Broken Dreams by Anitha Robinson

Author:Anitha Robinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CBAY Books
Published: 2019-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

Sunil turns off the car’s ignition and cranes his neck to see out the front window. “What the hell is Ellis doing?”

Dr. Patra’s eyes are wide. “Leaving?” Hope clings to his words.

I push open my door and jump out. Using my hand as a visor to minimize the intense glare, I scan the direction Ellis ran.

Another blip of white streaks across my field of vision, and then it’s gone. It’s Margaret. I know it is. The stone inside my chest confirms my fear. Yet I still head straight for her.

The trees are much denser than they appeared from a distance. Only strands of sunlight break through the canopy of leaves, making it hard to see.

I dash from trunk to trunk, turning in all directions. My heart beats in my ears as it drums against my ribs.

Someone grabs my wrist, brings me to a stop. I spin around, my free arm swinging. It collides with Ellis’s shoulder, and he stumbles back.

“Oh, God, Ellis,” I say. “I thought you were Margaret.” I whisper her name like it’s a bad word, worried that if I say it too loud, she’ll appear.

He wipes sweat from his brow. “No one’s here.”

“Are you sure? I saw something.” I steady myself against a tree.

Ellis puts a hand on my shoulder. “I searched everywhere. There’s no one. Certainly not Margaret.” His feet shuffle in the ground. “We talked about this. She died in the explosions on Istriya.”

“We don’t know for sure.” But even as I question him, my chest feels lighter. Ellis didn’t find her. He’s had a shot of flureans. His strength and speed are back. He’d have found her if she was here.

Snap. A twig cracks.

I bolt around. My fist stops inches from Sunil’s jaw.

“What are you guys doing?” He leans forward, hands on thighs, and catches his breath.

“Kalli thought she saw something.”

“Like this morning?” he pants.

I nod.

“Did you find anything?” Sunil drags himself upright.

“No.” Ellis tugs at the neck of his damp shirt. “Kalli, we need to go.”

With a last look around, I turn and head out of the forest, back to the car.

Dr. Patra is standing by the hood. “You should have just let him go,” he scolds.

“He wasn’t going anywhere.” I slam the door shut and stare at the research building. Could Margaret be in there? Alive? Watching us? No. That’s insane. Ellis is right.

Most of Istriya was in flames when Ellis and I escaped from the planet. Margaret was being held in a room, awaiting interrogation for her role in harming and killing some of the runaways. She couldn’t have fled the fires.

As we drive out of the parking lot and turn onto the road, I glance back at the clump of trees. Nothing. My shoulders relax. There’s no way she could be here.

While the air conditioning revs up, I open the window and lean my face outside. The humid breeze isn’t cooling, but it soothes my jitters.

Soon, we are pushing our way through the pit of the city. The smell of burning gas forces me to close the window.

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