The Replaced
Page 66
But at least we knew where we stood now. We weren’t prisoners, but we weren’t not prisoners either.
Clear as mud.
Natty tried to find the blond girl again so she could point her out to me—on our way to the cafeteria, while we ate, and during our walk back—but whoever she was, she was clearly off-duty.
Too bad. I wanted to know who our non-guards were.
Tyler was waiting at our tent when we got back, and the anxious look he gave me, along with the way he rubbed his hands over the sides of his khakis, made it clear he wasn’t the spy assigned to keep an eye on us.
“Hey,” he offered, his deep dimple gouging a path through his cheek.
Suddenly I felt like I needed to wipe my palms, too, as I bit my bottom lip and grinned back at him. It was silly, knowing all this about who we’d been and having to start from scratch. Silly and awesome all at the same time, because maybe it wasn’t so bad, having all these firsts all over again.
“Hey,” Natty said, and Tyler blinked, all surprised-like, as if she’d just . . . poof! . . . materialized from out of nowhere.
But Natty didn’t wait for a hint, she did this roll-her-eyes-and-shake-her-head-sighing thing that made it clear she knew she wasn’t invited to this little party. “I’ll just . . .” She pointed to our tent. “I’ll be in here. See you later.” She slipped inside and left the two of us alone outside.
Tyler’s grin grew as he rocked back on his heels. “She seems nice,” he said, and I wondered when he’d possibly come to that conclusion. During the two seconds he’d glimpsed her waiting for me inside our tent when he’d first dropped me off, after we’d first been reunited? Or just now, during their awkward, barely-two-seconds-longer run-in?
Still grinning, he shoved his hands in his pockets and lifted his shoulders. I swear, his smile could literally melt the sun, which was the lamest compliment ever, but was so totally true it didn’t even matter. He was that hot. “I . . .” He nodded his head in the direction we’d just come from. “I was supposed to . . .” What I initially thought was nervous, and somewhat cute, stammering was getting uncomfortable.
I frowned. “What? You were supposed to what?”
“Griffin,” he finally blurted out. “She wanted me to come get you.”
If I could have buried my head, like an ostrich, I would have. I was part embarrassed that I thought he’d been looking all awkward because of me, which I still sort of hoped was the case, and part mad because Griffin was the real reason he was here.
“Griffin?” I parroted numbly.
He nodded, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. “Yeah. She’s waiting for us. For you.”
Not exactly the way I imagined my evening unfolding after finding Tyler on my front step, but . . .
I tried not to sound too disappointed when I exhaled. “Fine. Lead the way.”
Tyler bumped my shoulder as he fell into step beside me, seemingly relieved that I understood. I kept telling myself this was what I’d been waiting for—to spend time, even just a few seconds at a time, with him . . . regardless of the reason.
He took me to Griffin, who was waiting for us in a place where there were none of the giant spotlights and it was dark all around. Simon was there too, as was Nyla.
“What’s going on?” I asked Simon.
But it was Griffin who answered. “I have a job for you. All of you.”
I looked to Simon, and then Tyler, before asking, “Job? What kind of job? And why us?”
“Not Tyler,” Griffin answered. “He stays here. With me. But I need the three of you to go on a recruiting mission.”
“Seriously? You want us to recruit for you?” I shot Simon a skeptical look, then shrugged at Griffin. “Why would we do that? You’ve held us hostage for days and now you want us to run errands for you?”
Then she exhaled. “I’m giving you a chance to prove you can be useful. Earn yourself some freedoms around camp.” When I started to argue, to tell her I didn’t need to prove anything, she just lifted her hand to stop me. “I’ve already explained this to Simon and Nyla, but we believe the No-Suchers know about this kid too. I don’t want to send one of my teams, but I will if I have to. The last thing we want is for the Daylight Division to get to this kid before we do. You have no idea what they do to those like us.”
But she was wrong; I knew exactly what they’d do. And the very mention of the No-Suchers, and their Daylight Division, made my blood run cold. The thought of saving this kid from their clutches made me feel like some sort of hero.
And if I could get Griffin to loosen the leash she had me on in the process, then all the better.
“You don’t have to do it,” Tyler said, easing up alongside me as he gripped my arm. “She’s right, there are other teams who can do this. It’s dangerous.” His breath tickled my cheek, and even though it was dark, I had no trouble seeing the earnestness in his green eyes as they searched mine.
Griffin cleared her throat. “But I’d be grateful if you did. And I’d go out of my way to make things easier on you here at camp if you did.”
“Natty too?” I asked, thinking of the way she’d been followed just hours earlier.
Griffin held my gaze. After several long seconds, she nodded. “All of you.”
I looked to Simon, and then to Nyla. “What do you think?”
“I think I’d rather have you stay here, at camp.” Simon answered me but glared at Griffin. “But it’s been made clear that’s not an option. From what we’ve heard, we have a big enough head start that I think we can get there and back by dawn, no problem.” I wondered what I’d missed, and whether Tyler knew what had transpired between Griffin and Simon before we got here.
Clear as mud.
Natty tried to find the blond girl again so she could point her out to me—on our way to the cafeteria, while we ate, and during our walk back—but whoever she was, she was clearly off-duty.
Too bad. I wanted to know who our non-guards were.
Tyler was waiting at our tent when we got back, and the anxious look he gave me, along with the way he rubbed his hands over the sides of his khakis, made it clear he wasn’t the spy assigned to keep an eye on us.
“Hey,” he offered, his deep dimple gouging a path through his cheek.
Suddenly I felt like I needed to wipe my palms, too, as I bit my bottom lip and grinned back at him. It was silly, knowing all this about who we’d been and having to start from scratch. Silly and awesome all at the same time, because maybe it wasn’t so bad, having all these firsts all over again.
“Hey,” Natty said, and Tyler blinked, all surprised-like, as if she’d just . . . poof! . . . materialized from out of nowhere.
But Natty didn’t wait for a hint, she did this roll-her-eyes-and-shake-her-head-sighing thing that made it clear she knew she wasn’t invited to this little party. “I’ll just . . .” She pointed to our tent. “I’ll be in here. See you later.” She slipped inside and left the two of us alone outside.
Tyler’s grin grew as he rocked back on his heels. “She seems nice,” he said, and I wondered when he’d possibly come to that conclusion. During the two seconds he’d glimpsed her waiting for me inside our tent when he’d first dropped me off, after we’d first been reunited? Or just now, during their awkward, barely-two-seconds-longer run-in?
Still grinning, he shoved his hands in his pockets and lifted his shoulders. I swear, his smile could literally melt the sun, which was the lamest compliment ever, but was so totally true it didn’t even matter. He was that hot. “I . . .” He nodded his head in the direction we’d just come from. “I was supposed to . . .” What I initially thought was nervous, and somewhat cute, stammering was getting uncomfortable.
I frowned. “What? You were supposed to what?”
“Griffin,” he finally blurted out. “She wanted me to come get you.”
If I could have buried my head, like an ostrich, I would have. I was part embarrassed that I thought he’d been looking all awkward because of me, which I still sort of hoped was the case, and part mad because Griffin was the real reason he was here.
“Griffin?” I parroted numbly.
He nodded, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. “Yeah. She’s waiting for us. For you.”
Not exactly the way I imagined my evening unfolding after finding Tyler on my front step, but . . .
I tried not to sound too disappointed when I exhaled. “Fine. Lead the way.”
Tyler bumped my shoulder as he fell into step beside me, seemingly relieved that I understood. I kept telling myself this was what I’d been waiting for—to spend time, even just a few seconds at a time, with him . . . regardless of the reason.
He took me to Griffin, who was waiting for us in a place where there were none of the giant spotlights and it was dark all around. Simon was there too, as was Nyla.
“What’s going on?” I asked Simon.
But it was Griffin who answered. “I have a job for you. All of you.”
I looked to Simon, and then Tyler, before asking, “Job? What kind of job? And why us?”
“Not Tyler,” Griffin answered. “He stays here. With me. But I need the three of you to go on a recruiting mission.”
“Seriously? You want us to recruit for you?” I shot Simon a skeptical look, then shrugged at Griffin. “Why would we do that? You’ve held us hostage for days and now you want us to run errands for you?”
Then she exhaled. “I’m giving you a chance to prove you can be useful. Earn yourself some freedoms around camp.” When I started to argue, to tell her I didn’t need to prove anything, she just lifted her hand to stop me. “I’ve already explained this to Simon and Nyla, but we believe the No-Suchers know about this kid too. I don’t want to send one of my teams, but I will if I have to. The last thing we want is for the Daylight Division to get to this kid before we do. You have no idea what they do to those like us.”
But she was wrong; I knew exactly what they’d do. And the very mention of the No-Suchers, and their Daylight Division, made my blood run cold. The thought of saving this kid from their clutches made me feel like some sort of hero.
And if I could get Griffin to loosen the leash she had me on in the process, then all the better.
“You don’t have to do it,” Tyler said, easing up alongside me as he gripped my arm. “She’s right, there are other teams who can do this. It’s dangerous.” His breath tickled my cheek, and even though it was dark, I had no trouble seeing the earnestness in his green eyes as they searched mine.
Griffin cleared her throat. “But I’d be grateful if you did. And I’d go out of my way to make things easier on you here at camp if you did.”
“Natty too?” I asked, thinking of the way she’d been followed just hours earlier.
Griffin held my gaze. After several long seconds, she nodded. “All of you.”
I looked to Simon, and then to Nyla. “What do you think?”
“I think I’d rather have you stay here, at camp.” Simon answered me but glared at Griffin. “But it’s been made clear that’s not an option. From what we’ve heard, we have a big enough head start that I think we can get there and back by dawn, no problem.” I wondered what I’d missed, and whether Tyler knew what had transpired between Griffin and Simon before we got here.
