💕Is This Love?💕

Part 4

We wound up the staircase,
passing one guard on our way to the fourth floor. We made our way to the middle of the hall, right in front of a large fireplace. I reached under the top of the fireplace, and felt around a little until I found the hidden latch. I opened it, revealing a secret stairwell.

I reached out to America. "Hold
my hand," I instructed in a bit of a playful tone. She took it, and we walked up the stairs until we got to the door. I unlocked the door and opened it. America's eyes grew wide. "The roof?" she asked excitedly. I nodded, admiring her amazed look.

She reached into the water,
feeling the drops collect on her arm. I chuckled as she slowly reached further and further out into the rain. She got so close to it that it made her dress wet. After a few seconds of watching her mess around, I playfully shoved her out into the downpour. She gasped, sounding jokingly annoyed. She grabbed my arm and started yanking at it. I laughed as I pretended to fight, but I of course joined her in the end.

We were both a mess, soaked
in seconds from the rain. I pulled her to the edge of the wall, wanting her to see the view. I knew she would love it. I leaned over to her ear and whispered, "Look." She turned, and gasped at the sight, wide-eyed. "I don't want the rebels to take it, America," I said over the rain. "I don't know how bad the death toll is, but I can tell that my father is keeping it a secret from me. He's afraid I'll call off the Selection."

"Is there a way to find out the
truth?" she asked. I debated about that. "I feel like, if I could get in touch with August, he'd know. I could get a letter to him, but I'm afraid of putting too much in writing. And I don't know if I could get him into the palace." "What if we could get to him?" she replied. I laughed. "How do you suggest we do that?"

She shrugged. "I'll work on it."
It seemed like she was kind of joking, but kind of serious too. I wondered if it was actually possible. I wondered if she would actually work on it, as she suggested. I loved that she would do that for me.