Page 40 of The Flame

“Roman and I have been over it, again and again, and there’s no way to hide my involvement,” I told her. “It won’t be safe here for me, not once Geneva knows I helped the heirs escape.”

Jessie deflated into the chair across from me, half-slumped on the table with a hand dragging through her hair. “You can’t do this.”

“I’m so sorry.” I stretched my arm across the table, my palm turned up. “I can’t not do this. I can’t leave Daniel to whatever fate Geneva has in store for him.”

“What about your parents?” She stared at me, wetness gathering in the corners of her eyes. “Your mother will be devastated. Does she know?”

“I can’t tell her,” I said. “But I plan to write them a letter and…and I was hoping you’d deliver it once I’m gone.”

Jessie’s gaze dipped to my upturned hand and then, to my relief, she placed her hand in mine. “When?”

“I don’t have an exact date, but it will be soon,” I said. “A couple of days at the most, if everything goes according to plan.”

“There was supposed to be time for me to be mad at you, and to get over myself.” Her voice developed a quiver. Her grip on my hand tightened. “We were supposed to raise our children together. We were supposed to have family barbeques in the summer and toast marshmallows around a log fireplace in the winter.”

“I’m sorry,” I said again.

What else could I say?

And then, suddenly, there was something. The service hatch to the train tunnel. We were using it to get everyone out, but there was no reason anyone would discover our secret route.

“Jessie, you’re right. Ihavebeen to The Smoke and back,” I said excitedly. “Once the dust has settled and no one’s actively searching for me, I should be able to sneak back into Capra for visits.”

Jessie’s eyes brightened. “And, maybe, one day I could sneak out to visit you in The Smoke.”

I’d have to discuss that with Roman, but he wouldn’t have a problem with bringing Jessie to visit. Suddenly anything seemed possible. My chest felt as light as those marshmallows Jessie envisioned us roasting.

Jessie made us hot chocolate as the mood in the kitchen swung from heartbreak to laughter.

A few hours later, back at the cabin, I sat down and wrote a letter to my parents. I didn’t know if either of them would understand why I had to do this, but I had to say goodbye, and leave them with a little hope. And although I couldn’t mentionhow, I promised I would see them again.

12

Belinda and I were finishing our morning coffee in the staff lounge when Axel walked in. His face lit up with enthusiasm when he spotted me.

“I’ll leave you youngsters to catch up,” Belinda murmured, offering Axel a kind smile as she stood. “I’ll see you in Janice’s office?”

I checked my watch. “Five minutes.”

Axel swooped into the chair across from me. “So, what’s with your chief taking all the face time?”

I was growing accustomed to Axel’s odd word choices. That didn’t mean I understood half of it. He and some of his nurse friends had found old world tech in a medical storage facility and listened to thousands of hours of something called podcasts…that’s where they’d picked up their so-called pod slang. The tech was forbidden, naturally, but that’s exactly why they spoke the slang. It was their little rebellion of words, which I could totally relate to.

I assumed my ‘chief’ was Geneva. “Face time?”

He rolled a finger around his face. “You know, screen time. She’s up there with something new every day, but we’re seeing less and less of you and it’s just the same old, same old.”

Geneva was weaning the public off me. I couldn’t say it was a surprise. “I’m not a prominent member of the Sisterhood, and I guess I’ve said all I’ve got to say.”

“We haven’t heard all we’ve got to hear,” Axel said. “You’re like, legend. You should be up on the bandstand.” His eyes lit up. “Hell, yeah, let’s do that.”

I was almost afraid to ask. “Do what?”

“Saturday, you on the bandstand,” he stamped out. “I’ll bring the crowd. It’ll be epic.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“You don’t get it.” He threw his hands out. “You’re a hot commodity, Georga. People can’t get enough of you and they want to, like, hear it direct from you to—” he jabbed his thumbs at his chest. “Come on, we’ll fill the square.”

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