Awakening - The Last Science #1

Chapter 28 - Ashes - V

  "As much as I'd love to host you all," Cinza said dryly, "I doubt we could sustain this many people. We were barely self-sustaining before, and we've lost half of the people who could cast the necessary spells. It would take a lot of time to train new people in the technique."

  "We go out in plain sight," said Boris abruptly.

  "...Great plan," said Joe sarcastically. "We walk right into their black vans."

  "New identities, new lives," Boris went on, ignoring him. "As I understand it, many of you have methods to change your appearance in thorough, permanent ways. I can help you develop new lives to match. It won't be necessary for everyone," he added, glancing at the Silverdale couple, "but for the most notable among you, it could keep you safe."

  Hailey nodded. "Jess and I know the ritual to use." Jessica looked up at her name, but after realizing Hailey wasn't talking to her, glanced away again. She seemed to be most interested with watching Beverly, but the grey-eyed girl was too busy watching Rachel to notice. Rachel wondered if she should find it threatening that Beverly refused to let her out of her sight.

  "What if I can't do it?" Hector asked.

  "You don't need to, Hector. He's talking about Kenni and myself. Cinza as well, as she was captured on film," said Lily.

  "Me too, I think," added Joe. "You could see me in the back of a few shots."

  "I've no intention to return to society," said Cinza. "Our home is still intact, and we will remain there." Yusuf and Ruby nodded in unison at her words.

  "Not to be a downer, but most of you lived here. I'm from Norwalk. My parents are still there," said Josh. "They'll be looking for me."

  "You can't get in touch with them," said Rachel. "You're dead."

  "I'm pretty sure they could keep a secret," Josh shot back.

  "Enrollment records and flight records. If their son is alive and well in SoCal, when he should have been at school for the summer, you're screwed," said Hailey. "You gotta cut them out for now, Josh."

  "Easy for you to say. You don't even talk to your folks."

  Hailey glowered, but Neffie spoke up before they could get into it. "What about the rest of us? We can't use magic," she asked. "How are we supposed to hide?"

  "I can teach you a few things," said Boris.

  "And you're this amazing expert on hiding, are you?" asked Malcolm.

  "Yes."

  Malcolm faltered at his single confident word. His wife looked about to speak up, but Boris held up his hand to forestall them, to Alden's relief.

  "I know you may have further questions, but I believe we shouldn't linger too long. We have some time, but they will come. The world communicates much faster now. Likely within a day."

  "Maybe less," agreed Jackie. "Is this the plan, Rachel?"
  "It is," she said firmly.

  "All right then." Jackie cracked her neck slightly before continuing, taking a breath. "We'll have to figure out where everyone's goin', and who with. Boris, how many fake identities can you make?"

  "As many as we need," he replied.

  "Someday you and I are gonna have that drink I always promised."

  "I look forward to seeing you handle real Russian vodka."

  Jackie grinned. "Don't count me out."

  "I'm surprised you don't want to turn this over to the authorities," Josh commented. "After all that about following the spirit of the law before."

  Jackie shook her head. "There's a difference between a murder or two and a goddamn massacre. In the real world? This looks like a terrorist attack, or worse, and you all have way too many questions you can't answer."

  "Twenty two people can keep a secret," Rachel said. "We're all that's left of Rallsburg. Maybe magic can come back again one day, but it won't be here. Rallsburg is gone. No one survived whatever happened here. It's just a ghost town now."

  "Making us the Ghosts of Rallsburg?" said Ruby with a faint smile. Cinza gently nudged her, and she fell silent.

  The rest of the group was quiet at Rachel's pronouncement. She wondered if she'd gone a bit too far in her description, but she wanted to impress the gravity of the cover they had to maintain if they were to make it out alive.

  "What happens next?" said Cinza.

  "What do you mean?" asked Josh.

  "We go into hiding, but what happens next? I doubt that's the end of the story."

  Rachel shook her head. "We hide and we wait. We stay in contact, but that's it. We have no idea how this is going to play out on the world stage."

  "You're just gonna wing it?" Josh said incredulously.

  "Yes."

  "Kinda underwhelmed here, Rach," said Julian. She winced at the shortened name. "You're usually the one with the big plans. This is sort of disappointin'."

  "Look where my big plans have gotten us," Rachel said quietly. "Twenty two people, Julian. Every single plan I had failed."

  "Not the last one. We're alive, and he's not."

  "No matter what else, Rachel, you saved us all," agreed Kendra. "In the end, you made the difference."

  "It's twenty-three people," Alden cut in suddenly. "Rachel, you're not counting yourself. There's twenty-three of us."

  Rachel was taken aback. He was right, she'd completely neglected to count herself. She wondered what that said about her state of mind, plowing through a half-dozen psychologists and theories in her brain before Ruby interrupted her thoughts.

  "It's actually twenty-four," she spoke up, her red curls shining in the flickering light. "Rufus is still back at our camp, but he's alive too. Plus Nikki and the others that got flown out, so that's..." She trailed off as she realized everyone was staring at her.

  "...Way to kill the moment," said Josh dryly.

  There were a few chuckles around the group—and to her surprise, Rachel found herself among them.

  It was strained and weak, but it was mirth where there had been none. It was a slight flicker of light in a broken town covered in ash. It was a collection of determined survivors unwilling to lay down and accept their fate just yet.

  It was hope, and that was enough to keep them going.