A Hero Rising by Aubrie Dionne Read Free Book Online Page A

followed them. “You’d be surprised how many secret passageways architects hid in these high-rises.”
    If only she’d known. She could have saved those passes in the first place.
    James kicked in the panel on Level Twenty, checking to see if anyone was in the hallway. After winking back at her, he led them into the same corridor she’d been granted access to just hours ago. He put his finger to his lips, and they tiptoed to the working elevator. He pressed the panel for Level Fifty-Four.
    “We’re not going to the top?” she whispered, afraid the guards that had let her through could hear them down the hall.
    “No. Level Fifty-Four connects to the recycling factory, which connects to Thadious Legacy’s tower.”
    The elevator beeped, and they stepped in. She felt the platform rise underneath her sneakers and was grateful to leave the lower levels behind. “How are you going to get by the guards?”
    “They’re not there. No one is. Thadious Legacy left this morning with all of his people on a colony ship called the Expedition .”
    “No way.” Skye had only heard rumors. It was strange to think of people abandoning Earth, leaving the rest of them behind.
    “It’s true. They kept it top secret because they didn’t want a horde storming the ship, trying to get on.”
    “I’ve heard generations will live their entire lives on the ship.”
    James nodded, his lips set in a grim line. “That is correct.”
    “It boggles my mind. What do you think about living your whole life on a ship?”
    “I try not to think about it.” James’s smoky eyes darkened as if he was hardening inside, shutting her out. He looked away, studying the elevator panel as the numbers ascended.
    Level Thirty-Seven.
    Level Thirty-Eight.
    His silence intrigued Skye. She’d touched upon a sensitive subject. “Did you want to be on that ship?”
    James winced and turned away. “I couldn’t be on it. That’s all I’ll say.”
    Couldn’t be on it? Skye picked at her fingernail as questions swirled through her head.
    Carly made circles in the chrome with her sweaty fingers. She’d drawn a flower and a smiley face. “Are we almost there?”
    “Soon, Carls.” If she’d wanted to ask James anything further about the Expedition , the time had come and gone. Best to drop the subject and allow him to focus on getting them out of the city.
    The elevator beeped and a monotone voice announced, “Level Fifty-Four.”
    The doors parted to a lobby area with live tropical ferns and windows the length of the walls. The moon gleamed through the glass like a pockmarked face, with dark spots where the mining crews had splurged.
    James paused. “This isn’t supposed to be occupied.” People mingled around tables drinking cocktails, and waiters dressed in black suits carried food on trays. Had they forgotten the end of the world? Or were they untouchable?
    Skye glanced down at her yellow stained T-shirt. “I can’t go out there in this.” She felt like a ragamuffin going to a princess’s ball.
    James took her hand and squeezed. He whispered in her ear, “We don’t have time to backtrack. Besides, you look stunning. Just act normal, like we’re a real family.”
    Stunning? Skye’s cheeks flamed at the compliment and she looked away, feeling her palm burn against his. He held out a hand for Carly, but the girl scowled and scurried behind her. Skye took her hand instead. “Okay, dear husband, lead us on.”
    The corner of James’s lips curved up at her comment. He directed them behind the majority of the congregation, around a stone fountain. Dolphins leaped above cascading water to glittering rocks in a pool below. Carly moved to grab a tail, but Skye pulled her back.
    “Not now.” She didn’t want them attracting any unnecessary attention.
    The trays of food smelled sublime: honey roasted chicken, baked crab, and lemon meringue pie. Skye’s stomach murmured and she stifled her raw hunger, trying to remember the last time she had