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  I attempted to get to my feet but Hayes grabbed my arm, stopping me. “What are you going to do?”

  “I want to see,” I said patting his hand before stepping away from him. “Maybe I can help.”

  “How?” Grayson asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Because I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  A young man nearby spoke. “They’ll tell us when it’s time for us to know. Be patient.”

  He looked like he was scared as hell.

  I ignored the warnings and walked to the door. A shiver crawled up my spine as I pushed the door open and looked down the hallway.

  There were shadows moving about but that was all I could see. Curiosity carried me forward.

  I had people that I wanted to keep safe as well. People I cared about. I didn’t have time for secrets, nor did I trust the natives to keep us safe and protected.

  I hadn’t realized Gina and Trixie were behind me until I stopped. My shoe had splashed into a puddle that I was positive hadn’t been there when we’d first come down.

  I took another step and the water deepened. The torches on the wall flickered as the window howled and shook the wooden board that kept us safe.

  The storm was still raging and it sounded just as violent as it had when we first entered the cellar.

  I started to take another step but Trixie pulled me back. Her eyes were so wide they matched the brightness that was coming from the torches on the wall.

  “This isn’t supposed to be down here,” Trixie said without blinking.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  “The water… it’s too much,” Trixie said. Each breath she took in became shorter. “It’s pouring in. I can hear it.”

  Trixie frantically pulled at my arm. There was nothing but terror in her eyes.

  The light from the wall caught the single tear that trickled down Trixie’s cheek. “We’re all going to drown.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aaron stomped toward us, his feet splashing noisily. He was trying to herd us back into the room.

  “We’re not going to drown,” he said through his teeth.

  “What if the storm doesn’t stop? It could go on for days… weeks! This place will fill up,” Trixie screeched in a high-pitched voice.

  Aaron’s brow wrinkled. “Then we’ll just swim out.” He grabbed Trixie’s arm a bit too roughly. “Keep your voice down. We don’t want to send people into a panic.”

  “Is there anything we can do to help?” I asked. “There must be a way to slow the water coming in.”

  Aaron glared at me. “What do you think we’re trying to do?”

  Hayes came up from behind, narrowing his eyes at Aaron. It was clear by his posture that he wasn’t pleased with the way Aaron was talking to us.

  I reached over and took his hand because I didn’t want him to confront Aaron and make things worse. We were in the native's territory, we had to abide by their rules.

  “What are you doing to slow the water?” Hayes asked his voice perfectly level.

  “We’ve tightened the cover,” Aaron said staring at Hayes. “The water has slowed but it’s still coming in through the mud around it. That’s all we can do for now. Go back to the room and relax.”

  Trixie’s nose scrunched up. She opened her mouth but snapped it shut when Michelle splashed her way closer. She raised her hands up and her lips curled upward without emotion.

  “Everything is fine,” Michelle said as she blinked rapidly. “The situation is under control.”

  I didn’t move my feet. In the short time we’d been standing there, the water had deepened around my shoes. I wasn’t sure how long we had before the rooms would start to fill up with water.

  “You care about your people, right?” I asked.

  Michelle’s jaw tensed at the question. “Of course, I do.”

  “Look at the water at our feet. It’s getting deeper every few minutes. If you care about them—”

  “Don’t you dare tell me how to run things. I’ve been in charge here long enough to know what I’m doing. I know better than anyone how to keep them all safe,” Michelle said taking an aggressive step closer to me. “The storm out there is far more dangerous than a few drops of water.”

  “This is more than a few drops of water,” I said.

  Michelle pushed her shoulders back. “We have it under control. I appreciate your concern. Now, if you’ll go back to your room.”

  I glanced over at Trixie. Her eyes lowered and her body softened.

  “Of course,” Trixie said. Her energy had changed completely as she turned and started back to the room we’d been in.

  “All of you,” Michelle said when I didn’t move.

  Hayes grabbed my arm and pulled me back. I followed but there was no way I was going to let the cellar become my grave.

  When I got back into the room, all of the natives that were in the room were down on their knees with their arms stretched out above them with their palms on the floor. Trixie lowered herself down and joined them.

  Gina stared at them with wide eyes. Grayson stepped up to Hayes and turned his back to the praying room.

  “No amount of praying will stop that mud from sliding down and burying us alive,” Grayson whispered. “Half of this place is just a hole dug into the ground.”

  “They’ve been down here for a long time before and that didn’t happen,” Hayes said even though damp worry coated his eyes.

  “Perhaps there was less rain,” Grayson said turning to me. “We can’t stay down here.”

  I chewed the inside of my already raw cheek. “I’m sure they’ll let us go but I can’t leave without Trixie.”

  “Really?” Gina asked. “I’m not convinced it’ll be that easy to leave.”

  Our things were piled in the corner of the room but the spear Grayson had been given by Mister Paul had been taken away. Leaving without a weapon wasn’t ideal but it was better than drowning or being buried alive.

  “What should we do?” I asked hoping that Grayson, Hayes, or Gina would have an idea. Everything in my head felt like a jumbled mess.

  “Let’s just take our stuff and go,” Gina said. “Maybe we can find a building or that place we stayed at the other night.”

  “We don’t know what’s going on out there with the storm,” Hayes said.

  I nodded. “It nearly pulled me off my feet when it started.”

  “It could just be raining now,” Grayson said. “We can survive some rain. Hell, there is probably a lot we can survive.”

  “We can’t survive wind that throws us miles away,” I retorted.

  “It could be a lot more than rain and wind,” Hayes said. “We’ve all heard the stories.”

  “Whose side are you on?” Grayson asked through his narrowed eyes.

  Hayes shook his head. “I’m just trying to think it through before charging out into the storm. We have time down here before it floods.”

  “But how much time do we have before the exit caves in? What if we can’t dig our way out again?” Grayson asked. “Half of this place could just collapse.”

  “Okay,” I said pressing my palm to my forehead. “I’m getting Trixie and we’re leaving.

  I walked carefully, weaving my way through the praying natives. Trixie’s body shuddered when I placed my hand on her shoulder.

  “Don’t do that!” she said with wide, pleading eyes. “You can’t interrupt like that.”

  “I’m sorry but I need to talk to you… it’s urgent,” I said keeping my voice below a whisper.

  Trixie's eyes darted around the room before she reluctantly got to her feet and followed me to the corner of the room. She looked small like she was trying to make herself disappear as she hugged herself and rounded her shoulders forward.

  “What is it? I don’t want to upset Michelle,” Trixie said. Her words had rushed out of her mouth faster than the water pouring into the cellar.

  “We’re going to leave this place,�
�� I said. “I need you to come with me.”

  “They’ll never let you out,” Trixie said shaking her head as if the idea was insane. “It’s storming. And I’m sure they are guarding the exit.”

  “Is there another way out?” I asked.

  Trixie shook her head. “That’s the only way in or out of this place.”

  “Except it’s not.” We all turned sharply at the sound of Lillian’s voice coming from the ground only a few feet away. “I can show you.”

  “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Trixie said nervously. “The storms can be so dangerous.”

  “They can also just be regular storms. In fact, nine times out of ten that has been the case,” Lillian said. “They keep us down here longer than necessary. Remember your time in the city? I’ll never forget.”

  I pressed my lips together before meeting Lillian’s eyes. “What do you mean by that?

  “Inside we could see the storms… the dangers typically passed in the first twenty-four hours, and often times even just in a few hours. They nearly always have the same pattern.”

  “That hasn’t always been the case,” Trixie said. “We’ve all heard the stories. The storms come and go, sometimes one after the other after the other.”

  “But yet we’ve never experienced anything like the stories we’ve heard. Times are different. The storms while still dangerous are weaker, especially in this area,” Lillian said gesturing for us to get our things. “We shouldn’t delay. It won’t be long until they come to check on us. They’ll try to stop us not to save us but to save the others.”

  “If we go, we’ll be considered enemies,” Trixie said.

  Lillian shrugged. “She already may consider us not committed considering we were going to leave. She could already have a plan for us for all we know.”

  “Okay. Fine. You’re right,” Trixie said with fear filling her eyes. She looked into my eyes. “This is all happening so fast. I thought I’d have more time to let this all settle in. These people saved me. If not for them, I wouldn’t have survived.”

  “And now it’s time for you to save someone else,” Lillian said and I wasn’t sure if she even realized how incredibly accurate her statement was. She’d probably meant for us to save ourselves but the truth was, it was time to save the people of the city from my father.

  I took Trixie’s hand and offered her a sympathetic smile as I squeezed her hand. Trixie was tough, she just needed to remember that fact. She inhaled sharply and nodded, even though she couldn’t give me a smile back.

  The natives on the floor were taking quick glances in our direction. They didn’t know what was going on, but they were starting to pay attention to us.

  Lillian walked over to the door and opened it a crack so she could take a peek at what was going on. I could see a thin layer of water at her feet.

  After a few seconds, Lillian opened the door and gestured for us to follow.

  Chapter Eighteen

  At the end of the hallway, there was a door with a scummy, dirt-covered window. Lillian took another glance down the hall at the shadows moving around opposite of where we were. It was muffled but I could hear the water still coming in through the walls.

  Lillian softly opened the door but the only thing on the other side with pitch blackness. We all stood there, staring at Lillian. She held up a finger. “One second.”

  Lillian disappeared into the room we’d just been in. The natives at the far end of the hallway must not have been able to see us because if they would have, they would have come over and demanded we go back into the room.

  A few seconds later, she reemerged with a tall, thin candle in her hand. She was trying to hide the flame with her other hand. I reached into my backpack and pulled out the flashlight I’d taken from the city when I’d escaped.

  “This might work better,” I said with a sly grin.

  “Oh,” Lillian said blowing out the candle. She reached out and took the flashlight from me. “Haven’t seen one of these in ages. You should have said something sooner.” She curled her finger. “Follow me.”

  We climbed the stairs but only made it about halfway up when Trixie stopped. I grabbed her hand and tried to pull her along.

  “Trixie?” I said nervously biting my lip.

  “We can’t leave them down there to die,” she said.

  I hadn’t even considered what might happen to those left behind. It seemed as though they would do whatever Michelle said even if she told them to stay there and drown.

  Lillian took a few steps down and yanked Trixie’s arm roughly. Trixie stumbled over her own feet but she followed her.

  “I took care of it,” Lillian said.

  “How?” Trixie squeaked.

  “I told Mathias about this secret way out,” Lillian said.

  Trixie shook her head. “Then why aren’t they coming with us?”

  “You know they won’t disobey her,” Lillian said. “All we can do is hope they’ll leave if it’s life or death.”

  She hadn’t been gone long enough to have much of a conversation with Mathias whoever he was, but at least someone was told about the second way out. There was still a chance that everything would be fine and the cellar wouldn’t flood.

  At the top of the stairs, the wind whistled but the board that was over the exit barely moved. Hayes and Grayson worked together to move it out of the way.

  Very little water poured in once the cover was removed but I hadn’t realized why until I climbed out.

  There were three large trees forming a triangle around us. The branches and leaves above formed a canopy that shielded the area from some of the storm overhead.

  A gust of wind shredded through the leaves as the ground rumbled from distant rolling thunder. My hair blew around and raindrops pelted my face like tiny pebbles against my skin.

  “Are you sure about this?” Trixie asked raising her voice so it would carry through the wind.

  “How far away is he?” I asked. I remembered what Trixie had said about Boone’s place being safe from the storms. If we could get to him, maybe we’d be fine too.

  “A day or two south,” Trixie shouted back to me through a gust of wind. “If I can even find it again.”

  Lillian handed me the flashlight. “We’ll go back to the camp first.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  Lillian blinked away the droplets of water that were on her eyelashes. “Weapons.”

  It seemed as though there was one thing and one thing alone fueling Lillian. I knew exactly what it was because I felt it too. She wanted my father to be punished for everything he’d done. And now I could add banishing my mother to the already long list.

  As we walked toward the camp, the wind harshly pushed at our backs. It was difficult to walk as it swirled around but it wasn’t pulling my feet off of the ground in the way I’d felt when I’d been running from the storm after it first started.

  The wind was something that was still unusual to me. In the city, there hadn’t been any. The air had been empty… dead. But out here the wind was like a creature… alive and always swirling around as if waiting for the moment to wrap itself around my neck and suck the life out of me.

  Feeling the wetness of the rain slap against my skin was also something that would take time getting used to. The world beyond the wall was a strange creature and I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about it.

  One moment I’d smile at the vastness and the freedom but then the next, I’d feel like running back to the city and hiding in my closet. If things would have been different inside of the wall, maybe it wouldn’t have been that bad.

  At the natives camp more than half of the huts they’d constructed were gone. It was as though they hadn’t ever existed. The condition of the other half varied from missing roofs, missing walls, or having managed to stay together.

  “We could wait it out in there,” Gina said pointing to one of the huts that looked exceptionally sturdy.

  “That might not be a bad idea,” Lill
ian said. “But we’ll need to leave before they come up.”

  “You don’t think Michelle will let us leave?” I asked.

  Lillian shook her head. “I don’t think she’d want to let Trixie and I leave. We’ve taken vows, leaving will break them.”

  “She was allowing Trixie to leave to take me to see my friend, Boone,” I said.

  “But I don’t think when the time came, she would have. She would have tried to bully us into staying and if that wouldn’t have worked, she would have used force,” Lillian said. “I’ve seen it before.”

  “Michelle doesn’t seem any better than my father,” I said.

  Lillian snorted. “Well, the difference is she means well. She truly cares about her people and this world we live in. She takes it too far. Edward Keane is a selfish man that doesn’t give a crap about anything or anyone. The only thing he cares about is himself.”

  I didn’t miss that she hadn’t referred to him as my father. And if what Lillian had told me was true, he wasn’t but he’d taken on that role for my entire life. It would be hard to stop calling him my father.

  My insides felt hollow. I might have been with the woman who’d given birth to me… my mother but I didn’t know anything about her. Sadly, she was mostly a stranger and I hated that she was.

  I wished that I would have felt different. Perhaps some kind of instant connection and while there were similarities between us in looks that was all it was.

  We entered the building and I inhaled deeply when I could no longer feel the wind or rain. Lillian stood by the small window and peered out toward the cellar.

  “If they come out, we’ll run,” Lillian said.

  “Do you think they know we’re gone?” Trixie asked.

  Lillian shook her head. “I’m not sure. But even if they do, Michelle wouldn’t risk sending anyone out to find us. She’d probably presume we were dead or would be soon considering how violent the storms can be.”

  “It doesn’t seem that bad,” Gina said just as lightning cracked the earth not far from where we were.