The wind rushing in my ears is all that registers as I free fall and I don’t scream. It’s almost peaceful, with the leaves and branches whizzing by in a slow-motion watercolor landscape, until liquid-ice adrenaline floods my veins and I spring to action.

Tucking into a ball, I lower my head and retrieve the hairpin. Careful not to drop it, I straighten the metal, bite off the nubs, and bend one end to a forty-five-degree angle. I insert the pick into the small hole in the side of the cuff until it hits metal. Pulling down and to the right, I release the trigger. The cuff pops open, freeing my hands just as the cord snaps and I rebound back into the sky.

I make quick work of the second cuff on my way back up, and toss the handcuffs to Weiss.

Catching a glimpse of his astonished face before I free-fall back to earth, I bust into uncontrollable giggles. The bungee board catches, and again I bounce upward, a bird soaring to the sky. Invincible. Free. After so many suffocating months, the release brings tears to my eyes. My laughter doesn’t subside even as I bounce to a stop. Still dangling high over the sequoias, I grip my ankles and sway my body back and forth until I swing close enough to the tree to grab a handhold and climb up to the plank. When I arrive at the trapdoor, I’m grinning in anticipation of my next challenge.

Weiss is waiting with my pack.

“Good job, Elisha.” He frowns. Unclipping the bungee cord, he leads me to another platform. This one has a zip line attached to it and a sign that reads “To the Vault.”

“I guess the rumors are true.”

“Rumors?” My smile falters.

He doesn’t respond, just clips me to the zip line and gives me a push.

“Marcel, you’re next!” he yells. His words disappear in the breeze as I sail forward, cool wind stinging my cheeks, and am engulfed by the fog.

Chapter Six

September 20X5: Keystone

Kneeling at the entrance to the Vault, I work out the access code in my head. Today’s origami was a collection of three paper elephants. The Vault is one of the only places I feel safe, and I come here all the time, now. I’ve gotten pretty good at finding my way through the maze, and I love that I can steal whatever I want. Planning what I want to steal is way more fun than remembering the past. When the nightmares keep me up, which is most nights, I plot what I’m going to take next and how I’m going to do it. Allard thinks my time in the Vault is why I’ve honed my abilities so quickly. She thinks I’m a natural, but the truth is I’ve been deceiving since I could walk. My talents come from years of sneaking around pretending to be someone else.

“Need help?” an appealing male voice that hints at laughter asks.