The Child Thief 5: Ghost Towns Read online

  I smiled broadly. She’d probably be wishing she still had the wheelchair after all of this excitement.

  “Glad to be back in Team Hood headquarters,” Jackie quipped.

  I laughed. It did seem that Nelson and I had involuntarily had our dorm designated the new communal hangout area, given how often we were housing the entire team. But I didn’t mind, and I didn’t think Nelson did either.

  A second later, Jackie was the proud owner of her own external drive—with her sibling’s information on it.

  Nelson shoved the drive into her pad and pulled it up on the screen while Jackie sat beside her in an awed hush. I knew that feeling. I had been in her shoes just that morning. It was a strange feeling to learn so much about yourself and your family in just a few seconds, especially when we had been searching for the information for years. Jackie’s face was tense as Nelson typed, and then grew blank as she read. Then, once the information had begun to settle in, the years of worry and doubt suddenly started to disappear from her visage.

  “I can’t believe she’s so close,” she said.

  “Yeah, you and Robin are lucky in that way,” Nelson replied.

  “Really? Robin, where is your daughter?” Jackie asked.

  Close, but that doesn’t mean I’m lucky, I thought in response.

  “Nelson meant that my parents are close,” I said. “Hope is in Chanley.”

  “Chanley isn’t all that far away,” Jace said reassuringly.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “But it’s definitely not convenient. We could be recognized anywhere now that we’re wanted terrorists. Pretty sure we won’t be able to set foot in the capital without passing wanted posters with our faces on them.”

  Hope was somewhat close, true, but how would I ever be able to circumvent the type of Authority and Enforcer presence that would exist in Chanley? We would undoubtedly need foolproof disguises, and probably even more than that. It was a big reason that Nathan’s involvement was so seminal to the mission.

  “I know we’ll be able to form a plan,” Gabby offered. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking very much like the sixteen-year-old girl that she was. Even if I didn’t feel the same childish optimism, I would do whatever it took to accomplish our goals.

  “How did Alexy take the news?” I asked Nelson. After all, I hadn’t gotten to see Ant, Abe, or Alexy open their files.

  “Ask me yourself,” came a playful voice from the door.

  I turned and saw Alexy standing there with a smile. She struck a pose for a moment, then strolled into the dorm with Zion by her side.

  We had all been so eager to dive into our files once we received them from Nelson. Now we were bursting with new information about the people we had lost.

  As we all started excitedly talking about the information in our files, a few things became apparent: first, that the government didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason regarding where they redistributed kids. The distances between where the redistributed children in our files had been born and ended up ranged from a few hundred miles to two thousand. Second, that all of our children had been adopted quickly (my own adoption was the latest at two months). And third, that none of us were very fond of the new names our children had gotten.

  “Speak for yourselves,” Abe said during our conversation about this last point. “Ant and I got upgrades.”

  “Oh, come on,” Jackie said leadingly. “The originals couldn’t have been that bad. What were your birth names?”

  “Don’t tell her,” Ant shouted to his brother. “I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  “Not that it really matters,” Abe replied. “Since we don’t know which one of us was Linus and which one of us was Chester.”

  “Okay,” Jackie said, trying to hold in her laughter. “Maybe you were right about the upgrades.”

  We went through the information we had for hours before suddenly realizing that we should probably get to bed. Right before we decided to adjourn for the night, Alexy made an announcement.

  “Zion and I came for a reason, and it wasn’t just to laugh at Chester and Linus,” she said. Ant rolled his eyes. “We got some intel we thought you guys might be interested in.”

  “Intel?” I asked, scooting to the edge of my seat. “What have you heard?” My mind spun with possibilities. Did they have shocking new information through Artemis already? Or had Edgewood been compromised somehow after the showdown at Smally?

  “Don’t let her fool you like that,” Zion interrupted, obviously reading the intensity on my face. “It’s just about a stupid dance.”

  “A dance?” Gabby gasped. “What dance?”

  Alexy continued. “Nathan is planning a celebration of our successful mission for tomorrow. There’s a parade planned, then a formal dance.”

  Well, that didn’t seem too out of character for Nathan. After all, we had already had one festive get-together since we’d been at Edgewood. But this did seem a little different.

  “Formal?” Jackie asked, with one eyebrow raised. “Hope Nathan is cool with us making gowns out of our bedsheets. I definitely didn’t pack any dresses, and I don’t think any of us have ever even owned a ballgown, with the exception of Robin.”

  I shot her a pouty look in jest, but she was right. I even knew the difference between Chantilly lace and needle lace.

  But in regard to Jackie’s concern, I knew Nathan well enough at this point to expect that we wouldn’t be left in the cold.

  “I bet Nathan already has a plan for that,” I said.

  Alexy smiled in my direction. “You’d be right. Besides, have you guys ever wanted for anything in Edgewood?”

  “Other than our sanity? Guess not,” Ant quipped.

  We said our goodnights shortly thereafter. Jace was the last to leave and, sensing that he had something to say, I followed him out into the hallway.

  “Robin, I just wanted to apologize for how things happened this morning,” he said when we were alone.

  I shook my head. “You have nothing to apologize for, Jace. I shouldn’t have run out on you guys like that.”

  Jace put a strong, large hand on the back of my head and then pulled me in close until our foreheads were touching. Before he pulled away, he kissed me softly on the forehead.

  “He had no right to speak to you that way,” he said comfortingly.

  But I shook my head in response. “I forgot how stubborn and impulsive he can be,” I said, looking down at my shoes. “But a part of me can’t blame him. He must feel so alone out here. He walked away from his whole life to help us and ended up here by mistake. He hasn’t been a part of this operation long enough to understand why things can’t just move at the speed we want.”

  Jace cupped my chin in his hands and brought my face up to look me in the eyes. It was a dangerous position for me to be in, given my tendency to get lost in his gaze.

  “He had no right to speak to you that way,” he said, repeating himself. “And I’m sure he’ll realize that and come around soon.”

  My eyes grew misty. What had I done to deserve someone so sweet and supportive? And then, throwing caution to the wind, I pressed myself against him and pulled his face down to meet mine. Our lips had just barely grazed when the voice of Nelson came playfully through the door.

  “Would you two like some privacy? I could go bunk with Jackie.”

  Jace smiled at me, pulling away and grabbing my hands.

  “Sleep tight, Robin,” he said, stepping backward toward his own dorm. “And tell Nelson not to spy on us through the peephole anymore.”

  4

  I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart thudding away in my chest while my brain tried to come to terms with what was going on. It was dark, I had just woken up, and the clock on my nightstand showed that it was just after four in the morning. I looked over and saw Nelson sleeping soundly, a cascade of moonlight flowing over her face and blanket, and then began taking stock of our surroundings. No intruders. No noises. No reason to be panicking.

>   So what had happened?

  I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and tiptoed into the bathroom, careful not to wake Nelson from her sleep. In the bathroom, I shut the door and then flipped on the light. I turned the cold water on full blast and drank directly out of the faucet. Once I had my fill, I looked up and studied my reflection in the mirror.

  Dark blonde hair, tousled from sleep. Hazel-brown eyes. Small, slight features. The skin under my eyes was darker and puffier than usual, a sure sign of my fitful sleep over the last several nights… but for the most part everything looked normal.

  Just anxiety, I told myself. Nothing to fear. You’re just antsy to get started looking for Hope. And, I thought uncomfortably, you’re probably a little worried that we’ll have to save the whole world before finding Hope is even an option.

  I splashed some cold water on my face, but then realized my mistake. I needed to get back to sleep, not wake myself up. It wasn’t even five in the morning yet.

  I briefly considered strolling to Nathan’s office and just taking a seat, waiting for him to show up. But then I remembered Piper’s warning. Nathan was busy with other things, and most of them were probably dangerous, or important, or both. What right did I have to put myself above all of Edgewood?

  But then I pictured Hope’s newborn face again. I remembered the physical tearing I had felt in my heart when they pulled her out of my arms. I had to speak to Nathan, no matter what. After the celebration, I’d be in his office and waiting to speak with him.

  Or maybe, the little voice in my head countered, we just wait until the sun comes up. Then we can catch him before the parade starts. Surely the planning will be done by then.

  I had another long drink of water, turned the lights off, and then got back into bed. Then, through either exhaustion or sheer will, I managed to fall back asleep.

  A couple of hours later, I awoke to find Nelson hovering over me.

  “You going to sleep all day?” she asked thickly, a toothbrush hanging haphazardly out of her mouth. She was already showered and dressed and ready to go. “Or do you want to try to catch Nathan as much as I do?”

  I shot out of bed like a bullet. I had my hair and teeth brushed and clean clothes on in record time, my heart beating wildly as I tried to perform mundane morning tasks. I had only one thought in my mind the entire time: Maybe with Nelson’s help I’ll finally be able to speak to Nathan.

  When I was ready, Nelson threw a backpack over her shoulder and we headed out. We passed the dining hall without even discussing the possibility of stopping for breakfast. A full day had passed since we had discovered our daughters’ locations. We had given Nathan time to plan a parade, for goodness’ sake. It was time to start discussing our next mission. It helped to have Nelson beside me, as eager and anxious to speak to Nathan as I was. It made me feel less selfish for putting our mission front and center. We were here to make a big change, obviously, but that didn’t mean we had to ignore our own needs. It was time to find our families.

  Just as we rounded the corner and began heading toward the main street, a voice sounded out from behind us.

  “Not without me!”

  It was Jace. He bounded toward us in long, graceful strides, a smile beaming at us.

  “I knew you guys would be headed to see Nathan. I’ve been waiting in the dining hall for you,” he said. “I want to come.”

  I grinned. For every step of the way so far, Jace had been right there. And that had only intensified after we found out more about Hope. I knew it was important for him to be there to help—both logistically and emotionally. Hope wasn’t his, and he didn’t have to care.

  But he did. And I knew it was because he cared about me.

  I thought back to Henry’s reaction in the dining hall, remembering how quick he’d been to become angry and assign blame. And I knew that was partly because he was bonded to Hope, like I was. But Jace showed me what that reaction could’ve been: understanding, patience, and support.

  Maybe Jace could be there for Hope someday as well.

  “Let’s go, then,” Nelson said.

  We walked together to Nathan’s office, an electric excitement surrounding us. But we mostly stayed quiet, each of us awash in our thoughts. The peaceful scenes we passed in Edgewood made it easy to stay quiet and thoughtful. We could hear children chatting and playing in the schoolyard. People were contentedly strolling along the streets on their way to their assignments. And the beautiful sound of birdsong filled the sky above us. And then, before I knew it, we were walking through the doors of the hall leading to the tech room and Nathan.

  Nathan’s office door was cracked, a sliver of light and sound streaming into the hallway from inside. Nelson and I looked at each other for support, our glances indicating that we were of one mind, here. We were getting in there, no matter what.

  “Nathan is always busy,” Nelson said. “If we don’t ambush him, we won’t be able to speak to him at all until he has our next mission already planned.”

  “And,” I added, “at the very least, we’ll be able to ask him when we can come back.” We couldn’t leave this meeting up to fate any longer.

  Jace nodded solemnly. He respected Nathan a great deal, and I knew he would be uncomfortable barging in on him. But he was there to support us.

  I approached the door and steadied myself for what we were about to do. It had obviously been mostly shut for a reason, and I did feel self-conscious for intruding. But even if we got shooed out again, this time I’d at least make him tell me when I could come back. I promised myself that much.

  I curled my fist to knock, but the sound from within the office suddenly became clearer, and my hand stopped before touching the door. It was Corona’s melodic voice that I heard.

  “And anyway, we have no reason to doubt the tech,” she was saying. I had caught her in the middle of a statement, and judging from the tenor of her voice, it was an important one.

  “But we also have no reason to doubt what he saw,” Nathan replied, and his voice sounded strangely strained and distant, as if he was speaking with a fear that I hadn’t assumed him capable of.

  Nelson was close behind me now, and we shared a look with each other that seemed to agree on one point: we weren’t going to knock just yet. Not when Nathan was discussing something that made him sound so frightened.

  “You have a surveillance team with their eyes on the skies at all times, Nathan. We have cameras, drones, X-ray and thermal blocking, and the projection. Don’t you find it strange that there was only one person who saw a government ship over Edgewood?”

  My heart sank. Nelson sucked in a breath… and didn’t let it go.

  A government ship over Edgewood?

  Jace was standing awkwardly behind us, just far enough away to avoid eavesdropping.

  “Guys,” he whispered with unease. But Nelson and I didn’t move. Spying or not, this seemed important, and we needed to know.

  I had never seen an airship over Edgewood, and there was no reason for the government to have ships in this area. Unless they knew something. And if they did know something, how long could we truly have before we were attacked?

  What if we hadn’t gotten away from Smally safely? What if we had been followed? What if we were being watched at that very moment? The thought was chilling. And how would that affect our missions to retrieve our lost family members? Would Edgewood have to go on lockdown to be safe?

  “I have every faith in Piper. If he said he saw it, then it was here,” Nathan replied tersely.

  Piper? Could they be talking about the meeting I interrupted yesterday? If so, was that why Piper had refused me entry?

  “Even if it was here,” Corona was responding with conviction, “we have no reason to believe it saw anything. This is your tech, Nathan. You have to trust it.”

  “It’s Piper’s tech too, Corona,” came the response. “And he knows as well as I do that it’s not a hundred percent foolproof. Nothing is.”

  Nelson looked at
me, puzzled. I was thinking the same thing she was. The projection was Nathan and Piper’s tech? What exactly did Piper do in his past life? And one step further: if they knew it wasn’t foolproof, why had they built an entire city under it? Were we all in more danger than we’d ever realized?

  Suddenly, Jace’s fist was between us, rising up to rap on Nathan’s door, a scowl on his face. He wasn’t the type to eavesdrop like this, and he never had been. He preferred action.

  The conversation between Corona and Nathan immediately ceased. Then, Nathan’s voice, sounding much cheerier than it had just a few seconds before, called out to us.

  “Come in!”

  Jace pushed the door open and the three of us stood in the doorway. Jace was the first to make a move. He strolled into the office confidently, offering polite salutations.

  Nelson and I tried our best not to look like we were slinking in guiltily afterward.

  Nathan stood from his desk to greet us. But then I noticed with unease that he was picking up his phone and turning off his computer as well. Surely he wasn’t leaving.

  “Always a pleasure to see you all,” he said briskly, walking around the front of his glass-and-steel desk. “But I’m afraid I have to be off.”

  My shoulders fell.

  Luckily, Nelson was prepared.

  “We won’t take long, Nathan, and this is important,” she said strongly.

  Nathan looked at her and nodded. “I understand, Nelson. Truly. First thing tomorrow, then.”

  I could barely contain my frustration. Tomorrow? Tomorrow just wouldn’t do. He could spare us five minutes, and he could spare those minutes now.

  And then, although it shamed me to think it, I thought impulsively, After all, I saved his life.

  But before I could verbalize any of that, Jace spoke.

  “First thing tomorrow,” he repeated, agreeing.

  Then Nathan was past us and out the door and Nelson and I were looking after him, defeated.

  Corona made no move to leave. She stood, casually beautiful in a tailored suit, at the edge of Nathan’s desk, and leaned back against it.