believe, considering the circumstances. When I arrived here, I thought it had to be a mistake. It took a while for Nicholas to warm up to me.”
“Trust me, I felt the same way about Icharus. His father was the one who had my mother killed, so you can imagine the conflict there. But after everything, I realized I… I missed him and I didn’t want to live without him.”
“But you are the one who assassinated Mr. DeVille?”
She reddened and bowed her head. “I don’t know how you heard about that, let alone that I was involved, but…” She gave a single nod. “I’d really rather not think about it. That wasn’t my finest moment, and everything since has been heart-wrenching. It’s not easy being on the run, being a sort of icon for the Constitutionals, and even with Icharus at my side, the going is tough. But the movement is growing in power and now we stand a very real chance of putting the president back in office. That has to be the first priority for me; for all of us.”
“How did you end up here, then?”
Adette reached into the hip pocket of the drab green cargo pants she was wearing and withdrew a gold chain with a watch dangling at the end. As she extended her hand toward mine, my own fingers trembled. The watch was familiar, despite the fact that I had not seen it in over ten years. The metal was warm in my hand as the chain draped over my palm and I shook my head. “He wanted you to know he’s alright,” Adette said, closing my fingers over it. “He’s sorry he never contacted the family, but it was for everyone’s safety – yours as much as his own – to keep people in the dark.”
After I swallowed the lump in my throat, I nodded and whispered, “I understand. That explains how you knew where to find the secret room in the basement. My father told you about it himself, didn’t he?”
“Yes, and when this ends, you’ll see him. Your father has been waiting a long time to see all of you.”
“But will I see Nicholas again?” My gaze locked on Adette’s.
Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes again and she didn’t wipe them away this time. “I can’t answer that. I wonder the same thing about Icharus every single day. He and I split up, so we could carry out separate missions. It was not an easy decision, but we’ve already started the fire, so now we have to let it burn. My act was the catalyst and we need to see it through.”
I took a deep breath in through my nose and held it for a moment. “What can I do?” I asked. “Nicholas is out there, goodness knows where, and I’m here in the dark.”
“Stay here and wait for him. That’s all anyone would ask of you.”
“No!” It took all my will not to smash the watch against the countertop. “All anyone expects of me, asks of me, is to sit and wait – to do what I’m told, and be content with what I get in life. Well, I’m not doing that. I came here on the headmistress’s orders. I did everything Nicholas told me to do. Now there’s no one to guide me, so it’s my turn. I want to be with Nicholas, or at least help with the war somehow. Even if all I do is bandage one wound, hold one soldier’s hand as they die, cook one meal for someone supporting the effort, I will feel like I’m part of something. Please, let me do this.”
At first, Adette’s expression was stony, but her features softened and she said, “We’re going to need to act fast. First, we need to raid that hidden lab of yours…”
By nightfall, we had familiarized ourselves with Nicholas’ secret laboratory in the basement. This, I saw as we explored it, was where he got everything – all the food we needed, not to mention fabric and other materials. It was the most sophisticated set-up I had ever seen for farming, replication, and more. We gathered what we could use and checked the settings on all the automated equipment. Most of the items were channeled via ducts that sent them directly where they needed to go, such as food
“Trust me, I felt the same way about Icharus. His father was the one who had my mother killed, so you can imagine the conflict there. But after everything, I realized I… I missed him and I didn’t want to live without him.”
“But you are the one who assassinated Mr. DeVille?”
She reddened and bowed her head. “I don’t know how you heard about that, let alone that I was involved, but…” She gave a single nod. “I’d really rather not think about it. That wasn’t my finest moment, and everything since has been heart-wrenching. It’s not easy being on the run, being a sort of icon for the Constitutionals, and even with Icharus at my side, the going is tough. But the movement is growing in power and now we stand a very real chance of putting the president back in office. That has to be the first priority for me; for all of us.”
“How did you end up here, then?”
Adette reached into the hip pocket of the drab green cargo pants she was wearing and withdrew a gold chain with a watch dangling at the end. As she extended her hand toward mine, my own fingers trembled. The watch was familiar, despite the fact that I had not seen it in over ten years. The metal was warm in my hand as the chain draped over my palm and I shook my head. “He wanted you to know he’s alright,” Adette said, closing my fingers over it. “He’s sorry he never contacted the family, but it was for everyone’s safety – yours as much as his own – to keep people in the dark.”
After I swallowed the lump in my throat, I nodded and whispered, “I understand. That explains how you knew where to find the secret room in the basement. My father told you about it himself, didn’t he?”
“Yes, and when this ends, you’ll see him. Your father has been waiting a long time to see all of you.”
“But will I see Nicholas again?” My gaze locked on Adette’s.
Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes again and she didn’t wipe them away this time. “I can’t answer that. I wonder the same thing about Icharus every single day. He and I split up, so we could carry out separate missions. It was not an easy decision, but we’ve already started the fire, so now we have to let it burn. My act was the catalyst and we need to see it through.”
I took a deep breath in through my nose and held it for a moment. “What can I do?” I asked. “Nicholas is out there, goodness knows where, and I’m here in the dark.”
“Stay here and wait for him. That’s all anyone would ask of you.”
“No!” It took all my will not to smash the watch against the countertop. “All anyone expects of me, asks of me, is to sit and wait – to do what I’m told, and be content with what I get in life. Well, I’m not doing that. I came here on the headmistress’s orders. I did everything Nicholas told me to do. Now there’s no one to guide me, so it’s my turn. I want to be with Nicholas, or at least help with the war somehow. Even if all I do is bandage one wound, hold one soldier’s hand as they die, cook one meal for someone supporting the effort, I will feel like I’m part of something. Please, let me do this.”
At first, Adette’s expression was stony, but her features softened and she said, “We’re going to need to act fast. First, we need to raid that hidden lab of yours…”
By nightfall, we had familiarized ourselves with Nicholas’ secret laboratory in the basement. This, I saw as we explored it, was where he got everything – all the food we needed, not to mention fabric and other materials. It was the most sophisticated set-up I had ever seen for farming, replication, and more. We gathered what we could use and checked the settings on all the automated equipment. Most of the items were channeled via ducts that sent them directly where they needed to go, such as food
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