Page 115 of Chained

"It's okay." And it was. Part of me wanted to go charging out and rescue them but another part of me was still reeling from the shock of finding out that they were alive. Some time to process the information wouldn't do me any harm. I felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of them stuck in some cell needing rescue.

"I understand if you don't feel the same way about me anymore," Coal said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I frowned at him.

"I would understand it, if knowing that your parents were captured because they were involved with us, would mean you couldn't feel that way about me anymore." His eyes were guarded as they looked into mine.

"It was five years ago, how old were you then?"

"Fourteen," he replied.

"How could a fourteen year old be responsible for infiltrating the city?" I asked.

"I'm still part of the group that was responsible."

"I'm not angry at anyone here," I said firmly.

"Why not?"

"Because all they wanted was for everyone to have a chance at a life in the real world, and to bring down the lies that trap everyone within that city," I spat, my own anger surprising me.

"But your parents-"

"Were captured because they dreamt of getting out. That's what's wrong here, not the people who were trying to help them achieve it but the people who are trying to stop them."

"Do you think we're doing the right thing then?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Yes." A long silence followed my answer as we looked into each other's eyes.

"We should go in." He stood and offered me his hand. I pointed at his bandaged ribs and stood by myself.

"If you don't

heal you won't be any use helping me get my parents back," I said, smiling at him as I brushed the dust from my trousers.

My legs had gone numb and I kicked at the ground to help get the blood flowing again. The moss was starting to feel cold and damp under my bare feet but I didn't want to put them back into my stuffy boots so I just carried them instead.

I felt disgusting. Somewhere nearby, a shower was waiting for me and I ached to get to it as soon as possible. At least Coal was still as gross as me.

"I hate healing," Coal sighed irritably.

He put his arm around my shoulders and walked with me, back into the same apartment we had slept in the last time we were in town. I wondered vaguely if we were still avoiding his house.

Laurie, Alicia and Hunter were waiting for us when we arrived. They looked uncomfortably away from me as I entered the room.

"I'm fine," I told them, throwing my boots into a corner of the room.

"The shower's lovely," Alicia said with a grin.

"Subtle Liss," Coal grumbled. "You can go first," he said to me.

I opened my mouth to object but I couldn't bear to wait any longer so I thanked him instead and headed straight to the bathroom.

I washed my hair three times and scrubbed myself until I was bright pink. By the time I emerged I felt cleaner than I had in weeks. I sighed and slipped into some of Alicia's clothes. It crossed my mind that I would need to get some more things of my own now that I was going to be staying out here.

Coal was waiting outside the bathroom door as I left and I smiled at him before he headed inside to get cleaned up too.

"You might like to know that we just got a message," Laurie said, sounding strangely cheery.