Hi, I'm back with another chapter. You probably know what I'm going to say, I love this chapter (Like all of the). But I owe all of this to Illima Todd.

Nine

"So what did you do today?" Kai asked me. We were standing in the kitchen and I was putting away the cheese and crackers I'd left out. I held a rag in my hand and was clearing off the side. I scraped some cheese of the side.

"Well, me, Pua and your mom went to the batch tower and found all the baby clothes. We got blankets and stuff as well," I told him, "What about you?" I threw the rag in the sink and turned to him.

"Well, I caught Theron on his way up to breakfast; we talked about what had happened. Then I went for a run." He told me. I took in a short breath as baby kicked; I placed a hand over it and was rewarded with another, "Baby kicking?" I smiled and nodded.

"She was restless last night." Kai came to me and I put his hand under mine. Suddenly the door flew open and Pua stood before us. She looked between us, smiled, then her face changed. She looked worried, "What is it?" I asked her.

"One of the surrogates went into labor ten minutes ago," She told us; I knew they were due in a few weeks but not this early, "Miri said to come get you." I nodded then went to get my shoes. Kai was right behind me. We raced down the stairs and out of the building. Pua walked in front of us while Kai stood right by my side. We were at the Core Building in moments. The surrogates were on the ground floor and we raced through the corridors. Pua steered us to a room with dimmed lights. There was one of the surrogates on the bed and Miri was running around the room.

"Her name is Jade." Pua whispered to me. The surrogate, Jade, had her eyes pinched shut, she couldn't see that we'd entered but she probably heard us. Miri turned to us when we entered.

"Kai, you go entertain yourself. Pua, Nine, you guys can help." I turned to Kai and gave him a kiss before he left. Pua went to Jade's side and held her hand. I went to Miri.

"What can I do?" I asked her. She was at a closet and came out with a handful of towels. I took them from her and she pointed over to the bed. I went over and heard Pua talking to Jade.

"How old are you?" Pua asked, I nearly dropped the stack when she answered with, 16. Pua gave her a weak smile, "Don't worry, Nine here's 18." Jade turned to me and I gave her a smile. I placed the towels at the foot of the bed and sat next to them.

"Do you know if any of your family is here?" I asked her. She shook her head. She had long dark hair like Puas.

"I don't, I hope so though. Why do people call you Nine? It's a batcher name, and you have red hair." Her face changed so her nose was slightly scrunched and she pinched her eyes shut. I looked to Pua who mouthed the word contraction. I nodded and after a moment Jade reopened her eyes.

"Well, I was a batcher then on my way to the Remake Facility my shuttle crashed in the ocean. I found my way to Pua's island and lived there. Later on I joined the Rise and now I'm here." I told her the story as best I could. She nodded and her eyes caught on my stomach.

"Are you here because you're a surrogate?" She asked me. Pua looked about to laugh but held it in.

"No, when I was on the island I…um, well I fell in love with Pua's brother. Then we got married and now…" I trailed off and just poked my stomach. Jade let out a chuckle. Pua was also smiling. Miri came over and moved the towels from the foot of the bed to the top, next to Jade's head.

"I'll move them, don't worry," Miri told her when Jade's eyes caught on the stack next to her; "They'll end up on the floor when your waters break." I nodded as the pieces clicked. Jade settled back into place and I only just noticed that she was clutching Pua hand. I could hardly imagine what she was going through with no family. I know I certainly couldn't do this without Kai. Jade turned to me again.

"That's nice, I had someone back at my island before they found us," Her eyes were distant, probably remembering so many things, "I hope I can find him. I hope he'll accept me after everything." Pua gave her a sad smile.

"I'm sure he will. He'll know you didn't have any choice. Plus you'll need help raising a baby." Jade laughed and blushed. I let out a soft laugh. Suddenly Jade's face turned stony and I saw her grip on Pua's hand tighten. Her chest was rising and falling very fast. Miri came over and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Pretty soon you'll have your baby." She told her. Jade looked scared and she let out a moan, "Jade, you have to listen to everything I tell you to do, okay?" Miri asked her. Jade have a brief nod and closed her eyes. Pus stood up and I knew I should too. Miri pulled the blankets off Jade so she could give birth. Jade was in a hospital gown. Jade let out another groan and I assumed it was another contraction, I knew they got worse.

"As soon as your waters break, it means baby is almost here," Miri said, I was glad I was here so I could be prepared for when I give birth. Miri told me and Pua to put each of Jade's legs in what she called stirrups. They held her legs up so Miri could help deliver the baby easily. The only thing we were waiting for now was for her waters to break. Finally after three minutes they finally did. Water gushed over the bed and onto the floor. Miri instructed me to put the towels on the floor. They instantly soaked up the liquid. Jade let out a soft whimper and Pua brushed some sweat of Jade's head.

"Okay," Miri started, "Jade, you need to push through the next contraction." Jade did as she was told and a few seconds later she started pushing. Her whole face scrunched up. She let out a small yelp and I went to her side. She relaxed a moment later as t he contraction ended.

"You're doing great." I told her. I brushed a hand over her forehead and my hand came back sticky with sweat. I looked over to Pua who was also smiling at me.

"Okay, push through the next one." Miri told her, "You're almost there." Jade let out a groan and started pushing again. Her body curled forwards when she pushed. She let out another yelp but it only lasted a few seconds. Her body relaxed again and she sank back into the bed.

"On your next push baby's head should be here," Miri told her, I was surprised it was going this fast but then again, it was early. Jade nodded quickly and waited, not a minute later she was in another contraction. She pushed and let out a groan that turned into a yell. "That's it, yes, almost there." Miri told her. Her voice died down to a gasp, and her chest rose heavily.

"One more push and baby will be here," Miri told her, "You're doing wonderful." Jade relaxed back into the pillow behind her, she stayed there for a few second while she rested. Another moment later she was alert and waiting. Finally she was pushing again and this time she yelled louder than the previous times.

"Stupid Freedom!" She yelled but it didn't last. Miri pulled away slightly and turned to a table she had pulled up. She grabbed a blanket off it and I knew the baby was here. I kept my eyes on Jade as she laid there catching her breath. Miri put the blanket next to her and turned and grabbed some scissors and some sort of clip. I heard her snip something and then she pulled the baby up and placed in on Jade's chest. Her eyes flickered open and her hands instantly came up to the baby. She placed a kiss on the baby's head and I smiled at her. The baby was small, but not small enough for it to be something to worry about. Miri handed me the blanket at I put it over the baby in Jade's arms.

"Congratulations," Miri told her, "You have a baby girl." I felt a happy tear slide into my eye and I brushed it away. All of our eyes were on Jade. She held the baby right under her nose and she whispered something that sounded that sounded like, I love you. Miri pulled her legs down and covered her and the blood with the blankets.

"Talia," Jade whispered, she looked around at all of us with a smile on her face. She spoke again. "My younger sister was named Talia. She died when she was two." We all smiled wider at her. We heard a soft knock on the door and I went over. When I opened the door and saw Kai I knew he'd just stood outside the whole time. I pulled him inside. Miri was taking the scissors over to the sink where she washed her hands off. She looked through the cupboards before she found what she was looking for. She pulled a plastic cup down and filled it with water. She took it over to Jade who drank it greedily.

"Kai," I started, "I can't wait for our baby to come." He pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my hair. Pua was talking to Jade and Miri stood to the side, watching the two, now three, girls. I led Kai over to the bed and Jade and Pua started laughing about something.

"Oh my gosh," Pua turned to me; "Your baby and Talia can be best friends! And if your baby's a boy, they could get married!" Jade started laughing and I turned to Kai. I knew he wanted a girl but I found him smiling too.

"You never know." He said. He draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, "Well, we're going to leave you now." I let him pull me out the door and through the hallways. I was so tired of walking so I stopped and leaned against the wall. Kai turned to me.

"You okay?" He asked. I took in a sharp breath and nodded; Kai rolled his eyes and scooped me into his arms. One arm was under my knees, the other was around my back. I laughed but let him walk me outside. I leaned my head against his chest and heard his heartbeat, "I love you Nine." He whispered. We were walking down the street and I didn't want Kai to carry me all the way home. The sun was starting to set and it was giving the sky a light pink color.

"Me to," I told him, I pulled my head up, "Okay, you can put me down now." I tried to pull out of his grip but he only tightened it, "Kai!" I tried to escape but he spun me around, forcing me to hold onto him. I laughed and kissed him on the side of his head. He stopped spinning me and continued to walk.

"You know," He started, he was looking ahead with a small smile on his face, "As much as I hate this place it's not bad with you here. It's definitely not home but I still think it'll be hard to leave all the work we've done here." Kai had always hated Freedom for as long as I could remember and I felt the same way on Mahawai. But being here and experiencing everything the people were going through had changed my mind. It wasn't bad here; it was the people that were here that were bad. But with Eri gone things had changed and it wasn't so bad anymore. We walked down the street and passed someone with yellow hair. It wasn't super weird because there was such thing as blond hair. I looked up at Kai and saw a look of pity cross his face when he saw the girl.

She looked at us and her face changed to a look that I read as confused. I knew we probably looked strange, me in his arms strolling down the street. I knew when we passed people their eyes clung to Kai and his different skin tone, you could tell it wasn't remade skin and it drew a lot of attention. My stomach also drew attention but when I lay down or was on my back, like now, you could hardly tell I was pregnant. When the girl passed us and I knew we were out of earshot I continued to talk.

"I think it'll be sad to leave, but I can't wait to get back to Mahawai. I don't think it'll be sad to leave this place, but I think it'll be sad to part ways with some of the people. Though I don't doubt some of them will come back with us. There are just other people here that I feel sad leaving," Kai nodded, "But I know everyone here will be okay when we leave them. It'll be better here; they'll know what true happiness is like." Kai kissed my hair and his footfalls were a familiar, gentle song.

"I feel the same way, though I can't wait to get back to Hemi and Tama," He told me, "My mom tries to hide it but she's really aching for them, especially Tama. If we're here long enough he might grow to think Joramae's his mother, he might not remember mom. Dad as well, I know he misses them, and the island. Did you know that our house there was the one he grew up in?" I shook my head, I didn't know that.

"I can't wait to get back in the water," I told him, I saw a smile creep up Kai's face, "And when she's old enough you can teach Lani to swim. Kai!" A thought came into my head and Kai looked down at me with a puzzled face. My eyes darted back and forth as though pieces of a puzzle were clicking together.

"Yes…" He asked me.

"Well, we obviously can't live and raise children in your parent's house. Which means, when we get back to the island we'll need a house of our own." Kai nodded. He smiled down at me and I bit my lip, I didn't want it to seem like I wanted to just ditch his parents. I didn't want that, I loved his family.

"I didn't even think about that," He told me, I smiled and put on a proud face before he looked at me skeptically and I replaced it with a grin, "When we get back we'll obviously still have to live with my parents but we'll build our own place, I promise." I nodded and knew we were getting close to the apartment.

"Kai, can it be near the water?" I asked him, I knew that a year ago I would've thought the water was the last place I wanted a house, but now it was a sanctuary. I loved swimming and I missed it so much.

"Of course we can," Kai told me. I saw the apartment out of the corner of my eye, "I'll gave to teach Lani how to swim then." I nodded and giggled at the idea. Kai would probably take her out to the water as soon as we get back, no matter her age. I sighed at the prospect of being back in the warm, breezy weather again. I missed the smell of water when you stood on the beach. The sand that got stuck between our toes, the laughter and freeness the whole family shared.

I couldn't wait to get back, and I knew we would.

Kai

Me and Nine were at our kitchen table, each with pencils in hand. We had the plans in the middle of the table in front of us. Nine said she wanted the house by the water which meant it'd need extra support if the tide ever got super high. The sketch in front of us was far from perfect but it was how we wanted the house to look.

"What if it's kind of on stilts and there's a bowl type thing below the house. We could keep the fish and stuff we catch there. It the water ever raises we'll be safe in the house but we'll lose the food though." Nine told me, I added some stilts to the house and scratched my head.

"We could have a cover, or lid over the bowl to keep everything safe." I told her, She nodded, "And we won't want Lani getting under the house and into it." Nine looked over at me with wide eyes. I laughed so she'd know I was joking. Her freckles shifted into a relieved smile. She hit my arm.

"Don't joke around like that," She said, "But that is a good idea. It'll also keep animals out." I nodded.

"So, do you want the porch to go along the whole front of the house or just by the door?" We knew the basic shape we wanted the house to be. We wanted four bedrooms, as we both wanted a big family. There would be one bathroom to make building things easier. We'd have a joint living room and kitchen so we wouldn't have to spend more time and material making two separate rooms. Nine tapped a finger on her chin.

"I think I want it to go along the whole front so we can have some chairs on it. We could watch the kids play without having to be in the sun." I felt my heart pick up a beat when she mentioned more than one child. What if we had twins like mom? That would probably be hard to deal with the first time around. We'd have to take care of two babies while we're here in Freedom. We'd have to bring two kids with us back to the island. We'd have to have two kids living in my parents' house, Theron would also be there. We'd have ten people living in the four bedroom house.

Theron and Pua would probably build their own place as well; they'd be married and be starting their own family.

"I agree. Let's do the whole front then." I adjusted the sketch so we had a full view of the front of the house. I added support beams to the corners of the porch roof, "There, anything else my dearest." Nine looked at me with tight-lipped smile, and then looked back to the sketch.

"Negative, my…" Her eyes darted back and forth, "My…chosen." I dropped my head into my hands and laughed. Nine let out a laugh as well. I brought my head up to meet her gaze.

"Is it really that hard to find an endearing name for me?" Nine pinched her lips together and I let out a huff, "I thought I knew you better." Nine laughed and dropped her head to the table. Her red hair fanned out around her. I watched her laugh for a moment before she settled herself back into an upright position. I folded my arms, this apartment was small and Freedom was so big.

"We should go somewhere." I stood up from my seat and held out a hand for her. I pulled her out of her seat so we were facing each other, "Freedom's so big and I've seen so little, take me somewhere." Nine placed a quick kiss on my lips.

"You're forgetting I haven't seen much of it myself. I lived in the Batch Tower all my life then I ended up on Mahawai," She told me, "But there was that one day me and Theron got to come out for a day."

"Well, let's go." I told her. I looked out the window and saw the sun was dipping under the ocean but it didn't stop my determination. I pulled Nine towards the door and she pulled her shoes on, giving in to my want. I pulled my shoes on as well and pulled the door open. Nine went out and I followed behind her. I felt my pocket and felt the door key. I locked the door before I closed it. Me and Nine went to the stairs and commenced our way down. We had to travel down three floors and if it was tiring for me then it must be even more for her. This was the only downside for leaving the building. I placed my hand on Nines lower back and we went down the stairs.

When we finally got to the bottom I waited a few seconds for Nine to catch her breath. I pulled the front door open and we were met with a cold breeze. The season was changing into fall and the days were just turning colder. I knew that Mahawai would be having the perfect temperature right now. Nine looped her arm through mine and pulled me down the street. We were headed in the general direction of the hospital but we were going somewhere completely different.

"Are you happy?" I asked Nine, "I know you didn't want to have kids in Freedom and I knew you never really wanted to come back here in the first place." She searched for an answer before turning to me.

"Yes, I am," She smiled, "I didn't want to come back to Freedom knowing how messed up it was but now we can fix it. I'm glad to have a hand in that. And baby here, I'm more than happy with her. I only hope we can fix some of Freedom so, if she does in fact grow up here, it won't all be twisted." Nine faced forwards to see where we were going. We were passing a bright red building with a silhouette of a person. The person wasn't a complete silhouette though, it had white swirls and patterns along its body and I guessed this was a place to get tattoos.

"Good, I know we'll fix some of this for Lani," I always said her name as a reminder that she really was mine, that I'd named her, that she'd be mine forever, "I won't let her grow up in a place that'll teach her something fake. We'll help her though." Nine steered us down another unfamiliar street and the sky was turning to a dark blue. We could no longer see the ocean. "I love you. I know you'll be a wonderful father." Nine whispered. I kissed her hair and I felt so happy. I'd known other girls before Nine but they were all obviously wrong. I'd tried to take some out to the water and they just didn't have the same fascination with it that Nine did. They didn't understand why I was always so closed off about things; I didn't understand why they were so open about things. But everything changed when I met Nine. She was perfect. She was everything I wasn't and everything that completed me.

"And I know you'll be a perfect mother." I told her. I turned us left, down a road that looked comical. There was an orange brick road and murals along the buildings lining the road. The street lamps glowed a soft blue color instead of the normal yellow. The murals were more than I could ever do. The colors were more vibrant and the details were more exact. The murals included one of Freedom. There was a picture of the ocean, but only instead of fish and coral, this one was filled with bodies. It wasn't a super gruesome picture; the people looked like people from a comic book. I still grimaced at the facade Freedom had put on the ocean. I kept walking evenly though I felt like turning around. I looked to Nine and saw a frown on her face as we passed the ocean mural. There was another one coming up. It was one of a batch. There were ten mails and ten females all in a line. They had shaved heads but you could still tell their gender. We passed this one and the buildings came to an end. We were at a crossroad and I no longer had any sense of where we were. Nine pulled us right and we were met with an empty street. There weren't even any buildings. There was a long road and we started walking down it timidly. There wasn't very good lighting on this road. There was a railing stretching down the end of the road and it had a perfect view of the ocean. It wasn't a very good view as there was a barbed fence in the way. Me and Nine walked to the railing and looked out at the crashing waves. The wind whipped our faces and Nines hair billowed behind her, making her head seem to be on fire.

I studied Nine's face and saw a note of determination written on it as she looked out at the water. I knew she was thinking of Mahawai, I was too. I turned to face the water and mist sprayed on my face. I closed my eyes and it was so easy to picture myself back home. But something was different this time as I thought about it. I thought for a moment before it clicked. I didn't miss it as much. I knew I'd finally accepted that we might be stuck here forever. But I didn't care, as long as I was with Nine. It'd be hard not to be there but it would be even harder to be apart from Nine. I knew I had to say something to Nine because I knew she worried about me. I knew she worried about me missing the island and wanting to go back.

"Nine, I don't miss the island as much," Nine turned to me and she had a look of surprise, "I just mean, I think I've finally accepted that we might be stuck here. And guess what? I don't care. I'll be happy where ever you are. I don't want you to worry about us getting back to the island. If it makes more sense for us to be here then we'll stay. You don't have to try to make everything right for me, or it might not be right for you. You are the sunshine that makes my life bright, the breeze on a hot, sticky day. You are my world; everything about me revolves around you. You make me right, and for all that I love you. I will love you till the day I die and even after. Even if we don't escape this prison I will be content anywhere you inhabit."

Nine studied my eyes and a moment later her lips were on mine. It was a brief kiss to show me that she was really happy with what I'd said, "Kai, I love you to and I'll go wherever you want me to go. But I never wanted you to resent me if we get stuck here. But what you just said has suddenly lightened that burden. Thank you. But if you ever want to go back I'll do whatever I need to do to get us there. Gosh, I'll even learn how to sail." I laughed and pulled her into an embrace. Nines fingers wrapped themselves into my shirt and I ran a hand down her hair.

"Let's go home."