We The Forlorn (Book #2) (Completed)

2. My Name Is

She hadn't been in the city for very long, but she still trusted her instincts to get them somewhere safe. Her brain was good at remembering blueprints and maps, lines and numbers. She pulled up the mental map she'd been making as she walked the streets at night for this very reason. Each turn she took she marked in her mental map, looking ahead to a place out of the worst of the dust storm that would also be hard for the men in pursuit to follow them.

She'd nearly forgotten the young man as she concentrated on getting them to safety, but when he clenched her hand tighter in his when she took a turn he wasn't expecting, she remembered suddenly that he was a connection to Adam. Her whole body buzzed with the idea. After so long, she found someone who knew Adam. And not only knew him, but seemed to be in some sort of gang with him. She fought hard to hide the smile that crossed her face, even though no one in the world could see it behind her bandana and through the dust storm. Still, she had gotten into the habit of not showing her expressions so easily and it was hard to kill.

When she judged that they were far enough from the The Heart, she pulled over to a sheltered area near a building. The dust had settled enough in the air here that she was able to slide her goggles and bandana off. She peered at the young man, who followed suit to reveal his rust colored skin that nearly blended perfectly with the dust. His thick eyebrows rose high on his face as he stared at her in disbelief.

She let him stare, not particularly caring about his opinion of her. Whether it was awe or fear or anything else that played across his face, that was his problem.

"Thank you," he said. "I don't normally need rescuing, but sometimes Clayton gets it into his head that he needs to crack down on the riff raff."

She nodded. He stared at her a moment more, and must have felt uncomfortable with the silence. He kicked the ground with his boot and tried to continue the conversation.

"My name is Shere Khan," he said, and offered his hand. She took it, shaking it but not with any concentration. She was too busy thinking about how she might convince him to tell her about Adam. He didn't look like the type of kid to spill everything he knew with just a few words from a stranger, but he also didn't look like the type of kid to abandon someone who had just helped him out of a jam.

"You were talking about some sort of gang?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

His expression immediately closed off, but she had been expecting this. He had no idea who she was, or why she wanted to know more about his gang that obviously was having trouble with the locals. She waited out his internal deliberation, and was rewarded when he decided to offer up a little information.

"The Forlorn. We disrupt the militia whenever we can. It buys some settlers some time to try and get out from their thumb by beating a hasty retreat to a new camping ground." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"And you have a leader?" she asked, cursing the way her voice hitched and her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest.

Khan's eyebrows drew together and she knew she was giving him reason to suspect her if she acted this way. But she couldn't help it. She was close. So close.

"Of course."

"What's he like?" She knew if she didn't keep herself under control that Khan would immediately see the desperation that weighed heavy in the pit of her stomach. She schooled her features into a neutral blandness that she wore while supervising the drills back at home. Don't reveal anything to the recruits and you kept them guessing, kept them trying their hardest to find the one thing you wanted.

"Brave, fearless, humble, kind," Khan said, shrugging. She could tell he was being sarcastic, teasing her. But she forged on anyway.

"And his name is...?" It was an obvious question, something that sounded odd in a normal conversation. But she had to know. Had to make sure.

"Adam," Khan said, as if the name wasn't heaven on earth. Bo wanted to scream, to shout, to jump into the air and dance and laugh and cry. But she couldn't with Khan in front of her. So she kept her drill expression and nodded like she had no attachment to that name at all.

Khan gave her a wary expression, but the guarded wall was lowering. He was starting to trust her already. Maybe she'd been too hasty in thinking him a street-wise kid. "Look. He doesn't normally accept newcomers right off the bat, but... you saved my life and proved yourself a good fighter. And escaper. I think we could use you, and I feel like you could use us too."

"You asking me to join?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. It was exactly what she wanted, but she didn't want him to know that right off.

He gave her a crooked grin. "Yeah. Want to?"

She returned his smile. "I wouldn't dare say no."

"Well, we better start back soon then. We close the gates to the base at sundown, and it's going to take us a while to get there." He glanced up at the sky. "I've got a hopper hidden a few streets down from the market place, if you'd be as kind as to take us there."

"No problem," she said, pulling her mask and goggles back into place. He followed suit, and when she offered him her hand he took it with a confidence she wondered if he should have in her.

She was about to launch back into the dust cloud when he pulled her up short. She half-turned to him, waiting for whatever it was that he wanted.

"I forgot to ask your name," he said. "I should probably know that before taking you to our super top secret base."

"Bo. My name is Bo."

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A/N: Now we're past the short story, and we can get into new territory!