The Forsaken

the hunters yells.
    “We can’t wait any longer,” Veidman continues. “Meira and I have discussed it. We’ve been consulting with the leaders of the other surviving villages. They’re staying put for now, but we’re going to send out our exploration party as soon as possible.”
    The hubbub of noise grows louder in response.
    “Please.” He holds up his hands. “Listen.” I wonder how much older Veidman really is than the rest of us. In the soft firelight, he looks young. Vulnerable. I never thought of him like that before.
    “The drones are filthy beasts!” a hunter yells. “Let’s go into the gray zone and kill as many as we can!” His words get cheered.
    Veidman raises his hands again. The crowd grows quiet. “Like I said, the attacks are going to get worse. So we’re forming our expedition party now. Many of the hunters will be going, but we need volunteers to support them too. Kids who aren’t afraid to risk their lives. The more people we send into the gray zone, the greater the chance of success.”
    Meira steps forward. She takes Veidman’s hand, her pale fingers clasping his, the hypnotic firelight playing over her delicate features.
    “Veidman is going to lead the expedition. I will stay here and keep things running while he’s away.”
    “You’re risking all our lives by leaving!” a boy yells at Veidman—a hut builder, not one of the hunters.
    “We risk our lives every day on the wheel,” Meira retorts. “Now we’ll be taking control of our destinies. Owning the risk.”
    Rika stands up. “How do we know this isn’t part of the Monk’s plan? Have you thought of that? What if he’s intensifying his attacks so we do something stupid, like split up the village? Maybe he’s planning to attack us right after our best hunters leave, or to ambush the hunters on their way to the gray zone.”
    “It’s been decided already,” Veidman declares, heading off any debate before it becomes a mutiny. “We’ve run this village and kept all of you alive for the past three years. So we make the decisions. Operation Tiger Strike is a go. The exploration party will be leaving in nine days, in search of the aircrafts. I promise you, this will be the first step toward gaining our freedom.”
    “But we’re free right here!” a girl yells.
    “Free and alive!” another voice seconds.
    Veidman turns, squinting to see in the firelight. “Freedom means more than just struggling to survive. Freedom is our right . Our destiny. We have to take this chance while we still can. Before they send more drones like David Aberley. Before they kill more of us.”
    Voices rise up again, expressing agreement and dissent in equal numbers. Veidman and Meira quickly make their exit from the fire pit, disappearing into darkness as they step away from the flames. It’s like they’ve just dissolved into the cool night air.
    Had this exact same meeting taken place a day earlier, I never would have considered joining the expedition into the gray zone. But after what David and the other prisoner said, I can no longer imagine staying.
    “Whadda you make of this mess?” Gadya asks me. The camp is still buzzing with conversation and arguments.
    “Honestly? I think it sucks.” My mind is still on David. Could I really have been so wrong about him? My gut tells me that he wasn’t lying about my parents. But I don’t know if I can trust my gut. It also told me that I’d never fail the GPPT. Still, it’s impossible for me to believe that David tricked me.
    “Staying won’t be so bad,” Gadya replies. “Maybe now that they’ve killed the prisoners, the drones won’t attack for—”
    I cut her off. “I’m not staying. I’m going with you.”
    She looks shocked. “With me?”
    “Yeah. Into the gray zone. I changed my mind about Operation Tiger Strike.”
    Her shock rapidly turns into bewilderment. “You sure that’s a good idea? I don’t think you’re really cut out for this kind of thing.”
    I want to challenge her. I want to ask, And why not? But I know she’s right. If it hadn’t been for what David told me, I’d be happy to be a coward. So I just say, “I have my reasons.”
    “You mind sharing them?”
    “I just don’t want to stay and be a burden. And I want off the wheel.”
    “You sure there isn’t something else?” For a second I’m scared she knows my secret. But then she adds, “Is this about Liam?”
    “It’s got nothing to do with him,” I tell her honestly, wanting