The Defiant by Lisa M. Stasse Page B

the other rebels at the meeting once I get captured? Will they be exposed? Will they be killed?
    â€œLet me help you on board,” Tomas says. “We don’t have much time.”
    As Kelley and Shawn watch, I clamber into the hiding space and lie flat. The man puts some boxes back, so that I’m completely hidden from view.
    â€œYou good?” he calls out.
    â€œYep,” I call back.
    â€œIt’ll take about half an hour to get there. Hang tight, Alenna.”He starts walking around to the driver’s side of the truck. I hear him open the door.
    Then pale fingers suddenly poke through the slats on the side of the truck. It’s Kelley.
    â€œGood luck, Alenna,” she says. Surprising me, her voice is warm with emotion. “I want you to know that I’m rooting for you. I know you can do this—whatever it is that the scientists or David have told you to do.”
    I grab on to her fingers and squeeze. “Thank you for everything,” I tell her, glad for a moment of human warmth.
    Then the noise of the engine starts up with a clatter. Kelley pulls her hand back. I feel the truck slowly start to move. I just lie there, as though I’m in a coffin. The vehicle backs out of the driveway and onto the road. Soon we are picking up speed.
    I remain flat in the back of the pickup truck, covered with a layer of boxes. The smell of wood and hay is strong in my nose. I fight the urge to sneeze. It’s hot and uncomfortable. The air is stale, and exhaust fumes from the truck keep seeping into my space. Even though the driver said that we wouldn’t be stopped, I know that anything is possible. Memories of the roadblock from last night are fresh in my mind.
    After thirty minutes of winding through streets, we reach our destination. My body is sore from being jounced around. The truck slows and comes to a complete stop. I have no idea where we are.
    I try to see outside, but I only get little snatches of light through the metal slats in the side of the truck. I can’t really see anything.
    I hear voices above me and I look up. The boxes shake, and I realize that the truck is being unloaded. For an instant, I’m afraid that maybe I’ve ended up in the wrong place.
    Then I hear the driver’s voice. “We’re here, Alenna,” he says.
    I start pushing boxes aside, as more get unloaded from the truck. I burst into the daylight. It’s bright, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust.
    â€œWhere are we?” I ask, looking around.
    Tomas doesn’t answer.
    We’re near a handful of abandoned brick buildings, some bearing battle scars from old gunfire. Scars that were probably made in those years before my parents got taken, when I was a little girl. The scars remain on the rocks, impervious to the passage of time.
    I grab the edge of the truck and then climb down onto the dirt.
    â€œIs it just us?” I ask.
    Tomas shakes his head. “The others are nearby. They’re prob­ably watching us right now. We’re at the outskirts of the city.”
    â€œWhy are they watching us instead of helping us?”
    He shrugs. “Maybe they don’t trust you yet.”
    â€œThey don’t trust me? We’re taking the bigger risk by coming here.”
    â€œIt’s going to be okay,” Tomas says quietly. “You understand why they’re suspicious. If they’re discovered, then they’ll be arrested and killed, and their families will be in danger as well.”
    â€œI understand,” I tell him, thinking that I’m glad they don’t know that I’m setting them up. I hope David knows what he’s doing. I don’t want to get innocent people hurt. “Let’s go inside. I’m ready.”
    â€œFollow me.”
    I walk after him toward the building closest to us. A flash catches my eye and I look up at a smashed-out window. I see themetallic glint of a gun muzzle. I glance around at some of