Endgame (Book 3)

Chapter 24

The next day, I woke up feeling like I was on top of the world. I couldn't explain it, but just the thought of Ashley sent tingles running throughout my body.

How could I help it? She made me feel good.

I cursed myself when I realized I forgot to take a shower the day before and worried that I smelled bad last night. A sniff under my arm confirmed my suspicion: I stunk like a skunk.

Two other things I failed to remember: my daily note to Cassie, and my nightly explorations of the ventilation system.

I checked my dresser for anything new. A note rested next to my school work. This one was from Jeremiah telling me I could look forward to seeing him tomorrow. He was coming to see my progress.

My stomach dropped at the prospect. Regardless of how I felt about Ashley, Jeremiah made me feel uneasy, even more so than Zero. Zero himself had warned me about him. I knew so little of Jeremiah...about this place, too. 

I saw my situation at a different angle now. I understood why Ashley was "mentoring" me. She was the friendliest face here. Her purpose was to get me to trust everyone. She was my anchor to ensure my stay. 

I couldn't be sure if she knew this or not. She struck me as an intelligent person, but also as a pawn. I thought she was as much wrapped up in this as I was. 

I looked at my wrists, which no longer felt encumbered, my powers as full strength. Where did they go?

My heart hammered in my chest. What would Ashley say if she saw me without my cuffs?

The room became filled with blue mist as I hurriedly searched it for any lost property. Maybe they just defected. Maybe I just needed to find them and put them back on.

A shadow fell over the light coming through my entryway, and I looked up. Ashley was standing in the doorway with an amused expression on her face, my cuffs dangling off of her left index finger. 

I zipped in front of her and took the cuffs, flicking my wrists through them. They hung loose and remained inoperable. I gave her a helpless expression.

"Relax, you don't need them anymore," Ashley said, taking the cuffs back off my wrists. "I came to take them off earlier this morning. You're not breaking any rules."

She seemed to be on my wavelength- in more ways than one. I released the frantic tension encompassing my body. 

"I see you're feeling a bit elated," I noticed.

"Well, yeah," she said with a grin. "Last night..."

"Was amazing," I finished for her.

"Yes," she said. 

We stood still, looking at each other for a moment. 

Ashley shook her head abruptly and edged past me so we could talk inside of my room. "The cuffs were just a precautionary measure Jeremiah put in place. He knows he can trust you now."

As I had come to realize in my time, trust was a two-way street. Afterlight was a big reminder of that. Now, the only person I trusted was the girl in front of me.

Ashley reached inside of her pocket and handed me a small card. "You need this as well. It operates your door when you wave it in front of it."

I nodded in understanding. 

"I have to finish handling some things, but you're free to do whatever this morning," she said, walking out the door. "I'll see you later."

"Wait!" I exclaimed.