One by one, I watched as they made the decision to plummet into the falls below. The mist was too thick to see the bottom.
The last of the group stepped forward, his curly hair messy and face covered in dirt. “Yes, we’re all coming.”
I turned and saw Cody on the stone where Everson had stood. It was just the two of us. He smiled faintly.
“Ready?” he asked.
He was so calm—the total opposite of how I felt. Every nerve was searing with electricity, and my resolve was like a glass house in a hailstorm. What made Cody so brave? Were we all falling for some elaborate hoax? Were we being tricked into idiocy, like we were a bunch of lemmings?
I nodded and filled my lungs with air. There was no choice if I wanted the truth. This was their game, and all I could do was play along. Quiet fury coursed through my body.
They had all the power.
We were pawns.
My fists tightened. Cody gave me a slight smirk and touched his forehead like a salute.
“See you on the other side,” he said.
As his hand slipped to his side, he leaned into the falls, and the mist took him.
I stood at the top of the waterfall, staring into the misty darkness. The water thundered past me on all sides, spraying me with the cool droplets. I was the last one. No one wanted to be up here alone, so I waited. I watched each recruit contemplate adecision that may end their lives. Isabella was the last of them to go. She took the least amount of time. As soon as she got to the stone that rose from the cliff’s edge, she glanced at me, gave me a nervous smile, and dove headfirst into the falling water.
Had my mom stood here? Why would someone risk their life to be a part of this place? So many times in my life, I’d wanted an honest answer from her. Like who my dad was. Why we never traveled. Why it was so hard to convince her to let me go to the high school six miles from my house. I wanted to know her. I wanted to know why she made the choices she made. Why she refused to tell me anything.
And why was she afraid?
I could feel it. There was no doubt. There was something to fear here.
Taking a deep breath, I leaned forward, and let the wind take me.
Chapter 8
You Were Here
ANNA
Iwas sinking.
The current yanked me under. I couldn’t see anything. Instinctively opening my mouth for a breath, I choked.
Then a hand closed around my wrist.
The sound of the fiercely gushing water deafened all else as I broke the surface. I gasped violently as water entered my lungs like tiny daggers. I coughed up water, not getting enough out. Gagging, I coughed so hard my throat burned as the last of the water came up. A muscled arm wrapped around my midriff, pulling me through the raging water.
The spray from the falls was making it impossible to see. The jagged edges of rocks cut into my skin. I forced my hands into the rocks and sand, desperate to know I was on land.
Feeling someone standing over me, I lifted my head and made out the silhouette of a man.
“You’re awake,” he said.
I recognized Commander Everson’s voice. Relief flooded through me so intensely that tears sprang to my eyes.
“You’re alive,” I mustered, still heaving for breath.
“Of course I am,” he said. “Now come on, let’s get you inside.”
I reached around his shoulder as he hoisted me to my feet. With his help, I moved slowly across the forest floor as the snow-dusted rocks became snow-laden pine needles. Ahead, there was a stone structure with lanterns glowing at the main entrance. It was several stories high with a tower and at least one balcony.
