Supreme Commander Ibrahim. He seems taller than I remember him. Dark skin, dark hair.Angry.
“It’s okay,” my father says, unbothered. “Evie has taken care of—”
“Evie isdead,” Ibrahim says angrily. “We need to initiate the transfer immediately.”
“What?” My father goes pale. I’ve never seen him pale. I’ve never seen him terrified. “What do you mean she’s dead?”
Ibrahim’s eyes flash. “I mean we have a serious problem.” He glances at me. “This boy needs to be put back in isolation. We can’t trust any of them right now. We don’t know what she might’ve done.”
And just as I’m trying to decide my next move, I hear a whisper at my ear.
“Don’t scream,” she says.
Nazeera.
JulietteElla
I’m running for my life, bolting down hallways and up staircases. A low, insistent alarm has gone off, its high, piercing sound sending shocks of fear through me even as my feet pound the floor. I feel strong, steady, but I’m increasingly aware of my inability to navigate these snaking paths. I could see—could feel—Emmaline growing weaker as I left, and now, the farther I get from her, the dimmer our connection becomes. She showed me, in her memories, how Max and Evie slowly stripped her of control; Emmaline is more powerful than anyone, but now she can only use her powers on command. It took all her strength to push past the fail-safes long enough to use her strength at will, and now that her voice has retreated from my mind, I know she won’t be back. Not anytime soon. I have to figure out my own way out of here.
I will.
My power is back on. I can get through anything from here. I have to. And when I hear someone shout I spin around, ready to fight—
But the face in the distance is so familiar I stop, stunned, in my tracks.
Kenji barrels into me.
Kenji.
Kenji is hugging me. Kenji is hugging me, and he’s uninjured.
He’s perfect.
And just as I begin to return his embrace he swears, violently, and launches himself backward. “Jesus, woman— Are you trying to kill me? You can’t turn that shit off for a second? You have to go and ruin our dramatic reunion by nearly murdering me even after I’ve gone to all the trouble of f—”
I launch myself into his arms again and he stiffens, relaxing only when he realizes I’ve pulled my power back. I forgot, for a second, how much of my skin was exposed in this dress.
“Kenji,” I breathe. “You’re alive. You’re okay. Oh my God.”
“Hey,” he says. “Hey.” He pulls back, looks me in the eye. “I’m okay. You okay?”
I don’t really know how to answer the question. Finally, I say, “I’m not sure.”
He studies my face for a second. He looks concerned.
And then, the knot of fear growing only more painful in my throat, I ask the question killing me most:
“Where’s Warner?”
Kenji shakes his head.
I feel myself begin to unravel.
“I don’t know yet,” Kenji says quietly. “But we’re going to find him, okay? Don’t worry.”
I nod. My bottom lip trembles and I bite it down but the tremble won’t be killed. It grows, multiplies, evolves into a tremor that shakes me from stem to sternum.
“Hey,” Kenji says.
