As if she could feel my overreaction building, she stood from where she’d been sitting at the edge of the bed. We were back at Franchesca’s, back in the same room where I’d woken up after venturing into that alley – which felt like weeks ago, instead of mere hours. Since climbing out of Ruby Hartford’s truck, I’d been all over Nadiah, wanting to know every single detail of her time out of my sight.
I’d had my eyes on her since we got back. I barely wanted to blink.
“I’m okay, Aly,” she assured me, answering my question once more as she tucked her arms around my waist, drawing me into a hug.
Another hug.
Nadiah was a little shorter than me, short enough for me to press my face to her tiny cornrows, breathing her in. Yes, she’d already assured me a million times she was fine, but the thing was, I wasn’t fine.
I wasn’t okay.
“We gotta go home,” I whispered into her braids. “We gotta get out of here.”
She pulled back enough to look at me, her face igniting conflicting feelings in me. Someone at Ruby’s had put makeup on her – mascara and highlighter and lipstick, none of which were overdone – and she was in tight jeans and boots and some sheer floral top, none of which had come from her closet at home.
When I looked at her, I still saw a little girl I needed to protect, but I knew I was alone in that. Everyone else – especially with her dressed and made up like this – saw a beautiful young woman, old enough to work as a “Diamond”.
“You’re sure nobody touched you?” I asked, cupping her face in my hands as she rolled her eyes. She hadn’t rushed to scrub the makeup off, so maybe she liked it. Maybe she…
“Yes, Aly,” she groaned. “And I’m sure I would’ve noticed. They asked if I was comfortable being touched – I said no. All I had to do was talk, and flirt. That’s all.”
I frowned. “How the hell do you know how to flirt?” I asked, earning myself another eye roll as Nadiah pulled away to return to her seat on the bed.
“Reading,” she answered, wearing a smirk. “Those romance novels… you don’t think I dig those up and bring them home just for you, right?”
“Uh, yeah.” I shook my head. “I never see you reading anything except those thick textbooks of yours, and vampire novels and shit.”
She shrugged. “Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Oh, and movies too.”
“Movies?” my eyes bugged wide. “Where?!”
“The library now. They have it set up where you have to watch alone, in a little cubicle, but it’s not that bad.”
I dropped into the chair where one twin had done my makeup earlier. “Wow, how the hell did I not know?”
“Because I didn’t tell you,” Nadiah answered. “Because the library closes before you get off work, so you wouldn’t be able to go. I didn’t want you to feel bad.”
“I have days off though. I could’ve gone!”
Nadiah sucked her teeth. “Every day off, you spend budgeting, or planning, or going to see Gran, or rescuing your little sister. You do nothing for yourself.”
That wasn’t supposed to make me feel bad.
But it did.
“I don’t know why you think rescuing you wasn’t for me,” I told her, letting a little smile drift across my lips. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. If I hadn’t been able to find you…”
“That wouldn’t have happened. I was already plotting, how I could talk to Ruby, or get a message to you. Waiting on the right guy I could talk into doing whatever I wanted.”
I laughed.
If anybody could do such a thing, I believed in Nadiah. She was so smart, so sweet, so beautiful… so much better than what life in the Mids could offer her.
“I’m going to kill Bunny, next time I see her,” I spoke, looking Nadiah right in the eyes. I was dead serious. “There has to be some penance for this. Why would she do this?”
The mention of Bunny brought an instant shift for Nadiah. She’d been trying to stay upbeat, for my sake, but that hurt her.
“I wish I knew. I don’t know how she would’ve gotten involved with something like that in the first place, let alone setting us up. I followed her out so far because she’d been weird the last few days – I didn’t want to leave her alone. I was worried about her. She used that,” Nadiah said, the tightness in her voice making me move to a seat on the bed beside her. “I don’t… get it.”
I sighed, wrapping an arm around her. “Because you’re a good person. And you will move on from this and be better. We’re gonna get you home, and rested, so you can go to school, and get this scholarship, and get a great job, and never have to worry again.”
“If only,” Nadiah said, putting her head down on my shoulder again. I felt like more was coming, like she had something else to say, but a knock at the door interrupted it. Before either of us could say anything, it swung open, revealing Ches in the doorway.
“So,” she mused, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I heard you found your sister.”
“Yeah. I did,” I replied, standing as she stepped in, wearing a green leather dress that molded tight to the curves of her body. “Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, though her eyes were on Nadiah, who was staring right back. “You should thank Maddox though. Thoroughly,” she smirked, glancing for just a second before her attention went back to Nadiah. “Young lady, you must be special, for your sister to have gone to such trouble for your safety.”
Nadiah smirked right back, shook her head. “Nah. Aly is the special one. She’s one of the best people I know.”
“How sweet. Anybody who earns such a description can make themselves welcome in my home.” Her tone was welcoming and warm, but something in her eyes… I didn’t trust it. “I’m sure Nadiah was already well-taken care of at the Hartford Compound, but Aly, if you’d like to wash up, there are toiletries in the bathroom for you now, and Demaris brought clothes for both of you when we found out you were on the way back. Why don’t you treat yourself to a long, hot shower, while I take Nadiah on a tour of the house?”
You’re out of your mind if you think I’m leaving her alone with you.
“Actually, I’d love a tour myself,” I lied. I didn’t give a shit about her house, I just didn’t trust her with my sister. “Would it be okay if I tagged along?”
Ches turned her frozen smile in my direction. “Yes. Please come along.” She stepped out of the doorway, intending for Nadiah and me to follow. We exchanged a look, and then joined Ches in the hall, where she took us down the stairs, to the floor where I’d eavesdropped on her conversation with Maddox that first night.
From the checkerboard marble, to the huge, heavy-framed paintings, everything was… lavish. She showed us room after room of plush furniture with art covering the walls, a game room, a dining room, a ballroom, a gleaming white kitchen.
And then, in front of a closed door, she turned to us with a smile.
“I have a confession to make,” she started, pressing her back to the wall beside the door. “I had my people do a little research. On both of you.”
I stood a little straighter, waiting to hear where this would go. Her looking into us wasn’t a red flag – she had a right to know who she was allowing to stay in her home. Though, there was nothing to find out – we were who we presented ourselves as.
But I knew Ches wouldn’t have brought it up without a reason.
“And what did you find?” I asked.
“Well, you both seem to be regular girls, just trying to make it in this crazy world of ours.” She grinned a little harder. “Except this one…” – she pointed to Nadiah – “Is something like a genius. Impeccable grades, flawless aptitude scores – up for one of those coveted Apex scholarships, to continue your education there. Is that true?”
Nadiah looked at me first, then back to Ches. “Well, I’m not sure I’d put it that way, but I guess it’s true.”
Ches nodded.
“Right. And I’m guessing that means you’ll be very interested in what’s behind this door.”
My eyes narrowed as she opened it, stepping back to let Nadiah in first. When she gasped, I moved a little quicker, wanting to see what had gotten that reaction…
Computers.
A whole line, in fact.
Laptops, with cords connecting to the wall and cords connecting to larger monitors than the small laptop screens. Honestly, I was shocked Nadiah was still standing in the door, instead of moving in closer to inspect. Then, movement in the room's corner made me understand why.
There was a boy.
A tall, wide-shouldered, pecan-toned, handsome boy, wearing sleek black headphones and a tee shirt with an ancient floppy disk printed on it. Ches urged Nadiah into the room so she and I could get through the door. When my eyes landed on my sister’s face, the first thing I noticed was her nervous smile, and that while I was looking at her, she was looking at him.
He was looking at her, too.
Ah, hell.
“Mosley,” Ches purred, wrapping an arm around the boy as she turned to face me and Nadiah. “This is Alyson Little, and her sister, Nadiah. Would you like to show Nadiah our setup?”
His eyebrows went up. “You’re into tech?”
“I’m into everything,” was her immediate response, and I didn’t like the way that little boy’s eyes lit up at the sound of that. But, before I could protest, she was already sitting down, with him way too close beside her.
Already making her laugh.
“Why don’t we leave them to it?” Ches asked, hooking a hand under my elbow, which I shook off.
“I’m not leaving her. Last time she left my sight, she ended up—” I stopped myself, glancing at Mosley, then Nadiah, opting not to say something that might embarrass her. I lowered my voice, turning it into a conversation just between me and Ches. “If she’s going to be in this room, so will I.”
Ches lifted an eyebrow. “They’re teenagers. They want to talk about this geeky shit and flirt with each other – not bone. You can relax.”
“It’s not just about that,” I shook my head. “No offense, but I don’t know you.”
“Alyson,” Ches started, with another one of those smirks. “Please believe me when I say, if I had any intention of harming your sister, nothing would stop me from doing it right in front of you. No one will touch her. No one will touch you, unless you want.”
My eyes narrowed. “What does that even mean?”
“Must you find a threat in everything?” Ches laughed. “I was going to suggest that you shower and dress, and go downstairs and have fun tonight. I get the impression it’s a rarity for you.”
“I have plenty of fun,” I lied. “And besides that, I was looking forward to going home as soon as possible.”
She nodded. “Of course you were. But glance out the window.”
Her words drew my gaze toward the thick glass pane on the other side of the room. My heart dropped at the sight of rain drizzling down the window, and I flinched as a loud crack of thunder ripped through the quiet.
“It’ll be a few hours before I can have you escorted back through the ruins to get home,” Ches said, from right beside me. “You’re safe here. Your sister is too. Not to mention, she looks happy. No boyfriends waiting for the two of you to come home?”
I sighed. “No.”
“Well then,” Ches smiled. “There’s no sense in you standing over her shoulder, when you’ve had such an eventful day. Take a long shower, relax. Get dolled up. Maddox will be back…” she added, as if that were some selling point.
“Aly.” I looked up to see that Nadiah had broken away from Mosley long enough to snoop on our conversation. “She’s right – you never do anything. You may as well take the opportunity.”
I sucked my teeth. “You want to be alone with Mosley,” I accused, which she shrugged about.
“Yeah. He’s cute. And smart.”
“You’re never even going to see him again.”
She smirked. “All the more reason to bask in it while I can. And…” she glanced at Ches, then pulled me away, all the way into a corner of the room. “Even more reason for you to do what she’s talking about you doing with Maddox.”
My eyes bugged wide. “Excuse me?!”
“You’re not hard of hearing, Aly,” she sassed. “This is the stuff we should be able to do, at our age. You think a century ago, twenty-five-year-olds weren’t going out, having fun, hooking up?”
“I know they were, and I know that’s how they ended up with all those mutated STDs and babies!”
Nadiah groaned. “Which means you also know STDs – and babies, unless you’re paying for fertility treatments – are obsolete. They vaccinated all of that out of us decades ago!” she hissed.
“And it would be just my luck that the first reoccurrence of chlamyderrea, or whatever the hell, starts with me!” I shot back, drawing a grin to Nadiah’s face before we both laughed.
“Listen, Aly,” she pleaded, grabbing my hand. “I want to stay here, and talk to Mosley, at least until the rain stops. If you want to sit over here, or outside the door, being a bored mother hen, I guess that’s fine. Or, you take the chance to breathe a little while you have it.”
“I’m not having sex with Maddox.”
“And I’m not having sex with Mosley.”
“You’re not having sex with anybody,” I countered, and she rolled her eyes.
“Whatever, Aly. I’m not trying to make you, I’m just saying. We’re here. Live a little.” With my hand still clasped in hers, she kissed my cheek. “I love you,” she said, then stepped away to go back to Mosley, who watched her the entire time until she reached him, then gave her his full attention when she sat down.
With a sigh, I realized I was on the losing end of that argument. She was nineteen, not nine, and… what Ches said made sense, and I didn’t doubt her.
If she wanted to hurt Nadiah, she didn’t have to wait until we were apart.
She was cold enough to do it right in front of me.
I followed Ches out of the room, facing her once we were outside.
“Tell me why you’re doing this,” I said, meeting her eyes.
“Because Mosley is dying of boredom,” she answered. “Every other girl Nadiah’s age – his age – with a brain like hers, is in the Apex. Every man is into a pretty face, but some are into more. He happens to be one of those.”
“And who is he, to you?” I asked, remembering Ruby’s comment referring to Ches as Maddox’s “mommy”.
“Near to my heart,” was her response. “Important to me. So, consider my introducing those two a compliment. I hold Mosley in high regard.”
“And Maddox?”
She smiled. “Him too. So are you staying here, or going to indulge in some pampering?” she asked, changing the subject.
Somehow, that made me trust her words more – her not wanting to talk about it suggested there was something to protect.
That was something I understood.
“I’ll take you up on that offer of a shower.”
Eight
The shower was a good idea.
The shower was such a good idea.
When I finally peeled myself from the hot spray, after what had to be at least twenty minutes, I was like a new woman. Even though I was still sore and bruised from the alley, my limbs were loose and relaxed, and I felt squeaky clean. Ches hadn’t been kidding when she said someone had left toiletries in the bathroom for me – there were candles, soaps, thick body butter, none of which had been there earlier.
I took one of the body butters back to the room with me – I had a key to it now, which I’d give back once Nadiah and I left. In the meantime, I slathered myself in the best lotion I’d touched in years, put on brand new panties and a sports bra, and then went to the closet for the comfiest thing I could find, to sit alone with my thoughts.
To remind myself I didn’t belong here.
It wo
uld be easy to get wrapped up in all this, pretending this was my normal life. After tonight though, it was right back to the usual – right back to…
What, exactly?
Everything I believed had been turned upside down, my entire way of life revealed to be a lie. Would it really be so simple to go back to the Mids, knowing the people of the Burrows were enjoying the freedom I’d only ever dreamed about?
Probably not.
Not now that this whole ordeal had ruptured my careful indoctrination, showing me everything I’d never know, through the crack.
Had my parents known about this?
Had my grandparents?
I had to believe they didn’t – that they couldn’t have – because otherwise, wouldn’t they have wanted better for us? I wasn’t so naïve that I thought the Burrows was without flaws. With a “ruler” like sword-wielding Ruby Hartford, men lurking in alleys to “recruit” Diamonds, and a psychopath like Ches with enough power that her “mark” – which I’d scrubbed off in the shower – gave me certain freedom of movement around here, this place had plenty of problems.
But there were restaurants.
Parks.
Stores where you could enjoy shopping without a cop staring over your shoulder – or at your chest.
The grass over here sure looked greener.
Even more reason to enjoy it while you can…
Hmm.
As I stared into the closet, my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten in hours.
And neither had Nadiah.
I searched my clothing options, deciding on a floral tee shirt dress – the least revealing thing outside of putting on the jeans I called myself saving for the trek back through the ruins. Among the heels and strappy sandals, I found a pair of simple flats, tossed there like a last-minute concession. One I was grateful for. I slipped my feet into the shoes, then went to find Nadiah, thinking of the meal I’d eaten just downstairs the night I arrived.
Once I’d found my way back to where I’d left Nadiah, my footsteps slowed. The door to the computer room was still open, and I could hear them talking – the soft tone of Nadiah’s voice, the deeper rumble of Mosley’s, their laughter. Instead of walking in, I peeked inside to see them still seated in the same spot, watching something on one screen while they ate from a tray of food.
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