It’s still dark out by the time we get back on the road in the early morning hours. The road stretches ahead of us in a long, dark ribbon, disappearing beneath the headlights and reappearing only when the car climbs another rise.
I watch it through the passenger-side window. However, it’s only now that I realize I’ve been watching it for nearly an hour. Not that it’s interesting, but the blur of the trees, and occasional abandoned buildings and faint glow of distant towns all serve as a background lull as I stare at my reflection in the glass. I’m barely able to recognize myself anymore. I look disheveled and pale, which is alarming since it’s usually not very easy for me to look pale with my complexion.
Of course, I guess it makes sense with everything that I’ve been through. Just a few days ago, I was a student worrying about a genetic scan. Now I’m a fugitive. A naturally born human in a world that’s not supposed to have any. My parents are missing, Elara and Jax have been captured, Director Vale knows who and what I am, and Rian, the Director’s son, is driving me towards a meeting point that might already be compromised. It’s almost funny… almost. Except nothing about any of this is funny.
I shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable.
Rian glances at me, "You okay?"
"Fine."
His eyes return to the road. "You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?" I ask, glancing at him.
"Answering with one word."
"I'm tired."
"So am I. You should have slept when I told you to."
"Like you should be talking."
A tiny smile tugs at his mouth, though I’m trying not to notice.
I look back out the window, but now the kiss from earlier returns to my mind without permission. It had been brief and soft. Nothing dramatic, but that doesn’t help. I can’t seem to stop thinking about it. The warmth of his hand against my cheek. The way he had looked at me afterward as though he was afraid he'd crossed a line. What makes it worse, even now, is that my heart refuses to calm down.
I press my forehead lightly against the cool window. This is ridiculous. I have more important things to think about… like surviving and finding my parents. I should be figuring out how to rescue Jax and Elara. Not thinking about Rian and his… kiss. Definitely not Rian.
"You don't have to keep looking at me like I'm going to disappear," he says.
I turn, "I wasn't looking at you."
"You were."
"No, I wasn't," I say, rubbing my forehead.
"You were."
I glare at him. "You really enjoy being annoying, don't you?"
"Only when it works."
"Well, it doesn't."
"You're talking to me," he says, shrugging one shoulder.
I open my mouth, then close it again. Rian just smiles.
I look away again, "You're impossible."
"Probably."
Silence returns, but this time, it lasts longer. The road hums beneath us, and if I’m not careful, then it will cause me to fall asleep. I need to be awake for this journey.
I finally say to him, "Why did you come back?"
Rian's hands tighten slightly around the steering wheel. “When?”
He knows that I’m referring to when we were at Elara’s. I just stare him with my arms folded, waiting.
He glances at me, then sighs, "I told you."
"You said you were looking for me."
"I was."
"Why?"
He doesn’t answer immediately. I’m trying to be patient, as I keep my mouth shut.
"Because you were alone," he finally says.
"So?"
"So, I didn't want you to be."
My chest feels tight. I hate how easily his words reach places inside me that I’m trying desperately to keep locked.
"You barely knew me when all of this started."
"I knew enough."
"Did you?"
Rian glances at me, "Yes."
I study him. "Then tell me something about me."
His eyebrows lift. "What?"
"Something you know."
He considers it before saying, "You pretend you're tougher than you are."
I blink, "That's not true."
How does he know that?
"It is," he continued. “Plus, you care too much.”
"No, I don't."
"You do, and you’re incredibly stubborn."
Sitting up straight, I say, “That's not something you know about me. That's something you've figured out."
He nods his head, "I figured it out pretty quickly."
I almost smile.
What am I doing though? I can’t get too comfortable with him. I’m not even sure if he’s truly trying to help me or trap me.
I try to not show any emotion as I clear my throat. I need to change the subject. "You keep warning me about Jax."
Rian's smile disappears. "I said you should be careful."
"Because you don't trust him," I ask.
"That’s right, I don't."
"Why?"
"Felicity…"
"No,” I cut him off. I know he’s about to try to brush it off again. “You keep saying things like that and then refusing to explain them."
Rian exhales, "I don't know if I can explain everything."
"Why not?"
"Because some of it isn't mine to tell."
"Then whose is it?"
He stares at the road. "Who do you think?"
His answer makes me pause. "What does that mean?"
I know he’s referring to Jax, but I want him to give me some straight answers. I won’t let him get out of it that easily.
"It means there are things that happened before you met either of us."
"Between you and Jax."
He doesn’t answer. That answers enough.
I lean back, "I knew it."
"There's history."
"What kind?"
"The kind that isn't simple."
"Nothing about any of us is simple."
"No argument there," he says, sighing deeply.
I watch him for a few minutes, before asking, "Did he do something to you?"
Rian's jaw tightens, "Not exactly."
"Did you do something to him?"
Silence.
"Rian."
"Like I said, it's not that simple."
"What does that mean?"
His expression hardened, "Just know that mistakes were made, at least by one of us, which affected more people than it should have. The other side of the story, well… I can't tell you what happened there, but it was pretty… bad."
That still tells me nothing, but the last statement still makes my stomach tighten.
"Did it involve your dad?"
His eyes flicker toward me, "Yes."
The word seems to settle heavily between us.
I think about Jax's reaction every time Rian's name comes up. The anger, suspicion, and the way Jax seems almost personally offended that Rian is with me. Now this. Did Jax do something so horrible that it’s not worth mentioning? I don’t know what to believe.
"Did you tell your father about me?" I ask, changing the subject again.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," he says. He grips the steering wheel.
I cross my arms. "You know because if he knows where we're going…"
"He doesn't."
"You can't know that."
"I know my father."
I stared at him. He can’t be serious. "Do you?"
The question comes out sharper than I'd intended. Rian goes quiet, and I immediately regret it. However, I can’t take it back.
After a moment, he says, "I guess not… not anymore."
I understand that feeling. I’ve spent most of my life believing I knew my parents. Now I don’t know what was real anymore. I look down at my hands, "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be."
"Yes, I do."
He glances at me, "Why?"
"Because I know what it's like."
Rian's expression changes. "Yeah."
We drive another few minutes, without saying a word. Then, Rian reaches toward the center console. "I found something earlier."
He hands me a folded paper. It has a rough map drawn across the page. Several roads have been crossed out, while others were marked with small symbols.
"What's this?" I ask, squinting at the paper.
"The route to the meeting point."
I look at him. "Where did you get this from? I thought we were following the map Elara gave us.”
"I drew it last night, after you dozed off for a bit,” he says, as he rubs his neck. “I’m glad too, with all the changes.”
"Changes?" I look at the sketch again, this time paying close attention to the crossed out routes and the small symbols.
"Yeah, one of the routes is compromised,” Rian says.
My heart drops. "What? How do you know?"
"I’ve noticed some markers along the side of the road on the road signs. I’ve been marking the changes as we go. On top of that, I picked up a signal earlier."
"From the car?"
"No. From a roadside relay."
I’m still staring at the map as I ask, "How?"
"I don't know yet."
"Could it be Authority?"
"Maybe."
"Could they be tracking us?"
"Maybe."
I hate that answer, but it seems that’s all I’ll get out of him.
"Then we can't go there," I finally say, looking out the windshield.
Rian nods, "That's what I was thinking."
I look at my parents’ map again. The meeting point is circled in faded ink. They had chosen it for a reason, planned everything from the routes and timing to the place where we would reunite. And now, even that feels like it’s slipping away.
"What do we do?" I ask, looking at him again.
Rian points toward a small road branching east. "There."
"Where does it go?"
"An old service road."
"That sounds promising."
"It's not," he says.
"Then why are we taking it?"
"Because nobody uses it."
Folding the map, I sigh, "Of course."
Rian smiles faintly, and for a moment, neither of us speak. It gives my mind time to think of the kiss again.
I close my eyes and say quietly, "About earlier..."
Rian's expression immediately becomes serious. "You don't have to explain."
"I know," I look down. "I just..."
Rian waits.
"I don't know what I'm doing," I finally say.
"Neither do I."
That makes me look up.
He smiles. "But I know I don't regret it."
My heart skips. Why does he say things like that? I look away before he can see my reaction. "I don't regret it either."
The words are barely audible, but Rian hears them. I know because his smile returns. We’re quiet again. Yet, for the first time since leaving the outpost, the silence doesn’t feel uncomfortable. It feels like something new. Something neither of us is ready to name.
****
We drive until the road narrows. The pavement disappears and trees crowd both sides of the vehicle, their branches scraping lightly against the roof.
I lean forward. "Are you sure this is right?"
"No."
I turn toward him, "Well that's comforting."
"I said it wasn't a main road."
"You also said nobody uses it."
"Nobody does."
"How do you know?" I ask, glaring at him. "You knew that sign would be there."
"I guessed."
"Rian."
"What?”
"You’re terrible at reassuring people."
"So I've been told."
The car rolls farther into the woods. Then, the engine coughs. I freeze as Rian frowns. The engine coughs again, just before it stops. The sudden silence is deafening. Rian tries the ignition.
Nothing.
"Please tell me that's not what I think it is," I say, staring at the hood of the car.
"The battery," he says, leaning back in his seat.
"Dead?"
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
He tries again. The engine clicks once.
Nothing.
I close my eyes. Of course the car dies now. I look out the window. The woods are nearly black. There are no lights, no buildings, and no people, just trees.
"We can't stay here," I say, still looking around the area.
"I know."
"Can you fix it?"
Rian gets out and I follow. The cold air hits my face and I’m seriously thinking about going back into the car. He opens the hood and studies the engine compartment.
"Well… it's not the battery," he says, as he reaches into the compartment to check.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure."
"You're kidding."
"No," he looks toward the road. "There's an old maintenance station about a mile east."
"How do you know that?"
"I saw it on the map."
I stare at him, "You really expect us to walk through these woods?"
"Would you rather stay here?" he asks, looking at me.
I glance back at the vehicle. No… I definitely do not want to do that. We gather what we can carry. I adjust my bag as Rian checks the surrounding woods before motioning for me to follow. We walk for what seems like several minutes, not speaking.
“Wait,” I notice something.
Rian stops. "What?"
I look behind us and point toward the vehicle which is still visible between the trees. Beside it, something is blinking. Once and then again… a tiny red light.
My stomach drops. What is that light for?
"Is that a tracker?" I’m barely able to speak.
Rian immediately stepped in front of her. "Stay here."
"What?"
"Don't move."
He walks back toward the car. I watch him crouch near the rear bumper. A moment later, he stands. His expression is grim.
"What is it?" Though I’m afraid to ask.
He returns holding a small device between two fingers. "This is definitely not ours."
I can’t believe what I’m looking at. "Authority?"
"I don't know." he says, still looking at the device.
"Then what is it?"
"Could be a relay tag."
"What does that mean?"
"It means somebody wanted to know where this vehicle went,” he says.
My pulse is hammering.
"They followed us." I whisper.
"Maybe."
"Stop saying maybe."
He looks at me, “O…kay…" his voice is softer now. "They found us."
Everything seems to be spinning. How could this be happening? First my parents, then the meeting point, Jax and Elara. Everything seems connected.
"Then we can't go to the meeting point."
"No."
I swallow. "What about my parents?"
Rian doesn’t answer, which makes it worse.
My chest tightens. "We have to warn them."
"We will."
"How?"
Rian looks around at our surroundings, "Well, first we need another way to contact them."
"We don't have one."
"Your parents left instructions, right?” he asks. “I mean, they did that for the meeting point. Maybe they left something else, just in case things go wrong."
I shake my head, "I don't know."
However, as I’m saying this, I begin to recall the holographic recording. The map, the supplies, and the careful instructions. My parents had to have planned for things to go wrong. Hadn't they? I reach into my bag and pull out the map.
Rian moves closer.
"Look," I almost scream it.
I unfold it beneath the faint light from his handheld device. "There."
A tiny symbol appears near the edge of the map. How did I miss it before? A circle, three short lines, and underneath it, a number.
17.
"What's that?" Rian asks, pointing at the symbols.
"I don't know." I study it.
Then it clicks. My father had used symbols like this when I was little. Not on maps, but on the refrigerator, or notes, or on the walls of our house. I had always thought it was some kind of family game. It was a code, like a secret language or a mock spy system. My parents had called it our "adventure alphabet."
I breathe in sharply before saying, "They left us a message."
Rian looks at me, "Are you sure?"
"No," I smile despite myself. "But I'm starting to think my parents never did anything by accident."
Almost immediately, I stop smiling. If the symbol is a message, it means my parents expected the meeting point to become unsafe. If I’m wrong, they could be there already, but then again, if I’m right, maybe they’ve moved on.
A distant sound cuts through the woods and I freeze.
Footsteps.
Rian turns off his light. "Someone's coming."
My heart feels like it’s slamming against my ribs. We step off the path and crouch behind a cluster of trees. The footsteps grow louder. One person… no, maybe two.
I hold my breath just as a light sweeps across the road. Gripping Rian's sleeve, I try to steady myself. He looks at me and I know he’s concerned. Yet, he doesn’t dare attempt to talk at the moment. We don’t move, either.
The light passes over the abandoned vehicle, then stops. It moves again. A voice carries faintly through the darkness.
"Vehicle's been abandoned."
Another voice answers. "Search the area."
A chill runs through my body.
It’s the Authority.
Now I know the truth. The road isn't safe. The car isn't safe and more importantly, neither is the meeting point. Somehow… some way, I’m receiving messages from my parents and it’s the only thing standing between us and the Authority.
Rian leans close enough for me to hear him whisper. "We need to move."
I tighten my grip on the map. For the first time, I understand that running isn't enough. I need answers, and if my parents have left those answers behind for me to find, I’m going to find them. Whatever it takes.
Rian touches my shoulder, "Ready?"
I look at him for a moment. I still don’t know if I should trust him, but I know I can’t do this alone.
"Ready," I nod before I slowly and silently follow him. The voices fade behind us as we go deeper into the woods, disappearing into the darkness.