Year 18

-Chapter 18-

"I swear to you all, I wish I could explain it better. That's all I know.

Mrs. Porter and Andrea both look back at me with unreadable expressions. I can see the questions in their eyes. A public execution? They have already heard of the Government sector shutdown that will start this evening, but the execution is still only common knowledge to the Leader and his confidants.

"So," Andrea tentatively speaks up, startling me with her unnatural lack of a response, "Charlie got you out. What now?"

"I worry the Leader will come after us. He knows we're here... we need to be prepared to flee at a moment's notice."

"It will only be a matter of time before they notice you're missing," Kane says, his voice strained as he sits, slumped against the wall, "and you're right. We should all prepare to evacuate. There's no telling what they'll do."

Despite none of us being able to say for certain what form of retaliation the Government will exert, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that they will in fact come at us in full force. Will they bomb headquarters like they did back when we were on the streets? Will they try and capture us all, attempting to make a spectacle of our disobedience? How much will they be willing to let the public see at the risk of showing their inability to confine and control us?

"I could go back in, try to get some information from the inside," Andrew offers, and I peer at Mrs. Porter, noting the terror on her face at the thought.

"No," Kane's voice is hollow. "We're not risking anyone else's life behind those Cell walls. We're going to need to be proactive. I don't know where we'll go, but until we can be sure that we can all make a safe return, we need to get out of here."

I know Kane's right, the thoughts mirroring my own. The Leader will send Agents in waves to do whatever is necessary to be rid of us. Whatever way they chose, if we stay here we'll be little more than sitting ducks. They'd have their success. We can only do so much to ensure our lives and wellbeing, taking it one step at a time. Our next step is to leave our home and safety before it turns sour. Before it's too late.

I look at the faces surrounding me. Mrs. Porter, her eyes full of a sadness that wipes out my spirit. Her husband's legacy is here within this room, within these walls. His legacy is in her children quietly spreading out into the streets, whispers between citizens, notes passed before being burned. Kane's face looks hollow as though he's a ghost of the man he once was. My heart aches. Any more loss and I fear he'd be gone forever. The light and jubilant life that had first peered at me through his brown eyes has dimmed to a fading ember. The whimsy of youth and the fun-loving nature that was once so contagious has been snuffed out, wisps of smoke still circling around, waiting to help the flame to catch again.

I notice the way that Andrea holds her tongue, the way she may even be at a loss for words, her normally stained lips instead red from her chewing on them. Her normally styled hair is lying limp around her face, hardening, and emphasizing the contours of her cheeks. I look at Ben, Jack, noting the way their faces seem gaunt, their eyes fixed on the ground.

Life is never certain, but the uncertainty that hangs in the air now feels like it's choking us.

"May I have a word with you both?" Andrew speaks up, looking at Kane and me.

Kane looks to those standing around us and without any words the others begin to file out of his office, leaving the three of us alone. That is aside from Andrea.

"You can't expect me to be kept out of this," Andrea huffs. "We've come too far to keep secrets."

Kane takes a deep breath but nods.

"Andrew, what is it you have to tell us?"

"Not so much to tell you, but rather a reminder," he shrugs, pausing for a moment. "Felisha, your brother is in no position to leave this building. And besides his condition health-wise, the device implanted in his neck is traceable."

Kane drops his head into his hands and Andrea nods as though the thought had already crossed her mind. Disdain tugs on my heart.

"I'm not going to leave here without him if that's what you're implying," I insist.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Kane answers.

"I can stay here with him," Andrew offers, but one look at Kane helps me to realize that's not an option.

"No," Kane shakes his head, "Felisha and I will stay. She won't leave without Paul and I most certainly won't leave without her. But the rest of you need to find someplace safe, somewhere the Agents won't think to look."

"I have an idea," Andrew addresses his brother directly, "that I'd like to run by you. I think that I have learned enough from my time here to adjust the UCPs that Paul made. I could reconfigure them with new identities that have not yet been used. It'd be an added precaution to keep us from being turned in at least."

"Anything you can do," Kane runs his tongue over his chapped lips, his exhaustion evident in his features, "I'll be thankful for. If at all possible I'd like to begin sending you off later today. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that they've discovered Felisha's gone."

I feel responsible for putting everyone in danger. Would it have been easier to have stayed with Mr. Jaccobs, let the Leader have his way with me? Could I have accepted death if it had protected the people who are here now, frantically doing what is necessary to keep us all alive? I know I could have.

Maybe I should have.

A/N~ I hope everyone is doing well! Sorry this chapter is a bit short, but hopefully all that's to come will make up for that :)

Questions:

1.) Any questions for me? For your fellow readers?

2.) If you could ask any character(s) from the book a single question, what would it be and why (if that perhaps isn't self explanatory just based off of the question :) )?

3.) If you could write one thing into the ending (or I guess it'd be cool to hear for the past books too) what would you add? What would you change? I am not actively working on the second draft of Year 6, but I have the first ninety or so pages written and I truly am so happy with the progress I'm seeing.

Until next time Year Movement!

-Sarah