Page 61 of The Flame

She stopped pacing when she saw me and folded her arms, standing with feet apart in the middle of the road. “Are you in trouble?”

Parklands was a quiet neighborhood, more so now that the council families had been relocated. I hadn’t seen a soul since I’d hopped the wall, but that wasn’t any reason to be careless.

“Come out of the middle of the road.” I collected her bicycle and pushed it around the back of the same bush where mine was hidden, and then we stood there, staring at each other, and my bottom lip wobbled. “Is my mother okay? What did she say?”

“Nothing,” Jessie said. “She was looking for you and she assumed I’d know where you were.”

The accusation in her voice stung. We’d always told each other everything, or so she’d once believed.

“I broke Daniel and the heirs out of the rehab center last night,” I said, not implicating Roman out of habit although she’d figure that out for herself.

“You did it?” she gasped, her eyes bulging. “You actually went ahead and did it?”

I nodded. “That’s why they busted into my house. They’re searching for me. We sent the other heirs to The Smoke, but Daniel and I stayed behind.”

Her indignation deflated, the stiffness in her face dissolving into a slack jaw and open mouth. She wanted to know everything, of course, why I hadn’t fled to The Smoke like I’d originally mentioned, where was I staying, was I out of my mind crazy?

I told her everything, the words rushing out of me about how we’d staged the breakout and got away, how Daniel and I were camped out in a cabin in the nature reserve, and finally why I believed the people of Capra deserved better than the old council, better than the Sisterhood.

“You haven’t seen or heard anything about the breakout?” I asked. “I thought they’d be handing out flyers with my face or barricading streets, or have a general alert out for the heirs, but there’s nothing?”

She shook her head. “Your mother must know something about it, that’s why she came to see me this morning.”

I brought out the letters and slapped one into her hands. “That’s for my mother. Do you mind delivering it?”

“You seriously have to ask?” she said, eyeing the other letter.

“This is for a friend of mine, a nurse at the rehab center.” I didn’t hesitate to give Axel’s name away. My trust in Jessie was intrinsic, as much a part of my existence as the air I breathed to live. “He might be under observation, though. You’ll have to be careful, sneaky about getting it to him. If you’re prepared to help, that is.”

“You really do trust me,” she breathed out.

“I’m sorry you ever doubted that.”

“It’s just…” A tear rolled from one of her wide, brown eyes. “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard on you. I felt like you’d outgrown me, outgrown our friendship, that you were growing up to be this amazing, strong woman and that you’d left me behind.”

“Whatever I am, has been shaped by our friendship.” Tears welled in my throat and I swallowed, throwing my arms around her. “I’m not amazing or strong, Jessie, I’m just me, and you’re you. I’ll tell you what is strong and amazing, though.Us.Our friendship. I’m halved without you.”

We hugged for long minutes, and I meant what I’d said. Jessie wasn’t just my friend. She was my sister. My family.

When we pulled apart, I made one thing very clear. “Don’t feel like you have to do this. It’s risky, and I can find another way to get this letter delivered to Axel.”

She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Just tell me what he looks like and where I can find him.”

“The rehab center at 6pm,” I told her. “He’ll either be coming off or starting a shift. But don’t go all the way to the center, there’s a bus stop that everyone uses. You can take cover in the bushes and wait until it looks okay for you to approach him. There’s no hurry. Take your time, however many days you need, until you feel the coast is clear.”

I gave her a detailed description of Axel, then slid the letter out of the envelope. I’d specifically not yet sealed it. “Before you agree to anything, read this. You should know what you’re getting involved in.”

Jessie read slowly, then her eyes traveled to the top of the page and she read again. Then she looked at me, her expression dead serious. “This is big.”

“It is.” I nodded. “Are you sure you want to be part of it?”

“I’m sure,” she said in a small voice, cleared her throat, and spoke with more confidence. “Absolutely. Where does Roman stand with all of this?”

I grimaced. “He’s not thrilled, but he’s on board.”

“Of course he is! That man is…”

“Wonderful?” I supplied.

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