“I can’t hide anymore, Lance. Let me go.”
“Am I supposed to understand what that means?”
She opened the door again. It no longer mattered whether she had the power to change anything. She had a responsibility. Always had. “We'll separate here.”
“Right. Like I’m going to sit here while you go alone.” Lance clapped the driver’s shoulder. “Thanks for the ride. We’re fine from here. Take whatever you want from the greenhouse as payment.”
Miya held back her smile. She’d been fighting to make him leave. Despite that, relief hit her at not having to face this alone, no matter how selfish that might be.
As they walked, she looked around for the captain, feeling his presence as if he was right behind her with his hands wrapped around her neck. She couldn’t imagine what had stopped this city in its tracks, but it had to be him.
The closer they walked to the town square, the wilder the crowd became. People shouted at one another as they rushed forward until their words morphed into one loud roar. It drowned out all else, so Miya missed what should have been clear until she ran right into it.
Ahead of them, at the mouth of the alley, the people had stopped talking. Stopped moving.
The chaos behind her continued, ignorant and unabated. She stumbled to a stop, and Lance backtracked toward her. Didn’t they see it? Didn’t they feel it?
Miya clutched her hands to her chest, struggling to breathe. The captain was strangling her again even though he wasn’t here.
“Miya!” Lance caught her elbow, wrestling her out of the flow of people toward the wall. “Are you okay?”
“He’s here.” She dug her nails into her neck. “I think… I think I did this. I think I made him do this. He knows.”
The captain promised she would regret betraying him and that was what she’d done. Betrayed him.
Was this her fault?
Running had never worked for her in the past. Fighting hadn’t.
Why did she think this would be any different?
A man knocked into her, and she stumbled limply.
Lance nudged her back against the wall, bending down to level his face with hers. “Okay. I don’t know what you did, or what these people are staring at. It doesn’t matter right now. The captain can’t see us. We're lost in the crowd.”
“Go, Lance. It’s time. You’ll be the last thing on anyone’s mind. Disappear and stay gone.”
“We’ll go. We'll find a place to hide in one of these buildings and figure out a plan.”
“I have someone I can call.” Miya opened her phone and dialed the line for Ashantae by memory. But it didn't ring. No, no, no. “There isn't any service. Let's try a rooftop and see if that helps.”
As she rushed forward, Lance grabbed her hand and dragged her back to his side.
“We stay together.” He laced his fingers with hers and held tight.
“I'm not ditching you.” Miya ripped her hand away, but Lance extended his again.
“I don't want to let go of you. Lead me off a cliff. Whatever. Just don’t ask me to leave you.”
She dropped her head against his arm and groaned. “I really wasn't lying.”
They walked hand-in-hand to a nearby ladder to climb to the top of a roof. Up here, silence encased the crowd. The sounds of the city and those who didn’t know what had happened faded into the background.
Lance's expression dropped like a curtain. Miya wasn’t ready to see and was thankful to be shorter than him. It bought her a few more seconds to prepare herself.
They squeezed through a few people before stopping, her eyes on her shoes, until she looked up to see a tear slide down Lance's cheek.
Bracing herself, Miya rose onto her toes and looked out at the town square.
