The Fortunates (Unfortunate #2) - Skyla Madi Page 0,86

fit in so many children. Which reminded him, where were they? For now, the people who fled the town sat in the dirt at the front of the building, waiting to be told what to do and where to go next. Top priority were the injured, followed by women and children, then came the men.

Men and women flocked to Kade and Anna’s side, asking them questions. Some wanted water, others food. Some were after medical help and others wanted to be put on watch immediately. It took Kade twenty minutes to convince everyone to relax and wait for things to be sorted and an additional eleven hours after that to have everyone in their own space inside the house while moderators kept watch.

In that eleven hours, the town of Freeport fell silent. They made no move to attack. The only thing they did was keep their moderators on the hill, watching.

By the time the sun reared its head, Kade was exhausted. Countless times he nearly fell asleep standing up.

Exhaling, he stepped out into the enormous, empty courtyard and sat against a thick stone column. In the center, Anna spoke to two moderators, telling them to relieve the ones in the towers on either side of the camp. She ordered them to alert her if they saw anything before turning toward him. Swiping her hand over her face, she yawned and sauntered closer.

“It’s morning,” he told her as she closed the distance between them. “You need some rest.”

“I’ll sleep if you do.”

He smiled. “That sounds good.”

Anna stepped into the space between his legs and sat down, resting her back against his chest. “We’ll have to sleep here…I need to clean the blood out of Soyer’s room and scrub everything down tomorrow.”

“While you do that, I have to go down to the cave and grab those Unfortunates from the mine. I told them I’d meet them there when I got the chance.”

“Okay.” Nine closed her eyes and sighed. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“We do.”

“And it’s not going to be easy.”

He shook his head and closed his own eyes. “It’s not.”

“But at least we have each other.”

His lips twitched at the corners and he wrapped his arms around her waist and tipped his head back against the concrete. “We do.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he allowed himself to be dragged into a deep sleep, where his real life problems couldn’t hurt him. His sleep was dreamless and calm, the perfect stress reliever for a mind torn by war and suffering.

∞ Anna ∞

Kade jolts, forcing me from my slumber. I blink rapidly, trying to get a grip on the situation. I expect to hear guns and smell gunpowder.

I don’t.

There’s no chaos, no death. So why are they waking me? I sit forward, wincing at my aching muscles, and squint up at the three men standing in front of me, John included. The sun is high in the sky, way too high for it to still be morning.

“What’s going on?” I slur, wiping drool from the corner of my mouth and sleep from my heavy eyes.

“It’s Vince.”

Kade’s legs tighten either side of me and I freeze, hating the way my stomach rolls. While I slept, I forgot all about the hell I brought down on everyone yesterday…but it’s still here. It’s still happening.

“What’s he doing?” Kade asks, his voice husky with sleep.

“Come and see for yourself.”

John extends his hand and I slip mine in his. I grimace as he pulls me to my feet. Every inch of my body aches. It hurts to breathe. It hurts to blink. If they stormed the camp today we wouldn’t be able to defend it. We’re too sore and over a quarter of our number alone are children under the age of seventeen.

“You need a shower,” John points out, smiling mischievously. “You stink.”

I scowl playfully at him. “Captain obvious. I will shower when everyone else is clean.”

I glance out at the open courtyard and watch children play. Some wear fine fabrics, others scratchy tunics, and they play in harmony. My eyes water at the sight. The future is shaped by our children. Raise them how you’d want them to raise your grandchildren.

∞

I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Never in a million years did I expect Freeport to do something so drastic. I watch through the telescope as moderators scale down the large fence that surrounds the town in perfect unison, stopping periodically at each hinge.

I see him, Vince, amongst the moderators, wearing his