care when I didn’t report back. I should’ve known he’d care. I should’ve known he’d file a report with the Director there. Kingston is ruthless, and the Insider contingency couldn’t intercept the report before it was too late.”
I sighed. “Kingston figured out who I was. See, I’m sort of wanted everywhere. Not sure if you knew that.”
She nudged me with her shoulder. “You and me both, buddy.”
I lifted my arm to put it around her, ignoring the aching fire in my shoulder and down my left side. I seriously needed whatever Pace had in that needle.
“I’d left Harvest by then, but had just arrived in RanchoPort when all hell broke loose. Flight Cops were waiting for me at the border, as if they knew I was coming. It’s impossible . . . but maybe not.
“It’s so hot in the south, even in early February.” I stopped, lost in memory of the absolute heat of the Texan Region and how I clung to the frostiness of shoveling snow for the first part of my entombment.
Underground, I remembered the way my breath would freeze my lungs together, little barbs of ice catching each other until I thought the air couldn’t force the tissue apart. The sting of my fingers as they froze and then thawed. The way I used to think I’d rather endure a trial by fire instead of freezing to death.
In the capsule, it always came back to me thinking, Well, you got what you wanted. Heat.
So much cracking heat.
“Jag?” Vi snuggled in closer to my side. “How’d you get caught?”
I forced myself to focus on the here and now; the pressure of Vi’s body against mine; the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the silky quality of her skin, the taste of her mouth.
“Jag?” She tilted her head to look at me.
I kissed her, desperate to ground myself. I knew my mouthwas too hungry. I needed her the way I had needed air in the capsule. I knew what it was like to go without both.
The touch of her lips softened my insides. She calmed me in her usual Vi-fashion. When we broke apart, I was happy to see she was as breathless as me.
“Like I said,” I whispered, our faces inches apart. “They were waiting for me. Before I could do anything, I’d been silenced, tased, and cuffed. Blindfolded. Someone shoved a needle into my neck, and everything went quiet. Numb. Beneath me, the ground moved, but I couldn’t even so much as twitch my fingers.”
I drew a breath, as if I could summon strength into myself with such a simple action. “When the drugs wore off, they removed my blindfold and made me dig. I dug and dug and dug.”
“No,” Vi murmured.
“Yes,” I said. “I dug my own grave. Someone stuck a needle into my arm. Their mouths moved, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Everything was blurry, shapeless, mute. They uncuffed me before shoving me into the capsule.”
“Stop,” Vi whispered, but I couldn’t.
“Then I was falling. I fell and fell and fell and it was so, so dark. The last thing I remember is the sound the dirt made as it rained down on the metal capsule.” A shudder ripped through my body.
Vi wept openly now. I should’ve been able to.
Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.
But I didn’t. Telling her about what had happened actually released the burden from me. Who knew I’d feel like that?
“Thank you,” I said, touching my mouth to hers again, this time softly. I waited for her permission to continue. She gave it, slowly exploring my lips with hers, as if she hadn’t kissed me before.
“How’d you get out?” she asked when she pulled back. “How’d you get to Freedom?”
I was ready to give her all my secrets. I would’ve too, if Gunner hadn’t burst into her room.
“It’s Thane,” he said. “He’s awake.”
Zenn
14 . I grew up in the City of Water, where my father said I’d been able to manipulate the air since birth. There isn’t a time I can remember that I couldn’t control the wind.
My older brother had no such talents, beyond thinking for himself.
I sighed. “Kingston figured out who I was. See, I’m sort of wanted everywhere. Not sure if you knew that.”
She nudged me with her shoulder. “You and me both, buddy.”
I lifted my arm to put it around her, ignoring the aching fire in my shoulder and down my left side. I seriously needed whatever Pace had in that needle.
“I’d left Harvest by then, but had just arrived in RanchoPort when all hell broke loose. Flight Cops were waiting for me at the border, as if they knew I was coming. It’s impossible . . . but maybe not.
“It’s so hot in the south, even in early February.” I stopped, lost in memory of the absolute heat of the Texan Region and how I clung to the frostiness of shoveling snow for the first part of my entombment.
Underground, I remembered the way my breath would freeze my lungs together, little barbs of ice catching each other until I thought the air couldn’t force the tissue apart. The sting of my fingers as they froze and then thawed. The way I used to think I’d rather endure a trial by fire instead of freezing to death.
In the capsule, it always came back to me thinking, Well, you got what you wanted. Heat.
So much cracking heat.
“Jag?” Vi snuggled in closer to my side. “How’d you get caught?”
I forced myself to focus on the here and now; the pressure of Vi’s body against mine; the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the silky quality of her skin, the taste of her mouth.
“Jag?” She tilted her head to look at me.
I kissed her, desperate to ground myself. I knew my mouthwas too hungry. I needed her the way I had needed air in the capsule. I knew what it was like to go without both.
The touch of her lips softened my insides. She calmed me in her usual Vi-fashion. When we broke apart, I was happy to see she was as breathless as me.
“Like I said,” I whispered, our faces inches apart. “They were waiting for me. Before I could do anything, I’d been silenced, tased, and cuffed. Blindfolded. Someone shoved a needle into my neck, and everything went quiet. Numb. Beneath me, the ground moved, but I couldn’t even so much as twitch my fingers.”
I drew a breath, as if I could summon strength into myself with such a simple action. “When the drugs wore off, they removed my blindfold and made me dig. I dug and dug and dug.”
“No,” Vi murmured.
“Yes,” I said. “I dug my own grave. Someone stuck a needle into my arm. Their mouths moved, but I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Everything was blurry, shapeless, mute. They uncuffed me before shoving me into the capsule.”
“Stop,” Vi whispered, but I couldn’t.
“Then I was falling. I fell and fell and fell and it was so, so dark. The last thing I remember is the sound the dirt made as it rained down on the metal capsule.” A shudder ripped through my body.
Vi wept openly now. I should’ve been able to.
Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.
But I didn’t. Telling her about what had happened actually released the burden from me. Who knew I’d feel like that?
“Thank you,” I said, touching my mouth to hers again, this time softly. I waited for her permission to continue. She gave it, slowly exploring my lips with hers, as if she hadn’t kissed me before.
“How’d you get out?” she asked when she pulled back. “How’d you get to Freedom?”
I was ready to give her all my secrets. I would’ve too, if Gunner hadn’t burst into her room.
“It’s Thane,” he said. “He’s awake.”
Zenn
14 . I grew up in the City of Water, where my father said I’d been able to manipulate the air since birth. There isn’t a time I can remember that I couldn’t control the wind.
My older brother had no such talents, beyond thinking for himself.
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