Oblivion

  "Allura," she muses. "That's very pretty and very fitting."

  I smile nervously. "Thanks."

  She beams. "You're very welcome." Then she sticks out her hand. "May I?"

  Blaise smacks her hand away. "I said no."

  Poppy juts out her bottom lip. "I was just going to shake her hand."

  "Sure you were." Sarcasm oozes from Blaise's tone.

  "I'll shake your hand," Zander says in a daze. "If you'll allow me."

  Poppy deliberates then offers him her hand. "But this is the last time for tonight."

  Nodding, Zander wraps his fingers around hers, and then brings her knuckles to his nose. As he breathes in deeply, his eyes gloss over and he lets out a husky moan. "So ... wonderful ..."

  Poppy smiles then wiggles her hand free from her grip. "Now, boys, what else can I do for you?"

  "We need to put her in something more inconspicuous," Zander explains drunkenly, slumping against the wall.

  Poppy inspects me with her hands clasped together. "Just how inconspicuous are you looking for?"

  "Enough that we can get her in and out of the library without anyone questioning us," Blaise explains, hovering at my side.

  "The library, huh?" She dithers, bobbing her head to the side. "I'd ask why, but you probably won't tell me."

  "No, we won't," Blaise says firmly. "So don't even ask."

  "Fine, I won't," Poppy replies, shooting him a dirty look. "But you will pay me for the clothes."

  "Fine by me." Blaise reaches into his jacket pocket, retrieves a large, round copper object, and flicks it at Poppy.

  She catches the object, tucks it down the front of her corset, and then claps her hands together. "Well, then, shall we get started?" Without waiting for anyone to respond, she begins sifting through the seemingly endless amount of clothes. "Nope. Nope. Definitely nope." She twists around to assess me with her hand propped on her hip. "You know what? I think I have a better idea." She crosses the room and disappears into the tunnel.

  Blaise blows out an exasperated sigh. "Man, she can really drive me crazy."

  "That's because you don't know how to have fun ..." Zander murmurs, sinking to the floor with his eyelids halfway lowered.

  Blaise shakes his head. "You do realize you're addicted, right?"

  Zander clumsily lifts his finger, nearly poking himself in the eye. "Not quite."

  "It'll ruin you one day," Blaise assures him. "Robot or not, your brain can only handle so much poison."

  "Well, at least I'll have fun up until I'm ruined," he slurs, his head bobbing to the side as he passes out.

  "Is he all right?" I ask, turning toward Blaise.

  Blaise gives a half-shrug as he begins ambling around the room with his thinking face on.

  Sensing he's troubled, I ask, "Are you all right?"

  "Always." He makes a small path around the room, staring at the floor with his fist pressed to his chin. "I'm just thinking about what my next move is."

  "After what?"

  "After you show me where the channels are."

  I feel terribly guilty over knowing that Blaise's sister isn't where I was. At least, not when they rescued me. Then again, there were other people in the cells around me at one point. Like the girl I talked to sometimes who barely comprehended words but brought me comfort in listening.

  "You think your sister will be there?" I ask, reclining against the wall behind me.

  He lifts his shoulders, shrugging. "I'm not sure, but I have to check. I have to check everywhere until I find her."

  "You're a good brother, then?" I wonder if I had any siblings. If I did, I can't recall their names or what they looked like.

  "No, I'm not."

  "It seems like you are--trying to rescue your sister no matter what."

  "Yeah, well, it's my fault she needs rescuing." He steps beside me, removes his fist from his chin, and props his palm against the dirt wall. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

  Pressing my lips together, I shake my head.

  He sinks down beside me, reclines against the wall, and stretches his legs out. "Well, trust me when I say that, as an older brother, you're supposed to protect your younger brothers and sisters, no matter the costs. And if something happens to them, it becomes your burden and guilt to bear."

  I draw my knees to my chest. "That doesn't sound very fair. I mean, what if what happened to them was completely out of your hands?"

  "It's still my burden and guilt to bear." He stares straight ahead. "Until I save her."

  "Then you'll forgive yourself?"

  "If she's okay."

  "And what if she isn't?"

  His gaze welds with mine as he looks at me and, for the briefest moment, I swear I see a trace of the Blaise I know.

  "Then I'll let my guilt drown me," he says, the passion in his voice branding my soul.

  I open my mouth to convince him he's wrong when Poppy whisks back into the room, carrying a small stack of clothes and a pair of heeled boots.

  "This will look absolutely amazing on you." She sets the pile of clothes down on a chair in the corner of the room then turns toward Blaise and shoos him toward the door.

  "You need to leave while she gets dressed." She waits for Blaise to rise to his feet then walks over to Zander and pokes the tip of her boot against his hip. "Wake up, darling. You need to leave."

  Zander's eyelids lift, and he blinks profusely up at Poppy. "We're done already?"

  "No, we need to step out." Blaise strides across the room, grabs Zander's arm, and helps him to his feet. "And apparently get you some fresh air so you can wake the fuck up. I can't have you all doped up while we do this."

  Zander staggers to the side, bumping into the wall. "Why? Are you afraid something will go wrong?"

  "Who knows? But I never exclude the possibility." Sighing heavily, Blaise drapes Zander's arm over his shoulder and guides him toward the tunnel. "I'm stepping out for exactly five minutes, and then I'm coming back in," he calls over his shoulder to Poppy. "And she better be completely coherent." He exits the room with Zander stumbling to keep up.

  Poppy glares at the door. "He's a bossy one, isn't he?"

  "Not always." I grow fidgety, too aware I'm alone in a room with a stranger. "You just have to get to know him, and then he warms up."

  She glances at me with suspicious. "How do you know him?"

  Realizing my mistake, I tense. "I just met him today."

  "Then it's awfully early to be making speculations about his personality, don't you think?"

  "I guess so."

  "Hmmm ..." She traces her finger along her lips, studying me. "Where did you come from before you showed up here?"

  I discreetly twist my arm so my wrist is pointing behind me. "From around."

  She watches me too closely. "From around where, exactly?"

  "Blaise told me not to tell you," I say, crossing my fingers she won't know I'm lying.

  She grinds her teeth as she shakes her head. "Typical Blaise." She spins back around and picks up the clothes. "All I did was give him a little break from his moodiness, and how does he repay me?" She shoves the clothes at me. "By treating me like shit."

  I take the clothes from her, unsure what to say. I completely understand Blaise getting upset with her for poisoning him, but I fear she'll try to poison me if I say so.

  My silence makes her laugh.

  "You're thinking I deserve his treatment, right? That helping people relax somehow makes me a bad person?" Her boots kick up dirt as she inches closer to me. "I guess I might as well do it then, if you're going to judge me." She dips her mouth toward my ear while skimming her finger up my arm. "I could eat you up, you know that?" She nicks her teeth along my earlobe. "Maybe I will one day."

  I feel like I should be running for the hills, or at least flipping out, but a sedated calmness glistens over me.

  "Maybe you will," I murmur, every muscle in my body unwinding.

  When she leans back, she's smiling. "Not so ba
d, is it?"

  My head bobs from side to side. "No, it really, really isn't. It's actually wonderful. Like I'm in faerie land."

  She laughs softly. "Well, I don't know what faerie land is, but it sounds awfully lovely."

  I let out a contented sigh. "I don't either, but it sounds amazing."

  Grinning, she leans forward and kisses me on the lips. A spark ignites inside my chest, and I almost pull her back, kiss her hard and fiercely until nothing is left inside her. But she moves away quicker than I move my arm to grab her.

  "I'm going to go entertain Zander while you get dressed," she tells me, dabbing her lips with her fingertips.

  "Wait ... Come back ..." I reach for her, but she's already gone.

  Sighing, I set down the clothes she gave me and peel off my tank top and shorts. Then I grab the first article of clothing on the top of the stack: a leather corset embroidered with various shades of gold, deep browns, and silver chain. It takes a lot of sucking in and holding my breath to get the binding top on, but I manage. Then I slip into the sheer black skirt that flows at the back and bunches at the front. Next comes fishnet tights and a choker. The look is topped off by black boots that lace up all the way to my upper thighs.

  From somewhere in the back of my mind, I feel like I should be uncomfortable with the get-up, but I'm not.

  Spinning around in a circle, I watch the dress poof out around me. Then I spread my arms to the side and spin and spin and spin, watching the glittery beads shimmering in the inadequate lighting.

  "Allura, are you about ...?" Blaise trails off, stopping in the doorway, his eyes practically bulging out of his head.

  I stop spinning and wave at him. "Hi."

  "Hi." His gaze dances all over me, scorching hot, leaving my skin tingly. "You look ..."

  "Like a faerie?"

  "A what?"

  I hold up my finger. "A fictional character that has wings and sprinkles glitter everywhere." I giggle. "I don't even know how I know that."

  His breathing grows raspy. "I don't know ..."

  The skirt rustles as I move toward him. "Do you think I look pretty?"

  His gaze crashes with mine, and he gulps. "I don't know ..."

  I pout. "That's a no."

  He shakes his head. "No, it's not."

  "I wonder if the old Blaise would've thought I was pretty."

  "The old Blaise?"

  I shrug. "He was very brooding. Maybe more than you."

  "What are you ...?" His jaw clamps down. "She poisoned you, didn't she?"

  "I'm not sure." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "She did bite my earlobe, and I felt really giddy. Then she kissed me, and I wanted to kiss her back until she couldn't breathe ... Does that make me weird?"

  "I don't know." He looks extremely uncomfortable. "Maybe not, if you're attracted to women."

  I consider what he said. "I don't think I am since I find you very sexy and handsome."

  "Okay." He cuts the conversation off with a sharp clap. "It's time to go to the library."

  I reach out so he can grab my hand, because I think at one point he used to hold it all the time. "To go to the library?"

  "Yeah." He stares down at my hand. "What are you doing?"

  I wiggle my fingers. "Waiting for you to hold my hand."

  "I don't hold hands."

  "Yes, you do."

  "Allura ..." His tone is tolerant.

  "Blaise ..." I mimic.

  "Dammit, Poppy," he grumbles, then grabs my hand.

  The instant our fingers touch, his stiff muscles loosen a smidgeon.

  "Not so bad, right?" I ask, swinging our arms between us.

  "Maybe not." He looks genuinely perplexed. "Why do I feel like I've done this before?"

  I wink at him. "Maybe you have."

  "No ... I don't think so ... Well ... Maybe." He stares at me. "Are you sure we only met briefly?"

  I want to tell him no, that I lied, that we know each other well enough that he risked getting killed to kiss me, and I probably would've, too, if Zander didn't come barreling through the doorway in a panic.

  He pants for air, hunching over. "We need to go. Now."

  Blaise grasps my hand tighter. "What's wrong?"

  "Fredrick's coming," he gasps out, bracing his hands on his knees. "And I think our cover is blown."

  Blaise releases a sequence of curses. "Fuck. How did he find out?"

  "I think Poppy told him." He stands upright, pressing his hand to his chest. "To get back at you."

  "Dammit, I knew one day she'd out us." Blaise lets out a frustrated scream then kicks the wall hard. "Why did she have to do it now?"

  Zander wipes sweat from his brow with his arm. "It will take Fredrick some time to gather the mob, so we might be able to make it to the library still. We just need to hurry."

  Nodding, Blaise runs out of the room, pulling me along with him. Zander hurries after us, working hard to catch his breath as we weave through the tunnels. The torches flicker off as we pass by them, leaving a trail of darkness nipping at our heels. The air is quiet, still, cold, and sends goose bumps sprouting all over my arms.

  "What happens if Fredrick captures you?" I struggle to breathe evenly as I race to keep up with Blaise.

  The red door comes into view, and Blaise increases to a sprint, almost yanking my feet right out from under me.

  "Then we're going to be the ones locked behind those doors," he says with his eyes fixed ahead.

  "Forever?" I gasp as I stumble over my own feet.

  Blaise tightens his hold on my hand and stops me from falling completely. Then he slams on the brakes as we reach the door.

  "No, just until he kills us." Zander zips past us to open the door.

  "Kill us?" I whisper as Zander drags open the door with a grunt.

  The cries of the prisoners hit me all at once, lifting me further out of the daze Poppy put me in.

  I don't want to be behind those doors.

  I want to go back to Leviter Station where I will be safe. But I don't know how, and I don't want to leave Blaise behind. Therefore, all I can do is hold on to him tightly and hope this version of him will get us out of here safely.

  If this is the past, then I'm guessing we will. Unless somehow the past can be altered.

  Instead of going back toward the bar, Blaise and Zander lead me down a secret tunnel hidden behind one of the rusty doors. The ceiling is so low that the three of us have to duck our heads, and without torches to light the way, we constantly bump into each other.

  "I feel like I've done this before," I whisper as water sprinkles from the ceiling and soaks the top of my head.

  "Maybe you've been here before," Blaise suggests as he continues moving down the tunnel while still gripping my hand.

  "Maybe ..." Images blaze vividly inside my mind of tunnels, bookshelves, a map, half-machines chasing me, and a guy in a hoodie watching it all happen ...

  "Dammit, I thought you weren't going to figure it out this time."

  A hand slaps across my mouth, and my fingers slip from Blaise's as I'm dragged back into the darkness.

  Chapter 14

  Did You Think I'd Make This Easy for You?

  "Easy." Lips nibble my ear. "I'm not going to kill you just yet."

  My body shudders at the eerily familiar tone.

  The time traveler.

  I open my mouth to let out a scream, but he smashes his hand against my mouth.

  I writhe my body and kick my legs, but his arm secured around my waist never wavers.

  "Scream all you want," he whispers, dragging me farther and farther away from Blaise and Zander. "They've already forgotten you."

  Letting my body go limp, I attempt to get him to drop me, but he continues moving, hauling me backward down the tunnel until we emerge inside the cell at the end. Soft moonlight filters through the barred window and into the room, casting shadows all over the walls. At least, I think they're shadows until the shadows begin to move, dancing around on the bronze
d walls.

  "Scary, aren't they?" The time traveler releases me and shoves me forward with enough force that I crash into the wall.

  My cheek and forehead smack against the metal and stars spot my vision ... Or maybe they're just in the sky outside ... The sky ...

  Peering through the bars, I spot a full moon and thousands of countless twinkling stars in the black sky.

  "This sky ... It doesn't belong to the red sky world ..." The bars singe to dust in front of me and float down the rocky ledge I'm standing on. "What's happening?"

  "What's happening is that I'm reminding you of what I can do." The time traveler steps up beside me, pulling his hoodie higher over his head to shield his face. "Don't forget, Allura, you may erase everything, but I control everything--create--which is so much more."

  I turn sideways to face him, the breeze rising from the cliffs gusting my hair into my face. "Who are you?"

  He stares ahead at the cliffs and stars stretching before us. "I already told you, I'm a time traveler."

  "No, I know you." I curl my fingers inward and slowly start to reach for him to draw down his hood. "And well. That's why you purposefully keep your face hidden."

  "Perhaps you're right, but it doesn't really matter, because you'll never know." He snaps his head in my direction, and his hand follows, seizing my arm. "Did you really think I'd make this easy for you?"

  I wrench my arm back, but his fingernails pierce into my flesh. "Make what easy on me?"

  "Bringing Blaise back." He faces me full-on and tugs on my arm until I stumble into him. "He's going to stay where I put him and live the worst moments of his life over and over again until he goes mad."

  "No." I flatten my palms against his chest and push back. "I'm going to save him."

  "Save him?" He leans forward, laughing in my face. "And how are you going to do that when you can't even save yourself?"

  "I'll find a way. I always do." The words leave my lips under no control of my own, and a long forgotten memory surfaces. "I've said that before."

  "Yes, you have." The time traveler blows out a frustrated exhale. "I guess it's time to reset."

  "Reset--"

  He seizes both my wrists before I can finish. With one swift tug, he whips me around and lines my back to his chest. Then he slips his arm around my waist and rests his other hand at the base of my throat as he turns us toward the edge of the cliff.

  "Do you remember this part?" he whispers in my ear with a hint of remorse.

  "You kill me." My hollow voice doesn't even sound like it belongs to me.