[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.We’re just far enough away from the city to avoid the crowds and enjoy the countryside, without being so distanced to have any major side effects from the lack of Healing Water.I mean, being out here, outside the Threshold, is stealing much more of my time than Lizzy Grove ever would.”I looked down at a patch of yellow flowers on the ground.Rayne’s comment reminded me of how much he was sacrificing just by being here.I felt his gaze on the side of my cheek, and then he pulled my face towards him with his hand.“Hey,” he said softly.“Don’t be sad.I’m where I want to be.I would rather have just one year here with you than a hundred years in Banya.”“But your family…and your—”Before I could finish, Rayne’s kiss quieted my lips.He paused and looked into my eyes, still holding my face close to his.“This is where I want to be.”He pulled me in again, and I melted into his touch, wondering how I ever knew happiness without him, forgetting there was any type of sorrow existing in the world, or any world at all.I knew right then, that if I had them to offer, I would sacrifice a hundred years for him, too.I couldn’t help the dizzy grin taking over my expression as I nestled deeper into his shoulder.There was no question—this was where I wanted to be, too.“Tell me something else,” I said eagerly, glancing up at him again, always wishing for just one more reminder that what we had was real.“What do you want to know?”“I don’t know…anything.There are probably still a million things I don’t know.Like, have agents been coming here for a long time? Are there Thresholds that go to other places? Other planets even?”“Okay, okay,” he chuckled.“One thing at a time.” A second later, his fingers were tracing the lines in my back, moving slowly over the curves of my shoulders and down the length of my spine.“First of all,” he said softly, “Ambrosia has many Thresholds which lead to different parts of Earth, but not to other planets; only Earth.We like to call Ambrosia the sister planet to Earth.For whatever reason, the universe has bound them together.My home may be somewhere out there in the vast expanses of space, far away from here, but the two planets are linked together.And many of my people believe their destinies are intertwined.”“Wow,” I mused quietly.My normal, energetic reaction was subdued by Rayne’s touch.The smooth, tickling sensation continued to brush across my skin, relaxing and intoxicating at the same time.Instead of jumping into another question, I wanted nothing more than to let his fingers speak to me.I closed my eyes and listened to his voice.“Second of all,” he said behind my ear, “people from Ambrosia have been coming here for over three hundred years, almost four hundred now.My people found the first Threshold in New England, after a long journey in a ship across the Atlantic, back in the days of the pilgrims and the Mayflower.William Fairbanks stumbled upon a strange, mesmerizing wall of shimmering liquid; a Threshold.When he crossed through to the other side, he found a whole new world.It was pristine and untouched, as if a single soul had never stepped foot on its ground.When he first journeyed from England, William was in search of a new life and new possibilities.And when his wounds seemed to heal instantly, miraculously, in this new place, he knew it was special; he knew he was destined to pave the way for his people to begin a new life there.”Rayne paused from his story.“Sadie,” he said.“Hmm?” I murmured, so relaxed I didn’t move.“Sadie, William Fairbanks is your direct ancestor.Your father’s name…is Hamlin Fairbanks.” I opened my eyes.“If you’ve ever wondered where you truly come from,” he said, “this is your answer.”Something stirred inside my chest, like a soundless voice whispering in my heart and saying, this is your truth.Your past and your future.This is…your destiny.I wasn’t even sure why, or what it meant, but my eyes blurred, and a glistening tear pooled in the corner.I looked into Rayne’s gaze, marveling, and simply said, “Thank you.”26.EXPOSEDWe didn’t stay on the hill above the Threshold much longer.It was going to be dark soon, and although Rayne said he was confident he knew the trail well enough to make it down safely without the sun, the headlights on the Viper would attract too much attention.The ride back down to the house felt slower than coming up.Rayne drove calmly, without seeking any thrills, and he linked the speakers in our helmets to a small music player he kept in his pocket, playing a string of mellow tunes that could just as easily stir an emotional heart as it could soothe a baby to sleep.The engine hummed, and the dirt road rattled beneath us, yet my mind was off in a quiet, distant land.With the sultry sounds of an unfamiliar song dancing around my head, stirring the wonderment already inside me, the world as I knew it seemed to transform.It would never feel the same to me again; it was something bigger now.Even if I would never get the chance to see Ambrosia, I knew it was there.It played a significant role in shaping who I was and who I might become.“Rayne,” I said, breaking my contemplation, wondering if he could still hear me through the microphone with the music turned on.“Do you think they’ll ever reassign you?”Without hesitation, the Viper rolled to a stop.When Rayne removed his helmet, I followed his example and did the same.“It doesn’t matter what they do,” he said, turning to face me.I sensed a hint of defiance in his tone.“If they ever reassign me…well actually, your father is the only person besides Ash that even knows why I’m here.But if your father ever decides to take me off of this assignment, don’t think for a minute that I would listen.I don’t care that he’s the Ambassador of all Ambrosia; I would go rogue, break every rule in the Keeper Code, before I would let anyone take you away from me.” I nodded, already knowing what his answer would be before he said it.“But how would that work?” I asked quietly.“What would you do? Go into hiding? What about the Healing Water? We both need it to survive.”Rayne looked at me, resolved.“I would find a way.I have connections, people who would help us.”“Even if they did help us, do you think you would really be happy living that way? On the run? Breaking the rules? Defying the law? I know you, Rayne.It’s important to you to do the right thing…always.You wouldn’t be happy.And I wouldn’t be happy, knowing I was the reason you gave up your beliefs.”“I wouldn’t be giving up anything, Sadie.The truth is, I feel like I already went rogue ten years ago, the moment I took this assignment.And I don’t regret a single minute of it.I mean, half the time, the people who taught me the code aren’t even following the rules themselves.How can I base my fate on the foundation of a corrupt system? Right now, I believe I am doing the right thing.”“But what if one day you change your mind? You’ll resent me the rest of your life.I’ll be a constant reminder of all the things you wish you did differently, all the things you gave up from your life.”“Sadie, please.Don’t talk like that.I have to follow my gut, what I know in my heart is real.You and I are meant to be together.There’s no doubt in my mind, and I know you feel it too.So stop trying to find every excuse in the book to give in to your insecurities.Just have a little faith.”The air caught in my throat.I pressed my lips together, holding it in for a moment, allowing Rayne’s confidence to rub off on me.Then finally I let the air seep out from my lungs.“You’re right,” I said.“I’m sorry [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]