Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“You two,” she says, gesturing at Sadie and then me, “will soon marry into our Higher Earth community.”
I snort out a laugh that makes her nostrils flare with fury. Wait. She’s actually serious? I’m not marrying one of these awful men. And what the hell is Higher Earth?
“No,” I growl, pushing her hard and causing her to fall to the ground on her butt. “Over my dead body.”
She pops back up to her feet and dusts off the leaves before sending me a baleful grin. “That’s essentially the main theme of Higher Earth. Drop the dead weight. The others in our community were dead weight, which is why they’re no longer with us. The men ended them like they ended your family.” She shrugs as if murdering their own people and mine isn’t that big of a deal. “If you don’t comply, you’ll die. If you’re weak, you’ll die. If you don’t contribute to the betterment of our community, you’ll die. End of story.”
These people are insane.
“We’re kids,” Sadie chokes out. “This is against the law.”
Mya rolls her eyes. “There is no law out here.” Her gaze drifts past us. When I turn to see what she’s looking at, I stiffen. “It’s a shame your other brother wouldn’t play nicely. I really would have preferred him.”
Preferred Ryder to Ronan?
“You think you’re marrying my brother?” I blurt out, unable to stop the hysterical laughter that follows. “That’s not going to happen.”
He doesn’t like girls, dumbass.
Mya crosses her arms over her chest. “It is. Logan is going to train him.”
“Train him how?” I demand, darting a quick glance at my brother, who stumbles over a log that he couldn’t see. They’ve blinded him without his glasses. “Tell me!”
Mya shrugs and starts to walk away. I chase after her, shoving her again. She whips around, baring her teeth at me. “Shove me one more time and I’ll have your husband beat you into submission.”
“Tell me how he’ll train him,” I hiss, ignoring her threat. “And what happens to Destiny?”
My sister kneels beside a crate of supplies, slowly pulling things out. Jace hovers nearby, smiling and talking to her as though he has the power to make her laugh.
Unbelievable.
Hell no.
“It’ll be more fun to watch you learn in due time.” She wriggles her fingers at me before skipping off to Lisa and Tee.
“Bitch,” Sadie grumbles. “We have to get the hell out of here.”
Yeah, we do.
And fast.
By the time darkness has descended upon us, camp is set up. Tents surround the campfire and people are sitting on fallen logs, munching on food they stole from our house. It won’t last forever, though. I wonder if they even know how to properly hunt or trap game.
Personally, I know how to make a fish trap, construct nets, and can build weapons like a bow and arrows. I’m not worried about my survival when it comes to feeding myself if push comes to shove. However, I’m not about to show these people or offer up any information. They can starve for all I care.
Ronan sits beside Kristen across the fire. I keep trying to get his attention, but he can’t see me from this far away. They’ve strategically kept us apart. Same with my little brothers. Dakota and Declan have been treated like little princes by Stacey and Michael, far beyond my reach. I even heard Dakota laugh, which turned my stomach inside out. Luckily, Destiny and Sadie are sitting by me. Having at least one of my siblings close by brings me relief.
“You think Mom and Dad are okay?” Destiny asks, plucking at the crust of her bread. The same bread Mom was baking just yesterday. “I feel like if they were dead, I’d feel that loss in my heart.”
“Of course they’re fine,” I lie, patting her back. “They’re probably all looking for us right now. Dad will gut all these people. You’ll see.”
Destiny nods, her blond hair falling in her face as she keeps her head bowed. “Raegan, I’m scared. These people aren’t right.”
“No, they’re not,” I agree. “They’re monsters. We have to be careful and stay close. When the time is right, we’ll leave. All six of us. I’ll get us back to the main road where our family will be waiting. Soon, this will just be a bad memory.”
We turn quiet when Jace approaches. His stare lingers on Destiny as he tries to catch her attention. I flip him the bird and Sadie follows suit. He grumbles before stomping off to where CJ is.
“What’s wrong?” Destiny asks. “You’re tense. I can tell something’s wrong.”
For someone who can’t see, she’s always so perceptive.
“Jace. He was over here trying to get friendly. If he comes too close,” I threaten, “I’ll maim him with this stick.” I playfully poke the stick in my hands in Destiny’s side, making her stifle a giggle.