Awaken (33 page)

“See what I mean about an avalanche?” he said. “This is what you can do.”

I looked out at the sea of protesters yelling and using their voices. People stood with signs screaming for a change. A rioter climbed up onstage and she yelled into the microphones.

“Since digital school was established, people spend ninety-five percent less time communicating face to face,” she yelled. “American parents spend eighty-five percent less time with their children. DS
ISN’T
FIXING
OUR
PROBLEMS
.
IT’S
JUST
CREATING
BIGGER
ONES
.”

A roar of people cheered in agreement. Her voice echoed through the speakers before the audio was disconnected with a loud pop. I smiled to see with my own eyes the difference I could make. I wished I could see the look on my father’s face right now. Justin grabbed my arm and started pulling me along behind him.

“You’re welcome,” I yelled at his back. He ignored me and focused on picking our way through people. I looked back at the gates and the security fence was turned on again. Police were trying to contain the rioters that were still screaming.

“Come on,” Justin said. We cut through an open area of grass and sprinted toward the river. I ran after him, still dodging people, but it was open enough now to run. We sprinted over a grid of train tracks that curved along the harbor. I handed Justin the phone and he managed to dial a number while he was in full sprint. I pumped my legs and tailed along behind him.

“You’ve got Clare and Pat?” I heard him say. “Head for northeast. I don’t want you guys ten miles from here. Meet me at Sandy Cove. You know where that is?”

We ran down to the harbor, where rows of commercial boats and private sailboats were docked, their sails pulled down, leaving only the skeleton outline of their casts pointing up to the sky.

Justin scanned the series of docks and something caught his eye. He ran down to the end of a pier and grabbed a surfscooter out of the back of a boat.

“It’s not my first choice, but it will have to work.” I blinked down at the scooter. I had seen them before. People ride them like a surfboard, but these have a motor attached to the back of the board and handlebars to guide the direction. I had seen people do flips and stunts with surfscooters on TV.

“What is it with you and water escapes?” I asked him.

He threw the board on the water. “I’ll try and plan ahead better next time. Hop on.” He extended his hand to me and I awkwardly climbed on the board, trying to find balance.

“Stop!” I heard a man’s voice shout behind us. I turned around to see two security guards running down the dock.

“Hold on,” Justin said. He pulled away from the pier just as we heard a gunshot. I squeezed my head against Justin’s back as he turned the board around so we were facing the dock.

“That was a warning,” one of the guards shouted. “Get back here or we’ll make sure not to miss this time.”

Both of their guns were aimed directly at me.

“It’s not a crime to have an opinion,” Justin yelled.

“We want the girl,” the guard said. We idled there, in a small wake, the engine purring softly. The water sloshed us lightly back and forth but Justin kept his distance.

“Bring her back or we’ll shoot.”

I tightened my grip around Justin.

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” he said, calmly. I studied his profile and saw amusement in his eyes. He stared back at the security guards like he was daring them.

I could feel adrenaline rushing through my body and my hands were starting to sweat. I let my grip ease up around Justin’s waist. It was quiet for a few seconds. All I could hear was water slapping the sides of boats docked along the pier.

“Use your head for just a second,” Justin yelled. “If you shoot me, we’ll tip over. And she can’t swim.” He nodded at me. “If you shoot her, she’s got enough equipment in her bag to pull her straight to the bottom. And you know the penalty for killing an unarmed civilian.”

The guards looked at each other and for a fraction of a second and in a brief moment, when their eyes were turned away, I pulled the gun out of my pocket. Two shots rang out. The guards fell over, stunned and limp on the grass.

I stared at the gun in my hand with shock and let it slip out of my shaking fingers and splash into the water.

“I’m really in trouble,” I said.

Justin’s wide eyes watched the gun sink below a ripple of small waves.

“I wasn’t unarmed,” I pointed out, as if that detail was still in question.

He stared at me over his shoulder. “Where did you learn how to shoot?”

“I told you, I took a self-defense class,” I said.

He looked back over at the men lying asleep on the dock. “You shot two security guards.”

He blinked a few times with bewilderment.

I glared at him. “Do you want to sit here and talk about it for a while, or do you want to get out of here?” Justin told me to hold on and he pointed the board out for open water. I fastened my arms tightly around his waist and we wove around the piers until we met the river and headed upstream with the current. The board rolled over waves and kicked up sprays of water around us.

We stayed close to the shore, but far off enough away to avoid piers and pools of harbors. I stared up at the iron bridges that passed us overhead and I looked out at the quiet labyrinth of skyscrapers built up along the water’s edge. If I wasn’t running from the law, as usual, I might actually enjoy the view.

We continued north and buildings gave way to apartments and neighborhoods. Justin slowed down and I noticed a soft curve of beach cut out along the river, at the base of a sloping hill. When we hit the breaking waves, Justin took one head-on and we caught a jump. We landed with a splashing thud and I dug my fingers into his waist.

“Sorry,” he said over his shoulder. “I couldn’t help myself.” He drove until we could see the sandy bottom and we both jumped off, our feet splashing into the cold water. He tossed the scooter on the beach and together we ran up a gravel path. The van was parked, waiting for us at the edge of the lookout. We hopped into the back seat and Riley skidded the car away. Pat sat in the front seat next to him.

Clare grabbed my hand as soon as I sat down. “Madeline, you are a genius!” she exclaimed.

“What is Madeline doing here?” Justin yelled at Riley. I stared at him and his eyes were still furious.

“Dude, we had to bring her.”

“No – ”

“Scott said it was the only way, man.”

“Get Scott on the phone,” Justin demanded.

A second later, Scott’s body appeared on the digital screen. He was still in his living room, sitting next to Molly, with computer monitors surrounding them.

“Good to see you made it out of there,” he said with a grin.

“You had no right – ”

“I had to send her,” Scott interrupted him, reading his thoughts. “You’re worth a lot more to us than Madeline is right now.”

“I would have been fine,” Justin stated coldly.

“Yes, you are fine,” Scott pointed out. “Everyone’s fine so let it go. I had to call the shots on this one. You need to trust me.”

Justin exhaled a long sigh and started untying his wet shoes.

“What the hell happened back there?” he asked.

“It was a media spoof,” Scott said. “They set it up to look like a rally in support of DS. They used a hologram to project about twenty thousand supporters.”

Justin pulled his fingers through his hair. “I really hate the news,” he said.

“It’s their latest ploy to make DS look stronger than ever,” Scott said. “Nice timing too, since the nationwide vote’s coming up this fall.”

“What vote?” I asked.

Justin met my eyes. “People are pushing for DS to be a state-by-state vote, instead of a national law. But the government doesn’t want that to happen. Too much control to lose.”

He looked back at the screen. “So, that’s why they held us hostage?” he asked.

Scott nodded. “They needed to keep you out of the camera’s view.”

Justin smirked. “That sounds like ‘justice and freedom for all.’”

Clare shook her head. “They’ve never gone this far to brainwash people.”

“In some ways it’s good news,” Molly said. “There must be more people uprising than ever for the media to plan something this elaborate.” She looked over at me. “Nice job, Maddie,” she said. “Thanks for helping us out.” I offered her a single nod. We were never going to be friends, but at least she was starting to see where my loyalties lie.

Riley looked at me through the rearview mirror and demanded a breakdown of what we did. Clare and I laughed as we filled everyone in on the story. I glanced over at Justin a few times but he was less enthused. He stared out the window, his eyes lost in a world of his own thoughts.

By the time we got back to Eden it was late and we were all exhausted. Thomas and Elaine were waiting outside for us when we drove up to the house. I was shocked to see how calm they both were. Thomas didn’t even hug Justin, as if he never accepted the idea his son was so close to being arrested. I stared at them and wondered if they truly thought Justin was invincible.

My eyes and my mind were heavy and Elaine and Thomas told us we could catch up in the morning. Elaine squeezed my hand before I went upstairs.

“Thank you so much, Maddie,” she said.

“Justin’s saved me in more ways than I can count. I owed him,” I said.

I pulled my legs up the stairs and threw myself down on the bed with exhaustion. The adrenaline was wearing off and I felt my eyelids drifting closed. A few minutes later, Justin walked into the room and shut the door behind him.

A long yawn escaped from my chest. “Knowing you has definitely made my life interesting,” I said, and stretched out on the bed.

He crossed the room and stood by the window. He watched me but he kept his distance. I stuffed a pillow under my head and closed my eyes. I sighed and felt relief hit me to know Justin was here, in my presence. Safe. It was all I needed to feel complete again. Until now, I hadn’t realized how unsettled I’d felt the last few weeks.

It was quiet for too long and I opened my eyes to find him still watching me. He slowly walked over to the bed and I scooted over to make room for him.

He lay down on his side and I squirmed closer but he didn’t reach out for me. He just stared at me, his eyes liquid brown. I grinned sleepily at him.

“I know why you’re mad,” I said. He raised a single eyebrow and waited. “You’re jealous that I flirted with that security guard.”

He frowned at me. “Yep. That’s it. I was going to shoot him if you didn’t.”

I pressed my finger over his warm lips and felt my chest heat up. “Now’s not the time to be insecure.”

His eyes turned serious and he moved my hand away. “You need to promise me something, Maddie.”

“Maybe,” I said. He tightened his fingers around mine and pushed me against the bed until he was leaning over me. His chest grazed the top of mine.

“You must never, ever, put yourself in danger to help me again. No matter what happens.”

“But – ”

“Promise me. You are worth too much to jeopardize yourself, ever. For me. All right?”

He looked so upset it made my voice crack in my throat. “Okay, I promise.”

He took a long, defeated breath. Our eyes lingered over each other.

“Did you miss me?” I asked with a grin. I ruffled my fingers through his hair. My smile faded at the intensity of his eyes.

“Miss you?” he repeated. “It’s a little stronger than that.” He leaned into me and kissed my lips softly. I arched my neck to try to deepen the kiss but he pulled back so he could look at me. He slowly ran his hand up my arm and he winced, like my skin burned his fingers. “You’re like fire in a way. You draw me in like fire does.” He traced the outline of my jaw with a single finger. “I can feel heat coming off of you.”

I nodded because I knew exactly what he meant.

“You’re perfect,” he told me. He picked up my hand and examined it. “Your fingernails drive me crazy.”

“My fingernails?” I asked. I hated my fingernails more than anything.

He nodded. “Isn’t that weird? I can’t even concentrate when I look at your hands.” He kissed each of my fingertips and I stared at him, waiting to wake up from this surreal dream.

“And these,” he said as he rubbed his thumb against my lips. “Wow,” he said with a shake of his head. “Incredible. Don’t even get me started on the rest of you. I don’t want to freak you out.”

I searched his eyes. “Why are you telling me all this?” I asked.

He shrugged. “Because I want you to know how I feel.”

He brushed his hand along my face and down my neck. My voice was stuck in my throat. I hated how every moment I had with Justin felt like it could be my last.

“Then why do I feel like you’re always trying to say goodbye?” I asked.

He let out a long sigh. “Because I won’t let anything happen to you. I need you to be safe. You’re never going to be safe with me.”

I needed him to know how I felt so I just kissed him as long as he would let me. I used to think talking was all about words. But you can say so much more with your eyes and your fingers and your touch. Words just make us one-dimensional.

“You shot two cops!” Elaine shouted over the table.

Everyone helped themselves to breakfast the next morning. We sat at the kitchen table and sunshine streamed through the windowpanes and painted streaks of light across the room.

“Three,” Clare added.

I took a long, exasperated breath. “For the millionth time, I didn’t
shoot
anybody. I
stunned
them. And they were staff security. Appreciate the difference.”

“I think you’ve earned yourself a gunner nickname,” Pat told me. “How about Mad Hand Maddie?” I tightened my lips together and glared but it only encouraged him. “Magnum Maddie? Madeline the Barbarian?”

“How about we change the subject?” I suggested. “I’m not exactly proud of what I did.”

“I was watching the news this morning,” Thomas said. “According to the report, Oregon state will be surveying students this year to get their feedback on digital school.”