***
I shiver even through the intense heat. We are almost to the bedroom door when Flynn grabs my arm. Inside my head, time slows down. Every kind smile, every reassuring hug he ever gave me, plays back inside my mind. He was my family. I can change things, maybe. I can try. Take him out of here and let Gloves take us both. But then I never know him, or Ethan, or even Kara. I swallow.
“Who are you?” he demands.
I frown, putting my hand over his and pushing up my sleeve to expose my Tesla mark. His eyes widen.
“I’m the girl behind that door.” I point to it. They are worth it, I realize, staring into his eyes. Worth the memory loss and the separation from Alexei. They are worth all of it. And even if I can change it, I won’t. “You asked me once to trust you and I didn’t. I’m really sorry for that. Very, very sorry. But right now, you have to trust me.”
He stares in my eyes before glancing back down to my arm and nodding.
“The room behind that door is about to collapse. You have to go grab her—me—and get us out of here.”
“But the boy, Alexei—”
I shake my head. “You can’t get them both. You go now, grab the girl, and leave the boy behind. You understand?”
Stepping past me, he rushes into the room. As soon as he disappears, Gloves runs up the stairs, sees me, and freezes. I press my finger to my lips to silence him, waving him to the door across the hallway. He slips inside just as Flynn emerges. The smoke is filling the hall, and I can barely see him. But I can make out my own figure in his arms. She’s reaching back and screaming. A loose chunk of plaster falls from the ceiling and hits them. Pushing him in the back, I direct him to the end of the hall. He nods, presses a button on his Tether, and vanishes.
A fit of coughs wracks my body. I run to the door and scream.
“Gloves! Quickly, this way. He’s in here.”
But he doesn’t answer. Holding my arm above my eyes, I can see that another piece of ceiling has collapsed. He’s trapped under it.
I rush to his side. He’s conscious, but he’s covered in soot and grimacing in pain. “Gloves, are you all right?” I grab the chunk of wood and manage to get it off him. He’s facedown on the floor, gasping for air.
“I’m… all right,” he says between breaths, “But I can’t move my legs.”
Tugging my shirt up over my face, I crawl back to the bedroom, trying to stay under the dark cloud of smoke. Alexei rushes into my arms and hugs me.
“Where is Father? I heard gunfire.”
I wrap my arms around him, stroking his hair. “It’s okay,” I soothe. “I’m going to get you out of here. Okay?” When I set him down, he nods, pulling the sword from the sheath at his side.
“You need to leave that behind.”
He shakes his head.
“We have to crawl, baby. To stay under the smoke. Can you leave that so you can crawl with me?”
He shakes his head again, and his eyes are wide in terror. Beside him, some burning rubble falls, hitting him in the face. He screams and falls onto his side. When I brush it off, I can see it’s already left a nasty red burn on his neck and face.
Think, I command myself.
I reach into my pocket and pull out the handful of bottle caps I retrieved from the ground at Wardenclyffe Tower, the ones Lex threw off the roof in a fit. I’d meant to return them to him. I suppose, in a way, I am.
“Alexei, give me your hand.” He obeys, and I carefully tip the metal caps into his palm. “These are special for you. Whenever you are scared or hurt, you just touch these and they will make you brave. Now, can you make it to the hall?” I ask.
He stuffs the bottle caps in his pocket and nods.
Together, we crawl across the hall. I kick a chunk of burning timber out of the way. Looking behind me, I can see Alexei’s eyes are watering from the smoke. The side of his face looks worse; it’s already swelling and blistering. By the time we reach Gloves, he’s nearly unconscious.
“Gloves, the Contra. Where is the Contra?”
He slips his hand in his pocket and pulls out the green pills.
I turn to Alexei. “Alexei. This is my friend, Gloves. He’s going to get you out of here, okay?”
Alexei clutches my hand. I give it a tight squeeze.
“Is Father dead?” He coughs, wincing at the pain.
I’m not sure why I lie. Maybe I just can’t bear to hurt him anymore; maybe it’s just my own wishful thinking. “Father is fine, Alexei. We’re all going to be fine. But you need to go now.”
Reluctantly, he lets go. Gloves takes him by the hand, offering him the pill.
“You hold on tight, Alexei, and you don’t let go, no matter what.”
He nods. I lean down to whisper in Gloves’ ear. “You take care of him.”
I slip the Contra in the side of Gloves’ mouth and motion for Alexei to take his. They vanish.
Just as they disappear, a huge chunk of plaster falls from above me, crashing through the floor and taking me with it.
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