Page 88 of The Divide that Binds Us

I head to the infirmary, my phone buzzing with completed missions.As I’m waiting for the nurses to check me in to see two members, I check the reports.Fiona helped pull a thorn out of three dragon’s feet.Scotland ran through the forest to help a baby dragon free its wings from the tangled branches—a common recurring mission.

I smile at a report of one member taking a selfie with a hatched egg and a baby dragon licking his face.He safely transported the eggs to a safer location after they blew too close toward the ocean.

A doctor comes out to take me to Natasha’s room.She’s awake and watching TV, but not agitated.She waves and looks at the screen mounted on the wall.The doctor says she’ll be released tomorrow.Then I can resume her onboarding, the right way, and finally reach out to her parents.

I stop by Clyde’s room and he’s still recovering, status unknown of when he’ll wake up.Cedric really did a number on him.Perhaps this is the worst I’ve seen and the longest it’s taken to bounce back.Longer than any brainwashing I’ve done with my lightning.

I must be a better leader for them.I failed them.

All I can do is try to be the best version of myself, for Ultima, my mom, my friends, and for Zeala.

We arrive at GarnetIsland in the evening.What’s fascinating is the trains are built through the mountains and sometimes over them, but it’s a shame we never get to view the scenery because of how fast the trains go.

I stare at the twinkling sky.The evening air is quiet as Garnet winds down to a sleepy halt at the station coming from Onyx.The mountains hide in plain sight as dark silhouettes behind the tall buildings of downtown.Moss gathers and scatters through street cracks and crumbling sidewalks.

“Your dad lives here,” I state, grimly.“Is that who Mildred was talking about?”

Lynn sighs.“Yes.He is really sick, and I am the only person left to help him.”

She looks down at the wet asphalt roads, glowing and reflecting the ever changing traffic lights.She sports black techwear that engulfs her high ponytail.

“Commander, I know I said to offer to help, but it feels like meddling.”

“I understand, but my mom’s life is at risk, too,” I mumble, holding the envelope with my written apology.“I should’ve never agreed to help Mildred.”

“You were doing what you thought was right.”

I kick loose rocks down the street as we’re strolling.“Yeah, but I’ve been questioning what’s right and wrong these days.”

“I am surprised this is what it took for you to question that sort of thing,” Lynn snorts.“Not the fact that you literally electrocute people into loyalty.”

I chuckle.“I am...not a normal person.”

“Clearly,” she remarks.

We go on foot to head toward the Elite base, which may be a thirty-minute walk from this station.The streets are deserted, the drizzle is heavier.Lynn holds her violin in an iron grip.

The urban shops cut the lights, switch their open signs to closed, or walk up to the doors to lock up for the night—all with worn faces from a day’s work.The bakeries, jewelry shops, salons, and fashion boutiques survive another day in the valley of Garnet.

Lynn stops at an antique shop with one employee mopping the checkered floor before moving on down the sidewalk.

The rain is thicker as stray cars drive by, splashing deep puddles.It’s not that late—a little past nine o’clock, so I’m surprised how early Garnet wraps up its nights.It could be me used to my childhood in Topaz and never sleeping because of the excessive fireworks.

The walk is longer than I calculated with the soles of my feet aching.

“Remember when I said Mildred has dirt on the King?She really does,” Lynn mumbles.“One night, I snuck into Remington’s palace and begged the Guards to let me play for him.Luckily, he was laid back and let me in.Mildred was there, too.”

We pause at a crosswalk but proceed anyway because no cars are around.One traffic light is so inactive that it blinks on the red light.

“I mentioned my sick pa and asked to play for a fee.Remington allowed me and loved my music, but he wanted to keep me there and convert me to a young servant.I refused, but he would not take no for an answer and sicced his Guards on me,” she explains.“They took my violin away, but at that moment, I was Traced.”

To have a hobby that ties into your power is something I still don’t understand, but it amazes me.It’s almost as if the violin was Traced with her.Abilities are truly random but special to our personality.I can’t help but wonder, what is Alice’s story?

“You may not realize this—or pay attention to Garnet affairs—but shortly after, Mildred was promoted,” Lynn scoffs with a slight yet stiff head shake.“They returned my violin and let me go, fearing any harm on me would be frowned upon by the Superiors.I remember hearing Remington beg Mildred not to speak of that night to anyone as I was leaving.I returned home frustrated but kept my newfound power a secret.Took me a while to figure it all out.”

The nighttime sky hangs lower above us in a strange, misty fog that’s thick to see through.The later it gets, the quieter the streets are, the grayer and more timeless the buildings and cars become as tree roots wrap around benches.More traffic lights switch to an inactive constant blinking red light as street puddles widen and pool over into rusted sewer grates.

We’ve reached the steps of Elite’s headquarters.I look at Lynn, feeling scatterbrained.We take a few steps up but pause.My heart races.I don’t want to fail again.

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