Beyond the Border | ✔

3 | rule 05

RULE 05: ANY ATTEMPTS AT TRYING TO SECURE A ROUTE TO AND BACK FROM THE OUTSIDE WILL RESULT IN BANISHMENT

✷ C H A P T E R T H R E E ✷

I stopped dead in my tracks, slightly hurt that Memphis would think this was a good idea and even more hurt that he would think I'd be okay with this. Dread pumped through me, and all the blood felt like it was leaving my body.

"No, Memphis, I — I can't," I said truthfully, thinking of my family. Images of Pa, Gran, Pop, Auntie, and Uncle all floated through my head. They were smiling warm and bright, but at the thought of the Outside, their expressions morphed to sneers and icy glares.

Air troubled to enter my lunges, and the world started to turn into a foggy haze. The unforgiving sun was no longer the only cause of my overheating. It was like the Border was closing in on me, shrinking, until it was about to consume me up with it.

I raised you better than that, Sage Whitmore, Pa's voice shouted, torturing me.

Oh, my little flower, Gran cried out in agony, a Gran should never have to put her grand-baby to rest.

RULE 01: IF YOU CROSS THE BORDER, YOU ARE AS GOOD AS DEAD.

The golden, cardinal rule swirled around in my head, like an unshakable nightmare. Stop, I wanted to scream, as years and years of my conditioning were latching on to my every thought.

This was suicide — there was no way to convince me otherwise.

Bile started to rise in the back of my throat, and I took a step back.

"Memphis, this is crazy — crazy even for you — which is saying a lot," Gracie seemed uncertain, and I was glad to have someone with the same mindset....even if it was Gracie. "I know I said I wanted to leave the other day, but I haven't for a reason: my brother. I'm all he has. I can't let him be tossed to some uptight family who doesn't want him."

"Look, I know this is scary," Memphis tried to calm us down before any of us could object again, but he was unnaturally cool about this. "But my Ma told me that things are about to get bad, like really bad."

"I knew it!" Si muttered to himself.

Memphis always had this charming arrogance about himself; it came with him almost always getting what he wanted. It was admirable to see him think he was invincible, but right now, it looked horrifying.

For Memphis to think we could successfully go to the Outside and back was ridiculous. I know I always had the inkling that he'd done it many times before, but this was different. This felt so different.

He wasn't just putting himself in danger, he was trying to get us all killed.

"What do you mean?" Si asked after collecting his thoughts, scratching at his budding beard, seeming to not be as surprised as Gracie and I were.

He closed his eyes, took a breath, and began. "Eva Longshire is the tip of the iceberg. The Outsiders are starting a campaign to get over the Border. It doesn't stop there, though. Many people inside want the Border demolished, and Ma has been saying that even some of the witches casting the protection spell are starting to believe the same. The Council is deliberating tonight, and it's likely we won't even get the option to leave the Borderlands anymore. They need as many people on their side as they can get."

My heart constricted at his words, and I shut my eyes to try and grip my bearings. Freedom was limited in the Borderlands — a small price to pay — but it irked me that they could force us to stay. That couldn't be right... could it?