Chapter XII

JOEY STARED UP AT the ceiling, her hands lying folded across her chest as the night dragged on. Her eyelids grew heavy, but she refused to let them close. No matter how tired she became, the thought of sleep petrified her. Back home, it had been easy to find something to do to stay awake, but here ... there was nothing to do but lay in silence, listening to the snores.

Rolling her head to the side, she stared at the young man lying beside her. Vapor drifted from his body, and she shivered as it met her skin. She couldn't keep a frown off her face as thoughts from her vision the night before reappeared. The vision of David's impending death, the vision that she had no idea how to stop. She remembered the first time she'd had that vision she didn't care. After all, she had many visions of people dying, and she had no idea who the brown headed boy in her dreams were, but now ... Her throat squeezed. After all these years of being haunted by that vision, she was afraid it had begun.

She flenched as David's ice suddenly melted and he now lay next to her in his normal human form. She raised a brow and lifted herself onto her elbows, a slight sense that something was wrong entering her mind, but a second later, his ice returned along with a snore. Snickering, she laid back down flat on her back.

She took a second to close her eyes, but when a gasp echoed throughout the cave, she jumped. She lifted her head up, glancing over David's shoulder and noticed Michelle siting straight up, panting like she had just come back from a hard sprint.

Squinting, Joey didn't have to lay here and figure out what had happened because she knew. Michelle had mentioned that see, too, had the ability to see the future, and since then Joey had been wondering if she was plagued with horrid visions just as she was. Michelle's outburst gave her a good guess.

Joey swiftly flopped back and shut her eyes as Michelle scanned her sleeping companions, no doubt to make sure no one had seen her; it's what Joey would've done, had done many times. As she laid there with her eyes closed, she was almost tempted to give in and keep them shut, but the images of David's dead form flashed through her mind and her eyes popped back open as her heart fluttered. Raising her head a couple inches, she watched closely as Michelle laid back down.

Joey rolled over, her back touching David's, and she yawned. A sudden chill brushed her skin and she lurched her back as his cold form appeared. She rolled her eyes, feeling dumb for forgetting, and scooted back to her original spot on the floor. Her body ached for sleep, but her anxiety outweighed her exhaustion.

Her eyes ventured up towards Heather—who still leaned against the wall—over to the hole in the cave, and she clenched her jaw as she stared deeper into the darkness within. She couldn't sleep, and she couldn't just lay here. Now that she was in the Dome, there was nothing stopping her from finding her dad. She couldn't believe the words of the Agcorp official; the ones he claimed her father was still alive outside of the Dome. He would've said anything he could to get her to follow him. No, she had a feeling—a strong feeling—that her dad was somewhere in here just as lost as she was.

Nothing kept her here ... nothing except for David. Part of her knew she couldn't make it through the Dome without him, but the other part of her told her his best chance of survival was to stay with Michelle and the others and find the exit.

Michelle had warned them of the dangers of the Dome at night, but that didn't stop Joey's thoughts. If she left now, she'd be the only one in danger instead of risking the lives of her friends. After all, she had taken out one of Agcorp's highest ranking men. Surely, a mutated animal wouldn't be any trouble. She couldn't lay here until morning and allow this decision to eat at her mind. She was going, and she was going alone.

Pushing herself upward, careful not to rustle the jacket beneath her head, she slowly rose to her feet. She didn't know if Michelle had fallen back to sleep, but she couldn't risk her hearing and trying to stop her. She tip-toed to the hole in the wall, adrenaline coursing through her veins, when a soft but stern voice filled her ears.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Joey jumped and swung around to meet Michelle face to face. The leader stood where she had been laying beside Nathan with her arms crossed. Joey gulped and grinned uneasily. "So ... you really do have good hearing."

Michelle smirked. "Impeccable. I know you weren't about to leave the cave after I just warned you of the danger." The whole time she talked, she spoke as like a mom would her three year old child who was warned over and over again to stop before they got hurt.

Her tone made Joey angry and she released a sigh to keep her cool, but couldn't keep from retaliating. "I'm not stupid."

Michelle's brown hair fell over her shoulder as she stepped forward. "Was Timothy's story not horrible enough to scare you? Joey, if you leave—"

"I have to pee," Joey snapped, and Michelle gave her a skeptical glare. "It's been a long day full of zero bathroom breaks. Sorry that I couldn't hold it any longer." Guilt pricked her conscious for being harsh, but Michelle's annoying mother-act made it hard to feel sorry.

"We take a partner," Michelle explained, obviously not buying Joey's story. "And that's during the day. If you have to go at night, you hold it until sunrise." She uncrossed her arms and they dropped to her side. "That's the rules, and they were made to keep us safe."

"Forget it," Joey said quickly, waving a hand dismissing the idea. "I don't have to go anymore anyway." She headed back towards where she had been resting, her back facing Michelle.

"Look, I get it." Joey stopped walking, but she didn't turn to face the leader. "Sleeping is hard." Joey's expression softened. "There were many nights for the longest time that I would stay awake afraid to sleep ... and finding sleep while inside the Dome is hard enough." Michelle's voice lowered. "Joey, you don't have to hide what you are." With her brow furrowed, Joey's head snapped in her direction, and her heart felt like it would thump through her chest. Michelle gesture towards Joey's friends who laid silent on the ground. "You clearly have people who care about you."

Questions raced through Joey's mind. She turned her head down towards David, but spotted Michelle out of the corner of her eye. "My ability ..." She turned around to face her directly. "You know about it?"

Michelle's face softened. "You mean, do I know you can see the future too? Do I know you spend every waking moment scared of what you've seen?" She took a step closer, her voice lowering. "Do I know you think death is the only way to be free of them, and that's why you don't care what happens to you here?" Joey swallowed, a lump forming in her throat, and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She wanted to say something, but felt frozen. Michelle drew in a shaky breath, as if her words hit more then just Joey, and she looked away. "I could sense it." She turned her back on Joey. "It's a thing we share."

"Share?" Joey asked, the words barely escaping her tightened throat.

"People like us, who can see the future ... we can sense when another is near." She turned her head to the side and spoke, "Perhaps you felt it too? When I found you?"

Joey lowered her head as she recalled the incident. There was, in fact, a moment right before Heather attacked where she had felt a strange presence nearby, but wasn't able to do anything about it. Her brow pulled together in anger as she threw her head towards Michelle. "That was you?" Her voice heightened. "Heather was trying to kill me and you were just right there watching?"

"I wasn't going—"

Joey's attention was drawn to the left as someone fidgeted on the ground. Her gaze then slowly ventured towards the girl hiding in the back corner fast asleep, and Joey's throat suddenly closed. She raised a hand to her neck, her fingers gliding over the indentations along her skin, and her hand unexpectedly shook. Swallowing, she said, "Well, it doesn't matter now. Unfortunately, you're wrong." She dropped her hand to the side. "Not all of them would understand, if any of them. They're not like your friends. Some of them wouldn't care if I died tomorrow." She trailed off, and her voice grew raspy. "They would turn on me if they thought I was the key to a better world without a second thought."

"And what makes you so special?" Michelle argued as she twirled around, her brow creased. "Because you have this rare ability to see the future?" She pounded her fist on her chest. "What about me then? The fact that I have friends who understand I guess doesn't account for anything?"

Joey shrugged. "I thought I was alone."

"But you're not alone!" Michelle interrupted, stepped forward with a smile. "If it's your ability Agcorp wants, then it's mine too. You don't have to feel like you're doing this alone. You have friends who—"

"No, I don't," Joey spat, a little rougher than she meant. Softly clearing her throat, she continued, "I've dealt with it alone for years. I think I can manage."

Michelle snickered and crossed her arms. "You look like a train wreck."

Joey's eyes narrowed, but before she had the chance to retaliate, a rustling filled her ears and she spun around. Glancing down, she watched David twist her way and lift himself up on his side with an elbow. "Is everything okay?" he asked, groggily. His eyes darted between Joey and Michelle and his ice form quickly flashed into play.

Joey held out a hand. "We're fine." Looking back up at Michelle, her brow bent in frustration, she said, "We were just talking, but we're done now." With a nod, he rolled back onto his side, his ice evaporating, and she sat down in her original spot. She sent a glare up to Michelle, and was surprised that she walked away without another word.

Letting out a long sigh, Joey pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she watched Michelle lay back down. Swallowing, she gazed down at her boots as she repeated the words, "I'm fine," on a loop in her mind. It was the same lie she had told herself many times; the one she had almost convinced herself of. She may have portrayed the roll of being fine, but reality was that she at her breaking point. If she was being truthful, deep down having a friend to talk to was all she ever really wanted.

Tears formed on her bottom eyelids, and she closed her eyes, feeling a drip down her temple. There had once been a couple people who cared about her enough to listen, but she had lost them both in a single day. Her dad tried to help her control her gifts—as he used to call them—instead of condemning her for even having them, and Jamie had often times been the ear who listened and the shoulder she cried on.

Thinking back on her father brought several memories to mind and an unexpected smile. She remembered him reading to her as a little girl and how he'd act out the characters by changing silly voice. She recalled his singing and how even the softest hum could put her mind at ease, and she could never forget his nagging for not wearing her mask correctly.

A soft chuckle escaped, and she quickly glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. Her heart lurched and she jumped in place as a voice floated past her ears in a soft whisper; too soft to hear what it had to say. Lifting her head, she glanced around at the others sleeping soundly and saw no one. Furrowing her brow, her head slammed against her make-shift pillow as it returned. Now louder, she could easily make out the voice ... and it was calling her name.

"Joey."

She swallowed, and her heart pounded rapidly against her breasts. Again, it came.

"Joey."

Her brow pulled together once again, and she lifted herself up into a seated position, listening to the voice echoing in the cave.

"Joey."

Her eyes popped open and her pulse quickened. "Dad?" she mouthed. It spoke again, and there was no mistaken it. The voice she heard was that of her dads. Her head was drawn towards the hole in the wall where the voice was the strongest, and she knew she couldn't wait until morning.

Hope sparked her heart, and she sucked in a deep breath quickly making her way to her feet. She scooped up her jacket, and tip-toed towards the tunnel, but this time she wouldn't care if Michelle called her name. She wouldn't miss this opportunity.

Swiftly army crawling her way through the hole, she didn't try to be quiet. She wanted to get out and sprint as fast as she could towards this voice; towards her father. She felt tears well on the bottom of her eyelids, but she sniffed them back. "I'm coming, dad!" she said lowly.

Thankfully, she hadn't heard any sign of Michelle chasing her. Not that it would've mattered because she wasn't turning back now. Finding her dad was her priority, and she knew that Michelle would only try to stop her. When her fingertips hit the dirt part of the tunnel that told her she was halfway through, she noticed how much colder and wetter the dirt felt against her skin. Ignoring the water that seeped into her clothes, she pressed on.

As she neared the exit, her heartbeat pounded against her ribs, and she was consumed by an overwhelming fear. Her fingers reached for the brush that covered the hole, and she paused. Her hand trembled at the thought of leaving the protection of the cave, but when the familiar voice filtered through her ears louder than before she gritted her teeth in determination and shoved the brush aside. Pushing herself out of the hole with a grunt, she rapidly made her way to her feet and frantically glanced around for any signs of a predator like Michelle had mentioned. Her wounded knee ached from the crawl and gave a sharp sting from the dirt that had buried its way into the now-shallow-cut.

Panting, she spun in a circle, jumping at the smallest sounds. A white cloud became visible in front of her eyes with each breath she heaved, and her eyes darted towards the ground to find it covered in a thin layer of white. For a brief moment she paused and stared awestruck at the surrounding forest. "Snow," she breathed.

Glancing back to the ground, she cautiously bent down and picked up the frosty substance. Drawing it close to her face, she stared at the snow feeling her palm burn from the cold. Tipping her hand, the snow slid back to the earth and she found the tips of green bristles protruding through the white. Turning her gaze upward, she scared the branches draped low weighed down by the snow all across the forest. When dead silence met her ears, she twisted her neck around and discovered that the waterfall, once gushing from the large rocky mountainside, was now frozen solid.

Many a times she had dreamed of snow, but there was only one place in the whole world where snow constantly covered the ground, and that was the city of Neoplin—or as many people called it—the Snow City. She had often tried to get her mother to go their during one of their moves so she could see the snow, but conditions there in the Slums were hardly suitable for living.

Staring into the frozen woods, nausea boiled in the pit of her stomach, and she shook, feeling like she could no longer catch her breath. The thought of going through the Domes alone weighed heavily on her chest, and she bent over placing her hands on her knees as she struggled to breathe feeling the cold air constrict her lungs. Closing her eyes, she drew in deep breaths through her nose trying to slow her breathing.

Shivering, she ran her hands up and down her arms briskly, her damp clothes not doing any favors to keep her warm, and then remembered the jacket. She glanced down at her feet and found the jacket lying where she had dropped it. She snatched it up and swiftly threw it on. Although thin, she was surprised at how warm the jacket really was, but she knew it wouldn't keep her warm for long. Michelle could've mentioned the sudden drop in temperature. She looked back down into the hole with a feeling to go back inside to the warmth, but the voice unexpectedly returned and her heart leapt to her throat.

"Joey."

She jerked her head forward, her eyes popping open, and it came again.

"Joey."

"Dad?" She furrowed her brow, listening to the wind whispering her name. She took one last glance back down at the hole before closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath. "No matter what you hear. No matter what you think you hear ... Agcorp is always playing tricks to lure people out of hiding." Michelle's voice filled her head, but when her fathers returned she narrowed her eyes in determination, and turned her attention back towards the forest. She clenched her hands into fists and tightened her jaw. "Alright, Agcorp," she said, lowly. "I'll play your game."

Lowering herself to the ground, she began her descend down the snow covered slope. Her feet slipped occasionally on the wet grooves, but she descended a lot quicker this time than she had earlier. Once her feet touched ground, she waited and listened, but the whispering didn't return. Instead, she felt a strange pull tugging at her soul, and she shifted her body towards the left in the direction she felt the urge the strongest.

Bumps traced her skin as she shivered again from the cold, only this time more violently. With any luck, maybe she'd find another cave a few miles from here for her to sit and get warm before pressing on. With one hand clutched around the two sides of her jacket keeping the material wrapped tightly around her neck, she summoned a surge of energy to the palm of the other hand and within seconds a dagger appeared; its orange glow lit up her surroundings making the pathway clear.

The whispers returned and she took off in a run trying her best to follow where it lead, but the further she ran, she noticed that her dads voice had disappeared. "Dad?" she called out, a little louder than before. The only sound that could be heard was the usual hoot of an owl or the snow crunching beneath her boots.

She continued on a steady jog until a gush of wind unexpectedly slammed into her with blunt force causing her to stagger backwards. She lowered both hands and hurriedly gazed around, panting from the adrenaline, clouds of white puffing from her lips. It was then she realized that the wind wasn't just wind, but a strange sensation flowed through her veins and tugged her forward. She squeezed the hilt of her dagger tighter, and looked from side to side but she didn't see anything. Her face flushed when his voice returned as the wind pick up and blew wildly through her hair and jacket, but this time she couldn't make out any of his words and his voice changed dramatically. She screamed and ducked, curling her arms around her head as the shouts and screams of men, women, and children echoed from every direction. She turned her head up and twisted her neck around to locate the source of the voices, but found nothing.

Springing to her feet and continuing the twirl, another gust came. This one so strong that it stopped her mid-swing like a punch in the gut, but it left no pain. A loud, manly yell floated past her ears as she stared at the bark of the tree directly in front of her, the faint glow of her dagger lighting up the wood. Her brow furrowed as a dull ache filled her head from the screams bouncing through her brain. They grew louder as she took a couple steps forward, and she raised her dagger to see more clearly. Squinting, she found an engraving etched into the bark underneath some kudzu. Whatever it was, it looked old. Like it had been there for years.

Pulling away at the vines and greenery, her blood ran cold as her eyes widened and she stared at the initials JR chiseled into the bark. Clasping her hands over her ears the scream grew so loud and a chill raced up her spine. But that wasn't what scared her. Taking another step forward, she gently ran her fingertips along the indentions of what had to be claw marks running from the bottom of the R halfway to the ground. Her hand shook as she withdrew it, and as much as she tried to deny it, she couldn't help but think that JR stood for Jeremiah Richards. She was hearing his voice, his screams ... It made sense.

Gulping, she shook her head. No, she wouldn't believe it. There were lots of people in the world with those initials, including her entire family. Anyone could have put those there.

She collapsed to her knees, the snow immediately seeping into her pants. Her subconscious told her to give up right there, and that her father had perished somewhere in here years ago, but her heart told her that she couldn't give up yet. That there was still hope.

While staring at the initials, she noticed them suddenly began to glow a soft magenta. Arching a brow, she slowly rose to her feet. Her fingers brushed up against the engraving one more time and a new spark of reassurance filled her along with an unexpected warmth. Her dad was still alive and he was out there somewhere waiting to be rescued.

She swiveled to her right, a burst of energy and fire coursing through her veins to continue her search. Grinning in confidence, she took a step forward but the rush of wind strangely ceased and dead silence filled the air. In place of the once many screams came a deep growl, and she froze, clenching her jaw tight to keep from screaming as she stared into the shadows at a pair of piercing green eyes.