The sky is fading swiftly and the sand is deepening from gold to brown. Aiden sits on the side of the hill, with his legs dangling over the edge.

He smoothes the wrinkles on his torn jeans. "So what's up, Juniper? Did you bring me out here to tell me the real reason why you and Sylas showed up looking like c.r.a.p?"

I sweep the rocks out of the way and join him on the ledge. "I already told you the real reason. I brought you out here because I think you're still keeping something from me. Something important that you need to fess up to."

He seals his lips together, not denying it. "Everything I keep from you is to protect you. Trust me, Kayla, you don't want to know everything I'm hiding."

"Yes, I do," I say. "I want to know what it is, even if it's bad."

"Just like you want to go to Cell 7, even if what's there is horrible."

"Why is it horrible, Aiden? Just tell me what went on there."

"I wasn't there and I'm lucky." There's ferocity radiating from his eyes. "When Monarch took me away, I thought I'd die. I was supposed to be with you, but something went wrong with me and he didn't want me there anymore. He said I didn't have the right personality for what he was creating there. But I didn't understand at the time that Cell 7 was where he was creatinga"

"Creating what?" I place my hand on his, trying to chip away at his secrets. "Just tell me. It's okay."

He stares at our hands with yearning. "He was creating the virus."

I remember the girl banging her head on the gla.s.s over and over again. "Is that all he was creating? Or is there more to the virus then what people think. Could it bea" I take a deep breath. "Could it be that he was creating the Highers' virus there?"

He shuts his eyes and squeezes my hand, his pulse trembling through his fingers. "I'm not sure about the Highers, but he was creating things there."

"He was creating me," I swallow hard, thinking of my gla.s.s cell. "He was creating me to create the Highers."

"He wasn't creating what you are now," he answers, not denying that the existence of the Highers might have started with me. "Back then he was trying to create perfection. Or what him and the other doctors thought was perfection. They had misconstrued ideas, though."

"He was trying to create a Higher," I repeat. "Out of me."

"I heard rumors of what went on, but I wasn't there, so I can't tell you for sure."

"You can't or don't want to?" Sand blows in my eyes and stings at my cheeks. I blink wildly. "Because it feels like you know a lot more than you're letting on."

He lets out a long breath and shifts the subject. "You know don't have to do anything out here. You can be something new if you want."

"I don't know what I want," I mumble, staring at his lips.

He notices the line of my gaze and he wets his lips. "You don't?"

I shake my head and lean in, seeking answers. When my lips brush his, there's a connection that can't be denied. He still loves me, but wants me to stop fighting and join him. He wants me with him forever. I immerse further into the kiss, digging deeper into his mind. He never wants me to go back to the city. He doesn't want me to find out the awful things Monarch made me do.

His hand slides up my back and he pulls me closer. My lips part and his tongue searches deep inside my mouth. He tastes salty, yet sweet at the same time. He fears the tunnel beneath the park.

I moan and draw back, but he hugs me closer, his touch becoming rougher. I'm no longer enjoying the kiss and my head is fuzzy.

"Aiden," I murmur against his lips.

He pulls away. "You say I don't know you, but I do, Juniper. I know you better than anyone. Even my brother." He catches me as I flop to the side. "That's why I knew you'd kiss me. If you thought I was hiding something, I knew exactly what you'd do."

I sink to the earth, the sky altering black. "What did you do to me? Poison me again. I'm going toa"

"I did what I had to do." He shifts over me, the sky grey above him. "I did this to protect you."

I notice the sheen on his lips and wonder what he put on them to bring me down.

"I know you," he whispers, lowering my head to the ground. "And that's why I have to save you from yourself."

Chapter 16.

I hop off the bottom step of the bright yellow bus and onto the sidewalk. A backpack is strapped to my back and my thumbs loop the handles. I spin around and wait for them. Sylas jumps from the top step and nearly lands on my toes. Aiden follows, taking each stair carefully, and shields his eyes as the sun hits his face.

We are children, young and free, dressed in bright clothes with smiles on our faces.

"Where's mom?" Aiden glances around at the houses and trees. "It was her turn to pick us up."

"Maybe she forgot." Sylas playfully pinches my arm. "Or maybe she got lost. It's a very long street."

"Everything's a joke to you." Aiden scowls. "But you won't think it's so funny when you're kidnapped."

Sylas shoots him a doubtful look. "Those haven't happened anywhere near here. And besides, no one even knows if these Watchers really exist."

"Mom said that they do and that the kidnappings are getting closer." Aiden adjusts his backpack. "That's why she's been picking us up every day."

"Well, dad says it's not real and that people are making it up just because they want answers." Sylas stares up the road, lined with two-story houses and lofty trees. "I think I'm gonna walk."

Aiden grabs Sylas' arm and angles his head up at his brother. "You can't go wandering off alone. Mom said that's what the Watchers look fora"kids by themselves."

Sylas teasingly punches his fist toward Aiden's face. "Well, if they do exist and show up then I'll take them down."

I giggle and Aiden lets out a frustrated breath, blowing his dark hair from his face. "One of these days," Aiden says. "You're going to get into some serious trouble."

Sylas turns his back to Aiden and strolls down the sidewalk. He picks up a long stick and drags it across the fence, making a loud clanking sound.

I tug on Aiden's arm. "Come on. We'll be fine."

I pull him with me as I skip after Sylas. We catch up and I take Sylas' hand. We walk hand-in-hand and I feel small standing between them. But safe.

A lady, wearing a fluffy pink robe, steps onto the porch and scoops up a furry orange cat. She pets the cat and then her eyes narrow on us.

"You guys shouldn't be out here by yourself." She steps off the porch and onto the rocky path. "Where's your mother?"

"Hmma" Sylas taps his lips. "I knew we forgot something back at the bus stop."

The ladies face reddens and wrinkles scatter across her saggy skin. "Sylas Anders, one of these days your mouth is going to get you in trouble."

Laughter bubbles from Sylas and I.

Aiden shoots us a glare. "Sorry, Miss Lynn," he apologizes to the lady.

Miss Lynn's eyes soften at Aiden. "Just be careful. Go straight home." She hesitates and then turns for her two-story white brick home, painted with green shutters, and trimmed with vines.

We reach the corner of the street and Sylas looks left and then right before crossing. He pauses and pulls me to the left. "Let's take the long way home. We haven't been to the fort in a while."

"Do you have a death wish?" Aiden asks, astounded. "I mean, it's bad enough we left the bus stop and now you want to wander off to the fort."

"You can do whatever you want." He raises his eyebrows at me. "Kayla, are you coming?"

I glance back and forth between the two boys. I don't like seeing Aiden worry, but I want to go to the fort really, really bad.

"Your mom will be worried, Kayla," Aiden points out. "She'll get mad at you."

"No she won't," I say. "She's probably not even at the house. She's probably at the bar."

"Is she leaving you home alone again?" Aiden asks worriedly. "Because if she is, we should do something about it. We could tell my mom."

"No we can't." I head down the street with Sylas. "We're just kids. There's nothing we can do."

I leave him behind at the corner, knowing he's going to follow us, even though he doesn't want to.

Five seconds later, he sprints up behind us, panting. "If something happens to us," Aiden breathes at Sylas, "Then it's your fault."

"Alright, brother." He smiles, swinging our arms. "I can handle that."

The green trees shake leaves to the ground and our shoes crunches across them. The farther we walk up the street, the spa.r.s.er the houses get. Finally, Sylas ducks under a chain link fence and into the tall gra.s.s. He takes my hand and helps me down. Aiden follows. We walk down a dried out ditch, canopied by trees. b.u.t.terflies flutter the air. Sylas catches a bright yellow one and cups it in his hand. He watches it through the crack in his hands.

"What do you think Kayla?" he asks. "Should we take it home and put it in a jar? Or let it go?"

I peer through the opening in his hand and watch the b.u.t.terfly flap its wings. "Keeping it somewhere that it doesn't want to be would be mean. It deserves to be free."

Sylas grins. "I knew you'd say that." He releases the b.u.t.terfly and it flies toward the bright blue sky.

Aiden slips off his backpack and takes out two candy bars. He gives one to me and shoots Sylas a too-bad look as he peels the wrapper off and pops the chocolate in his mouth. I unwrap mine, break it in half, and give Sylas a piece.

With chocolate staining our faces, we climb out of the ditch, duck under the trees, and step into a field. A dirt road paves up the center. We hike for the road, Sylas in the lead, and Aiden in the back. I pluck a long piece of gra.s.s, cup it in my hands, and blow on it.

"You're not doing it right," Sylas laughs and shakes his head. "You have toa" His jaw drops as he stares at a black van at the end of the road.

I stop and Aiden runs into the back of me. "Who is that?" I ask.

"I don't know, but Ia" Sylas drifts off.

"What are you guys looking at?" Aiden sees it and backs up. "Let's go back."

He grabs my hand and turns us to the trees. The van rolls forward slowly, the tires crunching against the gravel. The windows are tinted and the exhaust grunts black smoke. Sylas takes my other hand and we speed up as the van heads farther up the dirt road.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Aiden shakes his head. "But you never listen."

"We'll be fine," Sylas says. "It's just a car. You're over reacting."

The van hits the breaks and the side door glides open. Men in black zippered suits and masks pile out. Their black, lace-up boots form a cloud of dust as they stampede for us.

We run. I struggle to keep up as the black-suited men chase after us. The gra.s.s scratches my legs and my lungs pinch tight with exhaustion. Run! Run! Run! My mind shouts.

"I told you they exist!' Aiden yells and drops my hand to dodge around a large bush. "But you wouldn't listen!"

As I glance over my shoulder, I trip over a rock. Sylas catches my elbow and shoves me in front of him. The thick trees grow closer, but so do the thud of the men's boots. Aiden races next to me and he takes my hand again. His skin is sticky and he's breathing hard. We all are.

The men are close when we reach the trees and jump into the ditch. Aiden falls and smacks headfirst into a rock. His head spurts blood and he presses his hand to the lesion.

The sounds of snapping twigs and clobbering boots parade all around us. They're coming from the front, the back, the side, everywhere. Just in front of us is a pipe that burrows under the ground. We rush inside, tucking our legs and arms together. It's dark, but on each side of the pipe is a trickle of light and the silhouettes of the men searching for us.

"I told you they existed," Aiden whispers, pointing his finger at Sylas. "This is all your fault."

Sylas stays silent, watching the end of the pipe like a hawk. Aiden turns the other way and fixates at the other end of the pipe. There's radio static and voices.

"Hey, over here," a masked man shouts and tucks his head inside the pipe, spotting a flashlight at us. "Hey, it's okay. You can come out. We're not going to hurt you. We're here to help."

"We're kids. Not morons," Sylas says and kicks the flashlight out of the man's hand.

"Why you littlea" The man lunges into the pipe.

We crawl on our hands and knees for the other end of the pipe, mud and twigs sticking to our skin.

"Hurry!" I shout at Aiden as the man reaches for Sylas' foot.

As we brink the other end, another masked man waits for us. We freeze as he lifts up his mask. His eyes are a deep brown, his hair black, and there's a long white line tracking the heart of his face.

"Daddy!" I cry and climb over Aiden, accidently kneeing him in the abdomen.

Aiden clutches my foot and tries to drag me back. But I claw my way forward and twist my foot out of my shoe. Aiden falls backward, clutching my Mary Jane. Mud coats my hands as I crawl the rest of the way down the tunnel and jump into my dad's arms. He scoops me up and I throw my hands around his neck, tears dripping down my cheeks.

"I knew you weren't dead," I sob. "I knew mommy was lying."

He pats my head awkwardly and then hands me to a man, dressed in black, with a mask screening his face.

"Daddy!" I reach for him, but he turns away and helps another man haul Aiden out of the pipe. Aiden's covered in mud and his jeans are ripped across the knee. He doesn't fight back as two men shove him toward the van. The man carrying me follows them and I reach for my dad, crying and begging.

Sylas launches himself out of the pipe and kicks one of the men in the knee. Then man curls over, cussing, and cradling his knee. Sylas skitters around two more men as they dive for him.

"This one's not going easily." One masked man says to another. "You want me to sedate him?"