That something was our blood.
I swallowed. “Why does the Institute care so much about Dash’s and my DNA? What makes us so special?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question,” Dash pondered.
My mind tumbled through the possibilities. “Dash seems obvious. If you were looking to build an army, what better way than to have men with the ability to kill, knowing you’d never miss your intended target? But me? I’m no weapon.”
Cyan blinked. “You have something the Institute has never encountered. Multiple gifts. Four of them. No one in the Heights has ever demonstrated more than two.”
Surprise flickered in my expression. “So you know what I can do?”
Cyan’s sharp eyes met Dash’s. “I do. Have you figured out the fourth?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. It might be better if I never do.” Who knew? The theory about the colors in my eyes could be wrong. What if I only had three abilities, not four as everyone assumed?
“Or maybe it is what we need to balance the scales,” Cyan suggested.
I tapped my fingers on the tabletop. God, I hoped not. I didn’t want to be that important. If the fate of mankind rested on my shoulders, we were doomed. “I don’t understand. Why does the Institute need an army? Who are they gearing up to fight? Certainly not us? Even if the regions of Hurst banded together, the Institute would still have the advantage. So what’s the big threat?”
Dash angled his body toward me. “We don’t know for sure. As you know, the Institute keeps more than its share of intel under lock and key. Only the members of the council have that kind of clearance. They’re not telling anyone for a reason, and we can only assume it is bad. It isn’t just a revolt they’re preparing for.”
“Why go to so much trouble to replicate DNA from people who have been altered by the mist?” I asked.
Cyan flicked his gaze to Dash. “Whatever it is, I have a feeling it will affect us all. We might not have a choice but to fight.”
“I’m more worried about what they will do to me after they’ve taken my DNA,” Dash grumbled.
A chill skirted down my spine. I got the inkling that Cyan was right. Something out there had the Institute spooked.
The night was long after we returned back to my room. Dash lay quiet beside me in the dark. I wanted to tell him everything would be okay, but how could I when I wasn’t positive myself? It would be a lie. I didn’t know what would happen. Not today. Tomorrow. Or next week.
We hadn’t really talked since leaving Odd Hill. I was sure Dash was trying to plot some scheme to keep me safe. At this point, I wasn’t sure from whom. The Institute was the immediate threat, but after that?
I hadn’t let myself think of my parents and how they might be feeling since I left. Did they miss their daughter or just what they wanted from me?
Sadly, my instincts told me it was the latter.
It was late when I felt him circle an arm around my waist, tugging me to his chest. With the Institute closing in around us, it was hard to fall asleep, but weariness had settled into both of us, dragging us under.
It wasn’t until late the next morning that I untangled myself from Dash to check on Star. Throwing my hair into a messy bun, I shoved the loose curls behind my ears. I’d given up long ago trying to manage my hair, but man was I overdue for a cut.
Quietly I tossed on some clothes and shuffled next door. I rapped my knuckles on the wood, and it swung open before I got three knocks in. “Hey—”
Star grabbed my arm and tugged me inside a small room identical to mine. The only thing missing was a sexy, sleeping Dash. “Where were you?” she demanded.
“Hold up, crazy lady. When?”
She stared at me as if I was the one acting loony. “Last night.”
I chewed on my lower lip. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the tavern.”
“They have a bar?”
My lips twitched. “If you can call the Odd Hill a bar.”
Star stared out the window, serious lines crinkling the corners of her soft eyes. “I don’t know if I can stay here.”
“Why not? They have food, a bed. You could get a job in the market, and I bet there are hot guys.”
“Have you seen any hot guys?” she countered, popping her hip out to one side.
“I can’t really be objective. No one compares to Dash.”
Star rolled her eyes, but at least the worry had receded and there might have even been a glimmer of a smile. “See, this is why I need you. I don’t know anyone here.”
“You didn’t know anyone when you came to the Institute either,” I reminded her.
She sighed, sinking onto the edge of her bed. “It is gonna suck without you. I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
I sat down on the bed beside her, bumping our shoulders together. “Me too.” Star and I had been through a lot. She’d been my companion when I had no one. Together we had escaped Diamond Towers, and we’d survived dating the same guy. How many friends could say that?
Her fingers fiddled in her lap. “Couldn’t you stay? Just for a little longer?”
I shook my head. “I can’t. The Institute is doing everything in their power to find me, and if they catch us, I don’t want you going back there.”
“Because of what you saw?” she asked softly.
I nodded. “I don’t want to take the chance that they might try to use you as one of their test subjects.”
“Yeah, I’d rather not end up with hot pink leopard skin or growing a third boob,” she joked, attempting to lighten the ominous mood.
I laughed. “You would totally rock that look.”
We only stayed in Hurst another day before packing up our stingy belongings and preparing to run from the Institute for as long as we could, or until we came up with a better plan. The time had come for us to part ways with Star, and it was a bitter moment. Inside I was conflicted. I wanted her to be safe, but I couldn’t be sure this was the best way.
Star stood on her toes and pressed a kiss to Dash’s cheek, and then she turned to me. “Don’t barbecue me, okay?”
I grinned. “It crossed my mind.”
The next thing I knew, she had launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck. “The two of you are going to change the world,” she whispered.
People kept saying that, but I was still unconvinced Dash and I could do anything so monumental. We were only two humans, and yes, we had extraordinary gifts, but saving the world? Geez. No pressure.
Don’t cry. Do not cry.
“I’m coming back,” I whispered, giving her one last squeeze.
“Promise?” Star sniffed as her arms released me, fighting back tears of her own.
My chest seized like someone had pinched my heart. “We’re a team.”
Star smiled at me through watery eyes. “Always.”
“We should go,” Dash murmured softly, laying a hand on the small of my back.
“You better take care of her. If anyone can keep Charlotte alive, it is you,” Star told Dash.
“No doubt I’ll have my work cut out for me.”
Star scrunched her nose. “This is weird, isn’t it?”
I rubbed my chest where it felt like a gaping hole had opened up. “Probably,” I agreed. “But who cares? Weird works for us.”