Chapter 17
“You look perfect,” Bailey said as she bent down to straighten the bottom of my dress.
“It seems like a little too much,” I said, looking at myself in the mirror.
“Trust me,” she said, standing back up.
“Are you going to be staying for this gala?” I asked.
“Oh, no,” she said. “Only very important people are invited to this. I’m not one of them. Plus, I don’t think I’d even want to go.”
“That makes two of us,” I said.
“At least you’ll have Kade and the others with you, so it shouldn’t be too bad,” she said.
Her saying Kade’s name made me think of what I heard between the two of them the night before. I still didn’t know if I believed it or not that nothing was going on between them. Bailey certainly didn’t act like there was, but she could just be fooling me.
“I’m going to go now,” she said now. “Mrs. Slayter said for me to go back to the house after I finished helping you. She said she was going to be up here in a little while.”
“Alright,” I said, and looked at her through the mirror. I still didn’t believe it or not if she and Kade were together. I knew what I heard, and it didn’t sound like nothing.
“I’ll be there to help you out of the dress when you get back,” she said.
“Hopefully it’ll be easier to get off than get on,” I said.
She smiled and turned to walk out of the room.
Once Arianna and I had gotten to Headquarters, we headed up to the room that I had stayed in. Bailey was already there with my dress, still in the garment bag, and was waiting for me to do my hair and makeup. Once I had gotten it on, I took a look at it in the mirror.
My dress was a deep sapphire blue, the exact color of my necklace that was around my neck. I couldn’t help but notice that it made my eyes bluer than I’d ever seen them before, even with the red line going through my right one.
I ran my hands down the silky fabric of the dress, and then turned sideways to see the back of it. It dipped low, coming down right to my waist. The straps crossed over my shoulder blades, the diamonds sown into them shinned like my necklace. They continued in a thin strip under the bust of the dress. There was also a slit that went almost the entire way up my leg.
Bailey really didn’t use that much makeup, barely any at all actually. She and Arianna both thought that I didn’t need anything but gloss on my lips and mascara once they got a good look at me. As for my hair, Bailey had gathered it up at the nape of my neck so that it flowed in thick curls down my back.
As I looked at myself, a memory came back at me, one of my mother. I was about eight when she and my father had to go to a gala for his work. She’d worn a dress similar to the one that I had on, only the back didn’t dip so low and there wasn’t a huge slit in it either.
And I realized I looked exactly the way she did.
“You've got the figure for that dress,” someone said from behind me. Arianna was there, fully dressed and ready in a dark green dress and her hair elegantly pinned back. “He's going to love it.”
I knew who she meant by ‘he’.
“I'm not so sure about that. He doesn't have any feelings for me anymore. I don't see why they're making us do this,” I said, sighing.
“It's a special occasion,” she said.
“And why do I have to wear this dress? I look like...”
“Your mother?” she asked, coming to stand beside me.
“Yeah.”
“Your mother was a wonderful woman. She was one of my best friends. But she and your father...”
“Didn't want to kill innocent people?”
“That’s not all that we've done,” she said. “We've built a better society.”
“If that's what you want to call it.”
“It is what it is. And you...” She reached toward me and touched my cheek. “You are the future of this society. You three are going to lead everyone into a better future than the one we've built already.”
“We'll try,” I said, smiling.
We both stood there for a moment, just looking at me in the mirror. There was a knock on the door and Kade came in.
“Are you almost ready? Everyone is waiting,” he said.
As he was talking, I had to fight back the urge to go up to him and wrap my arms around him. And then when I saw what he was dressed in, I fought the urge to smile. He was, just like Arianna said, wearing a suit. He actually looked really good in it. Very sleek.
But as I looked at him, he was also looking at me. The way his eyes roamed over me made me go weak in the knees. For one moment, it’s like it was the old him standing there looking at me. There wasn’t a trace of anger in his face.
But then Roth came in behind him, making him go back to the way he always looked now. He was dressed like Kade. He looked me over once and smiled.
Looking at the two of them, the black of their suits made their tattoos pop out even more on their skin. Mine was the same way. When we’d gotten to Headquarters, just like every time I was around, the Guards that were around shrank away from me. Arianna hadn’t ever seen it happen before, so she’d thought it was funny. I was used to it now, so I didn’t say anything.
“Yes, I’m ready,” I said.
“Let me go in front of you three so I can tell someone to tell them to be ready to open the doors. Just wait here for a moment,” Arianna said, and turned to walk out the door.
As we waited for her to come back, all I did was look at Kade. He seemed to be looking everywhere but at me. I just stared at him, trying to find who he used to be in the person who was standing in front of me now. I knew he was still in there somewhere.
But then Arianna was back in the doorway. “They’re ready for you,” she said.
Roth smiled at me again and followed her out into the hallway. But right I was about to start walking, Kade surprised me by holding out his hand for me. I just looked at him for a moment, staring at his gold, green and blue swirled eyes, and then hesitantly put my hand in his. His strong fingers tightened around mine as we walked out the door.
The elevator ride down to the first floor was quiet. Kade had let go of my hand when we’d got inside and was standing on the opposite side of me. It didn’t really help him that the elevators had mirror paneling, so he wasn’t able to look anywhere that didn’t show me. He just looked at the touch screen for the level buttons.
When the elevator stopped and we stepped out into the main lobby, no one was there except two of the receptionists who stared at us as we passed. As we walked down a long hallway that led into a foyer-looking area, Arianna stepped in front of us before we got to the double doors.
“Let me go in first,” she said. “Once Kendric’s finished making his speech, the doors will open and you three will walk in. Rayney, you’ll be in the middle of Kade and Roth. It’ll probably be a minute or two before they open.”
The three of us nodded and then watched her slip through the door.
Roth turned to me, smiling. “Well, isn’t this exciting,” he said.
“Yeah, right,” I said, rolling my eyes. I took my necklace in my hand and held on to it.
“So they gave that back to you?” he asked, pointing at my necklace.
“Arianna gave it to me before dinner my first night at the Slayter house,” I said, looking down at it.
I looked at him, but then my eyes dropped to his neck. The scene in my dream between him and Rowan last night replayed in my head.
“I don’t think she can hate you,” I said.
“Who?” he asked.
“Rowan,” I said, and then turned toward the doors as I heard Slayter’s voice coming through.
“We’ve been working toward this moment for a quite a few years now and we’ve finally achieved it…” he started.
There was a long moment of clapping, and then he continued.
“These three are our future…”
The three of us walked up to stand behind the door. I was in the middle just like Arianna had said, Roth was to my left and Kade was on my right. I didn’t hear what else he said. All I could focus on was the pounding of my heart. I didn’t know why I was nervous. I mean, these people were intimidated by me. Why was I scared of them?
A message slid across my vision. Everything will be alright.
I looked up and over at Kade. He was looking over at me. And then, to my surprise, he reached over and grabbed my hand again. This little moment reminded me so much of the old him. Maybe I was right. He was exactly the same as he used to be. I gave him a little smiled right when he let go of my hand and the doors started to open.
After all the applause ended once the three of us walked in, Slayter lead us to one of the table near the front of the huge ballroom next to the table where he, Arianna and the other leaders were. The table we sat at was also where Orion, Fynn, Ace and Loryn were.
The boys were all dressed like Roth and Kade. Loryn had on white dress that was strapless, flared out from her waist and went all the way down to the floor. She didn’t glare at me like she usually did. Instead she just ignored me…unlike Orion, Fynn and Ace.
“Again, just like every dinner at the Slayter house, I get to enjoy the view that is Rayney,” Orion said as I was about to sit down.
I couldn’t help but notice that they were looking at the slit in my dress that my leg was currently out of. “I’m sure you’re enjoying that view,” I said, and sat down in my chair between Kade and Roth.
“And the view is corrupted now,” Ace said, sighing.
“But now we get a whole new view,” Fynn said, his eyes moving to my chest.
I crossed my arms. But when their eyes widened, I knew I was only helping improve their view. I dropped my arms and sighed.
“You guys should have brought some dates,” I said.
“She’s taken,” Orion said, and Fynn and Ace nodded.
Kade stood up then, and grabbed my hand from my lap. He pulled me up and toward where there were a few couples dancing in the center of the room. Music came from what seemed like all around. Kade pulled me into his arms – my heart suddenly pounding more than it had been when they were about to open the doors – and started to twirl me around in time with the music.
I just stared at him as he danced with me. I didn’t know why he’d pulled me away from the table in such a hurry, but I had a feeling it had something to do with Orion, Fynn and Ace. I smiled slightly.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” I said quietly.
He looked down at me in his arms. “My mother made me learn,” he said.
I laughed. “When?” I asked.
He signed, the hand he had on the small of my back pulling me tighter against him. “Do you remember when we were seven and I had baseball practice twice a week?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, remembering the afternoons that were always so boring because he wasn’t there to play with me.
“Well, I wasn’t at baseball practice,” he said. “My mother signed me up for ballroom classes because she thought that I needed to learn to dance.”
I laughed as he twirled me around and a few people looked at us from where they danced or sat. “So that’s why you were always light on your feet after that,” I said. “And why you wouldn’t let me go to any of your ‘games’.”
One corner of his mouth started to turn up, but then quickly went down again. “I guess,” he said. “Just blame my mother.”
I smiled again.
“It seems that you didn’t just learn how to dance yourself,” he said, looking down at me.
“Fighting isn’t the only thing my father taught me,” I said.
The music came to a stop then, and everyone left the dance floor. Everyone but me and Kade. We just stood there, his arm still wrapped around and his hand pressed against the small of my back. Looking at him made it feel like we were the only two people in the room. I couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of my heart…and Kade’s.
He let go of me then, but kept hold of my hand as he led me back toward our table. When we sat back down, everyone, and not just everyone at our table, looked at us for a long moment.
“Well,” Orion said. “Rayney, it looks like you’re not going to have to be eating lots of food at one time.”
“And why’s that?” I asked.
“Because it’s coming in courses tonight,” Fynn said, smiling. “Five courses.”
Sure enough, there were five courses. There were all different kinds of fruits, vegetables and meats. I couldn’t help but realize that all of this food could probably feed Division Sixteen for about a half a year. But looking around at all of the men and women elegantly dressed, they probably didn’t even realize how bad it was for people out off the Directrix. There were so many people dying every day and they didn’t care one bit.
“Rayney, this is probably the least food I’ve ever seen you eat,” Ace said after the last course’s plates were taken up.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just not that hungry tonight,” I said.
“Then how about another dance?” Roth asked as he stood up, holding out his hand for mine.
I sighed, smiling up at him. “I guess,” I said, and put my hand in his.
Roth wasn’t quite as good a dancer as Kade was, but he wasn’t horrible at the same time. He was completely silent for a few minutes, seeming to wrestle with something in his mind. Finally, after eyeing him for most of the time we danced, he spoke.
“You knew what Rowan said to me that day,” he said quietly.
“Yes, I saw everything that happened that day last night in my dream,” I said.
“But you’re not supposed to be able to do that anymore,” he said, still quiet.
“I can’t communicate with Rowan, Harper, Slade or Tyler. Just Reagan,” I said. “I went back and looked at what all happened after Kade killed me. And I saw when she shot you.”
“Yeah, but I deserved it,” he said. “And I deserve to have her hate me.”
“Like I said before, I don’t think she hates you,” I said. “She’s still upset.”
“And how do you know that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I hacked into Division Sixteen’s cameras and saw her. And everyone else, too,” I said. “They still don’t look very good. But when I saw them a few weeks ago, they were planning a raid.”
“To where?” he asked.
“Division Four. Tomorrow,” I said. When his eyes widened, I continued. “I know that’s where we’re headed tomorrow. I heard you and Kade talking about it that first night I was at the Slayter house.”
“I really hope they don’t go,” he said.
“I knew you’d say that,” I said, smiling. “You still love her, don’t you?”
“Just like you still love Kade, even though he’s acting like he’s pissed at you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I…”
“I see the way you look at him,” he said. He pulled me closer so he could whisper in my ear so low that only I’d be able to hear him and not Kade, who was probably hearing everything we were saying. “Just like I can see the way he’s looking at you right now.”
“Turn me around so I can see,” I said, just as quiet.
“No, because then he’ll know we’re talking about him,” he said.
“Not if you make it seem like we’re just dancing,” I said. “Just turn me around for a second and then turn back around.”
“Okay,” he said.
When we turned, sure enough, Kade was looking at me. But right when our eyes locked, he turned his head away from me.
“I guess you’re right,” I said when Roth turned me back around.
“Don’t be fooled by the way he’s acting toward you,” he said.
“Haven’t we had this discussion before?” I asked, teasingly.
“Yes, but we’re having it again.”
“I still don’t think Kade’s going to be back to the way he was anytime soon,” I said. “I think you’re getting your hopes up.”
“Maybe it’s just going to take a little more time than we’d thought,” he said. “He’ll get there, though.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” I said, sighing, as he turned me around again. But when I looked toward our table this time, Kade was gone.
Only a few of the lights were on in the Slayter house when we got back a few hours later.
After my dance with Roth, I danced with Orion, Fynn and Ace, all to my enjoyment. The three of them weren’t very good dancers, but I was able to move out of the way before the stepped on my feet. They did seem to enjoy having me in very close proximity, though, their hands pressed against the bare skin of my back.
Now that we were back at the house, I felt like I just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep. Well, after I got out of the dress and heels.
“Rayney, I’d like for you to follow me for a moment please,” Slayter said as he shut the front door behind us.
“Okay,” I said, a little worried.
I followed him through the living room and down a hallway that I’d noticed before, but hadn’t had a chance to see what was there. Slayter led me to the end of the hall where there was a set of double doors. And when he opened them, they led into a huge office. The walls were painted a dark blue. There was only a large desk and three chairs sitting in front of it. One of the walls had a large screen on it, but nothing was displayed on it.
“Now, Rayney, I’m sure you’ve heard some talk around here,” Slayter said, taking a seat behind the desk. He motioned for me to take a seat in front of it.
“Talk?” I asked, sitting down.
“Yes,” he said. “You, Kade and Roth will be leaving tomorrow morning for Division Four.”
“Yes, I did hear something about that,” I said.
“Well, you will only be stopping at Division Four for a short while,” he said. “You’re going to be sent on your first Directrix mission.”
“And what would that mission be?” I asked.
“There is a town directly in between Divisions Four and Twelve,” he said, and placed a finger on his desk. I didn’t notice until then that there was a touch screen in the wood of it. The screen on the wall lit up with what looked like a satellite image of the town he was talking about.
It was the town that Keenan, Abrielle and the others lived in, the one that Luke, Rowan and the others were planning to take a trip to.
“There are a group of people who are working to destroy the Directrix. We’ve been tracking their movement for about four years now. There’s one in particular who seems to be able to get our information pretty easily.”
He pressed on the touch screen in his desk again and Keenan’s picture appeared on the screen.
“He’s your mission,” Slayter said.
“So you want me to get rid of him,” I said, my eyes still locked on the screen.
“Yes,” he said. “We cannot have people trying to destroy us, so we destroy them.”
“Okay,” I said, looking back at him.
“So you’re not objecting to this?” he asked, his eyebrows raised. “Because if I remember the last time, you weren’t so keen on the idea of killing someone.”
“It’s different now,” I said. “I’m a part of the Directrix. I do what I have to do.”
He smiled. “Good girl,” he said. He tapped the touch screen on his desk again and the screen on the wall went blank. “Now, you get a good night’s rest because you leave early in the morning. You’ll be gone for two days. You’ll take the helicopters there, but will be coming back in the trucks. You’re going to have to stop about halfway and stay the night out in the open. But don’t worry. The Guards will set up a tent for you and the others.”
“A tent?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, it’s not the kind of tent you’re probably thinking of,” he said, laughing. “You’ll see. It’ll be very homey.”
“Now you get a good night’s rest because you’re going to have to get up bright and early,” he said. “Goodnight, Rayney.”
“Goodnight,” I said, standing up, and walked out the door.
As I walked up the stairs, I had a hard time believing that I’d just agreed to kill Keenan. From the few times that I’d actually met with him, I’d really liked him. But now I was going to have to kill him, something that I really didn’t want to do. I knew I’d have to be doing this for the Directrix, but I didn’t think that I’d have to do it to someone I knew and liked.
When I got to my room, Bailey was there waiting for me. She smiled when she saw me come in, but it quickly fell when she saw my expression.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “You don’t have to help me tonight. I just want to sit in here for a little while.”
“Let me at least help you out of the dress,” she said.
“No, I’ll be okay,” I said as I walked over to one of the windows to look out.
“Alright then,” she said, still looking worried. “I’ll be here in the morning to help you get ready before you leave.”
I didn’t say anything until she left. I just kept my eyes out at the dark red sky as the sun set in the distance. I stood there until it was completely dark outside. I could still see outside, but I could also see the reflection of my room in the glass of the window. There was only a small light on next to my bed and my door was open, light from the hallway flooding in. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, and when I opened them, I saw Kade’s reflection in the windowpane, a few feet behind me.
“Did you know I would have to do it?” I asked, turning toward him.
“You mean what my father was just talking to you about in his office,” he said.
“Yes, that,” I said, still looking at him. “I don’t want to do it, but I know I have to.”
“That’s going to happen a lot here,” he said.
I sighed. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then,” I said.
He nodded once. “Goodnight, Rayney,” he said quietly, and walked out of my room.
I went to the mirror and looked at myself. I still looked exactly the same as when I’d just gotten ready for the gala earlier, just more tired, which was exactly how it was. I reached for the zipper on the side of the dress. But my hands were shaking so badly I couldn’t get a proper hold on it. Maybe I did need Bailey to help me out of it. I tried to unzip it again, but I couldn’t. I gave an exasperated sigh and gave up, closing my eyes.
Just as tears were starting to well up in my eyes, I felt a hand on my waist, turning me around. When I opened my eyes, Kade was there again, only he wasn’t a few feet away from me. He was only a few centimeters. He didn’t have on the jacket or shirt of his suit either. He only had on his pants, leaving his chest bare.
My eyes stayed on his as his hands went to the zipper of my dress. He pulled it down with perfect ease. He moved closer to me as his hands went to the straps over my shoulders and my dress fell to the floor. I closed my eyes as his face came closer to mine, and then I felt his lips touch just for a second under the edge of my jaw.
I opened my eyes and searched for anything that would tell me what he was thinking. But right when I ran my hands up over his chest and behind his neck to pull myself toward him, he started backing away, the anger set in his eyes again. But this time, it didn’t look like that anger was directed toward me. It looked like he was angry at himself.
He backed all the way to the door, walked out and slammed it behind him.