Rogue (Exceptional) Read Free Page A

mother’s life, or the force of evil that was traveling toward them from the Eastern City.
           “I’m not sour,” Ally snapped at him. “I just want them to be safe.  We’re getting farther and farther from the City.  That might mean more safety from the Exceptionals, but it also means we are wide open to whomever, and whatever, is out here.” She motioned to one of the dark, dusty windows.
           “I’m sure they’ll be fine.” Sabine said, nodding in the direction that Theo and Flora had gone.
           “More than fine,” Willow giggled in the corner.
           Ally couldn’t help but smile at the sound, and soon they were all giggling.  All except Cody, who stared at them with a confused look on his face.  This caused them all to start laughing even louder and soon they were all seated on the floor, leaning against each other to keep from falling over.  Ally had missed moments like this; where she could be free and open with her friends.  She couldn’t remember a time when she had laughed this hard in the past month, maybe the past several months even.  This was a good reminder as to exactly why she left the City and the settlements behind.
           Stosh hadn’t had luck hunting earlier in the afternoon so they ate a sparse dinner of berries, and laid out their blankets to settle in for the night.  With each day that passed, Ally hoped they were growing closer to the others and closer to the answers they needed.  She fell asleep quickly to the sound of crickets, and woke just as abruptly to the sound of screaming.
     

CHAPTER TWO
     
    It took Ally a moment to orient herself to her surroundings and realize the sounds coming from outside their resting spot were not normal.  She processed this all much faster than the others and for that reason she was up and out the door before Stosh had even rolled over.  She could tell it was early morning by the hazy blue light that filled the space around her, signaling that at any moment the sun would rise above the trees and sprinkle the area with a new, golden light.  She hurried toward the sound of screaming, knowing just who she was headed for before she saw them.
           Flora sat on the ground, swatting at an Exceptional Guard that stood over her.  He was handling her roughly, attempting to cuff her hands behind her back.  Another Exceptional Guard stood over Theo’s body, which was eerily still.  From here Ally could see a thick gash on his head, and it was seeping red blood onto the leaf-covered ground.  She hesitated for a second, trying to decide what move she would make.  She could hear footsteps behind her, and a startled cry from Sabine.
           “Ally,” Stosh said behind her, as if confirming her worst fear. “You have to.”
           She nodded and raised her hands just as the Guards took notice of them.  They stared at the group with smug expressions, not even worried or frightened by the Exceptional girl and her band of Ordinarys.  They didn’t even know what hit them when the beam of light left Ally’s hand and incinerated their bodies.  Piece by piece their flesh bubbled until all that was left was a cloud of ash.  She pushed all her thoughts of hatred and malice toward the Guards into her mind as her abilities flowed through her hands, finding that this helped quicken the process.
           Flora’s screaming ceased and Sabine sobbed quietly behind her.  Ally had yet to use her abilities in front of anyone but Stosh, and even then that had been to move a fallen tree from a path they needed to travel.  This was the first time any of them had seen her use her abilities to end a life.
           Ally stalked over to Flora, who slid backwards in fear until her body was touching one of the box shaped homes.  Ally reached down and took hold of the cuffs on Flora’s wrists, letting a burst of light snap them apart.  She did the same for Theo, after checking that he was still