The Star Dwellers

“Okay!” he yells, his voice shaking.

“One!” I take a deep breath. “Two.” My hearts slams against my ribcage. “Three!”

We both kick and scrabble and stretch for the wall at the same time. Our synchronized motion stabilizes the swinging, spi

“Now climb!” my mother yells.

I don’t look up, or down—just straight at the wall, focused.

“You can do it, Adele!” I hear Tawni yell from above. My trusted cheerleader has apparently made it. I push off once, twice, and then strong arms are pulling me over the top. My mother’s arms. My rock.

I’m exhausted, but it’s not time to rest yet. Immediately I turn and grab one of Trevor’s arms as my mom grabs the other. We haul him up. The four of us lie in a row, panting, laughing stupidly, our tongues hanging out.

When I finally manage to push to my feet, I’m stu

Finally, I’m going to see Tristan again.

And my family.

All together in one place for the first time.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tristan

For once, I’m well rested. If I dreamt last night, I don’t remember. The Resistance is situated so close to subchapter 1 that we’re able to walk there. I feel like I’m at the head of a cavalry, me and Ben and Roc and Elsey, marching out in front of a few hundred stomping boots. Vice President Morgan left hours earlier to prepare for the peace summit in her subchapter. Ji

Naturally, my mind is on Adele. I wonder how she’ll look. The last time I saw her, on the screen, she looked confident and beautiful, but that was before someone tried to kill her. Why would Brody do that? All we know is he was a spy for my father, but why target Adele? Is it because of who her parents are? Sort of a revenge for their efforts at resisting his rule? Or does he know what she means to me? Is he taking another shot at me? I remember his declaration from the presidential steps, when he was speaking to all traitors: …brought down like a hammer on you and those you care about. It felt like he was reaching through the telebox then, grabbing me by the collar and speaking those words directly to me. If he was targeting Adele because of me, he’ll surely try again. When she arrives I’ll stay by her side at all times just in case.

“Eww, gross,” I hear Elsey say. It’s about as relaxed a comment as I’ve ever her heard make, and I turn to see what has prompted it.

A bat lies twitching on the tu

I look away and keep on walking. You make your own fate. My father’s words, and yet they help to calm my troubled mind. Adele ca

“What are you thinking?” Roc asks.

“Heavy stuff,” I say.

“Thought so.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Only to a friend,” he says, gri

I smile back, glad that he’s here. “I’m worried my father will target Adele again, maybe as early as the peace summit.” I told Roc what had happened before we slept last night.

“And Tawni, too?” he asks sharply, his brown eyes flitting back and forth like a caged animal. I keep forgetting he’s got a crush on Tawni.

“I don’t think so,” I say. “I’m pretty sure she was just collateral damage. But if she’s near Adele when he goes after her, Tawni could be in danger too.”

“We can’t let anything happen to either of them,” Roc says firmly.

“We won’t,” I promise. “We won’t leave their sides.”

* * *

Less than an hour later we emerge from the tu

Heavy, stone blocks emerge from the water—which appears black in the early light of dawn provided by the overhead cavern lights—like majestic ships. The blocks are separated by thin canals, which run horizontally and vertically throughout the subchapter, intersecting like streets on a grid. Arcing stone bridges co

“At least they left us this,” Ben says. My head jerks to look at him—I didn’t realize he’d come up beside me. At the question in my eyes, he says, “It’s the only subchapter the star dwellers didn’t bomb. It’s like they pla

An eerie blast of cold air rushes through the enormous cavern and I shiver, both from the wind and from Ben’s words. They don’t give me comfort, not after everything that has happened.

We leave the edge of the city and tramp across the first bridge. On the other side a long thin boat is waiting. It might hold six or seven people—certainly not five hundred Resistance soldiers.

Ben shouts orders to a few of the soldiers behind us. Evidently they’ll be taking the route on foot, through the city. We, on the other hand, are getting a lift. “Hop in,” Ben says.

Roc gives Elsey a hand and helps her into the gondola. “Thank you, kind sir,” she says, gri

“Be careful not to rock the boat, my dear lady,” Roc mimics with his nose in the air, making Elsey giggle.

I follow my friends, sitting in front of them. The boat is so thin only one person can sit in each row. Ben and Ji

While the rest of the group are forced to twist and turn and cross dozens of bridges, we sail straight under them, reaching the city center in about ten minutes. Although I’ve seen what the locals simply call “the Dome” a half-dozen times before, I’m still not prepared for it as it looms up in front of us. The curved platelets that make up its exterior are a thin, shiny metal that manage to reflect even the dim light afforded to the subchapter, making the Dome appear bright and sparkling. From our vantage point in the canal, the result is dazzling, and I shield my eyes slightly with one hand.