• This is the second book of The Collected series •
"Those who bring pain are here to save, and those who bring hope will bring death. A great evil rests on the horizon, eating away at each setting sun. Nothing is as it seems while you beg for salva...
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The creek of my door, a hushed whisper and the sound of soft footfalls woke me from my sleep. My hand curled around the dagger I kept under my pillows, my muscles getting ready to spring into action.
"Andrea." A hand landed on my shoulder. I would've cut Cosmia's- Cate's hand off if I hadn't recognized her voice. "Andrea wake up."
I slowly detached my fingers from my dagger and rolled over, pretending to just wake up.
"What do you want?" I rubbed my eyes, checking my watch, "why are you waking me up in the middle of the night?" Once my eyes adjusted to the light I could make out Cate's grinning face and Torryn awkwardly standing in my doorway.
"We're going outside." I didn't like the wild look in her eyes.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea. Maybe they're not letting us out for a reason they've just neglected to tell us." I sat up, raising my eyes at Torryn, shocked he was going along with this.
"She's going to go anyways," he said in a hushed whisper, "at least the more people the safer."
"But why the middle of the night." I groaned, running my hands over my hair which was surely sticking up in every direction.
"Because then no one will catch us." Cate said in a mocking tone, "hurry up, get dressed. And wear something black, we need to stick to the shadows."
"Bring a something to swim in too. Because Cate is making us swim." Torryn laughed softly, glancing wearily at the door.
I'd never learned to swim. I'd never been outside much at all. A large part of my life was spent in the Collecting Point and on Earth, I was often in the workshop. Even at a young age, I was in there, playing doctor with my stuffed animals and father's tools. Because that's what I had once wanted to do with my life, become a doctor. It was out of the question then, and even more so now.
"Come on," Cate complained after I hadn't moved, "aren't you sick of being stuck here?"
"Fine, fine." I threw my hands up in defeat, "I'll be out in five."
"Great, meet us in my room." And then they were gone. I didn't move from the covers of my bed, letting them protect me with their warmth for a moment longer. However, the moment couldn't last forever. Soon I was up and ready to go. Dressed in all black and looking like a shadow myself.
Cate's room was next to mine, but even the short walk seemed dangerous. Seemed wrong. Why was I so scared of those who said they were protecting us? Something wasn't right in this place.
I didn't bother knock, not wanting to alert anyone that could be just around the corner. There was no one in the room, but I could see shapes on the balcony. Torryn's huge wings blocking my view, making them blend into the night sky.
"So how are we getting out of here?" I asked, slipping past the glass windows. Torryn turned, his wing knocking Cate, almost sending her off the balcony.
