Sister Cities

Part 2: Vi

Her hair is downright disgusting even by my standards, so I go ahead and unravel her braids and unthread the bullet shells so I can wash it. I pay close attention to her head wound. The length of her hair probably won't dry until tomorrow— I have no idea how she got it so long so fast, or why she could possibly want it that way, but when the thought crosses my mind to chop it, I shake it off.

I don't redo the braids, though. I don't think she'd want me to. Instead, I comb it with my fingers, and when I get her back to our room, I split it into two sections and hang them over either side of her bed to hopefully keep it from tangling.

I picked out some Firelight clothing for her while I was getting mine, but undressing her dead weight was brutal enough, so for now she's just wrapped in a towel with her sheets tucked up to her chin. Pointy or not, she looks like a child. Her fingers flex when I touch her palm.

"Vi," Ekko says behind me, and I hurriedly step back. "Your friend is here."

"Caitlyn? Does she look okay?"

"As far as I can tell. She wanted to see you— she's down at the front."

"Cool. Thanks. Do you think you could...?"

"Watch Jinx again? Why not? I don't have anything else to do."

I pause as we pass each other and double back to grab his arm. "Ekko."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. Thanks for being real. I know we haven't really done anything to earn it. Especially Powder."

He shrugs and looks down at my hand. "There was a time before this."

"Yeah. There was."

I don't bother to control my speed as soon as I'm through the door. In three seconds flat, I catch sight of Caitlyn speaking to Heimerdinger, a new rifle on her back and all her clumsiness from yesterday gone. Heimerdinger sees me coming and disappears with an understanding nod. I'm not sure what he thinks he's understanding.

Caitlyn smiles an enforcer's smile at me. "Good morning, Vi."

"Caitlyn. Your mom—?"

Some of her stiffness fades. "She's alive. So are Jayce and his lab partner. But they're critical, and the only ones."

"The only ones? What, so there's just not a Council anymore?" It's not like I didn't expect it— honestly, I expected worse— but shit. Shit.

Caitlyn nods. "The sheriff has taken charge temporarily, but unless my mum wakes up soon, things are going to get messy."

"Shit."

"I'm going to bring you some enforcers that I trust. They'll make a show of looking through here and finding nothing, and then they'll remain on watch discreetly to turn anyone else away."

"For how long?"

Her eyes move over my shoulder. "As long as I can keep them satisfied, I suppose. May I see Jinx?"

I follow her eyes. "Sure," I say. "I guess."

I bring her over and Ekko clears out, saying he wants me on watch with him once I'm done. Caitlyn makes a slow circle around Powder's bed and examines her chapped lips, her loose wet hair, her little feet and the bumps they make under her sheets. "She's not restrained," is her eventual assessment.

"She's unconscious."

"She won't always be."

I open my mouth to keep arguing, but reel myself in, acutely aware of the news I got on the ground. "What do you want me to do?