Page 116 of The Pacifist
“What’s wrong?” I could tell Anne had been crying.
Mila was holding Anne’s hand when she looked up at me. “The News is showing all the protests in the Motherlands.”
“Still?” I looked to the screen.
“Yes, it’s been three days since the vote, but people are still out walking the streets across the Motherlands. We figured that it would die down now that the weekend is over, but no.”
Anne dried her eyes. “I received hate mail. One wrote that she was happy that she doesn’t have a sister like me.”
I frowned. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“That was one of the milder ones. Another wrote that he wished I’d get a bad case of diarrhea because it would give me time to sit still and think about what I’d done to you.”
“Anne, I’m sorry, but they have a point. What you did was selfish and destructive.”
“I know.” Her voice broke and she covered her eyes. “I just want to reverse time and take it back.”
Her voice soft, Mila stroked Anne’s back. “I can’t help you with time travel, but if you need a distraction, Jonah has just the right thing.”
My eyebrows creased together. “I do?”
“Yes. You could let Anne readForbidden Letters from the North. I guarantee she’ll forget about her problems while she reads it.”
“Wait, but that’s the forbidden book.” Anne looked to me. “You’ll let me read it?”
“Only if you promise not to tell anyone.”
“I promise you, sweetie, once you begin reading, you won’t be able to put it down. Jonah has been sending me recorded chapters of it and I’ve been completely engulfed in the story.”
“What is it about?”
Mila moved to the edge of the sofa and turned her whole body to Anne. “It’s about a woman called Deidra who lives close to the border. One day she finds a bottle with a note inside that has been thrown over the border. It’s from a man who lives on the other side, and the two begin to share details from their lives and through all their corresponding they fall in love. It’s the most beautiful love story and when he can’t stand to be separated from her anymore, he climbs over the wall to see her.”
Anne pulled back. “That’s not possible.”
“He has a long rope with a hook on it and he’s strong enough to pull himself up and rappel down on the other side.”
“But he would be detected by the drones if he climbed the wall.”
Mila sighed. “Anne, it’s a fictional story that happened two hundred years ago. It doesn’t have to be realistic. The point is that he came to her and that’s when the steamy scenes happened.” Lowering her voice, Mila smiled. “I promise they will distract you.”
Anne bit her lip. “Can I read it now?”
“Sure. I brought it. It’s in my bag in Mila’s room. Would you mind getting it yourself? It’s just that I have something to discuss with Mila.”
“Not a problem.” Anne was quick to get up and leave the room.
“What is it we need to discuss?” Mila asked.
I walked over and locked the door before returning to her.
She had guessed what I was up to, and getting up from the couch she smiled. “We can’t do it in here.”
“Why not?” I was on her, pulling her down again, and sending her heated looks.
“Jonah, we should go up to my room.”
“I’m too impatient. I need you now.”
