Deserted Highways

In the Valley of Our Mind

 pane, wincing at the tearing of her skin, she felt the warmth of her blood well up and spill down her hand. She knocked the rest of the glass out of its setting, and then Michael reached forward, helping wrench the bars off of the outside with a shrieking pop. Kaelie heard the footsteps stop.

"Shit. He heard," Lilith muttered and Kaelie bit her cheek to stop from quipping back another remark. She reached for Lilith's hand, helping her climb through the window. Michael reached for her waist, lifting her smoothly, and Kaelie climbed through, grimacing at the sting of the shattered glass digging into her palms. Michael clambered through after them.

"Where'd you park?" she asked in a rushed voice, and Michael pointed down the street.

"Up two blocks, in an alley," he said, sprinting again and Kaelie wanted to scream at the agony that burned up her leg and seared her knee as she kept moving. Her breathing came harsher now as she ran, the effort of keeping herself upright making her pant. He leg shook under her, and she could see the back of the old Explorer, and she collapsed feet from the passenger door.

"Shit, Kaelie," Lilith gasped, and Michael was picking her up, and she brushed his hands away.

"I'm fine," she shouted in frustration. "This is what happens when you nearly shatter your knee. Let me go." She yanked open the passenger door, crumpling into the seat.

Michael stared at her in shock, like it was the first time he'd seen her all over again, and Lilith started the engine, it roared to life and Kaelie heard the faint popping as the transmission released and she slid into drive. "Go Lilith," she yelped and then she turned to Michael. "What? What is it?"

"Kaelie, you're covered in blood," he said, and Kaelie looked down at her hands.

"Yeah. And not all of it is mine. I told you, something really fucking bad is happening and I need to explain everything when we're all together," she retorted, and she was pressed back against the seat as Lilith stomped on the gas, forcing the car faster, barely slowing to legal speeds as they drove back through town. Time passed slowly, and they were slamming into park, haphazardly on the curb and Kaelie tumbled out of the car, limping heavily up to the door.

"I changed everything," Michael called as he appeared on the porch beside her, punching in an elaborate code and forcing the door open.

"Michael!" Kaelie heard Sarah call sharply and she nearly wanted to cry at the sound of her sweet, gentle voice. "Where the hell have you been? Jace is here, but Ben isn't and he won't tell me anything, just said we needed to wait, but he won't even tell me what for- and holy fucking shit."

Chapter 10

When The Whole World is Coming Down on Me

Kaelie could see Sarah's soft brown eyes widen, she ran a shaking hand through her messy light brown hair. "Kaelie?" she whispered, collapsing back against the wall. "Kaelie? Is that- are you- are you really here?"

Kaelie nodded softly, moving towards her slowly, not wanting to startle her, shocked at how fragile Sarah looked. "It's me. It's really me, Sarah, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she said, her voice cracking and Sarah slid to the floor, a tear cutting a path down her cheek. Kaelie went to the floor next to her, stretching her aching leg in front of her and pulling Sarah into her chest.

She felt Sarah shake against her, a sob racking her body, and Kaelie felt her own eyes well, she looked over Sarah's head to see Jace standing in the opening leading to the living room. "Okay," she breathed, his eyes steadying her. "Okay. Let's go sit down. I have a lot to explain, to all of you."

She stood gingerly, and helped Sarah off the floor before moving into the living room and taking a seat on the couch. Jace sat next to her, but not close, and Sarah, Michael, and Lilith squeezed together on the loveseat across from her. "Where's Ben?" Michael asked suddenly. "He should be here for this."

Kaelie closed her eyes, tucked her hair behind her ears with blood stained fingers, rubbed her face, opened her eyes again. "He's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" Lilith said and she heard Jace swallow thickly next to her.

"I mean he's gone, and I need to tell you what happened," Kaelie started. "I went off that roof with Serna, and I thought I was done. I could feel every second of it, I could feel the bullet shifting inside of me, I felt the bones shatter when I hit the ground. I could hear you guys. I should have died. I should have but there was this guy, he just showed up right outside the building, I don't know how he got there or when, but he picked me up and he saved my life. I barely made it past the first few week. When I finally came around, he told me his name was Jordan. He said that he worked for the Illusion, that he had turned into something of a mole, he planned to destroy that lab until I beat him there and killed Serna Rose.

"He told me that he had a plan, that he would need me, eventually he would need all of us, but that he had a plan to take everything down, from the inside, just like we always wanted. He- you guys don't know- he was a god damn genius. He knew everything about how they worked, their protocols, the new projects, he knew how to build any sort of server, any sort of tech, how to get in and out, but he said we had to be slow. I don't even know how he knew how to fix me, but he did.

"He made me swear that I wouldn't tell anyone I was okay, not until he was ready, he told me you guys weren't safe, that something awful would happen if you had the knowledge that I was still alive, and I- I believed him and I shouldn't have. But I was so scared. I didn't know what you guys would do if I just showed up, I didn't want anything to happen to you, I was watching the house, watching all of you. I was this close to coming to you, I just wanted to see all of you, but- but then Jace nearly got flattened by that truck. And then the next day, I beat a man to hell because he was following Jace, said he had orders to kill him and making it look like an accident.

"And then I couldn't. I couldn't tell you guys because it looked like Jordan was right, and then I followed Jace to class and I saw the ad, I saw all of us up there on that screen like vigilantes, like some sort of super hero movie villain, they've got everyone thinking it's us that's the problem and I confronted Jordan. He said he knew, he said he made them, that Jace was supposed to be a martyr, a punishment to his mother for breaking us out, and we got there first. I killed Serna and it was the perfect opening for them. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't stay away from you guys.

"I started to get- I don't know, suspicious? Of Jordan. He would rave at me for hours for leaving the apartment to check on you guys.

He'd go on and on about how stupid it was, how stupid I was, that I knew something bad would happen, and he never fucking explained anything.

"I could hear him talking, in his room, but he knew just how quiet to talk so that I couldn't make out what he said. Last night, I heard him call someone, I know they picked up, but he must have told them not to say a word because I'd be able to hear.

"And then," Kaelie paused, taking a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts and her voice. "And then I saw Ben today. And Jace. And I knew Jace must have told someone, if not all of you, that some girl was following him around. Ben came with him to class today, playing as his boyfriend. I guess you were hoping I would crack?" She turned to Jace, and he ducked his head in chagrin, nodding at her.

"We hoped if we made you mad enough, you'd admit who you were, but we were operating on half hopes, half nightmares, praying it was you and not knowing what would happen if it was," he said. "We were just supposed to get coffee and a confession.

Michael's eyebrows raised, and Kaelie kept talking. "I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking, I was so keyed up, so irritated about everything, about being so close to everyone and not able to do or say anything, and I fucked everything up. I should have known better, I should have figured everything out, should have put two and two together. But I didn't, and Ben paid for it.

"I was taking us to some cafe, something I found a couple weeks ago when I was just trying to get out, to escape for a while. And I took us right past the building, right past headquarters, where I nearly died. Someone was there, they were waiting for us, and they attacked. They were meant for Jace, and I knew it and somewhere in everything my wig came away and there was nothing I could do, I had to protect them, and I killed the girl that came for us. But the hit, he must have gotten sick of them not working, because he had a back up, because there was someone else, there was a second,