The Unknown

xliii. truth

Shaun stumbled to his feet and closed the distance in seconds, throwing his arms around Jade's shoulders. "I knew I'd see you again," he sighed, his voice heavy with relief.

Kyle and I exchanged a wary glance.

I watched closely as Shaun released Jade. She looked unchanged from the last time I'd seen her, just after our escape from the government complex. In fact, she was wearing the same clothes I'd given her from my closet when we'd stopped at my parents' house with Jessie.

The only difference was that she was also wearing a serene smile with a strange look in her eyes, as if she knew something no one else did. Something that had erased all stress, anxiety, and anger from her palette of emotions.

"I'm so happy to see you all again," she said dreamily, her eyes scanning each one of us.

"But where were you, Jade?" I rose from the ground and stepped cautiously toward her. "And where's Jessie? We found your backpacks. The leaves there were white and disintegrated into dust. Like they'd been scorched."

Her smile didn't falter, though something seemed to flicker in her gaze.

"They took you again, didn't they, Jade?" I said slowly. "What did they do to you? Can you remember? How did you get here?"

"Tess," Shaun hissed. He whirled around and, to my surprise, stared daggers at me. "I'm sure she's been through enough. She doesn't need an interrogation right now."

He turned to Jade, took her hand, and towed her over to the fire. "You must be freezing," he said gently to her. "Alone in this wasteland..."

The rest of their whispers were lost in the wind.

"That's not Jade," Kyle said under his breath.

I looked up at him, an icy breeze sending goosebumps down my neck.

"The letter I stole said our cells could join with theirs," I said softly, my throat going dry. "I think that is Jade...but it might be something else, too."

My gaze wandered back toward the glowing fire. A jolt shot up my spine when I realized Jade was staring at me, almost as if she'd heard my whispers. She sat with Shaun by the crackling fire, her hands in his.

Zara openly stared at them in bewilderment, while Matt edged over to Kyle and me.

"Who is that girl?" He hissed, halting in front of us.

"Her name is Jade," I stated.

"You know her? How could she possibly find us out here?"

"She must have had help. Which means they know where we are, Kyle," I said, my heart sinking. "What do we do?"

"We're powerless," Kyle whispered, his eyes growing unfocused. "This is the risk we took by leaving the city. We have no choice but to keep going as we have been...and hope for the best."

"What are you talking about?" Matt huffed, his gaze flickering between us.

"I haven't told you everything, Matt, and that's not fair to you." I turned to him, my eyes trained on the ground. "I shouldn't have let you come with us. It seems like danger and suffering follow us no matter where we go. I was just so happy to see you again. To have another friend on my side. But now you're tangled up in all of this—"

He grabbed my shoulders, giving me a reassuring smile that I wasn't able to return. "It's okay. I want to be here. I couldn't stand that city for another second. But what haven't you told me?"

I took a deep breath, trying to ease my sudden lightheadedness. "We weren't only being hunted by the city government. There's...a species out there, and they might be coming for us. They aren't from Earth."

Matt started to smile his boyish, innocent smile. Then his mouth fell and his eyes opened wider as he realized I wasn't joking. His hands slid from my shoulders. He glanced quickly at Kyle, who gave a downward nod as if in confirmation.

Matt tried to play it cool, but there was shock in his eyes. He swallowed hard and looked over his shoulder at Jade. "So you think this...species...brought her here? What do they want from you?"

"If they know exactly where we are and want to take us, I bet they would have by now," Kyle muttered.

"They must have sent her to us for a reason..." I trailed off. "Maybe they want to keep a closer eye on us. Or maybe she's a messenger."

My teeth started to audibly chatter, so Matt suggested we return to the fire. There was a tense silence until the others drifted to sleep, eyes closing and breathing slowing.

It was my turn to keep watch over the blazing flames. I sat between Kyle and Matt with my arms wrapped around my knees, the moon glaring down overhead. The fire cast flickering shadows in the trees that kept me on edge. I tried to shut out all else, allowing myself to become transfixed by the dancing flames. For a moment, my lids unwittingly slid shut, blacking out the world.

That's when I heard a shuffling in the grass behind me. My eyes shot open, immediately darting to where Jade had settled beside Shaun. She wasn't there.

My head whipped around to find her standing behind me, staring up at the sky.

"You can see the stars much better out here than in the cities," she whispered. "There's no light pollution here. But they're even more beautiful from above." She turned and smiled at me.  There were tears leaking from her eyes, gleaming as they rolled down her cheeks. "It's indescribable."

My blood ran cold. Her stare didn't falter.

"Tell me why you're here," I commanded in a low voice.

She started stepping slowly toward me. Something about her approach felt menacing. I had to resist an urge to get up and run, sinking my fingers into the cold dirt beneath me.

"I was sent here," she said, her smile widening, "to find you all."

She eyed my face as I stared, waiting for her to elaborate.

"We're going to get everyone back together, Tess. You won't have to run anymore. All of your health defects will go away. You can live a normal and happy life." Her gaze shifted to something behind me. "With Kyle, of course. Or anyone else you like."

I realized I was breathing fast, almost hyperventilating. "You can't make promises that are impossible—"

She sat down a foot before me, crossing her legs. "You mentioned earlier that your cells can join with theirs. You're right about that." She stared into my eyes, her face brimming with happiness. "But it's not just that they can. As you've all developed, because of the modifications to your DNA, your cells have begun to require it. That's what's making you sick. Your bodies are failing. And it will only get worse, until you all—"

"Stop!" I shouted, clamping my hands over my eyes. There was a hitch in someone's snoring behind me.

She leaned forward to comb her fingers through my dirty, tangled mess of hair. I was too overwhelmed to swat her hand away, my chest heaving with each panicked breath.

"It's the truth, Tess. You're like ripe fruit ready for picking. If you hold out too much longer, you'll all rot."