Arcadia Read online

  Arcadia

  Secrets of Aurora Book 3

  L.J. Higgins

  Copyright (C) 2018 L.J. Higgins

  Layout design and Copyright (C) 2018 by Creativia

  Published 2018 by Creativia

  Cover art by Cover Mint

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the author's permission.

  http://www.ljhiggins.com/

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  About the Author

  Acknowledgements

  Books by L J Higgins

  Chapter One

  Folded neatly in the pocket of my army green pants, the test results I'd received from my father had my mind racing. Seth was my twin brother. Seth, the guy who'd helped torture Braven and me. And when we'd managed to escape he'd led Brent straight to us. I was thankful none of my friends had been hurt. If you didn't include the mental damage killing Brent's wife had done to Tyler. But where Tyler had been defending his family and protecting his little sister, Seth appeared to be as cruel and manipulative as Brent had been. It was hard to believe the same blood ran through our veins.

  “You okay? You've gone pale.” Maya had been keeping pace beside me since we left the Eden compound. She pushed a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear, her curls now long enough to tie back and twist into a loose bun.

  The darkness of the floating city looming overhead sent a shiver through my body, its enormity blocking out most of the sun's dry heat. Remembering the events that took place on its surface weeks before made my body shudder all over again. Two people had lost their lives because of the visit, and my dad had yet to awake. Squeezing my eyes shut I pushed the memories away.

  “I'm fine.” I cleared my throat. “It's hard leaving so many of our group behind.”

  It may not have been the reason I was sick to my stomach, but I wasn't lying. Leaving our fellow rebels behind was weighing heavy on my mind.

  Maya peered behind us, as though she might catch a glimpse of the military compound we'd left the day before. “It must be hard for you to leave when your dad is still recovering after everything you went through on Eden. I miss all of them already.”

  With my father still unconscious from being shot during our escape from Eden, Domino and Lark expecting a baby, and Tyler needing to keep his little sister Alice safe, our group had dwindled down to six. Lieutenant Marks had insisted we bring one of his men, Richy, with us to ensure our safety, which left Fletcher, Braven, Vega, Maya and myself to make up the rest of the remaining rebels. We may have left our leader Lark behind, but I had faith and trust in Braven's ability to lead us to Arcadia and find the next piece of my father's pendant.

  I ran my fingers over the carvings of the two pieces we'd already found and clasped together. My friends expected me to know what came next. Little did they know the one clue I had was the next piece would be found on the floating city of Arcadia. I could only hope Arcadia's lead scientist, and my father's good friend, Geoffrey Grant, would be able to guide us on what to do with the pendant once it was complete.

  “She's right Aurora, you look really pale. Maybe we should stop and rest. We've been walking for hours.” Vega placed her hand between my shoulder blades.

  “I don't want to stop. Once I'm out from underneath the monstrosity above us I'm sure I'll feel much better,” I replied.

  “It's creepy isn't it?” said Fletcher. “Hard to believe it can hover up there and not come crashing down to earth.”

  Another cool chill prickled at my skin and the mass of the floating city seemed to press down hard on my shoulders.

  “Maybe it's the magnetic force holding it up making you sick? I'm a bit queasy myself,” said Braven.

  Vega pressed a hand to his forehead. “Are you sure you're not pregnant?”

  He swatted her hand away. “Hilarious. Apart from the fact I don't have the right equipment downstairs to have a baby, other things have to happen to get pregnant you know.”

  “Yes, kissing is a sure way to get pregnant. No more kissing,” Vega taunted.

  “Thank goodness,” said Fletcher. “I'm sick of watching you two cuddle and smooch.”

  “Ahh, Fletcher my friend,” Braven placed his arm around Fletcher's shoulders. “Jealousy is a curse.”

  “You guys are ridiculous,” I said, appreciating the mood shift. “Richy do you know how long until we escape Eden's shadow?”

  “A few more hours and we'll be out of its energy field,” said Richy. “I'm afraid Braven's right. He isn't pregnant. It makes me nauseous too.”

  “Told you I wasn't pregnant,” said Braven, earning himself a swift backhand from Vega in the chest.

  Knowing we'd soon be out from under the floating city I quickened my step, encouraging the others to keep pace. I pressed my hand into my pocket and clutched at the letter as I had every few steps since we'd left the compound. The last thing I'd received from my father. Another truth revealed contradicting who I thought I was. The real reason my stomach wouldn't settle and my head ached.

  We were soon out of the shadow of the floating city of Eden and walking towards the distant horizon, nothing but sand, dust and a sprinkling of grass bushes and trees ahead. We were relying on Richy's navigation skills to guide us first South from the compound and then South East until we drew closer to one of the old cities of Earth. Although part of me grew excited at the prospect of seeing the way Earthlings use to live before the Earth ended sixteen years ago, another part of me remembered nowhere down here was safe. It may not have been uninhabitable like the Elite had taught the people of the floating cities, but it had still proven to be perilous.

  For three more days we hiked through the dry heat of the day and the chill cold of the night until the floating city was far behind us. Richy began guiding us South East towards a mountain in the distance marking the end of our voyage through the desert sands.

  “Are we going to the coast? I've always wanted to see a beach.” Maya's eyes lit up with excitement.

  “Haven't you seen enough sand?” groaned Vega.

  “Beach sand is different to this dry dusty stuff,” said Richy. “It's stickier and wetter. There's a refreshing saltiness to the ocean's breeze that clears out the lungs.” Richy closed his eyes drawing in a breath.

  “You've been to the beach?” asked Maya.

  “I grew up near a beach further north. But there's nothing like it. Except I suppose when those mighty waves started rolling in, then the beach was the last place anyone wanted to be.”

  “I couldn't imagine how those poor people felt.” Maya rested her hand o
ver her heart.

  “How'd you escape?” asked Fletcher.

  “I was eight when the world went crazy,” he replied “My grandparents owned a property out bush and we evacuated to it. But the bushfires came and although my grandparents refused to leave their family home, my parents took me to higher ground where we found other survivors. We all helped each other get through the hard times until one day the military arrived and rescued us. We were taken into the Arcadia Military Camp and looked after until I was old enough to join the military. It feels good to give back to the people who helped me.”

  “Are they still alive? Your family?” asked Vega.

  “My grandparents didn't make it through the fires. It didn't make sense to me when I was younger, but they'd spent eighty years in their house, raised their children and grandchildren in it. They wouldn't have survived out here anyway I don't think. My mother passed away two years ago, but my father still lives and works at the Arcadia camp.”

  “How long has it been since you've seen him?” I asked.

  “Too long. Enough about me, once we climb the mountain ahead we'll be able to get a clearer view of where we're headed. Let's have a rest for the night and try to escape this desert by tomorrow afternoon?”

  The sun was disappearing beyond the horizon behind us, casting an orange glow over the sand and across the sky, our shadows stretching out ahead of us. Thankful to have the weight of my backpack off my shoulders I dropped it to the ground as the others did the same. We each rolled out our beds and rugged up for another cold night.

  “Jerky?” asked Fletcher holding out a piece of dried meat.

  “Thanks.” I took it from him taking a bite. “Let's hope the rest of our journey is as uneventful as the past few days.”

  “Sounds a little boring don't you think?” Braven settled beside Vega. “Excitement is our middle name.”

  “I'm changing my middle name,” I said.

  “Yeah? What to?” asked Fletcher.

  “Dull. Aurora Dull Adams. Sounds good doesn't it?”

  Braven screwed up his nose. “Sounds terrible. I think we might leave you behind in the morning if you're going to be dull.”

  “Haven't you had enough excitement?” I asked.

  “He's being all macho,” said Vega. “You know what he told me? He wishes we could settle down and live a quiet life.”

  “All lies.” Braven covered her mouth attempting to muffle her words.

  Vega fought him away. “Now that's dull.”

  As we settled into bed, Fletcher's hand found mine as it had the past few nights, its warmth reminding me I wasn't alone.

  “You feeling okay?” he asked rolling onto his side to face me, his once well-groomed dark brown hair, now long and falling over his eyes. He lifted his hand and brushed it from his face, his warm chocolate eyes finding mine.

  Distracted for a moment I held his gaze before my thoughts came crashing back in and an awkwardness settled around us. Looking down to my bedroll to take a breath I looked back up to see a smirk spread across his lips.

  Ignoring his obvious joy at my discomfort I broke the silence. “I hope we can get to Arcadia and retrieve the pendant piece without anyone else being hurt.”

  His eyes softened. “Your dad's been through a lot and come through. He's in good hands and he's a fighter.”

  “I just don't think I can take any more losses and still remain standing.”

  He leant forward planting a kiss on my forehead before rolling onto his back and settling in to sleep.

  The losses weren't the only thing I couldn't take, one more lie or secret and I was scared I might crumble into a thousand pieces.

  Chapter Two

  The mountain appeared to grow in height as we drew closer and picked up our pace, excited to leave the deserts stifling heat behind us. The temperature wasn't the real problem, not being able to escape it was the hardest part. There wasn't a tree or spot of shade in sight. My eyes stung from squinting through the glare and my skin shone a bright red where it'd been exposed to the suns harsh rays. The salve we'd been sent with to rub onto our burns at the end of each day helped to soothe the sting. My skin which had once been pale white now bore a healthy tanned glow. Thinking about the heat made my mouth sticky and dry, and I pulled my water bottle from the side of my bag to swallow down a mouthful of warm water. As I placed my bottle back where it belonged, I spotted trees and dry grass in the distance near the mountain. Shade.

  By midday, sweat dripped from my brow and soaked a ring around the neck of my dark green singlet as we arrived at the base of the mountain. Although it hadn't looked daunting from a distance, it towered over us making me question if we could make it up and over in one piece.

  “You want us to climb that?” asked Vega raising an eyebrow.

  “Sure do. You guys have walked miles, this should be a piece of cake,” replied Richy, taking off ahead of us.

  “Sure, piece of cake,” groaned Vega.

  “I'd love a piece of cake right now,” said Braven.

  “Chocolate with chocolate icing for me thanks.” Fletcher licked his lips.

  “Yeah, with a side of more chocolate,” added Braven.

  “Then you'd puke it up from having to hike up a mountain,” I said, following Richy. “Come on slow pokes, the last one to the top has to massage the winner's feet.”

  The boys shouldered past each other, running up the slope ahead of Richy.

  “Great, now they're going to beat us,” said Vega.

  “No way, now they're going to wear themselves out trying to be all macho, and us three girls are going to reach the top together.” I grinned.

  “You're evil,” said Maya. “I love it.”

  My entire life had been spent around males. The one female in my life, my mother, preferred to pretend I didn't exist. I now understood it was from the grief of losing her real daughter and having me was a poor replacement, but it meant I'd never known how to relate to females. I'd avoided them on Utopia or scared them off with my apparent lack of wanting to socialise. But laughing with Vega and Maya made me happy to be one of the girls for a change.

  Later, as the sun sunk behind us and the air began to cool, I turned back to spot Braven and Fletcher puffing and panting their way up the side of the rocky mountain.

  “Come on guys, anyone would think you want to massage our feet,” I called out.

  “This is ridiculous, who thought this was a good idea?” called Braven, his face bright red.

  “That would've been my idea,” replied Richy walking behind us.

  He could overtake us without breaking much of a sweat, but he seemed to have caught on to our plan. Plus, I was sure he didn't like the idea of two guys massaging his feet.

  “Yeah, well. Who invited you anyway?” puffed Fletcher.

  “I'd be careful boys,” called Vega. “Richy's the only one here with a gun.”

  “Gun, shmun. I've got my trusty stun gun,” Braven patted his utility belt.

  “You must be getting itchy fingers. You haven't used it for a while,” I quipped.

  “Well if you lot don't turn around and mind your own business I might have to test it's still working.” It was hard to take anything he said seriously with his chest heaving between words.

  “Ahh, but you'd have to catch us first,” said Vega.

  Half an hour later, the light was disappearing from the world around us, and Vega, Maya and I reached the top of the mountain with Richy close behind us. My legs pulsed with the exertion and my lungs burned drawing in as much air as they could manage. Above us, stars were starting to prick the blanket of deep blue sky and all I could see ahead were shadows and darkness.

  “Come on boys, we're ready for our foot massages,” called Vega.

  A moment later Fletcher and Braven barged their way up the hill, desperate not to be last. Braven's size won out and he raised his hands in triumph as he reached us. “Yes! No sweaty, stinky feet.”

  “Not fair, he's like five times my size.
I knew I hated your stupid muscles for a reason,” Fletcher fell to the grass beside me laying on his back, his arms above his head and his chest rapidly rising and falling.

  “You wish you had my muscles,” Braven wheezed as he lay beside Fletcher.

  After a drink of water and a bite to eat we all set up our beds, ready to settle in for a good night's sleep. My legs ached as I crawled under my blanket.

  “What happened to our foot massages?” whined Maya rubbing her bare feet.

  “Ours? Only the winner was getting one,” replied Fletcher.

  “And we all got to the top at exactly the same time. That makes all of us winners,” said Maya.

  Fletcher's eyes widened. “Can't I take a raincheck, I'm still trying not to die from climbing the damned mountain.”

  “Would you have let us off if you won?” asked Braven, still revelling in the fact he hadn't lost.

  “Whose side are you on?” Fletcher bit back.

  “I'll let you off. I'm too scared to take my feet out of my boots anyway in case they swell up and I can't get them back on in the morning,” I replied, my feet throbbing.

  Maya wiggled over to stick her feet in her brother's face. “I still want mine.”

  “Gross.” Fletcher swatted them away.

  A smile settled across my face and I stared up at the stars scattered across the sky, listening to my friend's banter. No matter what answers or troubles lay ahead, at least I had them.

  * * *

  “Get up! Get your asses up!” The booming voice ripped through my hazy dream waking me with a start.

  I sat up in bed finding myself staring down the barrel of a gun. Behind it stood Seth, my twin brother. Holding my hands up I looked at my friends, trying not to make any sudden movements. Richy raised his hands too, his eyes flitting towards his bedroll three long strides to his left where his gun lay beside it.

  “Seth, what are you doing here?” asked Braven, as though Seth was an annoying fly buzzing around his face. “And who's she?”

  Behind Seth, also holding a gun, stood the dark-haired girl who'd removed me from the hole at the Freedom Camp. Her panicked gaze was a stark contrast beside Seth's steely glare.