Violet Skies: A Dystopian Novel by Brenda Poppy

Author:Brenda Poppy [Poppy, Brenda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

V knew that she couldn’t stick around. Soon enough, the sentries would stumble across the mess she’d made of the Guards and call for reinforcements. Plus, with all the blood she’d lost from her various cuts and gashes, she was feeling…less than stellar. So she made a beeline for the stairs, barely remembering to pocket the silver device on her way out the door.

By the time she reached the bottom, her shoulder was splitting and the world was spinning from the pain. The thought of running back to the shop – or even walking – made her feel sick. She wanted to rest, not run, to sit on the sidewalk and stare at the night as it changed back into day.

There was nowhere to hide, nowhere that provided sufficient cover to guarantee her safety. Every dark corner could be lit by a sentry, with every path and passage as its hunting ground. They wouldn’t stop until they found her, and she’d surely be dead by daylight.

There was, however, another option. V’s fingers tingled at the sight.

Three motorbikes waited near the base of the station, riderless and inviting. Their sleek black coats reflected the starlight, with the cosmos mirrored in multicolored swirls. V was across the street before she knew what she was doing.

She caressed the handle with the touch of a lover, sweet and soft and wanting. A yearning broke within her, but she pushed it down, knowing there was no way to fulfill it. She had no keys, no ID, no way to make the bikes move.

At least, that’s what she thought. Her hands seemed to have a different idea. As she watched, they pushed aside a hidden panel before burying themselves in a mess of wires.

It was the strangest feeling, as if she knew what she was doing yet didn’t. As if she’d done this a thousand times before yet couldn’t remember a single instance. The movements were ingrained in her muscles, like the methods she’d used to subdue the Guards, and she watched them unfold with awe.

Without knowing how, she bypassed the controls to switch off the bike’s tracker before diving into its depths. Reaching the switches that controlled its core, she flipped them swiftly in a synchronized pattern, feeling the rhythm in her soul. After a handful of heartbeats, the motor made a delicious sound, humming happily to life.

V’s leaden heart soared as she placed herself atop the bike and felt it purr. For the barest hint of a second, she remembered this feeling, this power. She saw herself astride another bike – her bike – sleek and new and glinting in the sun. She felt the wind in her hair, the freedom in her soul, the ghost of her former self at her back.

The flicker of memory dissipated as she spurred the bike into motion, leaning forward to take command of its reins. She kept its lights low, casting faint shadows across the street as she steered away from the scene.

Before long, the timidness of first touch gave way to exhilaration, and she found herself flying through the streets.

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