"Do we have to decide now?" Kole asked. "Like, immediately?"
Kyle stared toward the boundless wilderness beyond the city. "We should leave soon, before it gets any colder. And since we're already here at the border..." He shrugged.
Shaun and Rosalie approached us as other members of the group split off to confer with each other.
"I'm with you," Shaun said. He looked serious and worn, with dark shadows under his eyes. I hadn't seen him crack a smile since Jade's disappearance.
"And I'm staying." Rosalie smiled politely. "Now that we've been home...and my dad...I can't leave him again." Her words were spoken with a firmness that told me she wouldn't change her mind.
Shaun stepped forward, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. "They'll be watching his every movie, Rose," he said gravely. "He might even be arrested when Jason tells them about him harboring all of us."
"I know," she said softly, her smile faltering, growing pained. "And if he goes to prison, I'll be there when he gets out. I'll be careful," she promised, meeting each of our eyes. "And I expect you all will, too."
***
It took half an hour before a clear divide formed.
Kyle and I were positioned closer to the rugged freedom on the far side of the fence. Around us, Dorian, Shaun, Soren, and Zara had assembled. Nearer to the heart of the city stood Ana, Jack, Kole, and Rosalie, who all wanted to stay.
"Are we decided, then?" Dorian raised his voice impatiently over the hiss of frantic conversations.
Everyone went quiet, glancing between the fractured groups. Some eyes looked uncertain and scared, others resolute and determined.
"I guess this is where we say goodbye," Rosalie said, her voice cracking on the last word.
I raced forward, bridging the gap to crush her in a final hug. This time, some waterworks seemed justified; tears sprung from my eyes without shame.
"I know you can survive out there, Tess," she whispered. "Through and through, you're incredibly brave and strong. I'll never forget you."
My face crumpled, and I hugged her tighter. Through blurred vision, I saw that everyone else was also exchanging goodbyes. To our right, I vaguely registered Jack grilling Kyle for last-minute advice on how to fight soldiers.
After a long moment, I composed myself, pulling away. "That's way better than my goodbye speech. I was going to say: 'The only time I ever get to feel tall is around you.'"
She burst into laughter through her own tears.
"But really, Rose, you're too good for this world, and I've been so lucky to know you. You've always been the sunshine in everyone's lives. I'll miss you forever."
***
Working together to survive creates bonds like nothing else.
I cycled through everyone who had chosen to stay and exchanged well wishes. Even those I hadn't been close friends with were difficult to say goodbye to, like each of them was taking a piece of my heart with them.
By the time everyone was disentangled, the moon had climbed midway up the sky, blanketing the ground with a soft glow of light. Slowly, our two groups parted ways. I glanced around at my ever-shrinking family, trying to swallow the idea that I might never see the others again.
"And then there were fewer," Soren muttered.
We walked mostly in silence, nothing but the sound of brisk wind, crunching leaves, and swishing jackets between the six of us. Kyle guided the pack as if taking on an unspoken role as leader.
When we approached the fence, he stopped dead and glanced back. "I hear something buzzing. Don't touch anything."
"The fence is electrified?" Soren grinned widely. "I'll be the guinea pig."
"No, you won't," said Zara.
"Moron," Shaun muttered under his breath.
Zara ventured a few steps into the trees, scanning the ground, then knelt down to grasp a big stick. She returned and motioned for everyone to stand back, then tossed it unceremoniously at the fence. On contact, with a sudden blast of crackling sparks, the wood began to smoke, then burn, until it became a charred black crisp.
"How are we supposed to get out now?" Dorian questioned. His dark eyes were alight, as if he preferred the excitement of a challenge over the easy way out.
"Only two options," Kyle said, his gaze tracing the length of the fence into the distance. "Over or under."
We hiked along the border, staying quiet and hidden in the shadows. After another half hour, we found exactly what we were looking for: a towering tree with a branch extending just over the imposing fence. On the opposite side, a cedar looked close enough that we'd be able to jump onto its branches and climb to the ground.
"Maybe it goes without saying, but be careful," Kyle stressed. "Get a secure hold and only move one limb at a time. And don't let your feet brush the fence."
"Should we take our backpacks off and toss them over? It might be easier," Zara suggested.
Kyle nodded. "Good thinking."
"I'll do it," said Dorian, stepping forward. "I can make sure they don't get caught on the barbed wire and burnt to a crisp." The fence was high, maybe three times my height, so I trusted Dorian to do the job as the burliest member of the group. I shook off my pack as he tossed his own into the air, clearing the fence with ease.
Then I approached the huge tree with Kyle, who boosted me up and followed close behind. I carefully gripped handhold after handhold, searching for purchase with my feet against the rigid bark.
As the smallest person in the group, I thought it made sense that I go first to test our plan for safety. I managed to haul myself up to the branch, taking a breather as I sized it up. It looked sturdy enough. But when I accidentally glanced at the ground, my stomach lurched. Though I wasn't usually scared of heights, I knew a fall from that distance would hurt, not to mention the threat of electrocution from the fence below.
"You okay?" Kyle asked from startlingly close behind, making my heart pound faster. Over my shoulder, he was leaning casually against a sloping branch, as if this was as easy to him as walking.
"I, uh...yeah. Just considering how to approach this."
"The easiest way might be to scoot along flat on your stomach. Safer weight distribution, too."
I'd forgotten that Kyle climbed trees all the time—and was known to jump out of them to scare poor, unsuspecting people.
"Are you going to do it the easy way, or show off and walk across like it's a balance beam?"
He only cracked a grin in response.
I sighed and turned back toward the fence. Time to get this over with.
I threw my leg over the branch, straddling it, and began to ease my weight forward inch by inch. It grew thinner and flimsier as I proceeded, bowing slightly underneath me. I already dreaded to watch the heavier guys try to make it across.
Sweat beaded on my forehead as I continued, feeling my weight bend the tree even more. I stole a downward glance to find that I was past the fence and well into freedom. But the cedar tree wasn't close enough to grab onto. I'd need to leap for it.
I gripped the bark with both hands and raised my legs precariously underneath me. Before I had time to hesitate or look down again, I thrust with all my strength into the open air. There was nothing but the rush of wind and the churning sensation of freefall until I careened face-first into the spiny leaves and stiff branches of the neighboring tree. I slid down several feet, skin being scraped and battered, before my hands shot out and managed to grip a solid branch.
From there, the branches were spaced close enough together that I could easily lower myself downward, grateful to plant my feet on solid ground again.
From the other side of the fence, there was an eruption of celebratory hollers and whistles, cut off by a loud "shh!"
It was easy to forget that we still needed to be careful here at the city's furthest edges, surrounded by forest. Guards did patrol the entire border in shifts, so maybe we were being a little too conspicuous.
While I was up in the canopy, Dorian had successfully hurled each of our backpacks over. I tugged them into a pile behind a tree in case a guard did happen to stroll past.
Before I knew it, Soren, the second smallest, was crashing through the branches above, cackling with worryingly loud laughter. He landed beside me, every piece of exposed skin covered in scratches. I was sure I looked the same—like I'd been mauled by a housecat.
Zara made it across more gracefully, immediately catching a thick branch of the cedar and swinging to a halt.
Shaun, it turned out, had a fear of heights and had to be goaded into it by Dorian. But when it came to be Dorian's turn, he didn't look so eager, either.
"Did you hear that? I just heard the tree creak," he said nervously, stopping a foot from the base of the branch. I could hear him panting heavily. "You better go first, man," he said to Kyle, retreating a more solid limb of the tree.
Kyle moved quickly, every movement confident and sure. I barely had time to be nervous for him before he landed beside me with a thud.
"I guess you're feeling better," I said under my breath.
He smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder absentmindedly.
"You got this, Dorian!" Zara called out.
Dorian had pushed himself out onto the branch again, grimacing as he glanced down at us. He started dragging himself forward slowly.
Then he stopped, squinting into the distance. "I see lights. Flashlights."
"There's still time," Zara said. "You can make—"
Her voice choked off as she staggered and collapsed to the ground. Something whizzed past my ear—tranquilizer darts.
Just as I glanced back at the tree, a large figure tumbled from the branches. My mouth fell open and my entire body shuddered as Dorian's unconscious form slammed into the unforgiving ground.
Something wrenched my arm, and shouts that I couldn't make sense of met my ears. I felt paralyzed—rooted in place like the trees surrounding us.
Kyle was yanking me along, yelling for me to run, I slowly realized, meeting his frantic eyes.
I twisted out of his grip and clutched for my backpack, managing to sling it securely over my shoulder. Then, with all my will, I urged my trembling legs to run, stumbling recklessly through the untamed underbrush. The forest ahead was pure blackness, and our pursuers had flashlights. My stomach sunk as I recalled a similar scenario in the cathedral's basement, reliving the chase that led to my capture.
Terror seized complete control over my thoughts, and at that moment, I was certain we were doomed.