Amber & Ice

Chapter 9: I don't trust you

"Well you wouldn't need to be worrying about that if you hadn't been following me," he replied. His voice was calm and controlled, but his heart was continuing to race. "But this isn't the time to discuss that one - we still need to get out of here and now, thanks to you, they're going to be more alert." He pushed Athena away from him gently and took her hand in his, leading her back around the boxes and into the corridor. A little further along, they came to a cross roads. Dyo paused and bit down on his lower lip, debating which route to take. "This way," he decided at last, beginning to guide Athena to the right.

"Hang on," she replied, refusing to follow. "We should go left - there's a staircase which leads to a back exit. We can be out in under a minute."

Dyo's eyebrows raised, his mouth slightly agape. "How do you know that? Have you been here before?"

"No. But I was beginning to get the impression that you hadn't either, so I searched the feeds for a map." Dyo stood frozen for a moment, his expression changed from amazement to something else. Admiration?

Athena turned away to hide her smile, pleased that she had thought of something he hadn't. Now it was her time to lead. "Come on," she tugged at his hand and led him off to the left. They made it to the exit without further mishap.

On the other side of the metal back door, the snow had turned to rain. It was coming down in sheets, turning the pavements to grey sludge. Why could the weather in New Britain never stay the same for more than a day? They were in an ally way at the back of the building, with a glass annex before them and a dead end to the right.

Dyo's mood matched the weather. He slammed the door shut, all concern for quietness gone now that the were outside. He went to storm down the street, leaving Athena in the rain, but he stopped and turned before he got a few steps away.

"Why did you do it? Why were you there?" he called back. Athena remained against the building, where she was slightly more sheltered, but the rain was so hard that she couldn't lift her face to look at him, so she spoke to the ground instead.

"How was I supposed to know you were breaking into a voting centre? I just wanted to talk! I don't need to explain myself, Dyo. You are the one who was quite clearly up to something. To be honest," she continued, remembering that she was supposed to be there defending herself and that she needed to remain strong. "It's a good job I was there to stop you from doing whatever you were about to attempt!"

He moved back towards her, lifting her chin so that she was forced to meet his gaze. "It must be so nice, living in that pop filled head of yours." Athena wasn't sure whether she should feel insulted; the words were cutting but his tone was soft, his eyes wide. He looked sad, not angry. She was about to reply when the sound of heavy footsteps made them both turn to face the entrance of the ally.

A man was walking towards them, his bright pink jacket emblazoned with the symbol for the city police. "What are you doing back here, kids? This building is restricted, you can't go inside." Athena panicked. After all that, they were going to be caught now anyway?

"We're sorry, officer." Dyo replied. "My girlfriend thought this was a short cut; we were just trying to get out of the rain. We didn't realise that this would lead to a dead end, or that the building was restricted; we'll move on straight away."

The officer was eyeing Dyo sceptically. Athena could see him taking in Dyo's dark jeans, burgundy T-Shirt and a leather jacket. Dyo had tensed, his hands curled into fists.

"Oh, honey!" Athena exclaimed, grabbing Dyo's arm and moving her eyes as though she was reading something on her glasses. "That new jacket you're so desperate for has just gone on sale - you know, the fuchsia one?" The officer's shoulder's visibly relaxed. "There are only ten left in stock, so we need to get a move on! Excuse me, officer, but do you know which direction is the quickest for getting to New Strand?"

"Of course, just head on back the way I came and take a left, then turn right once you get to Whitehall."

"Thank you ever so much. Come on," she added, tugging Dyo by the arms and leading him back to the main street. "We had better hurry." Once they turned th corner, they broke into a run, splashing through puddles until they skidded to a stop outside of the LUP accommodation.

"This is me," Athena turned towards him, her heart still racing from the run.

Dyo stood motionless for a second, just looking at her in amazement. "Thank you, Athena. That's twice you've helped me today. I guess I owe you now." Hindrance or not, he would have been caught today if it hadn't been for her. Thinking back to Aridne's volley of messages, he added. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I was too harsh on you. If you come back for another meeting, I promise to behave."

Athena opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it again, shaking her head. After appearing to debate something with herself, she asked him: "What were you doing in the voting centre, Dyo?"

"I can't tell you that." The answer was immediate, blunt, but not unkind.

"Then I can't come back to the Theatre. Not when I don't trust you."

He opened his mouth to protest, but forced himself to stop at the last moment. "I can understand that," he said after a pause.

"Goodbye, Dyo," she told him, heading up the stairs and opening the door to the flats.

"Athena," she turned to face him in front of the doors. "We're not the bad guys. If you ever change your mind, you'll always be welcome back."

She nodded and stepped inside, leaving him stood in the rain.