Revolution (Collide, #4)(8)

I turned to my Keeper and kissed his chin. "Stake a Lighter or two for me."

He grinned. "Oh, I will." His grin melted into sweetness. "I love you so much."

"I know," I answered and bit my lip. "Just go before I break down, ok? Love you."

He nodded and I could practically feel his resistance as he stepped away. He blew Lily a kiss instead of giving her some long goodbye. And I loved him all the more for it. She didn't need to know that our whole world as we knew it could be ending right then.

I squeezed my eyes shut tight to block that thought and then tried for a smile as I grabbed Lily's hand. "Let's go pack some snacks, bug."

"K!"

I fretted about the food. We didn't have enough to feed everyone for very long. Thank you, Piper, and if I had been a cursing kind of person, I'd have been cursing up a hurricane. We almost had two bags packed when Lana came in with a sulking Calvin. She tapped me on the shoulder and signed 'Make Calvin help you while I help them'.

'Ok,' I signed back, 'Are you making grenades?'

She nodded and gave him a stern look. Then she pointed to the ground and mouthed 'Stay'.

He signed and said, "Yes, ma'am." As soon as her back was turned he huffed and hoisted himself onto the counter. "I am not a baby anymore. You guys have got to stop treating me like I'm a walking, talking toddler."

"You guys?" I asked. "So I'm lumped into that broad analogy?"

"You know what I mean. And yes, you do still try to keep me from fighting," he said softly. "I've grown a lot in the last few months, you know."

"That's only because you had to, Calvin," I told him as I stuffed the last bag of cashews in the bag.

"Exactly!" he yelled, but immediately held his hands up. "Sorry. It's just really frustrating that the Lighters treat me more like an adult that anyone else does."

"Why are you so eager to fight?" I asked in exasperation. I was getting a little tired of this same conversation with Calvin.

"Because…they took your parents, Miguel's wife, Mrs. Trudy…" His eyes turned glassy as he spoke her name. "They took Josh's parents." He blanched. "They took Josh, for that matter. It's not right, Sherry. It's not fair and we need to use every resource we have. I wouldn't have been given these hands if not for a reason."

I licked my lips. "You're right." And I realized that he truly was right. But I also realized that I wasn't about to plead his case when we only had minutes until battle. "I promise you as soon as all this is over, we'll make them understand for next time, ok?"

He started to argue, but I stopped him. "Pick your battles, Calvin. Now do as your mom said and help me carry this stuff."

"Ok," he agreed reluctantly. He jumped down and hoisted both bags, carrying them into the doorway. It was then that Marissa gasped, causing us all to freeze.

"Showtime," she said and everyone scrambled. I yelled for everyone to follow me that was going into the back room. Everyone else grabbed their weapons of choice and made their way to their battle zones.

I gave one more peek to Merrick as I turned the corner to the back hall. He was creeping up the stairs and turned back just in time to lock eyes with me. An eternity's worth of love and words transpired in that gaze. He mouthed, 'Always' and I smiled as the wall cut me off from him. I kept right on smiling even as my body tried to betray me and crumple. Lily needed me there and Merrick needed me to be strong for her.

Calvin threw himself on the couch dramatically and sighed loudly. Franklin joined us and everyone else who wasn't fighting. I almost welcomed Margaret and Pap's bickering because it took my mind off what was going on upstairs. Ellie worried her fingernail between her teeth and rocked herself slowly. Ann looked back at me as she clicked the lock into place.

I clicked on the lantern as she doused the lights in the room. We stuffed a comforter in the crack at the bottom of the door to keep light and sound in hopefully. I explained to Lily, Calvin and Franklin that if we needed to, they'd have to get in the closet and be as quiet as they'd ever been. They all agreed.

Franklin's mom was there along with Calvin's mom, Lana, but the dads were doing grenades, she said. She looked worried. I silently told her to join the club.

Lily asked Calvin to play dolls with her. He reluctantly joined her on the floor, but it soon became Chuck Norris meets Joy doll and she was going down repeatedly. Lily, scandalized, pouted, but began to retaliate. "Oh, no you don't, Chuck! I'm Piper, psycho Barbie!"

Everyone's eyes snapped to her before we laughed. It really hurt to try to hold in laughter when it was literally busting your gut. I wiped the corner of my eye and tried to scold her. "Bug, you can't make us laugh right now, ok? But that was awesome, nonetheless."

"Ok," she whispered and kept going with her assault in hushed, but forced tons. "Take that you sissy!"

I turned my attention from her to keep from laughing more and focused on the wooden door that was the only thing keeping the ones on the outside from us. Our fate was being held together with some seriously tattered cloth today. One moment of weakness and it would rip and we would be gone forever.

I shook that thought away and worried my heart pendant between my fingers. I saw Ann's heard jerk a little and she focused on a spot on the wall. I knew the Keepers were talking to her. "What, Ann? What?"