Laughing, I feel lighter than air. I can’t wait to tell Gavin this new revelation. I’ve no doubt he’ll be happy for me. And maybe this will help him bridge that ridiculous gap between them.
He nudges my shoulder again, before standing and walking to the door. “I know this is probably the hardest decision you’ll ever have to make, but I just want you to know that I’m behind you. No matter what you decide.” Without saying another word, he steps out of the room.
For a few minutes, I just stare at the open door, trying to gather my thoughts, until Gavin knocks. He steps in without waiting for an answer and joins me on the bed, linking his fingers with mine.
“You’re not seriously thinking of staying, are you?”
“I don’t know. If Mother has done half the things they say, I can’t just walk away.”
He opens his mouth, then shuts it, before sighing. “We can’t stay, Evie. You know that. I won’t take the chance of you getting hurt again, and Mother is dangerous. There’s no way she’s just going to let you stroll in and tell her she can’t live here anymore.”
“But there’s no one else to help them. You heard them. I’m the only one.”
“So they say. What if you never came back at all? What would they have done then?”
“But I did.”
“But what if you didn’t?” He pushes off the bed to pace, then stops in front of me. “You are under no obligation to help them. In fact, they have no right”—he balls his hands into fists—“no right, to ask this of you. They’re your family. Any parent would have saved their daughter’s life without asking for payment. And they lost the right to ask you for help when they gave you to the psychotic woman and let her brainwash you, repeatedly.” He goes on, getting louder and more animated by the second.
Finally I cut into his diatribe.
“Gavin?” I ask, looking at him.
He stops, frowning at me. “What?”
“You’re not helping.”
He stares at me. “You’re not just going to make me watch you walk into that black widow’s lair. I won’t do it, Evie. Not this time. I’ve already had to endure being back here. I won’t let you do this.”
At that, anything I would have said flies out of my mind. “You’re not going to let me?” I push up from the bed.
His eyes widen at my tone and he starts to say something, but I interrupt. “Gavin, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I understand this hasn’t been easy. But just because I don’t remember much about my life before we met doesn’t mean I’m your property. You don’t let me do anything. If I choose to help them, I will do so and there will be nothing you can do to stop me.” I turn around so my back is to him, then gesture to the door. “You may leave.”
“But, Evie, wait. That’s not what I—”
“You may leave,” I repeat, swallowing the lump of rage and hurt balling in my throat.
He sighs, but I hear him leave the room, his shoes dragging across the floor. He pauses at the door momentarily, but then he keeps going without saying anything.
An hour later, I’ve made my decision. I carefully make my way back to the living room to stand at the doorway, being a silent observer for the minute or so before anyone sees me.
Evangeline is talking quietly with Eli in a corner of the room. Their backs are to me, and I can’t hear what they’re saying, but they look nervous. Gavin sits on the couch, curled into himself.
I take a deep breath and instantly feel everyone’s eyes on mine. Waiting for an answer I don’t want to give because I know what it’ll mean and what I’ll have to do. When I look up, I meet Asher’s gaze first. He nods once and I close my eyes in relief. At least someone is standing by me.
When I open them again, I look all of them in the face, stopping last on Gavin. His eyes narrow, but I don’t look away. I want him to know this is something I have to do. I can’t just let Mother’s tyranny continue. She’s already taken everything from me; I can’t let her destroy any more lives. Not if I have even the smallest chance of stopping it.
I turn to my parents. “I’ll do it. For Elysium.” To Asher. “For my family.” Then to Gavin. “For us.”
A war of words breaks out around me. Gavin is the first up and I expect him to start on me, but he pushes his face into Eli’s, screaming as loud as I’ve ever heard. Eli is screaming right back, gesturing to where I sit. I can’t hear anything as everyone is fighting to talk over each other.
The only one not yelling is Asher, who is watching me intently. So intently I wonder if he’s trying to tell me something. For a minute, we just sit there watching each other, letting the words crash over us before he breaks it with his signature smile. As if to say, “I’ve got this.”
I smile back. “Thank you,” I mouth, and he nods again, then tips his head toward the door, gesturing for me to exit while everyone is preoccupied.
Then he stands and enters the fight, while I slip quietly to my room to contemplate how to take Mother down.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
My daughter has returned to me, as I knew she would. After all, she is my creation. And like anything that requires programming by an outside influence, it is inevitable that she should return to her creator.
Especially when programmed to do so.
—EXCERPT FROM MOTHER’S JOURNAL
Mother
I watch the monitor and smile. They actually believe they got into Elysium without me knowing. I didn’t become the Governess by being a fool. I am Evelyn’s Mother. Everyone’s Mother. And nothing escapes me.
I turn to Dr. Friar behind me. “You made sure he got everything he needed?”
“Yes. I made sure the staff was otherwise entertained so all he had to do was ‘sneak’ in and grab it.” He tips his head to the side, that sly smile twinkling in his eyes. “Poor man. Seemed in such a hurry. Didn’t even notice it was unusually quiet in the Medical Sector. I do hope nothing is wrong.”
I laugh and lean against the back of my chair. “Fantastic.” Then a thought occurs to me. “How much of her memory will he be able to recover?”
“Not much, I’m afraid. With the reactivation she may get them all back eventually, but it will be very slow. You’d probably have more success planting new ones.”
I nod and lean into my mirror, checking the line of my eyeliner. I press a light finger to the small wrinkles to the side. “Make sure you have everything you need to make that happen.” I look at him through the mirror. “She’s probably already said yes. They won’t wait long. And I’m eager to continue Evelyn’s training now that she’s passed her test. I must say, I’m pleased that she’s brought these fabulous new specimens with her.” The side of my mouth lifts. “Such a lovely surprise.”
There’s a soft knock on the door. “Come,” I say.
One of my Maids pokes her head through the opening. “Enforcer Lydia here to see you, ma’am.”
I clap my hands. “Wonderful. Send her in.”
The Maid quickly disappears to be replaced with the girl Evelyn’s age who has taken over as lead Enforcer since Evelyn and that Surface Dweller killed my last leader. She stands just inside the door, staring over my head with her trained gaze. I know she sees everything, even when it looks like she sees nothing.
“The situation is under control,” she says, her voice as flat as the floor my chair is sitting on.
“The girl?”
“She’s been relocated to Enforcer training.”
“And her poor mother?”
“Eliminated.”