Page 138 of Resolve
One of my half-siblings—Wendy—answers the door after I knock. “Hey,” she greets with a smile, stepping aside so we can enter.
“I have some news,” I share with her and the room. Alice is preoccupied staring at whatever show is on with Michael and Ben. Sam is tucked away on a chair in the corner with his noise-canceling headphones while reading a book. Karl, Tobias, and Sophie are sitting together on the kitchen stools, and Lance and Brinley are seated on the floor playing a card game.
The room is filled with white-blonde heads and blue eyes, apart from Alice, Ben, and Brinley, who share Charles’s black hair like Reid.
When Sam is still preoccupied, I stride over and lightly tap his book. He looks up and catches the rest of the room watching us. His face flames as he drags the headphones down around his neck.
“It’s okay, I just wanted you to hear this, too,” I murmur softly, just for him. Then, in a louder voice, I address my family. “The Guild is going home to the Tower. It’s a big skyscraper with plenty of roomfor all you, if you’d like to come with us.”
“What are we supposed to do?” Wendy asks from the door, crossing her arms. She’s the same age as me, part of the older half of brothers and sisters.
“That’s up to you.” The room fills with chatter, the consensus a growing concern with what’s expected of them next. “If you want to use the Tower to take more time and figure out what you want to do now, then you can. If you want to join the Guild with us and use your gifts as a job, to contribute to society in a good way, then you can do that, too. Or if you want to leave and explore the world, then no one will stop you. I’ll see if we can put some money together to help you get started, at least.”
Dane gives me a look. I don’t know what the Guild’s financial status is now that Charles is gone, but I’ll work as many jobs as I can to make enough so they can afford to live for a little while at least. They deserve to see more of the world now that they have the freedom to do and go where they want.
“What about GE?” Karl, the oldest, inquires. “They’re still out there.”
“We’re going to hunt them down until there’s nothing left,” I reply. “You don’t have to worry about them.”
“I’m not. I want to help,” he states coolly. “If that’s part of what your Guild is doing, then I’ll join it.”
I try to keep my happiness contained that he might want to stay. “You don’t have to join the Guild to help us get rid of GE. You could stay at the Tower with us to help, and then do what you want after.”
Sam grasps my wrist. He shows me a message he typed on his phone screen.
I want to join.
I dip my chin, unable to stop the smile that takes over. “Of course. You’re already part of the team.”
“That better include me, too,” Alice chimes in, jutting her chin out and crossing her arms. “I saved your asses more than he did.”
“That’s funny,” Dane slides in with a taunting smirk. “Because I remember you blowing things up that were only supposed to be on fire and then giving away our position on those missions.”
Alice jumps from the couch. “None of those were my fault, and you know it! Tell them how I’m the real MVP. You wouldn’t have won without me.”
Dane scoffs. “We all know that title belongs to Rae.”
“Guys. There are no titles,” I reason, then add under my breath, “But if there was, it goes to Cassandra.”
They both whip their heads to look at me incredulously. Apparently, I didn’t say it quiet enough.
I shrug. “It’s the truth.Anyway,” I emphasize, getting us back on track. “If you are coming with us to the Guild, even if it’s just to stay until you figure things out, meet us downstairs in an hour and a half with whatever you have.”
Less than a week later, a Guild strike team is gathered in the gym. We’re decked out in protective gear and armed with weapons, although most of us don’t need them. They’re merely there for backup.
The hunt for every last vestige of Gifted Enterprise starts today.
Our team has nearly tripled in size since the days of our island raids. Aside from the usual Guild crew, half of my siblings and another dozen Pits fighters have joined us.
Only the older siblings are joining these missions: Karl, Sam, Wendy, Michael, and Alice. Tobias is staying at the Tower with the younger four.
Aiden steps forward, drawing everyone’s attention. “After we killed Charles, Dane gained access to more of the GE locations still operating around the world. He’s been covering operational messages to those sites to keep them unaware of their president’s death. While they should be unprepared for our arrival, that does not mean they are unequipped to fight. Be on your guard and don’t go anywhere alone. Team up. And don’t damage the computers. Dane will be pulling data off their servers to search for other locations, and then he’ll wipe them.
“We’ll be taking down a site a day. This strike team will split into three groups: rescue, data extraction, and offense. It is the rescue team’s job to get any prisoners to safety, the data extraction team to pull the information Dane needs, and offense will eliminate GE employees and destroy the facility once the first two teams are clear.”
Aiden continues with the explanation of how we’ll travel there for the newbies who didn’t island hop with us before. Evie waves when he explains her gift and the tub that we’ll all get in, and then he nods at Reid as he covers the potential side effects of the teleport.
Once he’s finished, he surveys the room. “Any questions?”
