Sister Cities

Part 50: Ekko

I've been the archer

I've been the prey

Who could ever leave me, darling?

But who could stay?

'Cause they see right through me

They see right through me

Can you see right through me?

I see right through me

I see right through me

All of my enemies started out friends

Help me hold on to you

~

I hate you for what you did

And I miss you like a little kid

________________________________________________________________________________

I bring two of the Kirammans' guards with me to keep Caitlyn calm, and it's a good thing, given how the prison guards at the front react when I come in. We're on track to get rid of most of them tomorrow, at least. Forty stories down, I leave the guards by the staircase and approach the last cell, fuming at the fact that I'm doing this. I wouldn't mind if Jinx stayed here forever, if not for how bad it upsets Vi.

The cell is inhabited by a blue lump in one back corner. When I knock on the wall, the lump jumps and says, "Go away."

I barely resist following the order. "No."

"Ekko?" the lump asks in confusion, scooting around so I can see her eyes. She's made a cocoon out of her loose hair, and I see why when she stands up— she's in the sleeveless Stillwater uniform, but it registers as cold down here even to me, and I'm wearing my jacket.

"You're leaving," I say.

"Did Vi send you?" Jinx comes toward the bars, barefoot, looking at me like I'm a flickering spot of light she's struggling to keep track of. "Shut up," she says to an empty space next to me.

"No," I say. I'll tell her the situation eventually, but I feel like I should ease her into it. "Caitlyn did. They all want you out."

"No," she says to the space, and then "No" again to me. "I'm staying."

I expected this, but it annoys me more than I thought it would. "No, you're not," I say. "You're playing a stupid game, and we're over it."

Her right iris is halfway back to blue, but the tear that runs down that cheek is still purple, like the ones from Vi's marked eye. "Go away."

"I have a commune and a whole city to take care of," I say. "I'm not gonna stand around and argue with you. No one wants you here, and you're obviously not enjoying it here, so let's go. You can sulk at home just as easy."

"You're too loud," she says over her shoulder. "No," she says to me.

I pull the unlocked door open. She skitters backward and, inexplicably, climbs up the wall, hissing through her teeth. I stop behind the threshold. "I'm not gonna hurt you," I say, puzzled. "I've had plenty of chances to hurt you before, if I had wanted to."

Jinx is poised like a venomous spider. "You hate me. Everyone hates me. I'm staying here."

"That's bullshit," I say. "Vi and Caitlyn have been trying their best with you. You stopped Sevika's rebellion, so the Topsiders have some grudging respect. The trenchers are all too happy to hate anybody. Everyone's afraid of you, and for good reason, but that's not the same as hating you."