I was just about to give up and either grab a book or turn on the television when the door swung open and Tommy returned. I opened my mouth to say something but felt the words catch in my throat as someone came into the room behind him.
He didn’t look much different than the last time I had seen him, except that he had the same tired look that I did, the look of defeat, the look of constant survival. His sandy blond hair had grown a bit and was just touching the collar of his shirt. He had thinned out a bit as well, and I could see that the pants he wore were slung low on his hips, barely held up. Green eyes met brown, and the corner of his mouth twitched, just slightly.
“Zoey,” he said simply. His southern accent was still there, thick, drawling and almost comforting.
“Liam,” I answered in shock. There was a part of me that was compelled to get up, run to him and throw my arms around him but it was as if my body had a mind of its own, and I stayed glued to the hardwood chair.
Tommy glanced between us, his eyebrow raised. “You two already know each other?”
Liam looked back at him, a barely concealed look of contempt on his face. “You could say that.”
Tommy didn’t show any sign of noticing Liam’s negativity. “Well, this might make your job a whole lot easier.” He stared at me for a beat, studying me; I felt a blush creep onto my face and looked away. “Okay, um, enjoy yourself.” He left the room.
Liam and I studied each other for a long moment before he crossed the small room and sat in the chair across from. “Zoey,” he repeated.
“Liam.” I couldn’t believe that he was sitting in front of me. Of all the people in the world, he was the last person I expected to be sitting in a seat across from me. I remembered the way he had made me feel all those months ago and knew it had been nothing, absolutely nothing, when compared to the overwhelming way I felt for Ash. My heart clenched at the thought of him, and my hands circled in tight fists, my fingernails biting in the soft flesh of my palms.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” he said, leaning back in his chair and staring at me.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re literally the last person I ever expected to see here…or anywhere really. I thought you were on your way to Sanctuary.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in that,” Liam said, his mouth curling up in a smile. It was not as strong as it once was, but it still made me feel like smiling myself.
I traced the patterns of wood on the table with my fingertip. “I don’t know what I believe anymore.”
Liam stayed quiet for a long while before speaking again. “We were making our way out to Sanctuary, camping out before we made the last trek out to Mesa Verde when we were ambushed by Awakened. A group of men came out of nowhere and helped us take them down. My dad thought they were from Sanctuary and was ready to trust them, but…but I knew something was wrong.”
“Are Memphis and Julia here too?”
He shook his head. “I told them to go, run. They weren’t happy about it, but once the men started pulling syringes out of their pockets, I made them. The men didn’t seem so keen on catching up with Mom and Dad. Makes sense now though.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Haven’t they told you why they were so excited to find you? This whole place was buzzing when you came in,” Liam said, the sarcasm spilling from his voice.
I felt a flush fill my cheeks again at the though. Everyone in this place knew about me when I was brought in, and they knew exactly why. “Right. I guess Memphis and Julia aren’t exactly at the child-bearing age.” I stopped. “Wait, why did the put us together? Why…”
“Think about it, Zoey,” Liam said, his arms folded tight across his chest. His arms were so much thinner than the last time I saw them, and I felt an uncomfortable twitch in my stomach at the sight of the translucent tone of his skin.
It took me a moment to process what he was saying. Everything was moving so slowly. Then it sunk in, and I felt the flush on my face deepen, threatening to set my face on fire. “They want you…and I…they want us to…” I couldn’t even get the words out. “Oh god.”
“At twenty-four years old, I’m a perfect age to become a father, at my peak,” Liam said. “Their words, not mine. All they needed was someone for me to ‘mate’ with.” His words were dripping with disgust. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself. “There are plenty of women here around my age, but they aren’t qualified to be mothers, I guess. They have their own jobs in this crazy place.”
“I’m guessing Razi filled you in about her crazy idea,” I said, feeling like I was about to lose my breakfast at any moment.
“Of course,” he said, his accent even more prominent than before. “They were all so excited when I was brought in, though not nearly as excited as when you were found.”
“So we’re the Sekhemet Adam and Eve,” I said, trying to keep my voice light. My hands were shaking in my lap. My eyes met his and he nodded. “Oh god.”