Page 151 of The Mask Falling

“Three,” Nadine muttered.

“I guess he had his reasons,” Zeke said. “And some of them might have found a way through the forest.” His brow darkened. “But I can’t sleep, thinking of what they might have faced there while we were safe.”

“Not that safe,” Nadine pointed out. “Paige could have died.”

We all fell silent. “How long has Warden been gone?” I asked, breaking the leaden pause.

Zeke checked his new watch. “Half an hour. It’s almost six.”

“Morning or evening?”

“Evening.” He gave Nadine a gentle prod. “You know Warden had to carry Dee like she was an eighteenth-century damsel?”

“Oh, shut up, Ezekiel.” Her answering prod in his ribs made him wince. “Give me an abandoned mine shaft when my brain chemicals are in harmony, and I’ll beat you to the top with my hands tied.” She sandwiched a slice of cheese between two cookies. “Warden does seem like he mightnotbe a vicious sadist,” she added. “Which is comforting.”

“I can confirm that he’s never shown any interest in torturing either animals or people.” I took a delicate sip of the tea. “Did any of the Rephaim try to protect you in the colony?”

“Nope. A solid wall of disdain.” She motioned to the platter. “Come on, Zeke. Get involved.”

There was a lull between us while we demolished the meal. I needed to get my strength back.

“I promise this isn’t me holding a grudge,” I said, once there were only crumbs on the platter, “but I’ve been curious about why you chose Jaxon at the scrimmage.” I offered a wry smile. “Was I so bad in comparison to a megalomaniac?”

I was only half serious, but neither of them smiled in return.

“You must have thought I hated you, Paige,” Nadine said, after a long silence. “When we were in the gang.”

“Not at the beginning.”

“No. It was different then,” she said. “But then our plans changed. As mollisher, you had a better salary than any of us. I needed that money. So I decided to do my best to get your job.”

I had always wondered why our friendship had turned sour. “Why did you need money?”

“I’d found a way for us to get back across the Atlantic. Scion engages in limited trade with certain free-world countries, including the States,” she said. “International cargo ships go intermittently from Le Havre. Costs a fortune to stow away on one, but it’s possible.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You want to go back?”

“I haven’t been able to send one word to my family in four years, Paige.” Her stance was defensive, her eyes hard. “Yes, we want to go back.”

“I would have helped you, Nadine.”

“You wanted to start a revolution against Scion. You needed every penny for that. I had no guarantee that you’d hand over enough from your war chest for us to pay our way out of here.”

She traced the tattoo etched into her wrist. A musical note with anxinstead of an oval at its head.

“There was a reason we left in the first place,” she said. “We weren’t safe in Canada. Or Mexico. But I don’t think it will be a problem now, after so long.”

I looked at Zeke, who was toying with his shoelaces. “And Nick?” I asked him quietly.

“It’s over between us,” he murmured. “I chose Dee. He chose you.” His shoulders dropped. “Where is he now?”

“Sweden.”

Swallowing, he rubbed the ruler-straight scar on his brow. “I hope he finds his parents there. He often said how much he missed them,” he said. “If you see him again, please—” He breathed out. “Tell him I’m sorry, Paige. I loved him before I knew we were leaving.”

“Well, it’s probably wise to get the hell out of Scion,” I said. “All-out war is very close.”

Zeke leaned forward. “No. Paige, you don’t understand. We don’t want to run from Scion. We want to join the revolution.” His face was intent. “You need people to speak out in the free world. To reveal the atrocities, the truth. We wanted to bear witness.”

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