Page 55 of Xantera
Gaia’s eyes go wide, her tone dropping to a low hiss. “They visited you too?”
My heart stops pumping. My throat narrows. I can’t swallow down the sand flooding my mouth. Nothing came from Rosalyn’s visit, but… what are the odds our stories were the same?It was over a patient, I had told the sentry—a lie.We disagreed on whether she should be released or not.
“What did you tell them?” I ask, panic rising in my chest, bursting painfully from between my ribs.
Gaia’s eyebrows pinch together. “The truth, of course. That you wanted to find out where Diggory’s partner lives. So you could console her, I told them.”
My eyes search her face. Her eyes search my face.
Gaia’s body tenses. “Well—” she stutters. “Right?”
“Right,” I echo, too high-pitched to my own ears.
Her shoulders drop with relief, her entire body relaxing as she stands to pull on her scrubs over her undergarments. “They understood how dedicated of a healer you are, and it’s only a normal emotion to want to console a patient’s partner after whathappened, make sure they’re okay.” She turns to me and places a hand on my shoulder. “It’s admirable, I think.”
My tongue is swollen and heavy, suddenly too big for my mouth. Our stories definitely didn’t line up, so why haven’t the Guardians done anything? Why did the sentry act like everything was fine?
It’s beenmonths. Months of me breaking curfew and sneaking through tunnels without getting caught. Surely, somebody should have noticed my transgressions by now?
I look up at Gaia again. The tears behind my eyes make my nose sting, but I inhale deeply to keep them at bay. The concern that she’s said the wrong thing deepens in her eyes, but I plaster on a shaky smile to assure her. “Thanks, Gaia. I mean it.”
After pinning her purple badge onto her clean scrubs, she bends to squeeze my hand and her good-natured tone reappears. “Well, have a good night. I can’t wait to hear all about the Choosing in the morning—I’ve been designated to stay behind this time.”
She shoots me a wink, like we’re past this rut we’ve found ourselves in. And we are. She’s one of the only friends I’ve ever known.
I just wish we hadn’t had this conversationnow, right before I’m about to break into the Blood Moon Palace.
Rising to my feet, my nerves betray me.
The anxiety in my stomach unravels like a ball of yarn, and I rush over to the corner of the locker room to heave into the trash can.
After walking home on autopilot and eating dinner with Malcolm in a haze, I’m now staring at the off-white ceiling of our joint bedroom.
Fully clothed, we’re both under the blanket pulled up to our armpits and our hands crossed over our chests.
My eyes trace a line of something that ripples underneath the paint.
“Malcolm,” I start unsteadily. But instantly, relief settles into my bones at the thought that I’m about to let it out. My earlier nerves are replaced with old and newly found anger. “You said I should tell you when my life could be in danger. Is that still true?”
Time slows. His legs shift under the covers.
Until finally, he nods. “I think so.”
“You think so?” I argue. “Or you know so? Because I don’t want—”
“I know so,” he says confidently, cutting me off. His face is open, but there’s a mix of fear lurking behind his gaze. “What’s wrong? Is your life in danger now?”
“I’ve… discovered some things about our lives—the Guardians,” I start slowly. “And I can’t ignore it any longer. I don’t know if I’ll be coming back to our housing unit after the Choosing tonight.”
Malcolm blinks once before blowing out a breath. “How can I convince you to not… do whatever it is you’re about to do?”
“You can’t.”
My resolve is fierce. No one else is going to swoop in and save us. We have to save ourselves. And if I die in the process, maybe I’ll change things for the ones who live.
“Okay, then,” he says, forcing another heavy breath from his lungs. A tense pause lingers between us until Malcolm closes his eyes. “I knew you were up to something.”
“You did?” I ask.
