Rival Page 2

  So, yeah, he probably should never come back.

  He didn’t turn around until he’d put several dozen feet between them. Until she was just a shadow by the docks, standing and waiting for him to make good on his promise. His shoes sank into the sand as he jogged toward the perimeter.

  The sand leveled out, giving way to pavement. It was the longest road on this side of the country, a wide street that led from the beach to Victor Bridge, the cutoff between the Light District and the Dark District.

  Both of their Darkside communities used the road as a marker. A border. They stayed on their side, and he stayed on his.

  Once he hit the beginning of his territory, he glanced over his shoulder then frowned when he heard a noise. He scanned the streets and the entrances to the few buildings he could make out in the darkness.

  If that girl from the other side had followed him, he’d be dead for sure. After a moment of stillness, he relaxed some, figuring it had just been an animal or piece of debris blowing in the wind.

  Maddox looked to the horizon, where the first hints of sunlight were appearing. Natural light. Nothing like the glowing dome that covered the Light District. Sometimes he wondered if they had communities inside their border, too. Whether people were at war there just as much as they were out here.

  Maddox weaved his way through the buildings until he reached the old outdoor shopping mall centered around a large courtyard. It rose two stories and housed most of the community. A handful stayed on their own out by the gardens, and some kept their distance on the other side of the settlement, closer to the bridge. But for the most part, they all stuck together.

  Yet even with the sun beginning to rise, it was quiet when he made his way through the courtyard and past a large stone basin that used to be a fountain. He steered around the columns and toward the cafeteria. In the back, a storage room held emergency supplies, though only his family had a key. They couldn’t let everyone walk in and get whatever they wanted whenever they wanted it. They had to ration it.

  It was one of the things Theo was especially good at. Keeping order. Making sure they had enough supplies to go around. Though his mom was technically the leader of the community, most everyone looked to Theo as the law.

  Unfortunately, his law lately seemed to focus on the others across the border. Theo was obsessed with them. Always talking to his friends about them—and how eventually they should be eliminated for good.

  To be fair, Theo had been older than Maddox when their dad had died. But that had been so long ago. How long did it make sense to hold onto a grudge?

  Long enough to destroy two communities, Maddox thought. Then he grimaced. No, things wouldn’t go that far. Besides, it wasn’t like the others were doing anything to them. They usually kept to themselves.

  It was Maddox who’d broken the rules this time.

  He reached for the lock on the storage room door then froze. It was undone. Wait—had he forgotten to lock it? Or had someone else been by? It was a simple lock, probably easy to pick, but they’d never had problems before.

  He opened the door and felt around for the flashlight that hung on the closest hook—one of several he was pretty sure Theo had stolen from the people by the bridge.

  He cursed the moment his eyes adjusted.

  No, no, no. He shone the flashlight around the room, shock waves rolling through his body. When he’d illuminated every dark corner of the room, his heart dropped to his feet.

  Things were missing. Half of their supplies and food were gone. Lanterns, flashlights, cans of beans…so many things missing.

  It had to be a mistake. Maybe Theo moved some things, or his mom. But why would they do that? No one was allowed to take anything unless they had permission from the community leaders, and even then, it was only in the direst of circumstances. His mom and Theo were big believers that each family or individual took care of their own needs and only got handouts if the leaders agreed.

  He reached overhead and pulled open cupboards, the doors banging against each other. Then he ducked down to the lowest shelves, but he couldn’t find much. Theo hadn’t said anything about moving supplies, had he?

  Maddox swallowed, mind racing back to the girl on the beach. Someone had stolen from her, too. He hadn’t believed it. Or at least, he hadn’t believed someone from his community could have done it. But now…he wasn’t sure.

  It looked like the girl on the beach might not be the only one who was dealing with a thief.

  Chapter Three

  Juno

  “It took you long enough,” Pillar said when Juno reached the boathouse with her empty basket. “We’re late for the meeting.”

  Juno ignored the flicker of anxiety in her stomach. This was normal. Rand and Stef called weekly meetings for updates and to gather information. It wasn’t anything to worry about. Although, they’d find out soon that she hadn’t caught anything.

  She dumped her items on the floor and jogged after Pillar. “Something going on?”

  Pillar glanced back. “Not sure. Cam stopped by and said we had a meeting. I told him you heard a noise and you were checking it out. Said we’d be there as soon as we could. You didn’t catch anything?”

  Just a thief. And then she’d let him go. Stupid move. If she hadn’t—if she’d brought him in—at least she’d have an excuse for not catching any food. But she’d failed at that, too.

  She hadn’t been able to keep him here. Or maybe…maybe she actually believed him. He was an ass, sure—and from the other community. She shouldn’t trust him.

  But for some reason, she felt like he’d been telling the truth. For some reason, she didn’t want him to get in trouble.

  They ducked through the slats of a fence, taking the back way to the old restaurant. The path used to be level cement. Now, it was crumbled at the edges and so uneven she had to be careful not to stumble.

  “I’ll get something tomorrow,” Juno assured Pillar, flashing a forced smile. “Fish and crab. Enough for a feast. So much everyone will be so full they won’t be able to move. More, even…”

  She trailed off, realizing she was rambling—something she did whenever she felt nervous. Or guilty.

  Pillar smiled at her, though it was with an edge. “It’s fine. We’ve got a lot of vegetables, too.”

  Which wasn’t enough. It was never enough. Fish were necessary. Their community wasn’t huge by any means—she knew every name and face—but there were still so many mouths to feed that vegetables alone wouldn’t cut it.

  And Rand and Stef would blame her, not Pillar, because Pillar was their daughter. Their real daughter. Juno was just Pillar’s friend. A girl they’d taken under their care when her mom had run off without a word. But she wasn’t truly a part of their family.

  Most of the time she didn’t think she was truly part of anything. She didn’t belong.

  Her gaze traveled toward the Light District, a place that seemed like it was out of a dream. She’d heard stories of buildings that reached the sky and diversions so numerous you couldn’t experience them all.

  And food. And clothes. Everything they didn’t have here. A completely different life.

  The city used to be united. Or at least, that’s what she’d heard. That before she was born the people in the Dark District had jobs and ways of finding food. They were allowed in the inner city, and people were more equal. But once the jobs started disappearing, the people of the Light District saw those on the outskirts as a stain on their society. People who didn’t have the resources to contribute. They were basically exiled for not being rich enough.

  But the Light District wasn’t the enemy—at least not to them. And most of the time, Juno couldn’t help but wish she were there.

  Or maybe it was “anywhere but here” that appealed to Juno. Anywhere she could make her own life and fit in.

  The old restaurant was in the middle of their community—one of the soundest structures still standing, even though there were holes in the roof. Juno could imagine
when diners used to come here, before the city shut down. They’d pile crab high on their tables—hot and ready to eat. She could imagine joking and laughter. People who weren’t stressed all the time. People who would make her part of their community.

  She rubbed a spot over her heart that always ached when she thought about really belonging. About finding someone, or more than someone, who accepted her as she was—faults and all.

  “They already started,” Pillar whispered as they eased through the doors and tried to blend into the back of the crowd.

  There were fewer people than normal, mostly adults and other decision-makers, and Stef caught her eye. She lifted a brow, her gaze narrowed on Juno.

  Juno folded her hands behind her back as blood rushed to her cheeks. Stef returned her attention to Pillar’s father, Rand.

  “We need to work on restocking the boathouse,” Rand said in an authoritative voice. His brow was heavy, sitting low over unforgiving eyes. In fact, his entire stature, from head to toe, could make any man nervous. “Our supplies are just as low as our food. How are things looking over on the east side?”

  Juno listened as one of the other scavengers talked about the supplies he found near the old homes and buildings closest to the Light District, all the while thinking about what she wouldn’t be bringing home later this morning.

  She was already trying to think of an alternative to fishing. Expand their garden, try to catch the rats she always saw scurrying around the restaurant—anything to prove that she was as important a part of the community as anyone else.

  Rand searched her face out in the crowd, and her stomach clenched hard. She’d braced herself for the same question the other scavenger had just gotten, when Cam raised his hand for permission to speak.

  Cam shuffled forward in the group, light on his feet. His shaggy hair and bright blue eyes made him look younger, but he was a few years older than her, and someone Rand and Stef trusted and respected.

  “I heard another report about the Scorpion,” he said.

  Rand folded his arms, looking unimpressed, like usual. They’d been hearing reports about someone they called the Scorpion for weeks now—a member of the Dark District sneaking into the Light to steal supplies.

  “They say she’s a girl.” Cam looked excited. “She brought back flashlights and food and clothes last time. Enough to last months.”

  Juno glanced at Pillar. Food and clothes? Even flashlights? They were always running out of oil for their lanterns. Any of those items would be invaluable.

  Rand’s jaw clenched tight. “Did you see any of these supplies?”

  Cam shifted from one foot to the other. “No. But I heard they were passing them out by Victor Bridge.”

  Juno watched Rand’s face. He wasn’t likely to want help from some mythical crusader, but they were low on supplies, and there were some things they couldn’t make or find on their own.

  “We should check it out,” Stef said with a nod.

  Rand glanced over, his eyes narrowed. Then he returned the nod.

  Juno’s hand shot up. “Pillar and I can go. We can scavenge on the way and see what we can find out there.”

  Rand’s lips pinched, and his gaze fell on her, eyes hard as stone. She dropped her chin. She’d spoken out of turn, making it look like Rand couldn’t make his own decisions. Not that he seemed to need any excuse these days to hate her even more.

  After a moment, Rand continued like she’d never said anything. “I’d like a report on the man seen at the border.”

  Juno looked around the room to see who he was talking to. Ty, one of the men who often watched the west border during the evenings, stepped past Cam. “It was too dark to tell who he was. But definitely not one of ours. He didn’t come inside the border, but he was close.”

  Was it the same boy she’d seen at the docks? The same one who claimed he hadn’t stolen her fish? If he’d been snooping at the border before that, maybe he’d lied to her.

  “We’ll keep extra eyes on the border for the next week, just in case,” Stef said. “Does anyone else have anything to report?”

  Juno’s mouth hung open. She’d seen someone from the other territory, too. And he’d definitely been on their side of the road. But…she still couldn’t bring herself to believe he’d been there to steal. And even if he had, she hadn’t brought him in. She’d let him go.

  That was worse than not telling the truth. Those were traitorous actions. Not speaking up could put her at as much risk as the boy was for stealing.

  Pillar elbowed her, and she jerked back to the present.

  “What’s going on with you?” Pillar hissed.

  Juno shook her head, desperate for the meeting to end. Rand hadn’t even asked her about the fish, which meant he was more concerned about the man at the border than he let on.

  Speaking up now would only make it worse.

  She waited until the meeting was over before drawing a deep breath. She had to apologize to Rand for speaking without permission. And she still wanted to know if she could make the trip to the bridge.

  Juno angled her head to the front of the building. “I should go…”

  Pillar squeezed her hand. “I’ll go with you.”

  They walked through the group as it dispersed, angling in the direction of Pillar’s parents. After a moment, the low tones of their conversation hit her.

  “Asinine,” Rand was saying. “How dare she question me in front of the group.”

  Her stomach tightened. Pillar squeezed her hand again, but Juno didn’t look over. She was used to hearing them talk about her. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

  Stef waved at him to lower his voice. “We’ll speak to her later.”

  Juno grimaced. Maybe now wasn’t the time. But for some reason, she couldn’t turn away. If Rand and Stef were going to talk about her, they should at least do it to her face.

  “She’s already overstayed her welcome,” Rand hissed.

  “And what were we supposed to do? She was Pillar’s friend. She didn’t have anyone to rely on after her mother left.”

  “She’s a terrible influence on Pillar. She doesn’t help the community—she’s just a strain on our resources. A useless orphan. We should have left her back by the bridge where she belongs.”

  The words were an arrow to her heart. Back by the bridge? Was that where she had lived before? She was too young to remember much—just playing with Pillar in random buildings and houses, back before the sides were split into territories.

  Stef looked up when her breath hitched. Her expression immediately shut off. “Pillar,” she said, acknowledging her daughter. Then her eyes turned to Juno expectantly.

  “I…uh…” Words clogged in Juno’s throat, a million questions on her tongue. “I didn’t mean to. I mean, I’m sorry—”

  Ask them about the bridge! She wanted—no, needed—more information. But she never questioned Rand and Stef. She knew better.

  “You can go to the bridge. Don’t waste time, and be back for your shift at the boathouse tonight,” Rand snapped, effectively dismissing them.

  Juno’s relief warred with her curiosity. Rand was letting her and Pillar go to the bridge. But he wasn’t telling her anything else about where she came from.

  Pillar gripped her hand again, and she let her friend turn her back to the door so they could walk outside into the humid morning. Most of the community was already up, some wandering around with morning greetings and others heading to their posts. The garden had three workers, hands in the dirt, preparing for the day. That was usually where she spent her days. Hour after hour in the hot sun, digging and hoeing and pulling weeds.

  Being able to help with the fish was a huge step up. Juno had thought it was a sign that Rand and Stef were finally accepting her. But that had clearly been a lie. She didn’t belong here any more today than she had last week. Or a year ago.

  “They didn’t mean it,” Pillar said, stopping by the garden fence.

  Juno gave her a smil
e she hoped looked sincere. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  It wasn’t Pillar’s fault her parents treated Juno this way, and she didn’t want her friend to feel guilty. “It’s fine. Let’s just get our bags and go.”

  “Juno—” Pillar started.

  “No time to waste!” She dashed off before Pillar could continue.

  The only thing worse than not having a family, than not fitting in, was talking about it. It just made it that much clearer she shouldn’t be here.

  They gathered their packs and wandered along the paved road until they were far enough away from the beach that there weren’t sides anymore, just buildings growing taller and taller the closer they got to the city—hundreds of structures that used to house thousands upon thousands of people.

  She’d heard that their country used to be one of the most populated in the world. Everyone wanted to come here after the climate shift. After it got too hot to live other places. That’s what had caused the city to separate. The overpopulation had been too much of a strain.

  Just like Rand thought she was a strain on their community.

  Maybe it was the truth. Juno scanned the buildings as they got closer to the bridge. It had occurred to her more than once that this would be the perfect place to start over. She might be alone, but at least she wouldn’t be shunned.

  And now that she knew she’d lived here before…

  Then she glanced at Pillar. No. She couldn’t do that to her best friend. Pillar was the only one she had. How could she leave that? And how could she hurt her friend like that?

  Juno grasped for a topic to distract herself. “I saw someone on the beach this morning,” she said quietly.

  Pillar glanced over in shock. “The same guy they saw by the border?”

  “I don’t know.” She kept her eyes open for debris on the side of the road, anything they might be able to use for supplies. “But—but the nets and pots were empty.”

  Pillar gasped. “He stole the fish?”

  “No. I don’t—” Juno waved her hand to get Pillar moving again. “I don’t know.”

  “What did he do when he saw you?”