Page 26 of The Order: Rise of the New Empire

Wearing two dark cloaks and thick leather masks, the third body in the group is much smaller, a boy, no older than Number Thirty, his hair rich with the presence of gray.

Another Marked.

"These two are from New Hope, the compound we have been looking into. This boy has been scouring the outer lands for quite some time. He says his parents recently fell ill-"

"They were killed," the young boy states, numb to the idea of emotion. "Not ill," he pushes, giving us both a wide-eyed look.

Slowly nodding my head, I look around the room, all of us averting our attention to Number Thirty's face now pressed against the glass, giving us her best attempt on making us laugh.

Hearing the last thing I expected to, a small giggle exits the boy's mouth, his mouth pulling into the slightest of grins.

"Active today?" Jacob questions, my only response a small sigh.

"Why are you here?" I question toward the men, both of them exchanging a look.

"They want us to watch over the boy-"

"He seems to have a high Marked blood count," one of the men says, handing over one of their readings, the boy's blood rich with the presence of Marked DNA. "His abilities and conditioning are beyond what we can provide at the compound. Jacob overheard this and-"

"We can take him in. Just until he's old enough to get a grasp on his abilities. Number Thirty and him can stay separated, or if you want together-"

"No," I warn, shaking my head before he can continue. "She must remain isolated-"

"Why?" the young boy questions, all of our eyes averting to him.

Keeping his focus on Number Thirty on the other side of the glass, she patiently waits, hours of refining her Marked abilities eating away at her ability to stay focused. "Why keep her away from other people?" he questions, taking a step closer.

Saying something no one can understand, Number Thirty's breath fogs the glass, her eyes focused ahead of her.

Hitting the button to get some clarity, I look past the young boy's question, asking her to repeat whatever it is that has her so interested.

"Can you repeat that, dear?" I question, her eyes narrowing.

"Who is with you?" she questions, Jacob and I exchanging a long glance. "I can sense another Marked," she mutters, dragging her finger across the glass until she is pointing in the boy's general direction. "Right there."

Saying nothing, Jacob and I eye down one another, both of us unsettled by the foresight she seems to have.

"My name is-"

Hitting the button, I clamp my hand over the boy's mouth, stopping him from saying another word.

"She cannot know your name," I hiss, lowering my eyes. "She can't know any of our names. A name and her Call will find more information than a DNA strand could ever provide on a person."

Looking over the numbers the men have provided once more, I look over his potential, racking through the possibilities that having another Marked child here could create.

I suppose if he disappoints me, perhaps he could be a worthy energy supply for Number Thirty.

"We can take him," I sigh, looking over the wild set of gray curls on the boy's head. "Only for a few months. I'll see what I can do with him. Whatever happens to him during our care is out of my control," I warn, both men nodding in agreeance.

"He has a family set to take him at the compound once his aging has hit his teenage years. Figure out what you can, then hand him off. We have someone very curious about the potential in a strong Marked like this one," they smile, giving the glass a long look. "What's her story?" they question, Number Thirty's eyes filled with boredom.

"Nothing that pertains to all of you," I smile, patting the boy on the shoulders, his body rigid at the feeling of touch. "Jacob, see them out."

Saying nothing else, Jacob urges the men out of the space, both their eyes lingering on Number Thirty as they leave thespace. Glancing at the picture of Katiana and Andrew rested on my desk, both of their young faces are flowing, the reminder of why I have done any of this settling in my mind.

"I have two rules," I snap, addressing no one in particular

"First rule down here," I warn, getting the boy to look at me. "No names." Taking a piece of masking tape, I write in bold#31on the strip, plastering it across his chest.

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