I stare down at my digital notebook. English class doesn't feel important to me. Not after all that has happened. Not after James was taken by the government because I went to ask Herold for help. My head won't stop swimming with worries and questions. In fact, I'd rather bang my head against my desk than complete this five hundred word essay. I understand why school is deemed important, but to me, it's just an obstacle. I have other things to worry about. For example, Leane, Jeremy, their army, and their plans to take control of the city. I also need to rescue James, to see what's going on with the government now. James tried to help me, now I need to help him. Help everyone.

Not only this, but I need to get my hands on Leane's Chips. Hailee said it was too dangerous, but how else can we fight against people with them? All the people at Leane's base have probably figured out more about the Chips. I place a hand to my forehead, squeezing my eyes shut as I force myself to calm down. Opening my eyes, I catch Jared's glance from across the room. Eva isn't in this class with me, but Jared is. He's been avoiding us all day, but I haven't missed the glances he's been risking in my direction. Something is up with him, and that's just adding more to my plate.

My chest feels like it's being crushed by my anxiety and worries. I gulp in a deep breath, forcing myself to focus on my stupid essay. It'll distract me, and boy do I need a distraction. I glance down at my watch. Twenty minutes left of sitting in this silence classroom. The sounds of breathing around me have done nothing to calm my nerves. Making sure my senses are normal and not heightened, I glance back down at my digital notebook. I have to write about how I think society got to this point. The topic is interesting, seeing the events of the past year.

Society has been on a downward spiral, I begin, ever since perfection wormed it's way into the mindset of everyone. I'm not sure when it started to take such a hold on the population, and I don't think anyone really does. Actually, our history classes don't tell us much at all. Just the usual thing about riots, and how our previous leader used Chips to calm people down. I guess he did that, but he also started a perfection- craving nightmare while watching us every step of every day. Why were people rioting? Who knows. Maybe because they were tired of things being the way they are. Maybe they got tired of perfection, or maybe the government wasn't so perfect before Jeremy came along. Either way, we need to realize that we're human. Not only that we can't be perfect, but we're in the middle of a fight for all we hold dear. Perfection doesn't matter that much anymore. I can tell by the faces and actions of people around me. Chips were removed. Things have changed.

I gulp in a deep breath. Glancing down at what I've typed, I realize I began to rant. Maybe I even started to rationalize. The bell rings, saving me from my overwhelming thoughts. I turn off my notebook and shove it into my bag, intent on following Jared out of the classroom. I need to figure out what's going on with him. It's destroying his girlfriend, and even his cousin. It's even destroying me. Letting out a sigh, I push past my classmates rushing for the door. Jared has already exited the classroom. I increase my pace, muttering apologies to people I accidentally elbow as I make it out the door.

Through the throngs of people piling into the hallway, I spot Jared heading towards the bathroom. He'll probably hide in there until everyone's gone, as the school day has now ended. Well, he's planning to, but I won't let him. People try to talk to me, but I politely mutter that this isn't a good time. After a good amount of weaving, shoving, and running, I'm able to slip into the bathroom after Jared. We're the only people in here, and I don't really care that it's a boy's bathroom. I just care that it smells disgusting.

I grab Jared's arm. He tries to yank it away but I hold firm, channeling my Chip-given strength.

"Let me go!" He barks, turning around to face me. His eyes go wide, then narrow. 

"Jared, I need to talk to you," I state. "I'll let you go once I know you won't run away."

He glares at me. "I'm not going to make any promises. You do realize this is the boy's bathroom, right?"

I glare right back, my heart pounding from frustration and the effort it took to get here. "Yes, I do! I also realize that you've been ignoring everybody! You didn't even come to the big meeting last night!"

"Eva filled me in."

"You talked to her?" I question, surprise lacing my tone.

"Yeah."

I drop his arm and place my hands on my hips. "She's your girlfriend! You do realize what you've been doing to her, right?"

I can see the remorse and pain written in his eyes. "We talked, Autumn. I asked her not to tell you guys. It was just between us."

It doesn't matter what he told her. I wish Eva would've told me. "You're my friend, Jared. I'm worried about you."

He shakes his head. "Don't be. Just worry about taking care of what you need to."

I sigh. "What's wrong with you, Jared? Do you not want to do this anymore? Is it because of your dad? If it is, you don't have to do anything. If your dad is still alive, we'll find him."

A tear runs down his cheek. "I'm sure he's not alive. My uncle is crazy."

"Jared-"

He holds up a hand. "Save it. I'm doing what's best. Please just leave me alone."

"What about Eva? Or Cody?"

"Autumn-"

"You don't have to be part of the Chip Busters, or whatever we're calling it now. I don't expect you to, not anymore. But I do expect you to be there for the people who care about you, who you care about."

He lets out a laugh that holds no humor. His gaze flicks to the white ceiling. "I don't need a lecture from you."

"Well, you might get one anyways. Jared, you can't run away from your problems."

"Yeah, not everyone can be like you!" He shouts, anger radiating off him in waves.

I stumble a step back. "Excuse me?"

His fists clench. "Not everyone gets a second chance at life! Not everyone is some sort of hero that everyone knows! Not every is like you, Autumn. You removed Chips. Great. You died. You were brought back. This is your stupid little fight. If your Chip hadn't fallen out, if you hadn't brought my cousin into this, maybe the people I care about wouldn't be in danger. Did you ever stop to think about that? Or were to too caught up in being the someone you never were before."

Im taken aback by his outburst. I struggle between anger, shock, and something else entirely. It takes my brain a few seconds to spit out a response as my blood boils in my veins. "You think this is all about me? That the people I care about aren't at risk? I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I'm still trying to protect everyone! I never wanted to be some stupid hero, it kind of happened. Just like having a second chance at life!" I stab my finger into his chest. I don't care about going training. I only care about the words Jared just spoke, how he's been acting, and the anger within me. "I never forced you, or Cody, or anyone to be a part of this! In fact, Cody found out my Chip was out and asked to work with me. We both made the choice! So did Eva,Teresa, your father," I spit it out like poison. "and you."

"Eva could've been shot that day," he whispers. "I could've lost the girl I cared about. I could've lost my life."

"Yeah, well I lost mine to make sure you didn't!" I shout. He flinches. "You don't get to blame me for this world going to crap. I'm not going to stand here and let you!"

He shoves past me. Caught off guard, I stumble back.

His fingers clutch the door handle so hard they turn white. "I'm not going to stand by and let all this happen."

I clench my fists, electricity rushing to my fingertips. As he opens the door, it slams back in place. I know that's from my new ability. I gulp in a deep breath. I can't let anger overtake me again. So, I let out a breath, releasing the electricity from my body.

"Jared-"

He turns, staring at me with wide eyes. "You're nothing like the girl I used to know. You're some kind of monster. Who knows what that new Chip has done to your brain. You think you're so high and mighty with your new powers? Come near my cousin or girlfriend again-"

"He's my boyfriend and she's my best friend. I'm not sure why you suddenly hate me, but you won't keep me from the people I care about," I whisper. I'm not sure why, but I begin to shake. His words shouldn't effect me, but they do. Monster. Putting the people I care about in danger.

"Maybe this world doesn't need a damn revolution or whatever you want. If you hadn't been so temperamental, the government could've helped us." He swings open the door.

"Go crawling back to your rich boy ways!" I scream.

"This isn't over," He growls. The door slams shut in my face.

My breathing is heavy. I run a hand down my face, trying to calm myself. My fingers grip at the strap of my bag as I stare at the wooden door. That couldn't have just happened. Shaking my head back and forth, I force myself to yank open the door. I force myself to walk into the empty hallway. Everyone else has already left, all in a rush to get as far away from school as possible. I let out a breath and head to my locker. I shove my digital notebook in there, slam the door shut, and head out of the school.

Cool air hits me in the face as I exit the building. Cody jogs over to me. Eva's nowhere to be seen, and our company consists of teenagers milling around after school hours.

"What took you so long?" He laughs. "You trying to skip out on training?"

I just shake my head. I don't have it in me to respond.

Cody furrows his eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

I stare into his hazel eyes. Eyes at fill me with warmth and a giddy feeling. Eyes that I don't want to see the life go out of. Then, I reach for his hand, tightly gripping it. He squeezes back. "Do you really want to do all of is?"

He raises an eyebrow. "All of what, Autumn?"

"All of this trying to stop Leane and your dad stuff. I'm not forcing you. If you don't want to, it's fine. If no one wants to, it's fine." I hadn't realized a tear dripped down my check until Cody wipes it away. 

"Autumn, of course me want to. It was my idea in the first place. No one would risk their lives just because they felt like it. All of us are going to fight until the end. Eva, Jared, me-"

I rip my hand from his grasp. "Not Jared."

"You talked to Jared, didn't you?"

I nod, swiping at my face to make sure it's free of tears. I need to be strong.

"What did he say?" He seems cautious, yet curious.

"It doesn't matter what he said, okay? All you need to know is that he blames me for putting people in danger, and I'm starting to agree with him."

Cody's eyes harden. "Don't. You don't get to blame yourself for any of this."

I shake my head. "Eva and Jared could've been shot that day."

"They weren't because of your selflessness. I can't believe he said that. What would drive him to act like that?"

I fold my arms across my chest. "I have no idea, Cody. But he's not going to be a part of this anymore. He talked to Eva, she filled him in on last night. He sees me as a danger to everyone." Suddenly, I find myself laughing. "Who does he think he is?"

Cody shrugs. "No idea, but he's just being bitter for some reason."

"Because of his dad. Because he's worried about Eva. We just need to be there for him if he'll let us, to give him space," I mutter. "Gosh, I need to stop letting my emotions get the best of me."

"You're human, Autumn," Cody sighs, grabbing my hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. My cheeks flame as I realize people are watching us. I also realize I don't care. 

"Human," I repeat. "I guess I'm a bit more than human with this Chip," I lamely joke.

Cody laughs, pulling me along beside him. "Come on, Derek's supposed to have a ride for us. Eva choose to walk."

I smile at the sight of my aunt's car. "It's my aunt."

"Your aunt?"

I nod. "She's part of The Others. Or, she used to be. I don't know exactly what it is now. She was the one who got taken away by the Etchers. She's also Ash's mom. She was released from the government's hold after Chips were removed."

"Ahh, I think I remember when she was taken. But I'm glad she's okay and a part of this."

I smile once again. "Me too. She really loves Ash, too. I wish Ash would just tell her that she's alive."

Derek sits in the passenger seat, his feet against the dashboard. My aunt sits in the driver's seat, reapplying her rosy lipstick. I yank open the back door, dropping Cody's hand and scooting behind my aunt's seat. Cody sits next to me and closes the door.

"Aunt Becca, meet-"

"Ahh, your boyfriend."

My cheeks heat up once again. "How'd you know?"

She jerks her thumb in Derek's direction, placing her lipstick in her pocket. "This one seems to know a lot about you."

I sigh as the car pulls away from the curb. "Well, this is Cody."

"Nice to meet you," my aunt smiles, turning around to shake Cody's hand. Cody seems at eyes, but I can tell by his tense shoulders he's a bit intimidated.

"So, know-it-all, what's the agenda?" I ask, leaning back in my seat.

"Well, we're going to train. The rest of your friends are already at my facility."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What about Eva? How is she walking?"

Derek turns to me. "I thought she was coming with you." Then, he turns to Cody. "I told you to tell Autumn, Eva, and Jared to come with us!"

I look around the car, and at the only empty seat. "They would've have fit anyways." Then, I wave a hand. "They're probably ditching training to do some couple stuff."

Cody and I share a look as a nervous feeling settles in my stomach. I ignore it, waiting out the ride with idle chatter. My aunt does the most talking, mainly asking Cody questions, gushing over how cute we are together, and welcoming him to the family. It might be embarrassing, but it's her way of showing she cares about me and my life. If only the situation were different, if she were giving us a ride to get ice cream or something. Speaking of ice cream, I haven't had any in a while.

Once again, my aunt has to begin driving after a certain distance. Maybe so the government won't know where we're going, or maybe because it's not on the gps.

In about thirty minutes, we reach Derek's compound. It's close to the government's facility surprisingly, on the outskirts of the city. I'm not too sure what's beyond the city. People don't talk much about it, but there has to be more. I've seen a few maps after all.

I blink, and I realize we're on an abandoned street. I hop out of the car along with everyone else. The houses are single story, and all of them are grey and run down. The synthetic greenery is wild and the faux grass is overgrown. 

"What happened here?" I ask. 

Derek shrugs. "People might've moved to better parts of the city as this poorer section rotted away." Then, he leads us to the middle of the road.

Cody shuffles closer to my side. "Are we about to get murdered?" He jokingly whispers in my ear.

I lightly elbow him in the side. "Oh, hush."

Derek leans down to a sewer cap. He places his hand over it and a blue light scans it. Then, it flashes once and something unlocks. The cap rolls out of the way and Derek grins proudly, gesturing to the dark hole in the middle of the abandoned street.

"Well, I didn't expect that," Cody mutters, eyes widen and jaw slack.

I'm awed by the technology and strategic placement. My aunt jumps into the hole. I gape. Derek jumps in after her. Cody and I glance at each other. 

"After you," Cody murmurs.

"Oh, how gentleman like," I roll my eyes. I walk towards the hole and look into the darkness. My aunt would've have jumped to her death, so I jump right in. My feet meet a floor. Cody jumps in next to me and I look up. The light disappears as the hole closes. I panic slightly, but a dim blue light flickers to life. Looking around, I realize all four of us are encased in a glass box, basically an elevator.

Derek presses a clear button, one that's lit up blue, and the elevator moves sideways, then downwards. Looking around, I realize this elevator could hold an entire army. This already seems more advanced that Leane's facility, which is on the other side of the city. However, both times I exited it, I didn't really care to take in my surroundings.

"Wow," I gasp, then I glance to Derek. "How?"

I can faintly see him smirk in this lighting. "Technology, my dear Autumn. Leane created a Chip- with Jeremy's help. Sure. But I created an even better rebel facility.

The elevator dings, and a glass door slides open. We all walk out, Derek and my aunt clearly accustomed to this. Cody walks beside me, both of us taking in the brightly lit dirt walls. We walk down a long hallway until we reach a fork in the path.

"Right leads to housing. Left leads to training, eating, and everything else," Derek explains, leading us down the left fork. "I've invited everyone without a home to move in down here, the ex rebels of Leane included."

I glance to Cody. "He did?"

Cody sheepishly nods. "Yeah. He offered to my mom, and she accepted. We're going to live down here now instead of burdening Teresa. So are Hailee, Aubrey, Ashley, and my aunt. Jared was supposed to, but who knows now."

My eyes widen as they meet Cody's. He realizes his mistake and slaps himself in the forehead. My aunt stares at the both of us.

"What?" She whispers.

"She would've found out eventually," Cody sighs. 

I shrug, then continue down the tunnel like nothing happened.

"Autumn!" My aunt screams, grabbing my arm and pulling my to a halt. "Ashley is alive."

I shrug her off, continuing down the plain dirt hallway. It's the same as the one before it. Cody and my aunt trail behind me, and I'm right behind Derek as we arrive in a large common area. It still has dirt walls and a dirt floor, but it's filled with several televisions and black couches, chairs, and coffee tables.

"The common area for just- relaxing. Or meetings," Derek points out. Then, he points left yet again, to another dirt hallway. "Down there is where everyone is training." He turns to my aunt. "Care to join us?"

My aunt nods, swallowing a lump in her throat. I consider calling Molly but decide this isn't the time. I can meet with her later, see if she really wants to train and fight. For now, I continue down the short hallway to the large room at the end of it. It's made of, you guessed it, dirt. People are sparring on one side while the other, separated by glass, is full of people practicing with weapons. My aunt rushes towards my cousin sparing with Hailee and envelopes her in a hug. Most people ignore them, continuing on with training. I smile slightly. No matter what Ash said, I can tell she loves her mom and that she missed her.

I turn to Cody. "You ready to start training?"

He grins. "I was born ready."

"You realize I've had more training than you, right? I can kick your butt,"I smirk.

Derek simply rolls his eyes and walks to the weapons side.

I need to forget about Jared. So, I grab Cody's hand and pull him onto the sparing side. I'm not the best, but I try to teach him what I can. He and I are pretty evenly matched without my abilities. Of course, I could've have said that before all of my training with Leane. I'll have to give her that.

As Cody and I really start to spar, I spot Aubrey walking towards us. I hold up a hand to Cody, smiling at the friend I haven't seen much of lately.

Aubrey grins, pulling me into a tight hug. When she pulls away, she smiles at Cody. "So, I get to see Autumn with her boyfriend. Wow."

I laugh, lightly punching her on the arm. "Have you met?"

They both nod.

Aubrey smiles. "Mind if I join you? I've been doing some warm ups, I don't have anyone to train with."

"I don't mind." Then, I turn to Cody with a smirk. "Do you mind if two girls beat you up instead of one?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

 I grin. "Yup."

"Before my brother died," Cody sighs, "He taught me some things. Let's see if I remember."

I barely remembered that he had a brother. I remember him telling me that his brother, Daryl, was killed by his father a few years back. I can see the pain in his eyes remembering his older brother.

"Let's see," I nod, preparing to train like my life depends on it. Because it does. All of our lives do.

_____

Unedited! Thank you guys for helping this book reach #318! We beat the last high ranking! Yay!