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Chapter thirty-four

Forest

I ’m left speechless, unable to find my words as the woman from that morning at the tram station breezes into the shop and joins our conversation. Unlike that day at the tram stop, she now looks more lively, visibly less drained and damaged, not like the state I had regrettably left her in before Fallan had to intervene. Kai seems shocked, unsure what to do or say, resorting to staring at the ground instead of trying to make eye contact with the woman.

“Fallan isn’t feeling very social right now,” Hunter reiterates, flinching away as the woman's gentle fingers touch his bruised face.

“Given how much those pigs roughed you boys up, I can’t say I blame him,” she says, my shame only growing the longer we stand here.

“Who are your friends?” the woman questions, lowering her glasses to get a better look at us.

If she remembers me, she does an excellent job at pretending she doesn't.

“Kai,” my brother starts, extending his dirtied hand out, quickly retracting it to rub away the dirt. She reaches her hand out toward my brother, embracing his greeting with a soft smile. Hunter pinches the bridge of his nose, anxiously watching the interaction unfold.

“You have a last name, Kai?” the woman questions, making my brother's grasp tighten.

“Just Kai… Kaiden, if we're getting technical,” Kai mutters, his face redder with each passing second.

“Well, a pleasure to meet you, Kaiden, with no last name. My name is Jolie. It would seem you already know my grandson here,” she starts, turning her head back to me. “And your name is-”

“Forest, also no last name,” I say, extending my hand toward the woman.

She gives me a long look, her smile growing the longer she watches me.

“I've heard your name bounce between Fallan and Mark once or twice,” Jolie says, taking my hand within her own. “Glad to finally put a face to the name.”

I feel an energy pass through me at the exchange, and there’s a warmth that comes over my body like a comforting hug. Her kind eyes consume her expression. They're the same ones painted on her grandson's face.

“Well, you two came at just the right time,” Jolie begins, reaching into Hunter's organized case of sweets and pulling out two pastries closest to her. “I made these turnovers just this morning. I could use a few new mouths to taste the new recipe.” She places the sweets on a plate, motioning us closer. “It's on the house.”

Her generosity is suffocating amidst the selfishness that goes on outside this sector.

Kai looks completely off-put, barely processing how one soul could be so generous to two people so undeserving of her kindness.

“I promise you I will devour that whole pastry after I handle a few other matters,” I start, watching Kai shovel the dessert into his mouth, both cheeks filled with flaky pastry. “Where is Fallan?” I push Hunter once more, listening in as Jolie clears her throat.

“Fallan’s family owned a farm on the edge of the sector. He has an apartment a few blocks over that his parents left behind for him after their passing. As far as I know, he’s been holed up in his room since Andrew Blackburn and his spineless followers delivered their blows to my two boys,” Jolie says, her voice shrouded with emotion. “Heaven forbid they provide our people with the means to heal their wounds after such heinous acts of violence,” Jolie finishes, touching her scarred hands.

Kai covers his mouth as he swallows the pastry, digging into his pocket with an anxious fidget. I watch him pull out a vial of Cure-All, rubbing the back of his neck as he hands it to the old woman.

“I forgot I had this on me. Take it,” Kai says, using his hand to cover his full mouth.

Jolie eyes the medicine with wide eyes, carefully examining the vile to check its validity.

“Quite a lucky Unfortunate to be carrying around a vial of Cure-All and handing it away so casually,” Jolie says, watching Kai’s fidget turn into a full-fledged shake.

“Well, I-I figured-”

Hunter lands his hand on my brother's shoulder, giving him an empathetic smile.

“She is messing with you. I take it you don't have people that mess with you very often,” Hunter says, attempting to ease my brother's anxiety. Kai settles down. His face is as red as the cherry turnover he had eaten in three bites.

“But seriously, how did you get your hands on it? We've been bone dry for months over here. I can't imagine what you had to sell to score a full vial,” Jolie says, pushing my brother further, doing her best to see past our facade.

Kai looks to Hunter, hoping for some help in the situation. Hunter only smiles, mimicking my crossed arms as we watch Kai try to navigate this situation with Jolie.

“I-I stole it,” Kai says, sounding entirely unconvincing. Even Hunter has to turn away from the conversation, giving himself a few moments to compose himself as he watches the train wreck that is my brother trying to lie.

I feel the smile finally creep onto my face, easing the pain of holding a frown for so long. Jolie grabs a seat from behind the counter, dragging it to the side as she motions her grandson to sit. She hands Kai back the vial, pointing to Hunter’s many bruises needing treatment.

“I still have pastries in the oven, if you wouldn't mind healing him,” Jolie starts. “Another cherry turnover is in your future,” she smiles, tapping the counter, her eyes passing over me again.

I watch her disappear behind the curtain she came from, moving with a certain grace I could never find within myself, no matter how many times my mother scolded me on my posture.

Hunter hesitates a moment before sitting on the stool, watching my brother repeatedly turn the Cure-All in his hands.

“I don’t bite,” Hunter mutters, both of us watching Kai cringe at the words.

“Right,” Kai says, applying a small amount of the solution to Hunter’s skin, watching its healing properties work instantly.

Hunter's face fills with a sense of relief, his pain being washed away with each stroke of my brother's fingers across his skin. I hear the loud patter of my foot as it taps against the shop’s floor, watching the pair with little patience as I anticipate someone eventually willing to point me toward Fallan.

Hunter’s bruises are deeper than I expected, taking multiple layers of the solution to lighten in color. Kai becomes hyper-focused on him, making sure not to press too hard on his swollen and battered visage. Hunter bites back pain, clenching his pant legs to stop himself from making too much noise.

“Your silence is killing me,” I say, closing my eyes as I focus on the empty spaces of my mind.

“I suppose you won’t stop that tapping until I give you more information?" Hunter questions, pulling my attention away from my pointless attempts at shouting into the void of my mind.

Kai pauses, letting his hands drop from Hunter's face. Something close to a smile lingers on my brother's expression, fading away when Hunter gives him a second look.

“How far away is he from here?” I question, offering no light-hearted tone as my frustration surges.

“No more than a few blocks away. He lives in the older units, the ones with the chipped blue paint,” Hunter says, moving himself away from the stool. Standing beside my brother, he’s shorter, yet he holds himself in a way Kai has never been able to. Hunter is defensive, always expecting the worst. But he’s also a fighter, and his resolve is unyielding.

“Great, shouldn't be too hard to find,” I start, dropping my bag on the floor as I dig around in its contents. I feel the metal of my blade meet my palm. Its mechanics need some adjustments considering the absence of my chip. I begin strapping it to my side, feeling how it rubs my skin, before concealing it under the massive hoodie Kai let me borrow.

“You brought your blade?” Kai questions, cocking his head at me.

“Never know what's lurking in the shadows,” I say, tightening the strap. I feel a sense of security with the weapon so close to me.

“If you give me a few minutes, I can take you to him-”

“No,” I say, cutting off Hunter as he reaches for his things.

“No?” Hunter questions, crossing his arms.

“No, all of us in a group will draw attention, and I don’t exactly feel like figuring out if my father has already plastered our faces on every screen in the sector looking for us. I don’t feel like dealing with the consequences of pissing off Officials, especially if they find us here.” I say, watching Hunter sigh.

“So, after years of this kind of treatment of us happening right in front of you, you’re only now seeing the corruption for what it is?” Hunter asks.

Kai lowers his head. It’s the same shameful, disgraced motion I’ve seen coming from the Unfortunates as they interact with us all around New Haven.

“Ignorance is bliss,” my foot kicks away my bag. “I was the biggest fool there was,” I say, keeping my gaze on Hunter.

“Fallan isn’t in a state to receive unexpected visitors. He’s unpredictable-”

“I know… I’m counting on that,” I say, turning to grab the door handle. “Is there a reason you’re trying so hard to keep me away from him? Did my father say something to you?” I question, feeling a shift in Hunter's confident posture. I hear the way his heart rate accelerates, listening to the slight sneer of my reflection in the window closest to me.

“Everyone has secrets,” it says, looking unamused.

“Like I told you,” he explains, sounding less sure of his wording. “He just doesn't want to see you.”

Kai looks between us both, unsure of who to support.

“Well, I guess he can tell me that in person. Kai-” my brother's head snaps to me. “Stay here. I’m the one that dragged you with me today. At least I know you can't get into trouble here.” I make my way to the front of the shop and reach for the door.

“And you? How do you expect to stay out of trouble if you get into it with the wrong person around here?” Hunter questions.

It’s a valid concern, given the crime in this sector. I touch my mark from beneath my hoodie, feeling an energy pulse through me as my fingers graze over the raised skin.

“I'll manage,” I whisper, heading through the door and out into the filthy street once more.