There were nods and murmurs of agreement. Nerves raced around in his stomach, but Maddox was more worried about what Theo would do over the rest of the crowd.
His brother shoved a hand through his hair. “She’s one of them, Maddox. They killed Dad and never had to pay for what happened.”
“That was a long time ago.”
“And we still have to stay to our side of the border,” Theo said, shaking his head. “Because we can’t trust each other. How can you think she’s any good for you? How are you blind to that?”
“Blind?” He laughed, bitterness creeping up his throat. At that moment, he didn’t care who was at fault. All he wanted was for this to be over, even it meant everyone knowing what he’d done wrong. It was something he should have done a long time ago. Told everyone the truth and taken responsibility for his actions.
He took a step back and pulled in a long breath before he spoke again. “I was the one sneaking over the border. I was the one who started all this, and even then she didn’t turn me in. That makes me blind?”
He heard an actual gasp from somewhere in the crowd. Tim’s face twisted, and he just stared at Maddox with disbelief in his eyes.
“That makes you an idiot,” Theo growled. “The world doesn’t work that way.”
Maddox appealed to the rest of the group. “She didn’t do anything to you or me—or this community. Someone stole her fish, and all she wanted was to figure out who.” He was saying too much, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t go back now. “And even then, I treated her badly. I let her trust me, and then I turned my back on her because you told me you’d let this go. Why did you have to do this?”
“I didn’t do anything,” Theo snapped, his face tightening. “She’s one of them, and she’s been a problem since the beginning.”
Maddox froze. “What do you mean, since the beginning?”
Something flashed across Theo’s face, something Maddox didn’t recognize, something he’d never seen on his brother’s face before. Guilt?
Theo turned, the light from the lanterns flickering ominously on his face. “Nothing.”
“Theo.” He glanced at Tim. “What else aren’t you telling me?”
What else wasn’t his brother telling everyone?
“Theo,” Maddox snapped, stepping closer to his brother. The crowd shifted backward, making a dimly lit circle around both of them.
Theo turned. “I know you spent more time with her before any of us knew what was going on.”
“Any of us?” another voice said. “You were spending time with her? The enemy?”
Maddox’s hands clenched into fists, but he didn’t acknowledge the person who’d asked the question. They’d all know the truth soon enough. But if he was going to be honest, he wanted the same from his brother.
Maddox grabbed Theo’s shoulder. Theo growled and shook him off. “Careful, brother.”
“Tell me the truth.”
Theo crossed his arms. “We all know the truth already. You were talking with her. The enemy. And she’s a thief, so she got what she deserved.”
“She isn’t a thief, and you know it.” It started to become clear to Maddox, and he made a noise of frustration low in his throat. “How long were you following me?”
Theo grunted.
“How long?” Maddox shouted.
“Since the beginning! Since that first day you crossed the border. It took you—what? Two days to fall in love with the enemy. To forget where you come from and what they did to us.”
His stomach dropped. Shockwaves rolled through him, and blood roared in his ears, muffling the murmuring from the rest of the group.
Even Tim was looking at Theo like he had no clue what was going on.
“The beginning? How did you even know…” A feeling of complete dread washed over him. “You must have been watching the border. Did you… Are you the one who stole her fish?”
Not only did Theo not deny it, he gave a half smile filled with malice. “They needed to be taught a lesson. To be reminded who they are and where we stand.”
“A lesson? You started all this, and then…then you go and do exactly what you accused Juno of. You stole? And…” His eyes rounded, and he searched the rest of the circle, irrationally hoping for backup—for someone else to come forward and acknowledge how wrong this was. Words caught in Maddox’s throat, but he forced them out. “You know she didn’t take the supplies. And you were following me the whole time. It was you.”
Theo laughed. “It was me? What are you talking about?”
“Our supplies,” Maddox yelled. “You took them so you could blame it on the other side. You put them in their boathouse to make Juno look guilty. All of this—everything that’s been going wrong with the other side—you did it. You made it worse. And you blamed Juno.”
He didn’t wait for an admission, just lunged at his brother. Theo barely dodged, stumbling over a pile of dirt before he swung around with one fist that grazed Maddox’s chin. It was enough of a confirmation for him.
He dove, knocking his brother down. Somewhere in the distance, he heard shouting. Raised voices. And a louder one. Female. One that sounded like his mom.
But he couldn’t stop.
“You did this,” Maddox yelled, trying to pin Theo. “It’s your fault.”
Theo shoved Maddox off of him and tried to get up, but Maddox reached out and yanked his leg so he collapsed to the ground. “Admit it!”
“Stop!” Alice yelled, coming into view. “Tim! Help me.”
Maddox’s ears rang when Theo’s fist connected with his jaw. The world tilted for a minute, but he still heard Theo’s words.
“She deserved it,” he said with a huff. “They all deserve it.”
Maddox sank to the ground, the weight of the world suddenly on him. Alice crouched down with her hand out even as Tim grabbed Theo’s arms to hold him back.
“Stop this right now,” Alice said.
“I’m already finished,” Maddox mumbled, all the fight in him suddenly gone.
All this, all of it, had been because of Theo. Because of someone on his side. And Juno had to pay the price for it. Not only that, he’d walked away from her more than once because he thought he was protecting her. Instead, he’d been playing right into his brother’s hands.
“Maddox let her out,” Theo said, shoving a hand through his hair.
Alice’s lips tightened. “I’ve heard more than enough,” she said, voice firm. “I know you’ve both been lying. Everyone get back home.”
She turned to the rest of the group, half a dozen faces full of question and confusion.
“What about the prisoner?” one of them asked.
“What about Theo?” another one asked.
I tried to find where the voice had come from, feeling an irrational flicker of hope. They’d all heard what Theo had done. Maybe they’d finally see the truth—or at least how out of control things had become.
“Get home right now,” Alice said. She turned to Tim and Theo and said in the next breath, “Get him to the storage closet to cool down.”
Theo’s eyes flashed with surprise. He opened his mouth to say something, but their mom cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. “No one is going anywhere or doing anything else right now until we discuss this. Go.”
Maddox rose slowly and watched as Tim hauled Theo toward the buildings in the courtyard. Another flicker of hope traveled through him until he saw the look on his mom’s face—the same one she’d given Theo.
It was a whole mix of emotions, but the strongest one he could see and feel was disappointment.
Questioning his mom right now was a bad idea. He’d gotten Juno out, which was the best he could do for now. His mom was right; they shouldn’t be doing anything else until the whole matter was discussed.
Alice’s eyes dropped to his chin, probably where a bruise was already forming. “Go on home. I need to talk to your brother.”
Maddox gave a small nod before turning in the
other direction. Small dots of lights bobbed ahead from the other members of the community as they walked home. He didn’t have a lantern, but he knew the way. Down the dirt on a well-worn path on the side of the road all the way home.
He didn’t even have the light of the moon to lead him. But neither did Juno.
He paused on the steps, turning back as if he could see where she’d gone. See if she was safe.
But he couldn’t see much more than the few buildings across from the stairs.
He turned back to the house and walked inside, his body aching all over. It should have made him feel better that Juno was safe for tonight, that she wouldn’t have Theo or anyone else from his community coming after her.
But all he felt was a giant hole in his heart.
Chapter Thirty-One
Juno
She spent the night in an abandoned building, huddled in the corner with her knife and listening for any noise that might indicate she was about to be caught, or that Maddox had changed his mind and followed her.
But she hadn’t heard anything. By the time the sun started to come up, she finally let her eyes droop shut and slept for a few hours.
When she woke, the sun was close to the middle of the sky, and she jumped to her feet with adrenaline shooting through her veins. She raced to the window and peered outside, sure she’d see Theo and his people with their own knives at the ready as they hunted for her. But instead, she saw a few of the wanderers making their way through the streets—nothing threatening.
She exhaled and made herself count to ten, taking relaxing breaths at the same time. Then she returned to the bag she’d used as a pillow and went through it. Last night, she’d had enough energy to dig her knife out of its depths for protection, but not much more.
Maddox had thought of everything. Not only had he put her knife in there, he’d added two jugs of water and more vegetables and fruit. There was also some kind of dried meat she assumed was rat, and even a flashlight.
She rifled through the contents of the bag again, realizing it was missing something. She expected…what? A note from him? A memento? Something that indicated she wasn’t alone. That he’d come and find her after this was all over.
Her heart dropped when she didn’t find anything more than supplies. Who was she kidding? He’d sent her off last night without even a goodbye, and knowing how tense things were back in his community, she might not ever see him again.
She was more alone than she’d ever been. But wasn’t that part of the plan? Maybe not to be alone, but on her own?
It was just…different timing. She’d planned to come here, somewhere close to the bridge, on her own terms. It didn’t happen that way exactly, but now she was right where she wanted to be. It was the best she could hope for.
So Juno did the only thing she could do. She planned. Crouched next to the bag on the dusty second floor of the abandoned building, she calculated how much food she had. She calculated how many days she could survive on that. And she mentally prepared herself for a new life—the life she wanted instead of the life she was forced to lead.
As it stood, though, Theo and his people could come for her at any moment, so she had to stay on her toes. But she also had to start right away to figure out how she was going to get food. She had to make sure she had a permanent place to stay.
But with how dangerous things were at the moment, she was afraid to leave the safety of the building to scout.
She ate some of the dried meat and paced across the floor of the building, watching her boots make shapes in the dust as she thought. Food, shelter, water. Food, shelter, water.
And one more thing she was missing. Maddox. Companionship.
But no, she was on her own now.
That didn’t stop her from peering out the window more than once to look toward the bridge to see if she spotted his shape up there, or nearby, searching for her.
The next time she looked out the window, her heart jumped. There was someone over by the bridge. But it definitely wasn’t Maddox.
She peered closer. It wasn’t male, either.
Pillar.
She checked her knife, hid her supplies, and made sure her footprints wouldn’t lead anyone to them. Then she ran through the building to the exit. She kept close to the walls, trying to stay away from any traffic on the street while she scanned the area.
No Theo. Not yet, anyway.
With a deep breath, she gathered her courage and darted across the road. She ran straight for the bridge, and when she was nearly there, she hissed Pillar’s name.
Pillar jumped and slapped a hand to her chest. When she saw who it was, she sagged against one of the beams.
Juno gripped her arm and pulled her underneath the structure, making sure they were concealed from view. She was so happy to see a familiar face, she didn’t mind that she was putting herself at risk.
She hugged her friend fiercely. “What are you doing here? How did you even know I was here?”
Pillar glanced around, taking in Maddox’s rat traps. Juno had almost forgotten they were there. She’d remember to empty at least one of them so she’d have something fresh for dinner. She had to start taking care of herself.
“I…” Pillar looked almost guilty. “I talked to Maddox.”
Juno’s heart leaped. “You saw him? When?”
“This morning, at the border. I—I kept waiting near there whenever my…parents weren’t watching.” Pillar looked down as if regretting bringing up the topic.
Juno reached out to her. “It’s okay. Tell me. Is everything okay? I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
Or get caught. Even if Theo and the others couldn’t find her, they might go after Pillar if they thought she knew something.
“I kept waiting around there for news,” Pillar said. “Just to—to make sure you were okay. I know you didn’t steal those supplies and—and so does Maddox.”
Juno knew that deep down in her heart, but the surface—the part that was still freshly hurting—wanted to deny it.
Pillar continued quickly. “I saw him this morning, and he waved me over.”
“He did? What did he say?”
“He told me he’d let you out and that you might be somewhere over here.” Pillar gave a small smile. “I was stealthy. I made sure no one followed me, and I went in circles a few times to make sure no one knew where I was going if they saw me.”
Juno returned her smile even though her stomach was filled with nerves. “You did good. But Pillar…you can’t come here to see me. You have to stay safe.”
Pillar nodded. “I know. But Maddox said no one was coming after you.”
“Wait—what?”
“No one was going to come after you. He didn’t tell me anything else, just said that you were safe for now.”
Juno’s brow furrowed. What had happened between last night and this morning? “Why?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t have more time to talk, but with what he said, I figured it would be okay to come see you.”
Juno sat back on her heels with a nod. Pillar’s expression told her there wasn’t anything more, and she forced herself not to ask. Maddox hadn’t said anything about coming to see her, and she had to remember that she was starting over here on her own. It was best for now.
She distracted herself with the rat traps, counting how many rats she’d want to take for today. “Are you okay? How’s the rest of the community?”
Pillar sighed. “Carrying on like usual. Do you think you’re going to go back?”
Juno bit her lip. She hadn’t even told Pillar she was going to leave in the first place. “No,” she said honestly. “I…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before, but I was planning on leaving, anyway.”
“Leaving the community?” Pillar’s eyes went wide. “Really?”
Juno nodded. “It made sense. I wanted to make a place for myself.”
“You decided after my parents kicked you out, didn’t you?”
Juno gave a
small laugh. “You see way more than I give you credit for. I’m sorry,” she said again.
Pillar lifted her chin. “I do see a lot. And I understand why you have to do this.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Juno said. “Tell me something fun. Let’s not talk about serious things. Are you still fishing?”
Pillar grinned. “Yes. And Cam said…”
Juno only halfway listened to her friend as she went on about fishing and rat traps and all the people of the community that Juno used to think were her friends or her family. But she realized how distant she been even from them. She’d never really fit in.
But at least now she was doing something about it.
Once Pillar had to go, Juno hugged her and said goodbye before letting her walk out from under the shelter of the bridge alone. She considered the rats once more and decided to leave them for now. She didn’t have anywhere to clean them and cook them, anyway.
She’d figure it out later. She’d prove—if only to herself—that she could survive on her own.
She’d make herself into a new Juno. A strong Juno. One she should have been from the start.
If she’d been stronger, she never would have gotten herself into this mess.
If she’d been stronger, she never would have fallen in love.
Juno walked back to her abandoned building and ate a tomato to fill her empty stomach. A few more hours of hiding and feeling sorry for herself, then she’d forget all about Maddox and start over.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Maddox
The dining hall filled with people for the meeting they were supposed to have. But instead of deciding Juno’s fate, it almost felt like they were going to be deciding his and Theo’s.
He hadn’t had a chance to talk to his mom all day except when she’d informed him they were still going to have the meeting tonight. Now he stood off to the side at the front of the room with his mom and Theo.
He also hadn’t talked to Theo, but he knew his brother had spent the night in the storage closet just like he’d wanted Juno to do, and right now, he wouldn’t do much else but look at the floor.
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