The little boy who had captured her attention was perched high in the branches, wrapping his small arms tightly around his knees, thoroughly terrified of being stranded outdoors on such a violent night.
His ocean blue eyes were brimming with tears, his tiny nose reddened from the cold, and dried tracks of salt stained his cheeks. The instant his gaze met Lexie's, absolute panic seized him.
From the rugged, mismatched garments she wore, he recognized instantly that she belonged to District One.
Isolating the other populations had been a calculated strategy on Chris's part, forcing non locals to stand out distinctly so they could be identified and exiled without effort.
Even though Lexie was deeply shaken by the horrors she had just witnessed along the path, she couldn't completely mask her anxious expression to act nonchalant.
