Page 42 of The Divide that Binds Us

“I’ll come with you!”Poppy says.

Fae raises her hands.“No, you need to stay far away, because if you get captured, then you’re going straight to that warehouse.I gotta stop hiding and be brave, for Zeala.”

Gigi tilts her head.“Where is Fee going?”

Poppy stares at Fae, who gives the baby dragon a look she can only hope is code enough to understand what they’re talking about.

“She’s going to Sapphire.Now that I’m back, we don’t need her to help watch the cave,”Poppy mumbles.A slight whine escapes her mouth.

Gigi nods and nuzzles her snout against Fae, heat radiating from the scales and almost steaming Fae’s eyes out of her sockets.

“Fee.Gigi won’t miss you, but Gigi wishes you well,”she says without missing a beat.She smiles almost a little too proudly before prancing off to another section of the luminescent cave.Poppy hangs her head low, keeping her sad eyes on Fae.

“Please be careful,”she whimpers.

“You as well.Don’t you have moms to return to?”

“We have mothers, but we’re entirely independent.Gigi and I will be okay, I just hope for the same for you.”

With Gigi and Poppy’s help, Fae eats soggy cold fries and a melted vanilla milkshake the baby dragons found in the Entertainment District.Fae’s stomach bubbles, but she waits until dark to leave the cave and start her transit to the station for Sapphire Island.

With the help of her two new friends.

Fae holds onto Poppy’s shoulders as the dragons soar through the night sky.They navigate safely, with periodic breaks on roofs to avoid fireworks.The air slashes through Fae’s hair as they pick up speed, weaving through the buildings as the music pulses in and out throughout the districts.

It’s quite a distance Fae would’ve had to travel on foot, and a time sinker, too.

She shivers as the cold air whips at her skin during the descent toward the Sapphire Island station.From a higher view, even Topaz Island’s brilliance is no match for Sapphire’s lackluster as the station is muted all the way to the train tracks.

Poppy gently lowers to let Fae slide off her back while Gigi stays back to hover above with the flap of her wings.

Fae looks back at the two dragons, trying to hold back tears.She can only hope to the Superiors that no one hurts them.

“Goodbye.”She swallows the lump in her throat.

“Good luck, Fae.”

Gigi huffs a little smoke from her mouth.“Gigi wishes you luck, Fee!”

The dragons soar into the sky, spiraling around each other like a performance before they land on a tall building to perch on.Fae scans her surroundings, realizing there’s little to no traffic in the area or even music.Distant honks and sirens rattle down the streets, but even the paramilitary isn’t out.Maybe because the area is low on foot traffic.

Fae rubs her arms as she makes her way up the platform and notices one bronze coin on the ground.She casually swipes it and waits with the other few people for the train to come back for its last routes of the evening.

When the train arrives to thrust a cluster of people out, Fae rushes on and holds the coin proudly in her hand at the train conductor.A glittered freckled guy with a purple mop of hair that partially covers his eyes.His deadpan expression makes Fae believe he isn’t about that Topazian life.

“May I please get on with this?”Fae asks, cracking a smile.

The guy rolls his eyes.“I don’t care.I’m surprised you Sapphirians even have coins to spare.”

Fae frowns from the mischaracterization but looks down at her clothes and feels even worse than before.She takes the chance and thanks the guy before finding a seat in the train to Sapphire Island.

---