“Yes.” My mother stared at me. “I know you've got a secret, one I can't quite explain and I'm not sure I'd want you to. Just do yourself a favor and don't come back here. It's not safe for you both. People are growing afraid of you and it scares me what they might do.”
The butterflies that had been anxiously fluttering in my stomach were now violent as I wiped my hands on my dirty clothes. “Goodbye, Mom.” I gave her one last hug and a kiss to her cheek before opening the door and heading down to the street.
I climbed into the backseat of a military vehicle while Jordan sat up front with Joshua. Josh drove us outside of Genesis, past the walls and out of view of the towers. It wasn't a far drive, twenty or thirty minutes on dirt and grass. We approached the drones and Joshua stopped the vehicle, turned it off, and got out. I did the same, staring up at the huge drones as I came face to face with them. They were massive, and I was frightened to know this is what had destroyed Haven.
“You came in this?” I asked Joshua, already knowing the answer as I stared up at the gray planes. They were twice my size and height. The wingspan was unbelievable. I walked up, my fingers unable to stop themselves from touching the metal. I was transfixed.
“Do you need me for anything else?” I heard Jordan's voice and spun around on my heels. He was waiting to take the car back to Genesis.
“We'll see you around.” I shook Jordan's hand, as did Joshua, saying goodbye.
“Maybe I'll see you both in Torv in two weeks.” He was hopeful he'd get elected from Genesis. “Stay safe,” Jordan called out before he climbed into the driver's seat and took off back in the direction we had come from, Genesis.
“How does this work?” I asked as I stared up at one of five drones in a field of grass. My stomach somersaulted.
“You can cram in and fly with me or have your own drone to fly back in,” Joshua offered.
“I don't know how to fly a drone!” Was he kidding?
“I'll be manning all the controls. You just have to sit back and relax.” He opened the hatch for me to get in. “So what'll it be?”
I didn't have to think about it. “You're flying with me.” There was no way I was getting in a drone on my own. If something went wrong, Joshua knew how to interact with the machine and could keep us both out of trouble.
“Climb in,” he offered, and I did, squeezing in before Joshua joined me on the seat. He closed the lid to the drone as he sat down. We were nestled tight in one seat. “This is cozy,” he teased, pressing the buttons as he turned on the plane. I tensed behind him. “Hold on and relax, I've got it covered.” There wasn't much else I could do but hold on. My arms wrapped around his waist as my legs were positioned at either side of him. “You're squeezing me to death.” He nudged my arm from his stomach, for me to loosen my hold.
“Sorry, just nervous,” I confessed.
“Don't be, I've done this before.” Joshua sounded like a pro, confident in what he was doing. I closed my eyes the moment I felt the drone lurch forward and begin to move along the grass as he turned us around.
“How are we going to get the other drones home?” My eyes opened just enough to peek out the window. When I did, I found myself unable to stop looking. The world was passing by, quicker than from a car, and I felt my stomach sink as the nose of the plane tilted up and we were lifted off the ground.
“Take a look to your left and right,” Josh answered.
I did just that, my eyes glanced out the window, and a few feet behind us I could see the drones catching up. We were staggered in a pattern with Joshua leading the fleet and there were two to our left and two to our right. “You're doing that?” I gasped.
“Impressed?” He teased.
“You have no idea,” I whispered in awe.
CHAPTER 27
Arriving back to Shadow the same day we left Genesis was incredible! The drone had gotten us home in just a few short hours. Everyone who had traveled with us to Genesis had left days ago and was now arriving. Joshua landed the drone smoothly, the other planes coming in to land behind him one after another. He parked the plane in the hanger, returning it where it had been hidden for months.
Joshua opened the lid and climbed out, offering me his hand. I took it, groaning as I stepped from the plane. The movement from air back to land made me momentarily unsteady on my feet. He gripped my waist as I staggered forward. “Careful,” he whispered. “It takes some getting used to.”
“How many times have you done this?” It was impressive.
“I've lost count,” Joshua confessed. “Come on, let's go home. I could use a shower and lunch.”
I wasn't in the house but five minutes when I heard the door. “Who do you think that is?” I glanced back at Joshua as I headed down the stairs. I had been pulling out a fresh change of clothes when I'd heard the door.
“No clue,” he called down to me.
I unlocked the door, pleasantly surprised to see Adelaide standing there with her teddy bear in hand. It had been hand sewn and looked a little worn but she clung to it for life. “You're okay!” she squealed in delight and I bent down, wrapping my arms around her.
“Of course,” I smiled, hugging her tight. “I missed you.”
Adelaide laughed. “I missed you more.” She showed me her bear. “Guess what I named her,” she boasted proudly.
“What?” I asked with an eager smile.
“Olive.” She laughed, hugging me again. “Did you hear there's going to be a parade tomorrow?”
“A parade?” I smiled, glancing behind me as I heard Joshua coming down the stairs. “Did you hear that?”
“Sounds fun,” Joshua grinned, coming to sit on the bottom stair. “Hey there, tiger.” He laughed as Adelaide came over and hugged Joshua too.
“You'll be at the parade, right?” She nodded eagerly. “Please?”
I smiled, “How could I say no to that?” I glanced at Joshua. “I think we have to go to the parade. Adelaide asked nicely.”
Joshua laughed. “Well if we have to, then I guess it's settled. We'll be there tomorrow.”
I shut the door and watched from the window as Adelaide headed home. I felt Joshua's warm embrace from behind as I spun around in his arms.
“How did things go in Genesis while you were cooped up with Craynor?” he asked.
My face paled just thinking of Anita. “He killed the head housekeeper,” I whispered, taking his hand and leaning my face into his neck, finding warmth in his embrace. “Then Craynor told me and another girl, Lisa, to throw her in the trash.”
I felt him pull back slightly. My eyes looked up, seeing his widen in shock. “Wow.” He paused. “Come on,” he insisted, taking my hand as he led me up the stairs to our bedroom.
“We didn't listen to Craynor. Which just caused more problems for us,” I confessed. “We wanted to make a statement, so we burned her body on the front lawn of the property.” Joshua led me to the mattress and I took a seat at the edge of the bed.
“Seriously?”
I nodded, remembering what we'd done. My eyes stared down at the bedspread. “Jaxon helped since I couldn't get the wood to light.” I paused with a sigh. “Lisa and I got caught. I made sure Jaxon got away so that the plan would happen, even if I couldn't be a part of it.”
His hand smoothed over my back in soft circles. “That was brave of you, Olive.”
“Or stupid,” I admitted. “I ran into your father in the mansion.”
“That's not a huge surprise. He does a lot of work with Craynor.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” I wasn't sure if I should confess the reason Anita had been killed. What good would it do if he wasn't planning on returning to Genesis and seeing his father again? “That reminds me, there's something I want to do and I'd like your help.”