Free Surviving ELE (ELE Series #4) by Rebecca Gober, Courtney Nuckels Page A

talks to me as she gathers her hair up into a high ponytail. “I know it may seem odd with us being in this strange place and about to head out into the battlefield and all, but it feels good to have all of my friends close by. You are like my sister and when you’re gone, I miss you.”
    I hang the damp towel over a chair and walk to her side of the bed. “I’ve missed you too, Claire. I’m glad you are here with me. Oh, and as far as I’m concerned, we are sisters.” I give her a quick hug.
    Her eyes shine when we part. She sniffs and clears her emotions from her face. “Okay, enough mushy-gushy this morning. I’m ready to kick some butt!” She hops out of bed.
    I laugh and teasingly pull her ponytail as we walk out of the room.
    Breakfast consists of quick protein bars and a bottle of water. I make my way down to the auditorium, which is next door to the Mess Hall. Alec, Connor, Candy, and Jake find us right away, amongst the throngs of people.
    “You ready?” Alec asks me.
    I nod my head. “Yes.” I want to be excited about this mission but I can’t help but remember what Erik said that Audrey saw. She didn’t see us succeeding on this mission. I have to remember though, that any little bit of information that we find could lead to our success. Perhaps we won’t find Zack or Tony today, but maybe we will get a few pieces of the puzzle.
    Erik walks up the steps to stand on top of the small stage. He raises his voice and offers directions. “Thank you all for meeting with us this morning. As many of you have seen, we have some new faces at camp today.” He finds my eyes in the crowd. “I have accepted the responsibility of helping Willow Mosby’s people on their mission to stop the one’s responsible for giving us these powers. I believe that her mission is one that will impact us all and this is why I’ve chosen to get involved when we have remained neutral previously. Those of you gathered here today will be split into two groups. I have already assigned each of you a number, which will tell you how you will be actively participating in this operation.”
    “Group one will be going on the mission with us today to investigate the lights that were reported west of the shelter. We will need to be prepared for possible Reaper attacks during our journey. I ask that those of you with strength form the outermost perimeter of our group.”
    “Those of you in group two will be staying here and forming training sessions. Each of you have a special gift or power that I believe you have learned to master. You will be working with those left behind to develop their skills as well as help the remaining members of our team when we return. Group one, please gather your supplies and meet me outside in fifteen minutes. I want to thank everyone in advance for their participation.”
    He walks off the stage and the crowd disperses. Since we have already prepared our supplies, we are the first outside. Twenty people from my team stand around me. We have asked the newest survivors, who we saved, to stay behind to learn. That’s why I’m surprised when I see Marya, standing tall, next to her cousin.
    She notices me eyeing her immediately and approaches. Her golden eyes are set with determination. “Good morning, Willow.” She holds her hands up when I open my mouth. “Look, I can tell that you are surprised to see me here since I’m one of the newbies. I can’t stay behind though. I don’t do well with staying in the shadows while everyone else does the messy work. I am strong and I know that my gift will be extremely useful to this mission.” She bites her lip. I can see through her tough-girl persona. She’s really scared inside but she’s not about to let me see any weakness. Her desire to go is so strong that it temporarily blurs my vision.
    I wonder how someone that isn’t much older than I am came to be so confident. I remember not long ago, fighting with my mom and Tony when they were trying to keep me