perfect sense, especially if her parents are involved. “Yeah, I bet they are. Let’s go.”
We both take off, riding in silence for a little while.
I’m in front and I have to ask the question that’s burning on my mind. “How did you find me?”
She snorts. “I wasn't looking for you. I was on my way home and then saw a blonde chasing Charlie’s car on her bike.” She rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t hard to figure out what was going on.”
Huh. I guess I deserved that. “All right, well. I guess that makes sense.” I continue focusing on the road making sure no other wagons or branches jump out in front of me. Those things are vicious. “What are we going to do once we get there?”
It’s silent for a moment. The only sounds are our bikes and a few owls hooting through the night. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out.” She speeds up and settles in next to me. “We’re going to have to find someone to transport us or we won’t be able to get there.”
Yeah, that thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Even though the mansion is now coming into view, we are just going to have to think outside the box.
As we approach the mansion, Christina puts her brakes on and whispers, “Beth, get off your bike now.”
I want to ignore her, but the urgency in her tone makes me pause. I get off my bike and head toward her. “What’s your problem?”
“Look.” She points over right to the yard of the mansion. It’s about a hundred yards from the house, but still outside. “They’re all out there for their meeting.”
Needing to get a little closer, I take a few steps closer to the direction she’s pointing. Once I do that, I can make out a few people now standing outside, but it’s still real hard to see this far away. “Shit. How are we going to get there?”
“No clue.” She pulls her bike to the grass and parks it next to a tree. “Move your bike over here. The tree should hide it and we need to take the rest of the trip on foot. Otherwise, they’ll hear us coming.”
Here is a good reason why I’m glad she came with me. She’s used to having to sneak around her parents. I have no clue what I’m doing. “Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”
“You better be glad I came.” She glances around and begins her trek to the mansion. “You’d already be caught and put in the dungeon if it weren’t for me.”
Her comment burns, and I want to make a jab back. However, we don’t need to be fighting right now so I swallow back my retort.
When we reach the last set of bushes, we stop and peek through the branches. There are at least sixty different reapers.
“Wait.” I turn to glance at Christina. “I thought you said there were only forty going.”
“Yeah.” She takes in every person. “I thought so, but obviously it changed.”
They are broken up in three sets of twenty. “Why would they make a change like this?”
“I’m not sure.” Christina releases a breath. “This is bigger than I thought. For them to add on another twenty reapers mean it’s even more unprecedented.”
The younger male elder walks out, dressed in a suit. He approaches Christina’s parents and pulls them to the side, closer to us. “Is everything ready?”
Her dad glances around and takes a deep breath. “Yes. We’ve informed everyone it’s the prison right outside town so it’s imperative we keep everything contained. We have broken them in three groups, so each set will take one of the three main sections. We must be out before the bomb explodes. There is no room for error. Once the last person gets here, we’ll be ready to go.”
“Are they not taking this seriously?” The elder’s tone is low and almost a warning.
“Of course, we all are.” Her mother runs a hand through her short blonde hair. “It’s one of the youngest reapers going. He’s probably just nervous.”
The elder takes a step closer to them. “This is a big deal and we have to make sure everything goes without a hitch.” He stares at Christina’s dad, then her mom. “Do I make myself clear?”
“You have our word.” Her dad places a hand over his heart.
Holy crap. It’s the prison that’s ten minutes from here. Luckily, this isn’t a maximum security one, but that’s still crazy and weird. And, of course, my brother and Brad are going to be right in the middle of it and a bomb is going to freaking explode. “Did you know about this?”
“No.” Christina’s tone is faint, and her breathing is rapid. “Why wouldn’t they tell me? They didn’t even hug me when they left. This could have been the last time I saw them.”
And here it is. Charlie hadn’t told me either. She and I both have loved ones going into a mass reaping where we could lose them tonight, and no one even
