Rogue (Exceptional) Read online

  Sabine shrugged. “Hey, they have two showers. We can both wash up at the same time!”

  Ally laughed and began to pull her clothes off. She held her ripped shirt in her hands for a few moments, her eyes drifting back and forth between the trashcan and the ball of linen in her hands.

  Sabine was already stepping into the shower, her clothes piled carefully on the floor. Ally was glad someone sympathized with her, and didn’t feel so bad for wanting to hold on to her clothes. They were the last pieces of the settlement and the City they had in their possession. She balled the shirt up tighter and marched over to the trash bin, dropping the soiled cloth into the circular bin. They had made the decision to leave their lives behind, a decision she was still choosing to stand behind. If that meant discarding pieces of their old life and accepting parts of a new one, so be it.

  Ally slid into the shower and turned the water on, finding that the controls were similar to the shower in Luke’s house. Even thinking his name sent waves of fresh pain through her chest. Leaving had been so easy at first, but the further from the City they got, and the longer apart she was from Luke, the more it hurt. She held back a sob, allowing only a few tears to slip down onto her cheeks. The warm water washed them away as quickly as they came, making room for fresh tears. She allowed herself this moment, here in the shower, to mourn what she had lost in the City. Who she had lost on her new journey. She and Luke had chosen different lives, but that didn’t make it any easier. In the cover of the shower, Ally stood and wondered…

  Does Luke miss me too?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Luke sat in the back room at the Warehouse. He’d never been in here before, since it was mainly used by the employees or for holding injured Exceptionals while they healed. On one side of him sat Pax, his gun armed and ready in his lap. On the other side sat Hez, the intelligent Rogue from the research facility below Aden’s office. His yellow gaze trailed around the room at the Guards carefully placed, all armed and ready to shoot if he made any sort of unscripted move.

  Luke knew better than the others that that wouldn’t happen. He told his father that the security detail wasn’t necessary, but Aden wouldn’t listen. Luke visited Hez at the facility several times a week. At first he had gone to check on the progress that the other Rogues were making, and to ask the most intelligent Rogues questions. In the first week he learned the Rogue’s name—Hez— and that the boy remembered nothing of his past life. The doctors guessed that he was about nineteen or twenty, but that was as much as their tests showed. Hez didn’t know what kind of family he came from, who his friends had been, or what he had done when he lived in the eastern City. His “first” memory was waking up in the facility bed one morning, realizing that he was barely clothed and being watched through a window. He had actually been there for months, processing through the animalistic stage of becoming a Rogue.

  But now he was almost like an Exceptional in nature, besides his odd looks; with his green skin and large, yellow eyes. On the way over he had bared his sharp teeth at one of the Guards, almost getting himself shot in the heart before Luke stepped in. The shot wouldn’t have killed Hez though. Luke was one of the few that understood his abilities, and knew that he had reflexes so quick, a bullet would have been useless against him.

  Luke considered Hez a friend now, finding that they could relate in some aspects. Both had shadows of the past that they didn’t want to reveal about themselves at the moment, if they ever did. Hez also had no idea what the plans of the other Rogues were, or an inclination to join their efforts to bring down the City, so he was practically an ally.

  Tonight, he was meant to seem menacing. Hez needed to put on a show.

  “Are you sure about this, Luke?” Pax asked from his side.

  “Yes,” he responded. “Besides, I’m not the one going in the ring with him.”

  Luke motioned his head to the corner of the room, where a gruff looking Exceptional sat with his hands tied behind his back. There weren’t many criminals in the City, but tonight his presence was useful. This man, called Chow, was a little over thirty years old. He had murdered two Ordinarys for fun. Sometimes these acts were overlooked, but this week a criminal was needed. An example needed to be made, not only of this man, but also of Hez. Luke couldn’t have orchestrated a more perfect situation.

  Behind him the wall vibrated slightly from the crowd gathering inside the main part of the Warehouse. They were hooting and hollering, waiting not so patiently for the fight to start. Normally only Exceptionals under the age of eighteen came out to be entertained, but tonight most of the City had crammed around one of the center rings. Extra seating had to be brought in to accommodate the crowd, and most would have to stand to the side and hear about the fight as news was passed back.

  A female Exceptional peeked her head into the room cautiously. She took in Hez, her mouth hanging slightly ajar, and attempted to gather herself. “It’s time.”

  Luke nodded and stood, Hez following suit beside him. The Guards all jumped up at random times, several of them keeping their guns trained on Hez. Luke found amusement in all of this, wanting to smother their fears with a laugh. Then again, he also wanted the Guards to fear the Rogues. He wanted them to know how bad it could be.

  Their group formed a circle around Hez, with Luke positioned at what would be considered the front. He knew that his father was seated in the front row by the fighting ring, waiting to see how this played out. The crowd parted for them as they drew closer to the ring. A hush quickly fell over the crowd as the Exceptionals caught sight of Hez, a series of whispers overtaking them as they passed information on to the others. Luke took in the wide array of emotions; fear, excitement, worry, amusement, confusion, and dread.

  “This feels wrong,” Pax said under his breath.

  Luke just smirked. “Funny. I was just thinking how right this felt.”

  Pax shot him a nervous look. They had finally pushed through the crowd and to the outside of the ring. Luke found Aden seated right where he said he would be, with Luke’s mother and a gang of Guards placed around him. Luke was startled at the sight of his mother, and for a moment he felt something soften within him. She had become so delicate recently, more so than usual, and there was the odd way she looked at him when he was home, like the way she was looking at him now. It was as though she didn’t recognize him at all.

  The Guards pushed Chow into the ring, unclasping his hands from behind his back. He stretched out his arms and then pulled his shirt over his head before loosening his shoulder muscles. It had been many years since this man would have been allowed to fight in the Warehouse, but from his stance, it was all coming back to him. Luke nodded to Hez to signal that he should step into the ring. He did so without hesitation, taking his own shirt off his back. Luke could feel the excitement rising in the crowd as they took in more of this green skin, and they broke into a cheer when Hez showed off his sharp teeth in a crooked grin.

  The force field around the ring was activated and the referee signaled the start of the fight, glancing between the two competitors with a nervous look on his face. Chow turned his palms outward, aiming them toward Hez. They began to circle each other in a slow dance, sizing each other up. Earlier this morning, Luke had schooled Hez in the standard procedure for fights at the Warehouse. He had then given him some extra tips that would ensure this afternoon into exactly what Luke was trying to accomplish.

  Chow’s hands lit up a bright red and just as quickly, a beam of light shot out at Hez. When the light reached the other end of the ring, Hez was nowhere to be seen. Most would have thought he had disappeared, which was an ability several Exceptionals had mastered in their lifetime, but no, Hez was just that fast. He was now standing beside Chow, his face twisted into a frightening scowl. The crowd gasped and Chow stumbled backward, surprised. Pax had thought that they should put on a show for the audience, but that wasn’t enough to bring across Luke’s point. The point that Aden had been trying to make.

  Hez�
�s yellow eyes flicked to gaze across the circle, straight at Luke. Luke nodded his head, giving him the go ahead to finish this.

  Hez reared back and let out a cry, almost a roar, which echoed across the room. The Exceptionals closest to the ring jumped back, knocking down those behind them. He took hold of Chow and lifted him over his head, chucking him across the ring. In a flash he was at the other side, catching Chow’s body in his arms. He did it again, and again, putting on a display of speed that the Exceptionals had yet to see in any other. In a finale designed purposefully to scare, he grabbed a hold of Chow’s arm and ripped it from his body, spraying the side of the force field with blood. Chow let out a guttural sound, clutching at the bloody stump on his shoulder. Hez took his hand and pressed it to Chow’s chest, concentrating. His hand lit up and soon light was traveling through Chow’s body, until it almost appeared to shoot from the tips of his fingers. He cried out in pain and slowly, his body began to break apart in pieces, shattering to the ground in a mixture of ash and bone.

  The image sent a jolt through Luke’s mind, causing him to grab his head between his hands. The shadow was there again, a small wisp in the corner of the ring. Something about Hez’s actions had been familiar. Had he seen this before? Pax seemed stunned for a moment as well, and then quickly recovered.

  “Look,” he pointed at the crowd.

  The Exceptionals that had viewed the fight were frozen in stunned silence. Hez circled the ring slowly, his white pants splattered with Chow’s blood. He scooped up Chow’s arm, which had been thrown across the ring, and raised it in the air. He let out another cry and bared his teeth at the crowd, for added effect.

  Luke had to hand it to him. He was good.

  And as Luke gazed deeper into the crowd, he could see that his plan had worked. There was no more excitement or amusement among the spectators. Every single expression was one of fear, some mixed with worry. He met his father’s gaze and nodded his head. Aden’s glowing eyes said it all.

  It had definitely worked.

  The Exceptionals finally feared the Rogues.

  It was time to plan this war.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  It was almost dark by the time Ally and Sabine dressed and met Brooke in the hallway. She

  had given them each a pair of dark jeans, which were thankfully not as tight as her own. They were each wearing a simple shirt— Ally’s red and Sabine’s green— and these were definitely

  more form fitting than what they were used to in the City. Ally had managed to find brushes amongst the mess in the bathroom and they had ended up braiding their wet hair down their back, unsure what else to do with it.

  “I don’t know your shoe size, so we can figure this all out tomorrow, but here are some old shoes I don’t wear anymore,” Brooke handed them two pairs of brand new shoes, both purple and gray.

  “What are these?” Sabine asked.

  “Tennis shoes,” Brooke responded quickly. “They are comfy and practical, which really isn’t my thing.”

  She pointed to her own feet, which were shoved into shoes that stood higher in the back and came to a point by her toes.

  High heels, Ally thought they might be called.

  “Now that you are presentable, let’s take a tour of the neighborhood. There are so many people that want to meet you, and we can find your friends too.” Brooke clapped her hands together and squealed.

  Andrea and Alexis breezed by them and out the door. “See you later, Brooke?” They yelled simultaneously.

  “You bet!” Brooke yelled back before turning to Sabine and Ally. “Let’s go!"

  Ally wasn’t used to leaving the house at night. In the settlement their electricity was never on at night, so the streets were dark. In the City, she stayed inside at night. In Champaign the streets were lit by tall, bright lamps on each corner, and the houses had lights decorating their outsides. There were dozens of teenagers on the sidewalk, and Ally gathered that this was their social time.

  They made it two houses down before they were bombarded by more of Brooke's friends. Ally and Sabine greeted each girl and put on their best smiles. Names were thrown around and Ally tried to remember faces, but it was all too much.

  Brooke's friends asked the strangest questions, too.

  "Do you just, like, use your abilities all the time?"

  "Are the Exceptional boys cuter than ours?"

  "Do you think I would look good with violet eyes?"

  When Brooke finally led them away, Ally leaned toward Sabine and whispered.

  "Do you think all girls in Champaign are like that?"

  Sabine looked horrified. "I hope not."

  "And your friends live over here." Brooke motioned to one of the town homes.

  Ally hurried up the walk and knocked on the door.

  "Ally!" A girl she remembered to be called Mabi answered the door and hurried outside.

  Three more girls she recognized, but didn't remember the names of, stepped out onto the small porch.

  “I am so glad to see you,” a girl with blond hair said. “When Po asked us to leave the settlement we didn’t understand why.”

  Mabi jumped in. "We didn't believe the rumors about you being an Exceptional," she said the word with distaste, "but look at you."

  "What about me?" Ally crossed her arms over her chest and furrowed her brows.

  Mabi took a step back and mumbled, "Nothing,” but Ally heard easily.

  "Is Po here? Or Kemp?" Ally asked.

  Mabi shook her head.. "They both continued south with a little over half of the group. Po said that he wanted to keep moving, to find the City that you had sent him to look for. Kemp went along as well, but he left something behind for you Ally. He left it with my Ma, over in the B district."

  “Can you take me there?” Ally looked at Brooke.

  “The B District is so far to walk in these shoes, we’ll go another time,” she said.

  Mabi raised her hand. “I’ll get it for you, Ally. I’ll keep it here until you are ready for it.”

  “Uh, ok,” Ally agreed, only because it would be easier to get the package from Mabi than from a prying adult from the settlement. She didn’t want to have to explain why she uprooted everyone.

  “Isn’t this place great?” The blonde next to Mabi said. “I like it much better than the settlement. We don’t have to work every day, and they have fun activities for us.”

  “So you guys are happy you left the settlement?” Ally asked.

  The girls all nodded, making Ally feel some relief. It was good to know they were settling in somewhere.

  Brooke tapped her heels. “We should move on.”

  She grabbed Ally’s arm gently and smiled at the girls from the settlement. Mabi and the others slinked back, looking intimidated. They scurried inside, leaving Brooke, Ally, and Sabine standing on the porch.

  Brooke led them back to the street, her arm still slung through Ally’s.

  “Like the girls mentioned, we still have jobs to do but not every day and not all day. They have us do things like clean up the streets, do laundry, gather food, tend to the gardens and fields... that kind of stuff. Alexis, Andrea, and I are in charge of distributing laundry back to the homes, and getting new clothes from the warehouse. We keep the cutest things for ourselves, of course.”

  She ended with a giggle.

  “Well of course,” Ally said. Her sarcasm was lost on Brooke who just squeezed her arm tighter in response.

  They stopped at the next corner and Brooke proceeded to point out houses and name their occupants. She suggested who Ally and Sabine should stay away from, and who they should definitely get to know. Ally took Brooke’s opinion lightly. She recounted drama from the past week, and Ally and Sabine just nodded along. Sabine actually seemed entertained by these stories but Ally found them uninteresting. She pretended to listen while she stole glances around their neighborhood.

  If she tried to forget about the present, and thought about the movies she had watched at Luke’s, sh
e could almost envision them in the old world. Boys and girls were carrying on as normal, the streets were intact and the homes lit with electricity. There was plenty of food and even hot water.

  “Ally, did you hear me?” Brooke asked.

  Ally snapped her head back toward Brooke. “No, sorry.”

  “I have to go meet Max for a movie night at his house,” she said Max’s name with a big grin on her face. Ally could tell she viewed him as a prize to be shown off. Ally didn’t take the time to tell Brooke that she wasn’t interested in him. “Feel free to explore the rest of the neighborhood on your own. Remember, we are number two-twenty-three on Fern Street!”

  She turned quickly, her hair flipping over her shoulder, and click-clacked down the sidewalk in her heels.

  “Some tour,” Sabine said. “I think that took her all of five minutes. What happened to all of the people we needed to meet?”

  Ally shrugged. “I think she realized halfway through that letting us get to know her friends took more attention off of her.”

  Sabine laughed. “Very true. So, should we explore.”

  “Nah,” Ally said through a yawn. “I think I’ve gotten the general idea. Besides, we won’t be here long enough for ‘knowing the neighborhood’ to matter.”

  Sabine looked at the ground. “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Should we go change into comfy clothes?” Ally pulled at her jeans.

  Sabine looked down at her own outfit. “Yes! I say we crawl into our beds and keep each other up with silly stories all night. Like we used to in the City.”

  Ally smiled. “Sounds like a better time than this...”

  She wrapped her arm through Sabine’s, knowing it showed a truer friendship than Brooke could ever have, and they retraced their steps back to Brooke’s house.

  Number two-twenty three.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Ally woke up the following morning feeling more rested than she had in weeks. Even though she was anxious to get to the southern City, she could still appreciate all Champaign had to offer. It has the luxuries of the City, the Ordinary citizens like the settlements, and a freedom neither really knew.