37

 

I HEAD OVER to the carriage. I’m reattaching her horse to the traces when Sissy catches up with me. She stands on the other side of the horse.

“What are you doing?” she says.

“What we are doing.” I pull the leather strap through the latches, hard enough to cause the horse to snort with complaint. “We’re going back for Epap. Together.”

“You don’t—” she begins to say.

“It’s already late afternoon. We don’t have much time. We certainly don’t have time to argue. I’m coming with you. We’re both doing this.”

She stares at me silently. She starts shaking her head. “Gene—”

“By the time we get to the Domain Building, dusk will be almost upon us. We need to slip in and out quickly. Find Epap, then get the hell out.” I reattach the horse collar, fastening it securely. “There’s going to be no room for error. No room to get your bearings, to find your way. I know the Domain Building. You need me.”

Sissy doesn’t say anything, but I feel her eyes scrutinizing my every move. I slide between the two horses, double-check the axle. The carriage is ready. Sissy is still staring at me. I walk to the nearest tree. “Getting fruit for Epap,” I tell Sissy over my shoulder. I pluck a few of the larger dangling fruit, cradle them in the nook of my arm.

I throw the fruit through the window into the carriage. As I walk around to the front, I see no sign of Sissy. She’s not inside the carriage, nor is she standing by the horses. I scan the trees.

“Up here,” she says from the driver’s seat. She’s sitting on one side of the bench, leaving room for me to sit next to her. Our eyes meet and she holds my gaze. I hop on, sit beside her.

I grab the reins, slap them down. The carriage takes off, slowly, then faster as the horses break into a gallop. The ground blurs beneath us, green to brown. With every bounce, Sissy and I bump against each other. She slides closer to me, leaning against me. I press back slightly. Wind blows hard against our faces. We don’t speak as we push toward the distant skyscrapers. Back into the hornet’s nest. But Sissy is next to me, Sissy is with me, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.