Fallen

Chapter Ten

When we stepped off the ferry, my body shivered worse from when we left. It felt as if icicles were collecting off the tip of my nose. The cold had cut to my core, the kind of cold that I forgot what warmth was, or if I would ever be warm again.

Back at home, I had been on the lake when it was cold. But there, we were on a much smaller lake and the wind wasn't that strong. The wind currently nipping at us was from across the vast ocean and there was nothing to block the terrible bite.

"Now what?" Alec asked. We stood on the dock, looking at the island. The buildings were much like the ones in the Outskirts. Worn down, broken, and depressed. The other traveler on the ferry rushed past us. He hustled down the road, his shoulders hunched over and head down.

"Maybe follow him?" Audrey asked.

Well, it was all we had to go off of. According to military reports, no one lived on the island. We had no idea where to start. If we had more time, we could send scouts ahead. But we didn't have time. That morning King Roth talked to us saying he wanted us to get to the bottom of what was going on with rebels. But what he was asking for was impossible. The island was big. If they were hiding, it could take us days to find them.

"Why not? We have to start somewhere." Alec followed the man down the street.

"But this place is huge," Audrey whined.

I tried not to roll my eyes. "What did you expect? For someone to walk up to us and say, 'hey, the rebel base is over here, come on in we have cookies and hot cocoa?'"

"Well," a voice said from behind us, "We do make the best cookies." Alec and I twirled, our guns aimed and ready. A man stood behind us on the dock. Where he had come from, I had no idea. We hadn't reached the street and there was nowhere to hide on either side of the dock.

The man was young and had blond hair that reminded me of someone. "We have been waiting for you," he said. That voice, it sounded familiar. It was a smooth and cool voice. A memory of when Alec and I were in that warehouse surfaced. We had trailed Thomas to the dock where two men were waiting. One man was older, but the younger one had blond hair, much like the one that stood before us now.

"For us?" Alec asked. The young man stepped forward, not caring about the aimed weapons.

"Yup," the man pulled out his hand from his pocket for Alec to shake. "Name's Demetri. A friend of Tom, the guy you saved. Or should I say, he saved you."

Alec eyed Demetri's hand, his gun still raised.

"I don't have a bomb on my hand or anything," he said, showing us the back of his hand and palm. "Just trying to be friendly."

Alec continued to eye him, I knew that look from my childhood and stepped forward before he could say anything stupid. "Sorry, we are hesitant with the people we meet. Mel." I put my gun in the holster and shot out my hand from his to shake.

Demetri's fingers were callused in the same spots that mine were. "It is good to meet you, Mel." His smile was crooked and infectious. It forced me to smile. "I am glad to see some people from York and be civil to us lowly humans below." His cool caramel eyes shot to Alec.

"This is Alec," I said, indicating to him before Alec could retort. "And this is –" It was fine to share Alec and my name. I didn't think about using decoy names quick enough anyway, but Audrey. She was the princess.

"Abby," Audrey said, stepping up.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." That melting smile once again colored his face.

"Since we got introductions out of the way," Alec snapped, "Tell us why you are here."

Demetri did not look offended by the way Alec spoke. He only smiled, unworried. "Tom had me floating on that ferry for days, waiting for you two to show up."