Phoenix Arise: YA Sci-fi Thriller (From the Ashes Book 1) Page 15

  A stick snapped behind me. Whirling, I lifted and clutched my clothing to my chest.

  “Finally, I get you alone.” Riley stood at the top of the rise, satisfaction blazing on his face. “Maybe drop that, rather than zipping it up? Damn, but you’re something else, babe.” His heavy gaze dragged across my exposed skin as he strode toward me. “I can’t wait until we’re together.”

  How had he crept up on me so fast? I shoved my arms through my sleeves and fastened my suit to my chin. Anger churned in my gut. “You get off watching girls pee?”

  I’d squatted in a low area between small hills. At the time, it made sense, since no one would see me, but now I wished I’d pulled my clothing down on the tallest hill so I could yell and draw everyone’s attention.

  He stalked closer, outmatching my backing footsteps with his longer strides.

  “I want to talk about our future,” he said.

  Behind me, flat extended for a distance then a steep hill. If I could reach the top… “When will you get it through your head? We have no future.” I shoved my jaw forward. “Get away from me, and I won’t tell the others you’re still stalking me.”

  “It’s nothing like that.” His treds crunched on the gravel as he followed me. “We’re going to get married.”

  “Not in this lifetime.” Or any other if I had my say in it.

  “You’ve heard of forced pairings.”

  I bit my lip. Computer match-ups to promote genetic compatibility. There had been some talk about implants forcing the issue…

  My upper arm flinched.

  No. It was nothing but sick rumors. The government wouldn’t arrange it so people hooked up whether they wanted to or not, would they?

  “You’re my match.” His eyes slid down my body. “Once you turn eighteen, you’ll be all over me.”

  “Never.”

  “Like you’ll have a choice? Your device is programmed to recognize mine, just like mine recognizes yours already. Has for the past few weeks.” His chest heaved.

  “This isn’t happening.”

  “Whenever you’re near, you’re like a drug to me,” he whined. “Can’t you like me even a little bit before your implant kicks in?”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “In a few weeks, you’ll be eighteen, right? Chemicals will dump through your system, making you love me like I love you.”

  “No.” My voice broke as my anger spiraled into fear.

  “Would you believe we owe it all to Tiff?” he asked. “Your friend’s quite the computer matchmaker. She’s the one who arranged for me and Vick…” He swallowed and lifted his chin. “For us to come to Eris.”

  Had Tiff switched Riley from Stellar 3 to Eris? What else had she done? It made no sense. I had to get out of here.

  I spun away from his outstretched arm. “Pair with Kalani. She wants you, although I can’t imagine why.”

  “It worked.” Glee filled his face. “I only hung out with her to make you jealous. But you don’t have to worry, because I’m all yours. Paired for life, babe.”

  Cringing, I backed away from him. “Fuck your pairing. I’m not doing anything with you.” I palmed my knife. “I’ll cut it out.”

  “Without the immunity booster, you’ll die.”

  I couldn’t leave Joe alone. Sure, he’d have Dad, but he needed me, too. But I’d never submit to Riley.

  When he reached for me again, I slashed out at his arm.

  Hissing, he stumbled back, his hand clamped over the laceration. “God, Lesha.” Blood trickled between his fingers, and shock widened his eyes. “How…how could you do that to me? We’re—”

  “We’re nothing, asshole, and never will be.” I shot a glance over my shoulder. A sharp, jagged incline rose behind me. I could use the rocks at the top as a barrier between us. Turning, I ran.

  “Wait.” Riley panted after me.

  I scrambled up the hillside, using bushes to pull myself toward the top. Thorns cut my hands, and the pain brought the world into sharper focus.

  “Run, then. It’ll be fun to catch you.” Riley’s breath heated my neck. His fingers clawed at my shoulder. We reached the top, and he caught the back of my suit, yanking me to a strangled halt. He hauled me around and pulled me close, and his lips mauled mine.

  Kicking, I tried to break free. But his hands held my arms locked at my sides. I—

  “That’ll be more than enough,” Malik said.

  Riley stiffened and lifted his head.

  Acid pooled in my mouth. I spit in his face and wrenched backward.

  Malik stood behind Riley with a loaded crossbow pressed between Riley’s shoulder blades. “One move, and we’ll have to elect a new leader.”

  Riley’s arms rose in the air. “Don’t shoot. I’m not touching her.”

  “Move away.” Color filled Malik’s cheeks, and his eyes met mine. “You okay, Lesha?”

  I raked my hands down my face. I wouldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be true. No. I wouldn’t do it. “I… He…”

  Fury filled Malik’s face. He hauled Riley around by his collar and shook him, making Riley’s teeth clack together. The crossbow fell to the sand, and Malik’s fist drove forward, nailing Riley’s mouth. Blood spurted from his split lip, and an uppercut caught Riley in the chin. He spun on his treds before slamming to the ground, groaning.

  “No more. No more.” Riley dragged himself across the sand. “Leave me alone.”

  I gaped at them, tears running down my face. It couldn’t be true. Riley, paired with me? Turning, I bolted, scrambling along the crest of the hill. I aimed for the rock pile and raced around it and up the scrubby hill on the other side. Nearly falling, I tripped down the back side. I had to get away. To avoid this nightmare of a future, I’d have to run forever.

  I sprinted until I couldn’t lift my feet any longer. Until my legs shook from spent adrenalin.

  I slumped to my knees and wiped the wetness off my cheeks.

  “Damn you. All of you.” My voice slammed back at me from the empty dunes. Blackness crowded the periphery of my vision. Cold skittered up my arms and raised ripples on my spine.

  Tiff. Damn her hacking and programming skills. How could she do this to me? We’d been best friends.

  Pain roared through me, leaving me shaking in its wake.

  If what Riley said was true, when I turned eighteen, my implant would fill my bloodstream with lust whenever he slithered near. I’d ache to be with him. It wouldn’t matter if I screamed no inside or even if I wanted to be with Malik. My mouth would only say yes.

  Would some part of me know it was fake? Or would the chemical crap make me believe it was true?

  I pulled my knife and clicked the blade free, not even sure what I planned to do with it, but it had been my salvation on Earth and it would serve me well here. Almost too scared to look at it, I tossed it into the sand.

  You make me do this. Uncle’s words. They burned through me like acid.

  I didn’t ask for it. I’d only wanted to be left alone.

  I stared down at the switchblade, and my gaze blurred.

  My knife. Me.

  Predator. Prey.

  Malik dropped to his knees beside me, and his breath burst from his lungs. “Are you all right?” Sweat trickled down his face as his gaze locked on mine.

  I wasn’t all right. How could I ever be all right? Somehow, just like with Uncle, I did this. I made this happen. It was all me.

  I winced, wishing I could cower in a corner somewhere and hide. But I couldn’t run any longer. I needed to be strong, for Joe if not for myself.

  The fact that I had turned into a quivering weak thing made me angry. I couldn’t stop myself from lashing out. “How can I be all right?” I scrambled for my knife.

  He got to it first and lifted it out of my reach, distaste twisting his lips. “What are you going to do with it?” His eyes honed in on mine, and he shuddered. “Ahh, Lesha. Tell me.”

  Horror burst inside me, and my shaky
legs wouldn’t support my attempts to rise. I sunk to my butt, extending my hand toward my knife with my palm exposed. “Give it over.” I didn’t dare let it out of my reach. It was the only thing that had kept my uncle at bay. Otherwise, he would have…

  Malik’s shoulders fell, and the hand holding the knife shook so badly he almost dropped it. “I don’t understand. Please?”

  He kept pressing, trying to make me name things I only wanted to forget.

  “Why won’t you leave me alone?” I asked.

  “I can’t,” he whispered. He lifted my hand to his chest and pressed it against his ribs. The rapid thud of his heart blended with the raging rhythm of mine, connecting us through my skin.

  “While I appreciate what you just did,” I jerked my head back but couldn’t bring myself to break his hold, “you can’t do anything about this.”

  “This isn’t only about Riley, is it?”

  “I can’t tell you.” No one had believed. No one offered to help. Only forcing the issue through the courts had set me and Joe free. Thankfully, they’d agreed I could take care of myself and Joe. They’d let us move into the Bunker to wait.

  Uncle? I hadn’t seen him since.

  “I can keep secrets.” The pleading in his eyes became my undoing.

  Putting the memories into words gave them power. I choked down the fear clinging to my throat.

  “Please, Lesha.”

  “There was a riot. In the streets. Mom had…” Why had she done it? “ReGreen talked her into going.” My voice cracked. “Then all hell broke loose. Mom made Joe and I hide in a dumpster. We watched while she was shot and killed.” Wails filled my chest like they had then. But just like before, I held them inside so the police wouldn’t find us. “Our uncle stepped up and said we could live with him.”

  It had almost seemed perfect. At least we’d stay together until it was time to leave for Eris.

  “What happened?” Malik’s quiet words hung between us.

  My shoulders trembled as tension coiled tightly inside me. “It… He…” Damn. My gaze slid from Malik’s.

  He nodded like he understood, but how could he? I barely understood it myself. “I’ll kill him for you.”

  My laughter snorted out. “Kinda hard to do that considering he’s back on Earth.” Was he dead? I hoped so.

  “I’ll do anything to protect you. You must know that.”

  My heart stalled. Wildness rushed through me.

  His hand rose and stroked my face.

  An ache bloomed in my chest and wormed its way to my toes.

  His brown eyes sank into mine.

  We stayed that way, the soft pull of air filling and releasing from our lungs the only sound between us.

  Leaning forward, he kissed my forehead, his lips lingering on my skin. His hands cupped my face, and his mouth hovered so close I could meet his if I chose. I shook, overwhelmed with longing.

  “I won’t push you,” he whispered. “Ever. But if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” He rose and extended his hand.

  Without hesitation, I took it, letting him pull me up beside him. We stood together, skating a few inches apart.

  Filling the space between us, I rested my face against his chest and sank into his heat while savoring the feeling of being close to him. He smelled of smoke. Spice. Something wild.

  I wrapped my arms around his waist and sighed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  As the day grew, so did the heat.

  “Did you get your gun back?” I asked Malik as we walked back to the ship.

  “Wasn’t on Riley, and he wouldn’t tell me who he left it with.”

  Of course. That would be too easy.

  We held hands. I cupped my other over my eyes and squinted up at him. “Will you do something for me?”

  “Anything.”

  Everything inside me warmed. “Will you teach me to defend myself?”

  He tugged me around to face him. “We can train all day if you want.”

  My smile jumped from inside me, and damn, it felt good. “I don’t think I’ll need that much help. I trained some during orientation.”

  “We can work in the evenings when it’s cool.”

  I glanced at the area where I’d last seen Riley. My brightness faded as tension spun in my belly. “What did you do with him?”

  A web fell across Malik’s face. “Killed him.”

  “You did?” I gasped, and a wicked thrill shot through me. Was it wrong of me to wish someone dead, even Riley?

  “Well, no.” He sighed. “I wanted to but didn’t think it was a great idea. I warned him off.” He stroked my face with his fingers. “He damned well better leave you alone from now on.”

  “Riley told me something horrible.” Sand stretched ahead of us forever, blanketed in shimmering heat waves. “He said we’re Paired. That this thing”—I slapped my hand over my implant—“will make me want to be with him.”

  Malik halted, and his lips twisted.

  “It can’t be true,” I said. “They wouldn’t force relationships. Would they?”

  “I heard rumors about forced pairings, but I don’t know if they’re true or not.” His eyes dropped to the ground. “I didn’t have that kind of clearance.”

  The thought of being with Riley, knowing inside I hated him but at the same time welcomed him…I shook my head. I’d run, hide. I didn’t know what I’d do, but I wouldn’t be with him.

  I could cut out my implant. That would end this horror with one slash. But they were made to boost our immune systems. Would I die from a simple germ if I dug it out?

  “There’s got to be a choice,” I said.

  Releasing my hand, Malik pulled ahead of me. “I’m banking on it.”

  I caught up with him. “Did you find Piper?” I told him about the sounds I’d heard, the person I thought I saw, although talking about someone being out here with us and not coming to the ship made me feel stupid.

  His features tightened, and the pain in his eyes hit me like a knife in the chest. “I didn’t find her.”

  Hands shaking, I looked around. “You mean she’s still lost? We’ve got to—”

  “She’s dead.”

  “What?” I’d only known her a short time, but the pain of her loss made me ache all over. “What happened to her?”

  Insects hummed in the bushes nearby. He stared toward the vegetation with shadows filling in his eyes. “I don’t know exactly, but she’s not coming back. No one comes back after…” His voice croaked.

  “After what?”

  “If you don’t mind waiting, I only want to say it once and I need to tell everyone.”

  Ahead, the ship glistened in the sunlight like a crumpled silver beast. “I thought we’d be safe waiting here, but I’m beginning to think no place is safe on Eris.”

  Where was Dad? He should have been here by now. The thought that something was wrong…

  “I wish I could make sense of all this.” Squinting into the desert, he ran his finger across the crossbow he carried in the crook of his arm. “I don’t mean the crash, the colonists not coming for us, the snake, but…everything. It keeps me awake at night.”

  “I’m scared.” For Joe, for him, and for my friends.

  He whistled through his teeth. “I’ve got a plan, and it’s time to put it into action. When we get back, pack your stuff. Walking in the sun will be a challenge, but we can’t wait here any longer.”

  I reeled back, taking in his square jaw and his thinly spread lips. The dread of the unknown scrambled inside me. “You don’t think the colonists are coming for us, do you?”

  “They’d be here now if they were.”

  “Where can we go?”

  “The mountains. It’s the only landmark in sight.”

  East. The blue-green peaks rose in the distance. They were so far from here. We’d die before we made it halfway. While I’d risk myself, I wouldn’t risk my brother. “It’s too dangerous. We’ll starve.”

  “Distance in the
desert can be deceiving. I think our food will last long enough to reach them if we leave right away.”

  I fidgeted with my zipper. My anxiety rose, feeding my indecision. Dad and the colonists were coming. They’d look for us here. We’d only be safe if we stayed with the ship.

  He cupped my face. “Do you trust me?”

  I nodded. “We don’t have much water. Walking in the desert… Dehydration will kill us before we starve.”

  “I may be able to help with that.” He took my hand and tugged me behind him. We stopped beside a cluster of thick bushes, and he pointed. “I set this up yesterday. Check it out.”

  Dropping to my knees, I crawled forward. “What is it?”

  He’d laid a piece of plastic across the ground beside a clump of shrubbery, pinning the plastic in place with rocks around the outer edges. A small stone sat in the center, causing the plastic to dip down.

  He lowered himself to the ground beside me and removed the stones from the edges before carefully peeling back the plastic, revealing a deep, moist hole. The orange bowl I’d teased him about sat inside with shriveled mounds of torn dune grass and leaves lying around it.

  Lifting the bowl, he offered it to me. “Try.”

  I curled my lips and stared at the gray liquid sloshing in the bottom. “What is it?”

  “Water.”

  My eyebrows rose. “You made water out here?”

  He grinned. “It’s something I learned during my time in an Earth desert. Create condensation with no way to evaporate, and the sun extracts the water for you.” He urged me on with a tap on the cup. “It’s completely safe. Promise.”

  “If you say so.” I swished the liquid around before tasting it. Hot and brackish. Tilting the cup, I took another sip. It went down easy, moistening my parched throat. “It tastes green.” I drank more and offered him the rest. “Not bad.”

  A few sips drained the cup. He pushed the folded plastic into his back pocket and clipped the bowl to his belt loop. “It’s not much, but some each day will help. I have lots of plastic, and I can get more containers from the ship.”

  I nudged his shoulder. “You didn’t tell me you were brave and smart.”

  Color filled his face. He gestured to the desert. “Even in a dry climate, plants contain moisture. Sometimes you have to improvise with what nature gives you if you want to survive.”