Lost in Ash (The Phoenix Experiment - Book 1)

CHAPTER THREE

"You don't know a lot."

Alva tried not to flinch at the harsh criticism from Six. She would have preferred not to get said critique while crossing over an active minefield, but there it was nonetheless.

"I know plenty," Alva defended as she followed in the exact steps that Six took.

They were halfway through the snowy field, walking slowly and following the thin line of string. Alva had thought at first it had been a white string, but when she held the string in her hand, she recognized the texture. It hadn't been a string at all, but rather many, many shoelaces that had been tied together. As they walked the laces would change. Based on the color it seemed to tell where to step next, warning Six in some way that a sharp turn was coming up or if the path had changed.

It was a skill that Alva wished the young girl had never needed to learn. She should have been sitting in a classroom, listening to a teacher lecture on some basic subject. Doodling away at her notes and sneaking texts out when the teacher wasn't looking.

You did it. You'd do it again.

"Are you sure?"

Alva blinked. She looked up to see Six's golden eyes staring back at her, an unconvinced look on her face. "What?" Alva asked, her heart beating in her ears.

"You said you know plenty?"

"Oh. Yes, I did. I do," Alva nodded as she let out a deep breath.

"You don't act like it," Six told her matter-of-factly before moving on a diagonal line a few more paces.

Alva felt a familiar wave of sickly warmth run through her veins. In a life that felt further from her than it was, she would have roared about herself. Letting pride take control of her, as she made it clear that she was the one with more power, more knowledge, and more connections than anyone who would talk to her in such a way. All those things were trivial, and many were no longer true.

Silently, Alva walked on the same line as Six. Trying desperately to keep her blood from boiling. Pride was rooted inside of her and even though logic might dictate not to yell at a twelve-year-old girl, she wanted to.

"All adults are," Six continued when Alva had caught up. "You forgot how to survive."

"We survived differently."

"In luxury," Six mumbled.

Alva felt a muscle in her cheek twist, "Surviving is surviving."

"Then, why'd you only go to the rich districts in the south of Mirka?" Six challenged.

"Excuse me?" Alva's voice rose, but she stood frozen.

Six walked in another diagonal line, "I saw you first in Rotckers."

Alva felt a spike of cold fear hit her stomach. She'd done it again, hadn't she? Walked directly into a trap.

"I was in Rotckers over a month ago," Alva tried to keep the worry out of her voice.

Six nodded, "You walked in a circle for three days. I didn't know where you were trying to get, but I knew the next closest district was Numbra so I blocked the path for your circle."

"The tree?"

Six nodded again.

Alva thought back to that day, she had been so upset, thinking that it was a setback. She was even more infuriated when she ended up in Numbra, it had been in the completely wrong direction. Further from Elinora, and not a port district like she had been trying for.

"Then on the outskirts of Numbra, the Specialists were following your tracks. You make a lot of those. You have to cover them, or people will follow you. There were also the Suxxes and Timberl districts that the Specialists found you too. They seem to want you. Can't figure out why though. I thought it might be because you're smart or something, but you almost get killed too much I think."

She was able to make her body move again, following the younger girl as if she held all the answers. "You followed me?"

"I had nothing else to do, and you were interesting."

"I was interesting?"

"Yeah, people kept trying to kill you. Aren't you listening?" Six stopped, turning around to face Alva with her tiny arms crossed over her chest.

"No, no, I'm listening." Alva eased with outstretched hands. "Do you know why they want to kill me?"

Six raised an eyebrow, looking at her as if she was an idiot. "The same reason they want to kill all of us."

She stood there watching at the edge of the field as Six stopped. There only had to be about five more steps until the sparse tree line started once again. Alva waited for Six to make the next move, only the girl didn't. Her head whipped back and forth, her shoulders were stiff, and the line of laces fell out of her hand.

"It's frayed," Six stated softly.

Alva watched as the confidence drained from the young girl. Whatever mask she had been wearing was ripped away as the frightened girl that lived beneath began to surface.

"It's not... It can't- Maybe if... NO!" Six grabbed at her braids in frustration, pulling on them hard enough to even make Alva wince. "I can't- This was it!"

Alva lurched forward the second Six began to hit herself in the head with her own hands. She scooped the small girl into her arms, having a bit of trouble keeping them from toppling over and off the safety of the path.

"Six, you have to calm down." Alva tried to soothe the girl, but it only triggered tears to stream.

"No! We're dead! I thought you could make it to help me! I need you, but we're dead!"

Alva couldn't help but laugh. The situation was dire, that much was true. They were mere steps away from being out of an active minefield and their guide was cut. It was enough to make anyone panic. It even had the power to prove a pre-teen will always be one. It sparked a ray of hope in her that she thought wasn't possible anymore.

"If you need me, I'll help."

"It doesn't matter," Six muttered.

"Six, where are you taking me?"

Six sniffled, "To the Clerivic district."

"North Mirka?"

Six nodded, "I heard of him a couple of years ago when the fires were still in South Mirka. I've been trying to find him ever since and I know he wouldn't just help me...but then...and a month ago, I found you and with how the Specialist focused on you I thought maybe..."

"I'll help you." Alva cut her off, pulling back far enough to look at the red-rimmed golden eyes. "They want me because I'm smart. I know things that... No one should ever learn. Which means I can get us out of this, and I can make some man help you."

Six chuckled as she sniffed, "With the laces cut it's a guess."

"No," Alva shook her head, placing Six behind her. "You just have to know how they are designed."

She felt Six's hand grip the back of her jacket, the younger girl tried to stop her for just a moment. Alva could feel it in the tightening of the hand in the white leather as her foot stepped out. She allowed herself one second of doubt before she walked forward, taking Six with her.