Eden by Keary Taylor Read Free Book Online

hand.  I stood to the side of the door
as Graye looked at me with serious eyes and ducked inside. 
Bill joined us a few minutes later.
    “ Same as always?” I asked
as they both looked to me.  They nodded their heads, Graye
shifting a gun into his other hand, Bill strapping a blade to his
arm.
    “ Just a minute, Eve,” a
voice came from behind us.  I turned to see Gabriel walking
toward us, West following two steps behind.  “I want you to
take him with you.”
    “ We can handle it,
Gabriel,” I said as I turned back to my scouting
partners.
    “ I’m not asking, Eve,” he
said sternly as he joined our small circle.  “With Tye’s loss
we need him.  I won’t leave us unprotected because of your
pride.”
    “ Fine,” I said as I
stalked into the armory.  I grabbed a rifle and walked back
out.  I raised my eyebrows slightly at him as I handed it
over.  “Keep up.”
    Not waiting for either of
them to say anything else, I turned and headed toward the tree
line. 
    Graye headed toward the
northern border, Bill to the west.  We kept a constant circle
around Eden.  I was a little disappointed to see that West had
not chosen to follow Bill or Graye.  Guess that should have
been expected considering my warning about Graye.
    I kept my eyes trained to
the trees, keeping my ears alert.  Maybe I could just simply
ignore West’s presence.  Maybe he’d get the message and go
scout on his own.
    “ What have I done to make
you hate me?” West suddenly demanded.  His words stopped me in
my tracks.  “You don’t… you don’t even know me.”
    I whipped around, my eyes
blazing as I looked into his.  “That’s the point.  I
don’t know you.  I don’t know if I can trust you.”
    “ And how do I know if I
can trust you?” he asked, his voice dropping low.  “How do I
know that you aren’t just going to turn that blade on me out here
where no one can see us?”
    “ You don’t,” I said, my
tone softer.  “But I wouldn’t do that.  We need
you.”
    “ Exactly,” he said, the
smugness obvious in his voice.
    My eyes hardened as I held
his.  I wanted to wipe the small little smile off his
face. 
    “ Just stay out of my way,”
I hissed as I turned and started walking east.
    “ Why do they treat you
different?” he asked as he followed me.  “Like you’re some
kind of leader.  Like you aren’t just some girl?”
    “ Why don’t you find out?”
I said as I stopped suddenly, turning cold eyes on him again. 
When he didn’t say anything, I started walking again.
    “’ Cause I know how to
survive,” I said simply as my eyes scanned the trees, keeping my
ears keen for any misplaced sounds.  “Because I keep them
alive.” 
    “ Why are you any better
than either of those other two guys?”
    “ Would you just shut up!”
I hissed as I glared back at him.  “You’re going to get us
both killed!”
    West threw both hands up
in defense, his gun facing up toward the blue skies.  “There
isn’t anything anywhere near here.  We didn’t see anything
since the first day we left our camp.”
    I stared at him in
disbelief for a second.  Did he honestly think that meant he
could let his guard down?  Finally, I just shook my head and
kept walking.
    The necklace Avian had
given me bounced on my chest as I walked, its surface cool and
hard.  The light reflecting off it blinded my vision for a
fraction of a second.  At the same time, the memory of seeing
this same item jarred my brain.
     
    “ Graye!” I screamed as we
headed back into an alley.  “Leave it!  We’ve got to get
out of here!”
    “ Hang on!  I’ll be
right back.  I’ve got to grab something!”  The
helicopters above our heads nearly drowned his voice
out.
    “ Graye!” I screamed, but
it was too late, he had already dashed back out into the
street.  At the same time, Tye jumped out from behind me,
dropping his pack full of supplies beside me.
    I was about to dart after
them when a strong hand grabbed