Taken (Erin Bowman)

ever, but they didn’t believe Frank’s way of life was their only option. Even former subjects of his project were slipping free when they could, running while on missions, or being snatched up by Elijah’s troops when intersected in the forest. Elijah told me about a hideout he’d recently established, burrowed inside the mountains. He said I was welcome there.
    “I had no intention of joining him until he mentioned the look-alikes, the familiar faces that had begun showing up, only to murder people in their sleep. I knew immediately that Frank must have realized his Forgeries had an in. I doubt he liked the idea of people gathering in opposition to him, was probably terrified that they would poison his city with the idea that he was unjust. Or maybe he feared these Rebels would leak information to AmWest about water resources and access points to the domed cities. Regardless, he was using the Forgeries in an attempt to squash the Rebels, and I knew I could help.
    “Now, when anyone new enters Crevice Valley, I immediately run him through my test and determine if he can be trusted. You and your brother are a unique case, of course. You came here together, one on the verge of death. That would have taken quite some planning had you been Forgeries. Not to mention you were captured. Most Forgeries walk right to us, claiming to be seeking shelter when they are truly spies.
    “My arrival in Crevice Valley has made it hard for Frank. Forgeries used to be his way inside, and that weapon has become nearly ineffective. I know it’s nothing in comparison to all I’ve done in Frank’s labs, but I hope that my work here is a step in the right direction. I hope that one day someone like you, a victim of the Laicos Project, will be thankful for at least some of my work.”
    Harvey’s story ends here. He smiles at me, but my stomach is so unsettled I can’t respond.
    At first I hate him. How could he have ever thought his work for Frank was justified? But if I am unable to accept his change of heart, I’m no better than Hal or Polly, who disregarded me because I was brought into Crevice Valley by force. People have all sorts of pasts, sometimes dark or dreary, but perhaps the actions they choose in the present are the ones that carry the most weight. And Harvey is here, making changes, looking to undo the wrongs he has created. Maybe Harvey is okay.
    “So what now?” my father asks, addressing no one in particular.
    “Evan’s group has retreated back to Taem,” Ryder says. “And our scouts say the city has nearly recovered from the recent attack by AmWest. Regardless, if Frank wants Harvey, he will not rest until he has him.”
    “Right, so what now?” my father urges again.
    “We are well fortified here. We wait for them to approach again, and this time, we take out the entire unit. If they try again, we repeat. Harvey, I’m afraid for the time being you’ll be limited to Crevice Valley. It is far too risky for you to set foot outside.”
    “Fair enough.” Harvey nods.
    “That’s it?” I ask. “We just sit and wait? I thought you guys were all for fighting?”
    “We are, Gray,” Ryder says, “but these things take time. When we are ready for that strike, it will be well planned and meticulously executed. For now, we wait and counter each advance as needed.”
    “I don’t do well waiting,” I admit.
    “That works out perfectly,” my father chimes in. “You start training tomorrow, and standards in Crevice Valley are no picnic.”
    “How’s that?”
    “They are brutal. Intense,” Fallyn says with a wicked smile.
    I believe her instantly. When I am dismissed from the room, I head back to my quarters with slow, deliberate steps, dreading the training that awaits me and the weary muscles I will certainly have by the following evening.

TWENTY-SIX
    I WAKE EARLY. OR MAYBE in the middle of the night. It is impossible to tell. I wonder if there is a moon tonight, if it is casting a silver-blue glow on the land beyond the mountain. On nights in Claysoot when Blaine was snoring too loudly for me to sleep, I used to walk out to the livestock fields and stare at the sky. There were evenings when the stars shone so brightly and the sky stretched so wide that I feared I might slip from the grass and float away into nothing. Now I have only four stone walls.
    I try to return to my dreams, but my cot feels increasingly stiff. I sit up eventually and pull on my boots. If I can’t sleep, I should do