Chapter 16

Ivy

I pace in the dark, waiting, and trying to plan something, but at a loss. I'm not sure how I could get past the guard, find my way through this prison, locate Hazel, and then find a way out. Alone. All the while thinking about Atlas, wondering what he would do, then wishing my mind hadn't gone to him. Hating that it did, because it hurts.

"Come on, Ivy," I say to myself. "Think."

I find the edge of the cot in the dark and sit. My mind feels loose and unfocused, but I work to center it.

"You're a survivor," I mutter to myself. "Think."

I take a deep breath, close my eyes and focus. A warmth like an echo moves through my body and I hear the quiet voices of women, of the captors. There's a dank smell underneath the vibrant scent of new construction, like the burn of something caustic. "A basement," I say. "Are we in a basement? Or something."

"Maybe," Sairah whispers. "Jenna—she's on the other side of me—has been out."

"What did she see?"

Sairah is quiet for some time, then she says, "It's a big room. There are windows high up, and chains, and equipment."

"A warehouse. How many women?"

"She said the cells are like a maze, and they go on forever. They took her to a laboratory where they tested her."

"What? Tested? What does that mean?"

"Hey!" The loud shout of a man's voice bounces through the space before Sairah answers. "Shut your traps."

"Get some sleep," the other woman whispers. "You'll need it."

I lay back on the cot, but sleep is as elusive as my thoughts. And though he's gone, I speak to Atlas. I'm in a warehouse—I think. It's filled with women, and whoever has taken us is testing them somehow. I don't know how. I'm scared, I think and catch the sob in my throat. I don't blame you or anything…. I mean you barely know me.

My mind drifts into a dream. It's beautiful and warm, and Atlas is there. There's the sound of the sea—or maybe just the constant roar of water, like a waterfall or a river—beyond our shroud. I'm wrapped in his embrace, his wings around us both. "Where are you?" I ask.

With you,he says without moving his mouth.

I shake my head. "I'm alone."

"I promised," he says, rubbing my back with his large hands. "I promised."

"I like your wings," I say.

"I like your legs." He smiles, his mouth pressing a kiss against my temple.

I'm startled awake by the sounds of the metal lock disengaging. The door opens.

"Get up," someone says and stomps into my cell, shining a flashlight in my face.

I lift my arm to block the light from my eyes. "What the hell."

The man's strong grip wraps around my arm and yanks me to my feet. Then I'm being manhandled through the door, blinking because my eyes need to adjust. It isn't bright, and I can see it's night by the dark windows.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask.

"Shut it," the man says, and pushes me forward.

"I'm here for my sister," I say. "Hazel. Do you know her?"

"You aren't here for your sister, calix. You're here for the bond."

I almost say I'm already bonded but bite my tongue. I'm not sure why exactly, but it feels like an important thing to withhold. "What are you talking about?" I ask instead. "What is a calix?"

"You ignorant calix are a lost cause," he snipes.

"Hazel?" I yell. My voice echoes across the space. "Hazel Day? Are you here?"

"Shut it," the man says, shaking, then shoving me. I fall forward, jerking to the ground from his grasp. He doesn't immediately grab hold of me, and I get to my feet, still free and wondering if I can capitalize on it.

"Ivy?"

My sister's voice echoes in the cavernous space. My heart leaps in my chest. "Hazel? Hazel!"

The man lurches for me, and with an extreme burst of speed, I sidestep his grab. He misses.

What the fuck?

Balance.

I hesitate, however, and the man gets hold of my arms. "Come on. They're waiting for you."