“Well, you see, there's a prophecy …” Mr. Greene started.

  I laughed. “Oh, we know about the prophecy. That’s all I’ve been hearing about lately.”

  “Oh, well, I had brought up that I hoped the prophecy would come true so then something could be done.” Mr. Greene coughed, his throat dry and raspy. He probably hadn't talked this much in a long time. “I also said I’d be the first one to sign up to help the one who will lead the revolution.”

  “I’m sorry to tell you, Dad, but you aren’t the first one to sign up,” Eric said.

  “What do you mean? Has the revolution already started?” Mr. Greene asked.

  “Well, we’re trying to get it started, but we keep getting stopped,” Eric said. “But they have the one who they think the prophecy is talking about.”

  “Who?” Mr. Greene asked.

  “Me,” I said.

  Mr. Greene sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, well, that explains everything you were talking about with the president. You have quite the little fire in you, young lady.”

  “Thanks,” I said, laughing. “It’s too bad my fire isn’t big enough to get us out of here, though.”

  “I do have a question,” Mr. Greene said. “I heard the president call Eric your boyfriend. Is that so?”

  I smiled. “Uh …”

  “Yes, it’s so,” came Eric’s response. I could hear a smile in his voice.

  “Well, then I need to be properly introduced,” Mr. Greene said.

  Eric laughed. “Okay, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Emmie, and Emmie, this is my father, Alexander.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Emmie,” Mr. Greene said.

  “You, too, Mr. Greene,” I said. “I hope I get to see you in person before this is all said and done.”

  “That would be nice, Emmie. But I must insist on you calling me Alexander.”

  “Then Alexander it is,” I said. Dad coughed. “Sorry, Dad. Alexander, this is my father, Philip Woodard, and Dad, this is Alexander.”

  “I hope my son has been a gentleman to your daughter,” Alexander said, “even though they're probably too young to be dating.”

  I smiled. Of course, a dad would think seventeen was too young to date.

  “He’s been wonderful to my Emmie.” Dad chuckled. “Well, at least for the few hours I’ve known him.”

  Alexander laughed at that. “Good to hear.”

  “Alexander,” I said. “You should also know that my two best friends are down here, too. Dee and Tina.”

  “Hi,” both Tina and Dee said.

  “Hello,” Alexander said.

  “I think this is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had,” Eric said.

  With that, we all laughed. It was strange to think that only a couple of weeks earlier the idea of a boyfriend was nonexistent. I'd never dated anyone before, and I didn't have any interest. It all seemed so complicated and not worth the trouble. And now here I was, sitting hogtied in a cell, with a boyfriend, meeting his dad who we originally thought was dead but was sitting in another cell, and soon we would all be executed.

  Life never turns out the way you think it will.

  A n hour later, the door to the holding cells opened. As footsteps came down the hall, a sudden pang of dread washed over me. This was it. In just a short while, I would watch everyone I love die, followed by my own death. I tried over and over again to tell myself that it had all been worth it, but now that the time had come, I wasn't so sure. At least I would never have to eat peas again.

  Someone unlocked my cell. I looked up to see Dean Johnson. The corner of his mouth turned up, forming an evil smile. “You know, Pierce and I flipped for who got to be the one to take you out of here. I won.”

  I thought about responding, but I wanted to try a new method: keeping my mouth shut. Dean grabbed me around my waist and lifted me up, placing me on his hip. He carried me out of the cell and down the hall like it was nothing.

  Tina was in front of me, being held by Mack. Pierce had Dad by the arm, and he didn’t look too happy about it. I figured Eric and Dee were behind me.

  All of us were quiet as they took us to another room. It was a large, concrete room. Seeing all the concrete brought me back to the room I was locked in with Luke, Will, David, and Skinny. The thought of Luke hurt my heart. I had wanted him to come with us and support what we were doing, but with my death only moments away, I realized he was going to be the lucky one in all of this. He was going to survive.

  Whit was waiting for us when we came in. Dean cut the cord connecting my feet and hands and threw me down on my butt. Then he reconnected my feet and hands, only this time in front of me so I could at least sit up.

  Frank lay unconscious on the floor on the other side of the room. They sat Tina down next to him, then Dee, then Dad, and then Eric. I assumed it was the order in which they would die. I shook the thought from my head.

  Mack, Pierce, Dean, and five other security guys stood near the door, their arms folded across their chests. A big chair sat in the middle of the room. There were straps on the arms, which I figured were to hold our arms down. There were straps near the feet, too. A cord ran from the chair to the wall, where it had been plugged in. Straight above the plug was a small lever.

  “Welcome to the electrocution room, everyone,” Whit said with a smile. He stood next to the chair, resting his hand on the top of it. “I’m so glad all of you could make it here today for this historic event. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to use the electric chair, so I was excited about this opportunity to make use of it. I hope you don’t mind, but I got a historian to come today to make note of this unique experience.” Whit turned his head toward the door and nodded at Dean.

  Dean went out the door and came back in with an older man. From the intake of breath from Eric, I figured it must have been his dad, Alexander. He was tall like Eric, but he had long gray hair. I didn’t know what he looked like before, but it seemed being down in the cell had aged him. His eyes were tired, and he moved slowly. Slouched over, he shuffled into the room, keeping his eyes on the ground. There were fresh bruises on his face. Dean sat him on the floor near the security guards, which gave him a good view of the electric chair.

  “Thanks for joining us today, Alexander,” Whit said to him. “I hope your reunion with your son was sufficient.” He turned to me. “We all know why we’re here. I don’t want to drag this on since I have a lot of meetings today. Before we begin, do you have anything you would like to say, Emelia?”

  I stared at him, willing myself to be quiet. There was nothing I could say to stop it. I needed to take action, but the odds were stacked against us. How could we get out of here alive? I couldn't go down without a fight, though. For the moment, all I could do was look at Whit with all the hatred in the world as I tried to think things through.

  Whit laughed. “Well, if that isn’t a first!”

  Dean and Pierce gave out a small laugh. I looked at Mack, but he stared straight ahead, no emotion behind his eyes.

  “Since you have nothing to say, let’s get started.” Whit turned to Dean. “Let’s start with Frank.”

  Dean grabbed Frank, dragging him to the electric chair. He sat him in the chair, strapping down his wrists and ankles. He took a strap from behind the chair and wrapped it around Frank's chest. Dean opened a vial and put it below Frank's nose, waking him from his unconscious stupor. Frank looked around, bewildered.

  Whit placed his hand on Frank's shoulder. “It’s a real shame to have to mark this down in the Oliver family legacy. To think of all the things your ancestors did for this city and this is how you repay them? With betrayal?”

  Frank looked up at Whit and said something, but his voice was hoarse. Whit leaned his ear in close to him. “What was that, Frank? I can't hear you.” Whit turned to Dean. “Let's get the man some water, please. I would love to hear what he has to say.”

  Dean left the room and returned a minute later with a bucket of water. He went up to Frank, throwing the water all over his body. “Refreshing, isn't it?” Dean said, shaking out the remaining drops of water over Frank's head.

  Frank shook his head back and forth, trying to get some of the water out of his eyes. He looked up at Whit and cleared his throat.

  “You always say that everything you do is for River Springs,” Frank said, anger in his voice, “but you do the exact opposite. Everything you do is for the benefit of you and only you. The people of this city deserve better.” He practically spat those last words out. I had never seen Frank so fired up. It made my respect for him go up more.

  Whit backhanded Frank across the face and then leaned in close. “You’re pathetic, you know that, Frank? You’ve never had the courage and backbone it takes to run a city. You’re too soft. I’m really surprised it isn’t one of your kids the prophecy talks about. I’m just hoping that Austin will be a better leader than you.”

  “My son will never, ever be like you, Whit. I raised him better than that.”

  Whit raised his hand to strike Frank again, but there was a sound at the door.

  “Am I late?” Amber pushed her way into the room and glanced around, panicked. Relief washed over her when her eyes settled on me. “Oh, good, I didn't miss it.”

  Dean smiled, though it seemed strained. I wondered if he knew that his daughter was a psychopath. “Amber, sweetie, what are you doing here?”

  “I came to watch the execution,” Amber said, looking baffled by the question.

  Whit grimaced. “How did you find out about this?” His eyes went over to Dean.

  “It's not my dad's fault,” Amber said quickly. “I overheard him talking with the security guards.”

  Whit looked at Pierce. “Get her out of here.”

  When Pierce stepped toward her, Amber jumped back. “No! I want to watch.”

  “Amber,” Dean said, stepping toward her, “you need to leave.” By the expression on his face, I could have sworn he was frightened by his daughter.

  She glared at him, her eyes full of hate. “No! I want to watch her die!”

  Pierce took her by the arms and dragged her toward the door. Amber kicked and thrashed, yelling the whole time. “No! I want to see Emmie die! I want to pull the lever!”

  “Get her out!” Whit yelled.

  Pierce threw her out of the room and slammed the door shut. Amber immediately pounded on the door, demanding to come back in.

  Whit straightened his tie and continued like nothing had happened. “Now, Frank, do you have any last words?” He stepped back from the chair. Dean had moved over to the lever on the wall, his hand anxiously waiting for the go-ahead.

  “You disgust me, Whit,” Frank said. “I'm ashamed that I stood so many years next to you and didn't do anything to stop you. You won't get what you want in the end. You'll lose, Whit. I'm just sad I won't be there to witness it.”

  Whit stood there for a moment before he said anything. “Dean, you may begin.” He didn't take his eyes off Frank.

  Dean smiled and tightened his grip on the lever. He was about to pull it down when I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “STOP!” I yelled. Everyone turned to me. “Please, stop. Don’t do this. This is crazy. No one needs to die.” I needed to stall. We had to get out of here. I didn't want to die like this. I didn't want my family and friends to die like this.

  “You need to be punished for your actions, Emelia,” Whit said.

  “I’ll do whatever you want,” I said, desperate to save the ones I loved. “Please, just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. I’ll be on my best behavior from now on. I’ll go along with all your rules and won’t put up a fight.”

  “It’s too late for that, Emelia. You had your chance and you blew it.” Whit’s face was stone cold.

  “But this isn’t their fault,” I said, looking at my friends and family. It had all been my doing. They didn't need to be punished for my stubbornness. I got up on my knees and scooted closer to him.

  “It is their fault,” Whit said. “They all had a choice and they chose to disrespect me and everything River Springs stands for.” Whit’s hands balled into fists. “Dean, pull the lever!”

  With that, Dean slammed the lever down, springing the electric chair into action. I threw my body forward but ended up falling since I was tied up.

  A blur of motion came from the right of me. Eric and Tina had both jumped forward too, as if our small action could stop it.

  All I could hear was Frank's screams. I looked away, not wanting to watch. I squirmed, trying to make my way toward the chair, but Dean pulled me back. A burning smell filled the air, making my stomach churn. I did this. Because of me, Frank was going to be dead in a matter of seconds. And I still had four more to listen to.

  Suddenly the lights flickered. There were a few popping sounds and then the lights went out, shutting down the chair. I would’ve had some hope for Frank's life, but he had stopped screaming before the lights went out.

  I sat in the dark, stunned by what had just happened. My heart hammered through my chest and my thoughts raced so fast, I couldn’t pin any of them down. Shouting and loud thuds surrounded me, but I wasn’t paying close attention. Frank Oliver was dead. He had risked so much to help and I would never be able to repay that debt.

  I was so shaken up it took me a while to realize someone was trying to pull me up. Somehow, my hands and feet had been freed. I tried to concentrate on what was happening when I heard a voice.

  “Emmie, we need to leave, now.” It was Mack. He pulled me up onto my feet. “Can you walk on your own?”

  I nodded, but then realized he couldn’t see me since the lights were still out. “Yes,” I said, my voice barely a whisper. He took my arm, guiding me through the room. “Wait. What about the vice president?”

  “He’s dead, Emmie,” Mack said. “We need to get out of here.”

  “Not without Frank. Dead or not, I’m not leaving his body here with these monsters.” I couldn't imagine how they would dispose of his body.

  Mack hesitated a second before responding. “Stay right here, I’ll get him.”

  As I stood there waiting in the dark, some footsteps came behind me. Someone bumped into me, making me stumble forward.

  “Sorry!” Dee said.

  “It’s okay, Dee, it’s Emmie. Is everyone else free?”

  Voices replied, first Eric, then Tina, and then my dad.

  “Eric, where’s your dad?” I asked.

  “I’m right here,” Alexander responded from the right of me.

  “We need to leave! Now!” The voice came from a few feet away.

  “Steven?” I was so surprised to hear his voice.

  “Yes, it’s Steven, and we need to leave before everyone regains consciousness. Get the lights back on now!”

  “What?” I asked.

  “Oh, sorry, I was talking to someone else,” Steven said.

  A few seconds later the lights came back on. Whit, Dean, Pierce, and three other guards were lying on the floor, unconscious. Two other guards were standing over them. By the way they were panting, they had been responsible for knocking everyone down. The door had been opened and Amber's unconscious body lay outside.

  “Let’s go,” Mack said. He held Frank's body over his shoulder.

  “Is he …?” I couldn’t finish the sentence. Just looking at him confirmed it.

  “Not yet,” Mack said.

  I didn’t hide my surprise. “But he looks like he’s dead.”

  “I felt a small pulse, but who knows how long it will stay,” Mack said.

  “We don’t have time for small talk!” Steven yelled, rubbing his head, looking scared.

  I didn’t blame him. I would be scared if I had just participated in knocking out the president of River Springs and some of his security. He looked over the unconscious bodies on the floor, his eyes stopping when he saw Amber. He almost looked pained.

  “Lead the way, Steven,” Mack said. When Steven just kept staring at Amber, Mack cleared his throat and spoke louder. “Steven, lead the way.”

  Steven looked at Mack and snapped back to reality. He turned around and left the room. We all hurried toward the door, following Steven wherever he turned. He must have been talking to someone with a communication device, or he was just plain crazy and talking to himself. He had a bag slung across his back and he kept pulling at the strap as he walked.

  “Now what?” Steven asked. He made a right, leading us to some stairs. He headed up and we all did the same. “When we get to the top, where do we go?” Steven paused, waiting for a response. “Yeah, okay. Have all the other security guards been distracted? Good. Okay. We should be out there soon. Is everything ready?”

  When we got to the top of the stairs, Steven led us through some more halls and then out a door. We stepped outside, the change in temperature startling. It was freezing and the clouds overhead threatened with snow.

  “We’re outside now. We’ll meet you there,” Steven said to his imaginary friend.

  We continued to follow Steven, the frosty air stinging against my face and arms. I was still wearing my short sleeve shirt from being in the infirmary.

  We soon arrived in front of the Recruitment Center. A bus waited near the front door of the Center with Eric’s cousin, Richie, leaning against the bus. The nurse that had helped me out in the infirmary stood on the steps inside the bus. I think she had told me her name was Marie, but I was out of it when she treated me.

  “It’s about time!” Richie called out. “We need to get going. The change of guards around the outside fence will be changing in twenty minutes and we have nothing arranged with them.”

  “It’s at least a half-hour to the gate from here,” Dad said as we approached the bus.

  Richie smiled. “But I’m driving.”

  Eric walked up to Richie, slapping him on the shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

  “Marie approached me and told me you needed a way out of here,” Richie said. “Of course, I couldn’t say no when she told me you were one of the people leaving.”

  “How do you know Marie?” I asked.

  “We were in Recruitment together,” Marie said, smiling at me. “How are you feeling?”

 

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