Asher stares if he can’t believe his eyes, but then he shoves his hands into his pockets. He gives me this smile that I can’t decipher before he nods.
“I see him. He’s real.”
Even then, I can’t seem to make my legs move. Gavin’s breath is coming out in ragged gasps and he’s leaning over as he drags in more air, but he takes another step forward, tripping a little over his feet. “You’re all right. Please tell me you’re all right.”
This time I can’t stop myself—the desperation in the plea breaks through the shock and I rush to him.
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear before cupping my cheek in his hand. I lean into it, letting my eyes drift closed and breathing his scent like air. Then his lips brush mine, and my stomach flips, like it does every time I kiss him. There’s just something about that initial touch.
Then I’m pressing my lips harder against his and pulling him closer to me, as if even the tiniest space between us is too much. Tears flow down my cheeks, and he just keeps brushing them away with his thumbs.
Asher clears his throat, but I’m not ready to let go yet.
“Where were you?” My voice is still thick with tears and muffled in Gavin’s chest. “We thought you were dead. I thought you were dead.”
He’s silent for a long moment, but his voice is filled with emotion—regret, pain, terror—when he finally says, “I’m sorry, Evie. I’m so sorry.” He pulls me tighter to him and I don’t have the heart to make him tell me the whole story right now.
“How did you get here?” I decide to ask instead.
He rests his forehead against mine. “I thought I was going to be too late,” he whispers.
“I’m —” I start, but he interrupts me.
“I can’t believe you just took off with him.” He glares at Asher. “What were you thinking? I told you what it’s like down there. You can’t go down there. She can’t go back. Mother will kill her. The nanos—”
Asher cuts him off. “Grandma told us about them. They’re broken. And Eli—”
“Eli is dead,” Gavin says. He glances down at me. “We saw him die, Evie. In Mother’s diary. There was a link to a video. It showed the lead scientist, Eli, being killed by his nanos. Him and the majority of his sector.”
I knit my brows together, my eyes searching his face. “That can’t be true.”
He hugs me. “It is. I’m sorry.”
“Even if it is,” Asher says. “There has to be someone there that can help.”
Gavin gently pushes me away. “Are you stupid? There’s no one there to help her. The only thing you’ll find there is death.” His eyes are wild. I can see his pulse racing.
“Gavin, calm down.”
He takes me by the shoulders. “No. Not until you say you’re not going to go.”
I want to say I’ll stay. For him. To make him happy. But I can’t, because I’d only be staying for him. And that’s not right for either of us. Closing my eyes, I say, “No, Gavin, I’m not. I made up my mind and I’m going to Elysium. They’re the only ones who can help me.”
“There’s not anyone who can help you. Eli’s gone. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mother killed everyone who worked on nanos. The minute you set foot back in that freak show, Mother is going to be all over you like white on rice. We barely escaped last time. I’m not letting you go.”
Anger makes my heart beat faster. I lift my chin. “Letting me? You don’t let me do anything. I choose. Me. Not you. And I choose to go to Elysium.” He opens his mouth, but this time I don’t let him speak. “I have to go back. I’m tired of having bits and pieces thrown at me, and not being able to hold on to any of them.” I take his hands in mine. “I just … I don’t belong here. I’ve felt lost since I got here.”
He squeezes his eyes shut. “I know. But going back isn’t going to help you.”
“It might. I have to try.”
Gavin turns to Asher, his eyes feverish. He starts pacing, his movements short and jerky, to Asher and then back to me. He’s muttering something to himself, a look of intense concentration on his face, and it terrifies me. I’ve never seen him like this.
I don’t see it coming until it’s too late. Gavin throws himself at Asher. The two fall onto the wood dock and it makes an ominous creaking sound. Before I can do anything more than avoid being pulled down with them, Gavin swings his arm back and throws his fist into Asher’s face.
Despite the shock of being tossed onto the ground, Asher throws his own punch, and pretty soon the boathouse is filled with the sounds of Gavin and Asher fighting.
“Hey. Stop!” I whisper-yell. Of course that doesn’t do anything, so I step closer. “Asher! Gavin! Stop it. You’re going to give us away. Stop it!”
Nothing. Hoping for the best, I step into the fray and try to pull them apart. But it’s as if they don’t even see me, and I get a fist to the side of my head for my trouble. My vision swims with red and black spots. I’m not sure which one did it, but Asher immediately stops, his eyes glued to my face.
“Evie, are you okay?” he asks, but Gavin evidently hasn’t noticed what happened, and takes advantage of Asher’s distraction to hit him in the face again. Asher tries to brush him off and stand, but Gavin keeps coming.
Suddenly there’s that click in my head again, and all the pain I’m feeling disappears. My vision clears and the hatred on Gavin’s face is clearly visible. Surface Dwellers are dangerous.
I grab him by the shoulder and spin him around. Shock widens his eyes when he sees me, but before he can do anything more than that, I punch him in the stomach. His breath whooshes out with an oomph and he bends over, clutching his abdomen. Then I straighten my hand and chop him in the back of the neck. Not too hard, just enough to knock him out.
He immediately falls to the ground, out cold. It’s as if a light is switched off, and I fall to my own knees as all the strength and energy I just had pours out of me. Asher kneels next to me.
“Are you all right?” He presses a hand to the side of my face and I hiss. He makes a face. “That’s going to bruise. It’s already turning colors. Come on.” He shoots a disgusted look to Gavin. “We’d better go before he comes to.”
Repulsed by what I did, I say, “We can’t just leave him here. He could be hurt. I could have hurt him.” My stomach rolls. What is wrong with me?
Asher opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but then stops when he sees my face. He sighs. “Fine. He’ll just have to come with.” He smirks. “Boy is he going to be pissed when he wakes up and realizes where we are.”
That only makes me feel worse. Asher sighs again, then helps me to my feet. “Let’s get you in first.” He helps me into the seat next to the driver’s seat, before unceremoniously dragging Gavin through the hatch until he’s crumpled onto the floor behind us.
“Asher!” I chastise, but he only skirts around Gavin to go to the console.
I rush to Gavin and kneel beside him, adjusting him so he’s not just piled onto the floor like so much unwanted rubbish. Brushing the hair out of his face, I see dark shadows under his eyes, not to mention a slew of other bruises, cuts, and scrapes, some of them in the process of forming because of his altercation with Asher just now. And there’s an ugly yellow bruise peeking out from under the collar of his dirty and torn T-shirt. I tug it down to see that the bruise covers pretty much his entire shoulder and upper right chest. Guilt tears at me for knocking him out, but it wars with relief and utter joy at seeing him again. Alive. Knocked out because of me, and pretty beat up, but alive.