Talen

“That’s enough!” Ava shouts. She grabs Keller by the arm until he sits down again. “Talen, please explain.”

“We overheard them talking,” I tell her. “Aerin and I came across some of them in the complex, and we heard them talking about needing space for people to live. We heard them say they had a plan for the people in the valley, but we didn’t know what it was. I thought it might be another virus, but apparently that wasn’t fast enough for them.”

“Who are they?” Layshell asks.

“P

eople from the capital.” I leave out the part about the president’s arrival, which doesn’t escape Aerin’s attention. She tilts her head and stares at me questioningly. “The point is, they’re going to be in the area soon, and we need to be gone before they start looking in this direction.”

“And you think going north is the only way?” Milo wraps his arms around his shoulders as if he were getting cold at the thought.

“I’m open to suggestions,” I tell him, “but I think it’s the only direction to go.”

“I trust Talen,” Ava says as she places her hand on my thigh. “He’s always taken care of us, and if he thinks north is the way to go, then I’m going to follow him.”

“I go where you go,” Layshell replies. She leans against Ava, and Ava leans against me.

“Wow.”

I glance up to see Aerin shaking her head. Before I can call out to her, she turns on her heel and walks off into the woods. Ava looks at me, confused, but I can only shrug.

“I’ll go after her,” I say as I push myself off the ground and follow.

“Be careful!” Ava calls after me.

I spot Aerin near the edge of the river and quickly make my way down the hill to join her.

“Aerin?”

She doesn’t turn toward me.

“Aerin, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing at all!” Her sarcastic tone cuts through me.

“You think north is a bad idea?”

“I don’t care where you take them.” She folds her arms over her chest, refusing to look at me.

“What’s wrong with you?” I ask again, gripping her elbow and trying to make her turn to face me. “You’ve been off since we got here.”

“You could have just told me, you know.”

“Told you what?”

“About her.” Aerin pulls her arm away and turns toward me. “I know what she is. Are you going to deny it?”

“Deny what?” I ask, throwing my hands in the air. “I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

“You know, I really should have figured it out,” Aerin says. “You are way too good in the sack for any of that virgin crap to be true.”

I stand there with my mouth hanging open. I have no idea how to respond.

“Is she the one?”

“Is who the one what?”

“Is she the whore who gave you a blowjob?”