Rogue (Exceptional) Read Online Free Page A

them.”
           Ally covered her face with her hands at the mention of Luke.  She refused to say his name out loud to herself or to the others, and hearing it from her brother sliced fresh pain through her insides.  “It doesn’t matter.  It’s still murder.”
           Sabine stepped up to her right side. “You saved our lives, Ally.  Right now, we should keep moving.”
           Ally appreciated Sabine’s quick change of subject.  It pulled her from thoughts centered on the Guards that were now a pile of ashes, to the four others standing behind her and the two at her side.  She angled her head and saw that the Cody, Willow, Theo, and Flora were hanging back by several yards, trying to read the situation.
           “They deserve what they got,” Theo spat, finally approaching her. He took in her surprised look. “Someone had to say it.”
           “No one deserves this.” Ally clenched her fists.
           “No, we didn’t,” Sabine said in agreement.  She could tell that Ally’s words went deeper, and further back in time than any of them could remember.  None of them deserved the chaos that the virus created in their world.  “But this is our life now, and we are choosing to survive, however we can.”
           Ally nodded and swallowed at the lump forming in her throat.  “I’ll make sure we are just below the City, and then we can head straight south.  Hopefully, if we move fast, we can pick up signs of the others and follow their trail.”
           “If they left at all,” Cody piped in.
           “If they left at all,” Ally agreed.
           She hoped that for her sake they’d heeded her words and chosen to leave, and had been able to do so safely.  She didn’t want to think about what would have happened to them had the Exceptional Guards discovered them trying to escape.  Ordinarys were supposed to have free will to choose the Wilderness over the settlements, but she couldn’t imagine Aden taking the exodus of an entire settlement lightly.
           After she scaled a nearby tree and dropped back to the ground, she had a good idea of the path they needed to follow.  From her spot in the treetops, she saw many vast openings in the landscape, which meant more desolate towns and crumbling roadways.  It seemed easiest for the large group from the settlement to take the roadways that moved south, rather than cutting a path through the old settlements and groupings of trees, but it was also a dangerous way to travel.   They would be out in the open for an attack from the Exceptional Guards, or even Rogues, if they had made it this far from the east.
           “We need to split up,” she finally said to the others.
           “You’re joking, right?” Flora said with a nervous smile.
           When Ally didn’t respond Theo stepped forward. “That has to be the dumbest thing we could do right now.  You are the only one who stands a chance against the Guards, and you can’t be in two places at once.”
           “I think it is our best chance at survival.  If we split up, we stand a better chance of at least some of us making it to the southern City.  Plus, there is no way to tell which directions the others took.  If we split up, we have a better chance of finding them.”  Ally let her eyes travel over the others.
           “I say we just try to get ourselves to the City and then either find the others, or wait for them to show up,” Willow jumped into the conversation.
           “They might need our help along the way,” Ally countered. “If the Guards find them, or the Rogues, they will all be captured or killed.”
           “So you’ll sacrifice us just to save the others? Let me guess, you want me, Flora, and Cody to be in one group?” Theo said angrily. “Then the four of you can head off and get rid of us once and for all.  You originally let us tag along because