“Be good to her, okay?”
I knew who he meant. Nova. Even as he was dying, Talon was still thinking of her. Instead of making me jealous or angry, it only tore my heart apart. My hiccups grew louder, my breaths desperate now. “I will…I promise. I love her.”
“I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. Something that was never there before.” His eyes were fluttering closed, blood seeping from them now too. His shaking had stopped, and I wondered if he no longer felt any pain. “Hope.”
“Please don’t leave me,” I whispered, barely able to speak through the immense sorrow.
Just then, my front door burst open, and I was momentarily fed false relief. Had Nova and Desi arrived? Was it too late?
When Cal darted through the door, I knew all my faith was lost. His vibrant blue eyes searched the space, blood splattered across his brown skin and his cloak ripped. Pri, Q, and Zura all rushed in behind him, each of their gazes locking on Talon and I at the same time.
“No,” Priya mumbled, her voice growing to a shout as she again said, “No!”
They ran at us, three sets of hands hitting Talon’s torso at the same time. All four of us frantically pressed into Talon’sshredded shirt, a bright, silvery light shining from our skin as we worked to heal him.
“Hold on, Tal! Hold on!” Quinn shouted, his fingers curling as he squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth.
Maybe if they’d gotten here even a few minutes sooner, it’d be fine. But I could tell by the way the wound slowly sealed that it was useless now. Talon was lying in a pool of blood, the sofa stained, his breathing slow and uneven. When he smiled at us, I knew it was the end.
“I love you four so much. This life was only good because you all were in it.” Priya was sobbing so loudly it pierced my ears, Caleb’s groans making my chest tighten. “Take care of each other, okay?”
When Talon’s auburn eyes stilled and his lips parted, we were all forced to accept the goodbye.
***
Jonah had to carry Nova inside. She must have been so badly hurt that she passed out. Desi had burst through the door seconds before, darting to where we all stared at Talon’s body. I’d already told the others what I knew, but we all awaited Nova’s recollection of events. If only for that closure. A final good memory, perhaps.
Desi healed us slowly, the work so hard she keeled over and vomited at one point. “I can only do enough to make sure you all live. These injuries are too extensive and I’ve already had to heal other rebels today. You’ll have to rest and heal naturally. Nova too, though she had it worse than any of you.”
“What was wrong with her? She’ll be okay, right?” I asked, barely any life to my voice. But I needed to know. I couldn’t lose her too.
“She’s mostly fine now. Her skull was fractured, she had four broken ribs, her hip was dislocated, two of her fingers were shattered, her left ear drum had burst, her nose was cracked, and her neck was severely bruised. That’s not including all of the smaller injuries she had.”
“Stars above,” Zura said, her hand moving to her mouth.
Somehow, more tears poured out of my eyes. How had I not run out of water yet? I leaned down and pressed my lips to Talon’s forehead before standing and making my way to my bed, where I stroked Nova’s hair.
“She was probably trying to get to me, but couldn’t make it,” Desi added, her voice softer now. I didn’t buy that though. IknewNova.
“She’s one tough woman,” Caleb mumbled, his hand still gripping Talon’s so hard his knuckles were turning white.
“I don’t know what the six of you were thinking, but Commander Maitoza islivid.As soon as you all are healthy enough, I’m to escort you to her,” Desi said, her voice deeper than normal.
“We just wanted to help,” Priya shot back, her eyes narrowed.
“Helping would have been shadow walking people out like we agreed!” Desi was furious, her body shaking as she glared at Priya. Blood soaked her clothes and hands, probably from all the injured she had aided today.
“If we’d done what we were told, Talon would still be alive,” Quinn mumbled from where he sat at the base of the sofa, his back pressed to the cushion that still held Talon’s unmoving head.
We needed to bury him. To clean up. To move. Anything.
But if we did, he’d really be gone.
“Yeah, and he’d still be a piece of shit who murdered his sister, so maybe this was for the best. At least he got to redeemhimself,” Priya said, her voice almost a hiss as she spit the venomous words.
I could tell she didn’t fully mean them. Or, at the very least, that they hurt her to say. Her face was strained, her perpetually pink lips pale as she tightened them into a frown and her chocolate eyes dripping with each rapid blink. Her short hair had been coated in blood, pieces sticking out here and there. She had more gore on her than the others. She’d always been the angriest of us all, the quickest to kill when told and fight when provoked.
No one said anything for a while. Perhaps because we all knew she was right and feared arguing or agreeing. That was for the best. The silence let me imagine a life different from this one. One where our families loved us, and their families before them did the same. A world in which we all laughed and smiled in places not hidden. Where we spilled juice and played in mud as children, then spilled liquor and danced beneath rain as adults.
