Chapter Three-
(A note: Wyatt's name has been changed to Keynan)
Gasping, Alexa clutched her pendant. The book dropped from Keynan’s hands with an oddly loud THUD! For a moment, all that was heard was Keynan’s ragged breathing and the occasional link of Alexa’s necklace. She stared at him, feeling the painful prickle of her scar when she opened her mouth too wide.
She found herself on Keynan’s bedroom floor, retrieving the fallen book. As she was about to give it back to him, the Sibling Patrol burst in like a pack of distressed wolves.
“What was that?” Kacen demanded.
“Oh, nothing. The book just fell is all,” Alexa told them dismissively.
Lakyn toddled over to her and tripped over Keynan’s gray rug in the process. Bursting into tears, an entire aura of chaos erupted around them. Mabel ran around the room and then decided to sit in Keynan’s black bean-bag and pulled a journal out from behind the cushion.
“Hey!” Keynan snapped, reaching out and grabbing it. “What’s wrong with all of you?”
He turned to Kacen and Ezra who were throwing pillows at each other. Alexa watched, vaguely amused as one of the pillows flew across the room, smacking Mabel in the face. Howling, she jumped out of the bean-bag and chucked it back over with all her might. This time it’s target was Lakyn who began to cry even harder.
“HEY HEY HEY!” Keynan yelled. “EVERYBODY OUT!”
The kids didn’t listen, so Alexa grabbed Keynan by the arm and pulled him outside. She then closed the door to block out the sound of screaming children.
“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” she asked.
He shook his head but told her anyways. “I saw something strange in the book. I don’t know what exactly but…”
Alexa looked at him funny. “Like what exactly?”
“A weird name.”
Shaking her head, Alexa sighed. “Half the names in there were strange. You’re gonna need to give me something more than that.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “You know what, let’s just go downstairs.”
“I swear I know one of them.”
Alexa spun around and he stared at her, wide–eyed. It was impossible that he would even suggest something like that. No one left Oleander unless they were Outcasts. Everyone was sentenced to the life they’d been born into. It was unfortunate, yes. But that was the life they’d known. There was no Option Two.
“You can’t have known it. That’s impossible. They don’t teach us these things in school.”
Keynan eyed the ground in frustration. “Yeah, let’s just go down stairs.”
The two of them filed to the stairs, leaving the little ones rampaging Keynan’s room. Alexa had to give it to him. If her brother for some odd reason decided to turn her room into a pigsty she would be furious. But then again, she was hiding things in her room. Like, for example, a stash of ideas and creative things that her mother would never approve of.
The red carpet lining the stairs held embedded footprints from recent days and many gone by. The aroma of cinnamon and something else that was sweet and crisp filled the air as Alexa and Keynan made their way into the kitchen. The off-white countertops held bowls and mixers and a plate of maple cookies. Conversing at the dining table were two adults. The woman had golden brown hair and deep hazel eyes that constantly shifted from blue to green and a beautiful shade in between. She wore a light gray tunic stretched across her swollen stomach that announced a new member to the family. The man beside her was obviously one who’d never stopped thinking his wife was the most beautiful woman alive. He stood protectively close to her, his natural position. His hair was almost black with a scruffy beard to match. Scars and burns lined his knuckles and forehead, proof of a true Oleander citizen.
“Hello, Alexandra,” Mrs. Mooring held out the plate of cookies. “I thought I heard your voice upstairs.”
“Hello, Mrs. Mooring,” Alexa gratefully took a cookie. It was still warm as she bit into it, letting the still gooey inside melt against her tongue.
“Are you two on your way somewhere?” she looked towards her son.
Keynan nodded. “Just to the library. I wanted to show Alexa some things.”
Mr. Mooring took his wife’s hand and bid them goodbye. “Make sure you’re back in time to finish up in the workshop, Keynan.”
“Okay.”
Alexa followed Keynan out the door of the Mooring home and they walked silently in the direction of the library.
Bicycles and other contraptions—most of which were models people were trying out—raced by on the paved streets. There were no trees or grass, just the small, blooming oleanders that poked up out of boxes hanging on windows or between the cracks of pavement. The air reeked of smoke, but everyone was pretty much used to it.
They passed row after row of identical buildings and then finally, they saw the library across the street. It was the only unique building in the whole town, which was probably one of the reasons why the townspeople hated it so much. Alexa didn’t understand why or how anyone could loathe something so breathtaking.
Where every other Oleander building was made of a bronze material, the library was constructed of white stone that shone more brilliantly than any other material. The doorway was arched and a large glass dome sat on top of the building. Each window was five feet tall with a pointed top, surrounding every sight of the library.
Alexa glanced over at Keynan who had a concentrated expression pasted across his face. She hoped they could find whatever it was he was looking for.
Both of them glanced both ways, just as they’d been taught, before crossing the street. Suddenly, Alexa was flying, her face aiming straight for the pavement. A sharp crack rang in her ears and her own scream died in her throat. Her vision was spotty and she rolled over onto her side and moaned. Through her dizziness, she made out that she was on the opposite side of the street than where she’d been earlier. Around her, a cloud of smoke puffed out from a broken pipe. Carefully, she sat up and placed a hand to her head. Something foul swam around in her mouth so she spat onto the pavement. What she saw froze her insides.
Blood.
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