string of numbers—his communicator number.
I fought the fog in my head, trying to remember. He needed to tell me something. Then heat crept to my cheeks as I recalled the feel of Reese’s lips. I lightly pressed my fingers to my forehead. Maybe that part I had imagined. Mom’s bedroom door shut upstairs, and I quickly tucked my pants back into the bag and scurried toward the couch.
“All right, I’m leaving.” She walked over and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Just rest, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
As soon as she closed the door behind her, I bounded up the stairs to my room and grabbed my communicator. My stomach sank as I scrolled over messages from Lana and Jace. They were so worried about me, and I hadn’t contacted them once. I felt too horrible to even type out a quick message to let them know I was all right. I just couldn’t yet. I wasn’t all right.
I pressed the first number into the communicator, then halted, my thumb hovering over the second key. Could I trust him? Sure, he’d revealed his eyes to me, but what did that mean? Was he like me? And if so, how? Why would he reveal himself to me? Too many questions, but at this point, I decided things couldn’t get much worse for me. I needed answers, and he might have them. I entered the rest of the numbers.
I didn’t know what to say, so I sent a simple message: Hi. Dez. What else could I say? There wasn’t enough room on the analog screen to ask all the questions swimming in my head.
Falling back on my bed, I waited. Finally, my communicator vibrated, and I read the message: The falls. Meet now?
I bit down on my lip. Mom was out for a couple of hours, but could I meet Reese and make it back before her? There was a trace feature on our communicators, and I didn’t want her walking into an empty house, freaking out, and tracking me down—to find me with a Narco. I could leave my communicator here…No. I needed a way to contact someone if things went bad. I scrunched my eyebrows, thinking. I had to chance it. Reese could have information that might help me. I typed back: Yes. See you soon.
Thankfully, I’d already bathed. I only had to change out of my pajamas and run a brush through my hair. Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned with my appearance. I felt I looked pretty damn good considering all I’d been through.
I pushed the communicator into my pocket and turned to go, but thought better. Walking to my bed, I lifted the mattress, grabbed my Charge Dagger, and sheathed it beneath my pant leg. Reese might claim a lot of things, but I just didn’t know if I could trust him.
I rode the steam trolley to Daven Street. The waterfalls Haven was named after were only half a mile from the trolley stop. I walked along the sidewalk, veering toward the path leading into the woods before reaching the dead end. Climbing the hill, I walked hurriedly, occasionally glancing over my shoulder.
As I reached the first fall, I scanned the gated area. Surrounded by large boulders, the waterfall stood about eight feet high and cascaded over sharp rocks jutting from beneath a wide shower of clear, blue water. The whooshing of the falling river was peaceful, echoing against the tall pines.
Gripping the iron railing, I glanced around. The place was vacant. Reese couldn’t have picked a more secluded spot. I walked around the gate, and headed deeper into the woods. There was another fall, a higher one, that wasn’t marked off as an attraction. I was sure I’d find Reese there.
I maneuvered over rocks and the beveled landscape. After a few minutes the fall came into view. It was beautiful—a fifteen foot high waterfall, flowing from the river above in a single stream. It splashed into a large pool that rolled into a smaller river.
Reese sat on a boulder near the bank.
He looked up, a smile sliding across his face. “Hey, nice ink. How are you feeling?”
I skimmed my fingers over my tatt and continued walking toward him. “Like I’ve been thrown from an airship and trampled on by a million steel-toed boots.”
He nodded once. “It’ll pass. Believe it or not, our change isn’t as bad as most.” He moved to the ground and patted the spot next to him.
I hesitantly