The road away from Elara’s property seems darker than it has any right to be. I sit rigidly in the passenger seat of the old vehicle, my hands fold tightly in my lap as trees blur past the window. Every few seconds, I glance into the side mirror.
Nothing.
No headlights.
No Authority vehicles.
No flashing lights between the trees.
Still, I can’t shake the feeling that someone is following us. Maybe it’s paranoia. After everything that has happened, I’m not sure I know the difference anymore.
Jax is gone. Elara is gone. Both of them have been taken because of me. The thought alone twists painfully in my chest. Closing my eyes for a moment, I try to breathe slowly.
I should have done something.
But what?
I watched from the woods while Authority officers dragged Jax and Elara away. If I'd gone after them, I probably would have been captured too.
That’s exactly what Kane wants.
Rian hasn't said much since we’d left the property. His attention remains fixed on the road, his shoulders tense, and his expression is difficult to read.
I study him for a moment. There is still so much I don’t know about him. His father is the Director, yet he helped me escape. He could have run away, but he came back for me. Then, there’s the things he says and the way he acts when Jax is around. It's as though he doesn't have a problem with Jax, yet everything he says and does is mocking and disrespectful. The tension between them alone is unbearable and it makes me uneasy.
I don’t know what to believe anymore.
“Crap!” How could I forget? My bag.
“What’s wrong?”
"Rian?"
He glances toward me, "Yeah?"
"You’re not going to like this, but we have to go back."
His eyebrows pull together. "Back where?"
"The Outpost."
There’s not much light, but I can still tell that he’s frowning. "Why?"
"My bag," I say, looking straight ahead. “I left it in Jax’s car.”
I sit up straighter. "There are supplies in it. Things I brought from home. My map. Some food."
Rian considers it. "You need all of that?"
"Yes."
There’s one more thing I don’t mention though… the holographic device. My parents' message. I haven’t been able to destroy it. Even though they'd specifically told me to. It’s the last thing I have of them. I need it.
"I also left something important in there," I say, quietly.
Rian looks at me, as though to study my face. "What?"
I hesitate, "Something… personal."
He doesn’t press, "Okay." He slows the vehicle, as he says, "We'll go back."
I stare through the windshield. I know this is dangerous. Going back to the Outpost means risk being seen, but leaving the hologram behind feels worse. If there is even the smallest chance it’s still there, I have to take it. Besides, why would it be gone?
****
We approach the Outpost several hours later. Night had settled completely by this point. As the building comes into view, I immediately know that something has changed.
The building is alive. Lights glow through the dusty windows. Music drifts into the night air, accompanied by bursts of laughter and muffle conversations. Vehicles crowd the dirt lot, some old enough to look like they belonged in a museum.
There are more people than before. Much more.
A pair of travelers climb out of a battered transport near the entrance. Two men argue beside a truck. Someone carries a crate through the side door while another group laugh loudly beneath the faded sign. The place looks less like a remote outpost and more like a roadside town that has decided to become a bar.
My nerves are tight. "Never mind… this is obviously a bad idea."
Rian nods, "Probably."
I glance at him, "You're supposed to tell me it's fine."
"I'm trying not to lie to you."
Despite myself, I almost smile. Almost.
Rian parks away from the main entrance. "We'll be quick."
I still feel this is a bad idea, even though I’m the one who insisted to come. I need to get my things, especially that holo device.
The night air is cool against my face. I pull my hood up and follow Rian around the side of the building. Jax's car is still here. I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
"There."
We hurry toward it.
Rian tries the driver's door, but it’s locked. He checks the passenger side, only to find that it’s locked as well.
"Of course," he muttered.
“We should just leave,” I say, glancing toward the Outpost.
"We came this far." Rian crouches beside the driver's door.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting us inside."
Before I could ask how, he produces a small tool from somewhere inside his jacket.
Am I really seeing this now? Since when did he know how to break into cars?
A few seconds later —
Click.
The lock releases. All I can do is stare at him.
"You know how to break into cars?"
Rian opens the door. "I know how to get through locked doors."
"That isn't an answer."
"It's the one you're getting."
He climbs inside, and I follow. Of course that’s not the end of it. I still can’t shake the thought that he is far too comfortable doing this. He had no hesitation, no fumbling, no uncertainty. He simply knew what to do.
Another question to add to the growing pile.
Who are you, Rian?
I climb into the back seat and immediately spot my bag. "There."
However, there’s something wrong. The zipper is open. I pull it towards me, and my heart sinks. Everything is scattered.
My spare clothes have been thrown across the seat. The ration packets are hiding beneath a jacket. The map, my parents gave me, has been folded and shoved beneath the floor mat. A small detection tool has been tossed into the corner.
Someone has gone through it.
"No!" I drop to my knees. "No, no..."
Where could it be? It’s not under my clothes, nor under the map. I have to find it. It just has to be here, right?
"What are you looking for?" Rian asks.
"The device."
"What device?"
"The hologram." I search beneath the seats.
Nothing.
I check every pocket of my bag, as well as the pockets on the back of the car seats.
Nothing.
At this point, I’m having a hard time controlling my breathing.
"No..." my fingers shake as I empty the bag. "Where is it? It was here."
Rian crouches beside me. “Oh,” his expression changes.
I quickly turn towards him, "Oh, what?"
"That thing?"
My heart stops, "You saw it?"
"Yeah."
"When?"
"Earlier."
"Earlier when?"
"On the drive to the Outpost."
I can’t believe what I’m hearing, "How?"
"Your bag was open." He points toward it, "It was sticking out. I saw the edge of it."
"You went through my bag."
"No." His answer comes quickly. "I didn't."
"Then how did you see it?" I ask, sitting back on my heels.
"Because it was practically hanging out." He pauses. "I actually zipped the bag shut afterward."
I look down, finding this hard to believe. I remember clearly that my bag was closed. "Then who opened it?"
Rian looks around the car, "I don't know."
I point toward the scattered belongings, "And this?"
"It wasn't like this when we left."
My stomach drops. "The Authority."
Rian nods slowly. "They could have searched the car."
"But the doors were locked."
He considers this, "Well, maybe… Jax let them in."
I immediately shake my head. "No."
"You don't know that," he says, searching my face.
"Yes, I do."
Rian’s expression hardens, "You trust him that much?"
"He's my friend."
His jaw tightens, "That doesn't mean you know everything about him."
I stare at him a little longer. The same feeling I had when Jax had warned me about Rian returned. There is something between these two. Something neither wants to explain.
Rian glances toward the Outpost. "We should go."
I barely hear him, as my mind has already raced ahead.
The hologram.
My parents' instructions. The meeting place.
If the Authority has the device, then they have heard everything. They know where my parents are going. They know when I’m supposed to arrive, and they know I’m coming.
I feel like I’m frozen stiff. "They know," I barely whisper.
Rian turns, "Know what?"
"My parents." I look at him again. "If they have that recording, they know where we're supposed to meet."
Rian's expression hardens again. "Then we have to get there first."
"And Jax?"
"We'll find a way to get him out."
I feel like there’s a frog in my throat. I want to argue. I want to rescue Jax immediately, but another part of me reminds me of what Director Vale had said.
My original plan remains unchanged.
He expects me to come after them. Maybe rescuing Jax is exactly what he wants.
Rian seems to read the conflict on my face.
"We go to your parents first," he says. "We warn them."
"And then?"
"We figure out where they're holding Jax and Elara."
I look back at the ruined contents of my bag. The empty space where the holographic device should be seems enormous.
I don’t trust Rian completely. Not yet, at least. I mean… he is my rival. However, I don’t have anyone else. I gather what remains of my belongings and climb out the car. We leave Jax’s car behind and return to the one Elara leant us.
As Rian starts the engine, I look once more toward the Outpost. I wondered whether Jax had really opened that car for the Authority. I even wondered whether Rian is telling me the truth. My new question is how much longer can I keep pretending that the secrets surrounding both boys doesn’t matter.
The car pulls away, and I keep my eyes on the dark road ahead. For now, I have to follow Rian's plan, but I need to keep my distance. Though I doubt that will stop me from asking questions.
It’s only been a couple of days and already I’ve realized that I am surrounded by people who seem to have something to hide. This trust thing is becoming the most dangerous thing I can give away.