"We shouldn't be here," said Jane. Her protest fell on deaf ears again. She'd been pleading her friends to take her back home, to take her anywhere except here. They were nearing the barbwire fence, which separated the known from the unknown. Her father had told her never to cross. Beyond it was a place filled with people who still doubted the new system. Beyond it was a civilization left on its own, uncared, and never to be let inside unless they accepted the truth. They had no name, they had no real reason for their decisions, and they had nothing. But that didn't mean they meant no harm.
"Relax," a voice crept from behind her. Jane spun around and saw Luke holding a box of matches. He dropped onto Jane's palm and added, "This is the only place we won't be seen." He winked, brushed his brown hair away from his face, and smiled. Jane had to look away and make a curtain out of her hair to stop him from seeing her blush.
"We won't be seen if we get killed," said Jane, wrapping her arms around her. The sound of the silent night made her ears ring. The night was chilly and the noises beyond the fence turned the night she'd normally find beautiful into a terrifying thing.
Luke sighed and pointed to the pile of wood sitting on his feet. "When was the last time someone got killed because of them?" he asked, nodding toward the darkness that waited across the fence. "Besides, it's probably -."
He was cut off and thrown back when Alicia, the group's so-called leader, threw a stone at the fence. In seconds, the fence lit up and turned the stone into tiny, crumbled pieces. The quietness of the night instantly turned into an earsplitting noise.
"It is," said Alicia. "Now stop being so whiney." Her eyes dropped to the pile of wood. She then sighed, gave Jane a look of disappointment, and walked away.
Jane never understood why Alicia granted her permission to join their group. They were all skilled, independent, and actually prepared for anything. Jane stuck out like a sore thumb; she never learned how to do all those things. She was hiding behind the curtain her father had graciously created for her. Jane was unlike her friends who had to learn how to survive.
Maybe Alicia let her in just because her father Adam told her to.
Adam was always nice to Jane even if she was the daughter of his previous love and even if she carried the same genes of the same man he once despised. She'd seen him around but she never got to really know him. Sometimes she'd catch herself wishing her mother had chosen him instead. Adam seemed like a better father. Adam had time for his family. Unlike someone.
"Hey," snapped Luke, but instantly softened his tone. "The fire."
"Oh, right," stammered Jane, fumbling to open the box. She failed miserably when the matches fell to the ground. There was no way she'd find all of them in the darkness.
Much to her surprise, Luke laughed. "Let me do it," he insisted, striking the match against a stone. He did it so easily. The pile of wood now crackled and glowed with its bright fire licking the wind.
"Sorry," muttered Jane.
"You don't have to apologize for not being yourself today," replied Luke, smiling sympathetically at her. "I can tell something's up."
She sighed and sat on the ground. "I just – I don't know, Luke. I've been waiting for something to happen – you know, to my dad – but he's not getting it. He says he wants to understand me, but when I open up, bam! He forgets what I said and he forgets about me."
Luke sat next to her and pulled his knees to his chest. "Well."
"Well, what?" she demanded.
"Well," he said again. "I don't know what to say."
"Isn't this when you tell me I should talk to him and sort things out once and for all?" she asked, bumping her knee with his. He looked up and smiled lightly. "Because that won't work, Luke. It never works. He's too busy to try to make it work."
Luke's mouth twitched upward. "Do you see that fence, Jane?" he asked, pointing at it. Jane nodded and raised her eyebrows at him. When she opened her mouth to say something, Luke raised his hand and held it in front of her face. "Your dad placed that fence. He did it to protect us – to protect you. Maybe you're seeing it as something that's stopping you from doing what you want, but maybe you're looking it at the wrong way."
As a response, she rolled her eyes. "But I'm safe inside the fence!"
"Are you?" He raised an eyebrow and extended his arms to his sides. "Jane, if this is what you call safe, then I think you have a pretty messed up idea of what's really going on." He pulled something out from his jeans – a gun. "There's a reason why we bring this around."
"But I don't need a gun," she protested. "I have -."
"You have a gift," he finished. "I know that. You can counter an attack, big deal."
She was a bit offended. "I just wish he cared."
"Your wish has been granted, Jane," reminded Luke. "It's been granted since the day you were born."
She had no reply to that. Deep inside, she knew it was true.
Their other friends were coming up the hill now, carrying bags of food and blankets. Instantly, Jane felt like she'd been shrunk ten times. They all looked so menacing to her. She'd been in the group for more than a month now, but most of the time she'd spent it with Luke. She knew their names: Josephine, Kipp, and Beans, but aside from their personalities, that was the only thing she was sure she knew about them.
"Hellooooo," Beans' voice erupted. He waved his hands frantically in the air. Luke waved back at him and Jane managed a small wave, which was more like an unnoticeable movement of the fingers. Beans had a real name that no one knew about. His hair was curly and his body was chunky, and he had a smile that could light up an entire town. He was also the nicest one to Jane, but that didn't really matter – he was nice to everyone.
Behind him was Josephine, the toughest girl Jane knew. She insisted her name was wrong and that she should have been called something fiercer. She had a gift, too, but kept it a secret from everyone. Her hair was in tight braids that night, violently slapping against her cheeks as the wind blew her direction. She was a beautiful girl with a wicked heart.
Finally, there was Kipp. He was quiet, but when he said something, it was meaningful. He was a wise guy. He'd laugh to himself which made people wonder if he was crazy. He found joy in being alone, and Jane found that interesting about him.
"What took you guys so long?" demanded Alicia, stomping her foot down. "You know we can't stay here too long. The patrols will run by here at three in the morning."
"Well, sorry," sneered Josephine. "I didn't know the princess was waiting."
Alicia rolled her eyes. "Just set up."
"Make me," challenged Josephine. She dropped the bags of food she was holding and clenched her fists. "You didn't have to bring so much stuff, unlike us."
"I'm sorry, but who found this spot in the first place?" replied Alicia, stepping closer. "If I hadn't snuck in and checked the files, we wouldn't even have this place all to ourselves."
"Well -!"
"Okay!" Beans clapped his hands together. "Now that we're all here, why don't we start roasting our –," he stopped to grab a bag of food, "marshmallows!"
Josephine scoffed. "That's so childish."
"But it's delicious," added Luke, reaching for the bag. He stabbed one with a stick and, smiling, handed it to Jane.
"It's a burnt piece of…sugar," said Josephine, rolling her eyes. She grabbed one from the bag and threw it into the fire. "I can't see how that's delicious."
"Just – oh, just deal with it, Josephine!" snapped Alicia, brushing past her and holding her marshmallow to the fire. "If you didn't want to come here, then you should've stayed home."
Josephine opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter any sound, any word, something exploded from up ahead. It was earsplitting and shattering. Alicia hushed the group and ran forward to see what it was, and when she turned her head, her face clearly showed horror.
"Rebels," she gasped. "They're burning down the trees. They're burning down houses."
"We need to go," muttered Josephine as she started to run down the hill, "Now!"
In an instant, the group rushed to gather their things. They had to cover up their traces. No one had to know they were there. It was illegal to be there in the first place. Kipp and Beans bolted down the hill, carrying as much as they could, and then jumped into the van with Josephine driving. Alicia cursed loudly when she remembered that her pickup truck had to be warmed up before it could run. She commanded Luke to run to the truck and get it ready, and so he did without saying another word.
Jane's heart was beating extremely fast. What was going on? What rebels? What could she do? She'd never been in a situation like this. All those quiet nights were harmless and lonely, but this one was extremely far from that. If she'd get kidnapped, who knows what they'd demand for? Her vision began to cloud and her knees trembled. Alicia snapped something at her, but she couldn't make out what it was. She was feeling dizzy. The loud noises around her were only muffled sounds in her head.
Finally, Alicia pulled her and began to run. They ran down the hill, their feet being propelled by clouds. They were halfway down the hill when something exploded, making them both fall on their backs and momentarily lose their sense of hearing.
Jane struggled to get up on her elbows. She couldn't see anything ahead except for fire and smoke. The rebels were getting closer. They would soon kill her. Beside her, Alicia lay limp as a rag. Jane reached out to shake her, but when she did, her arm felt like it was being pinched by needles and pounded by hammers. She withdrew her arm and clutched it to her chest.
And then she ran. She ran away from the fires and blasts and into the thick trees. She couldn't see anything in front of her but darkness. It smelled of moss and dirt and trash and everything in between. Desperately, she held her hand in front of her to guide her. She hand crunched when it hit the trunks of trees and she had to bite her lower lip to stop herself from screaming.
Suddenly, something grabbed her wrist. She pulled away but couldn't. She thrashed and screamed and kicked and yelled for help, but a hand clasped on her mouth before she could do anything else.
And then there was light.
In front of her was a man, holding a flashlight above her face, looking at her with concern. Her thoughts were too clouded. It took her a moment to realize it was him. It was Adam.
She had to fight to urge to throw her arms around him and cry.
"Jane?" he said like he couldn't believe it. "What are you -?"
"I believe that question would be more suitable if it was addressed to you, Kent," a voice loomed from behind.
Jane turned her head. A feeling of relief rushed in her heart. He was here. He actually came here. He was looking for her. He actually cared. She wanted to bury her face in his chest and hug him and let him take her home, to where her mother was. But that feeling was quickly replaced with fear. He'd found out where she was. He knew what Jane was doing with her friends. He was raising a daughter who went against the law.
Jane could feel his disappointment.
"Stay away from them, Jane," said Warner, grabbing his daughter by the elbow. "Stay away from him."
"But -."
Jane's eyes followed Adam as he disappeared into the darkness. What did her father mean by 'stay away from him'? Adam was a good guy. Adam was there for her. He was much, much better than her own father. What could possibly be dangerous about him?
Jane allowed him to take her home. She was dragged into a van, and she hoped her father would sit with her and talk. She wanted him to say something, anything. But he had to stay. He had to take control. He had to do his job. He had to abandon his daughter.
Looking out the window, she watched her father's silhouette grow smaller and smaller as they accelerated on the road. He had his back to her and he was instructing several armed men to attack. It was the only image of Warner to Jane - strong and deadly. She envied the children who had images of their fathers embracing them, loving them, being with them. But she was Jane Warner, and things were different.
She was wrong. He didn't care. He wasn't looking for her. He was just doing his job.
It was the only thing he knew how to do.
