ELEVEN

.---- .----

Everything hurt.

I couldn’t open my eyes. When I breathed, I choked.

Someone held my hand. They said my name. 

Eventually, I spoke. “Ryon?”

“I’m here. I’m here.” He pushed back my hair. “You’re alright.” 

“What happened?” I squinted at him. 

“There was an explosion. You were in the Black Market when it all happened...” Ryon stroked my cheek again. “I saw it all. Happened right when I got back with Jaida. You got so lucky, Nan.”

“I was trying to warn them... but they brushed it off...” I coughed.

“They hear these warnings a lot. After a while, they ignore them.” 

“But did anyone survive?” 

“I got some kids out. Ran right in as soon as I could. Others were helping, too. Some big fellow was carrying you on his back when I finally found you. Didn’t catch his name, but...he saved your life. Nanette... I thought...” He closed his eyes and squeezed my hand, his voice breaking, “I thought I lost you.”

I reached for him, “I’m here.” 

“I know... but...you could have died.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe Captain Oberland issued the order...you always said that he was a kind man and—”

“Captain Oberland isn’t in charge anymore...” I slowly detailed the events that took place earlier in the day. My throat hurt by the end, but I gulped back my tears.

 “That explains it then. They...this Cordova fellow...he must have issued the order.” Ryon seethed. “The Black Market is destroyed! They killed so many people, and you...you were so lucky, Nanette.”

He gathered me in his arms, gentle as always, and held me close. His entire body shook.

“I’m fine,” I promised. My body still ached, but as far as I could tell, it was just a few bumps and bruises. Otherwise, I survived. 

Ryon’s fear rocked the room. “I...I can’t lose you. Nanette...I know it hasn’t been long...but you...I love you, and I don’t know what I would do if I lost you...”

I stroked his cheek, running my fingers through his beard. “We’ll get through this. We’re going to be alright. Because I love you too.”

“But… it’s just… I can’t… I can’t lose you,” Ryon repeated.

“You never will.” I pulled him close. “We’re going to get our own place once we have the money, and then we can get married and never be apart again.”

Ryon shifted backward to stare at me. “Married?”

“What?” My face warmed. “Haven’t you considered it?”

“Yes...but...are you...is this a proposal?” Ryon laughed.

“It can be.”

“Well, then…yes! Of course, I want to marry you! Just...this is...unexpected!” He laughed nervously. “Yes! We should get married once everything is stable. Yes! Yes! Yes!” His voice squeaked on each note. “You’ll marry me?” 

“That’s what I said!” 

“We’re not moving too fast, though? We’ve only known each other for a couple of months—”

“Marietta and Elodie were engaged within a month. But if it makes you feel better, we can say it’s a tentative proposal. Until we’re ready.” I took his hand and kissed it. 

“Until we feel ready... yes. Yes! That’s perfect. You’re perfect!” He swooped me up in his arms and kissed me deeply. I shifted under the flurrying heat of the kiss, but the aches and pains stopped me from pushing further.

We kept kissing until the door swung open.

“Now that’s utterly absurd!” Elodie’s voice boomed. “How dare you take advantage of my sweet sister when she’s injured, of all things?” 

Ryon released me.

Elodie waltzed into the room, carrying a tray of food and water. She glowered. “What a ruckus you got yourself into, Doris Nanette Ivans! I told you those storytellers were no good!” 

“What?” I sat up again, using Ryon’s arm for support.

“It’s in all the gazettes! They say the storytellers wanted to tell a tale about fire demons, so they set the alleyway ablaze! They killed people! Nanette, you could have been one of them!” Elodie shoved a piece of bread and the glass of water into my hands. “You are fortunate to end up only with a couple cuts.” 

I stared at her. “The storytellers didn’t cause the explosion. The Guard did.”

“Oh, you must have hit your head hard, dear.” Elodie took my hands. “The Guard were only there to stop people from getting hurt.” 

“I was there! I saw! None of the storytellers were doing anything wrong! The Guard trapped us and set the alley ablaze!” 

“No, they didn’t! Mr. Barnes is filling your head with lies.”

“I saw it!” 

Elodie scoffed, “Doris—”

“My name is Nanette!” 

“Fine, Nanette. I wish you would stop with these tales and rumors. Think of the utter legal mess if the Guard was responsible! All the cover-up and details—” 

“I transcribed the cover-ups!” 

“Nanette—”

“You only learned about all of this bull in your law classes, which you didn’t even finish!”

Elodie tossed back her hair and laughed nervously, “You’re being hysterical right now!”

“I’m not!” I wanted to scream, but tears burned my cheeks, and my throat roared in aches.

Ryon came to my rescue. “Why don’t you listen to your sister, Ms. Lieu? Don’t you trust your family?” 

“Nanette has a pension for stories and bad decisions. Just like you.” Elodie glared. “Why don’t you go back to wooing random women and stop infiltrating my life?”

“Your life!?!” I shot up. “YOUR LIFE? Ryon is part of MY LIFE! He has done nothing to me! We love each other, Elodie, and...and we’re going to get married!” My hand gripped Ryon’s arm.

“No, you’re not. As your older sister, I will not allow it.” Elodie stated.

“Why? You don’t control me!”

“I need to look out for you...for Father’s sake—”

“I looked after Father for years WITHOUT you!”

Elodie shook her head. “You’re disoriented, Nanette.”

“I’m fine!” 

“No, you’re not.”

“Why can’t you just be happy for me, Elodie?” My voice boomed around the room. Tears cascaded down my cheeks. “I came here to be with you—my sister! But ever since I’ve come, all you’ve tried to do is make me be YOU. The moment I acted like ME, you disowned me! Why? Why can’t you be happy that I’ve found someone that makes me smile?”

“You don’t know him!” Elodie snapped.

“I know him plenty! It’s you I don’t know!” I tugged at the sheets as I looked away. “I guess I never realized that you were such a...such a...”

“Such a what?” Elodie’s eyes flared.

I let the words escape my mouth, hissing like a snake as they escaped: “A bitch.”

A moment of silence followed.

Then a smack.

It slammed into my face, numbing my jaw and leaving my mouth agape.

Elodie stared at me with her hand raised. A beat. A pause. Then, without another word, she left the room.

I said nothing as she left, unable to move. Ryon mimicked my silence as we listened to her shoes click down the hallway. Another door slammed. 

All fell quiet.

Except for my sobs.

 

I never went back to work. The two weeks that circumvented my recovery spun in a whirlwind, resulting in a letter on our doorstep from Captain Cordova finalizing my termination. The reasoning: excessive absences. A fair reason, and I didn’t bother fighting it. I couldn’t tell him how I ended up injured. The questions would be relentless: Why were you in the alleyway? Are you a storyteller? You requested those classified documents, didn’t you?

It was for the best. Why would I want to work for such an abrasive man, anyway? 

Ryon stayed by my side through it all, rarely leaving. He ignored Elodie’s remarks, sleeping beside me while I healed, bringing me food, and recanting current events. When I needed comfort, he kissed me tenderly. My honest, sweet fiancé; I wished for Elodie to open her heart to him so much. 

At least Marietta didn’t mind Ryon. In fact, I’d say she adored having another helping hand around the house. It gave her a chance to tend to Elodie’s incessant demands and arrange for the baby while Ryon prepared food, completed housework, and ran errands. Every couple days, Marietta would give Ryon an elixir she acquired from her apothecary to help with my injuries, where they’d make small talk about the day-to-day. It was what I yearned for Ryon and Elodie to have; why did she have to glare at him with such hatred? What had he ever done? 

Part of me understood she blamed Ryon for my injuries. Yet, she wouldn’t listen to my side of the story! Every remark out of her mouth to Ryon began with, “Well, if you actually cared about Nanette, then...” before speaking in my place.

What would Papa say? He would be so happy for my engagement but so heartbroken over my feud with Elodie. Family was everything to him. We were all part of the same story, a key part of our history. But I couldn’t fix the bridge between us, no matter how hard I tried. 

After receiving my termination letter, I hid in my bedroom for the day, eating the chocolate cakes Ryon picked up and avoiding the mashed potatoes Elodie tried to serve me. What was I going to do? Honestly, working as a scribe had been the perfect job for me. Sure, I didn’t want to work under Captain Cordova... but what could I do now?

Was my small act of rebellion worth it?

The question lingered for a few days, both aloud to Ryon and in my head. How could I help storytellers? Was I nothing more than any other civilian out there now, trying my best to survive? Was it my job to help? I was just a single person in a city; could my little statements, my little dreams, really change the world? 

I fought my self-deprecation. Of course, the fight was worth it! Sometimes glory came by quiet steps, even on burned paths.

The unburned path showed itself to me when Jaida Heartz came to visit me a couple days later.

Ryon and I sat in the lounge, drinking tea like an old married couple, when a knock rocked the room. Marietta and Elodie had gone to the market. So with only the two of us there, Ryon answered the door. “Oh! Ms. Heartz!”

“I heard what happened. May I come in?” 

Before Ryon could reply, Jaida pushed into the room, looking as stunning as ever. She locked eyes with me. “Oh my dear, you look terrible! I was completely heartbroken when I found out what happened.” 

I rose, my days of defensiveness against Elodie sticking to my tongue. “The storytellers didn’t light the street aflame! It was the Guard—” 

“I am quite aware.” Jaida sat across from me on the couch. “I am not a fool. Ryon showed me the Pit. I understand everything now.”

Right. The Pit. I had forgotten. In fact, I hadn’t even asked Ryon how it went! It seemed so small in the grand scheme of things.

Jaida continued, “My brother requested the files regarding the Utopia Project. I should have had him do it in the first place, but he is quite a busy fellow. He didn’t think it was relevant. It makes more sense anyway... they cannot deny a senator’s request.” She took my hand. “I am so sorry, Nanette. If I had used my head, you might have avoided termination.”

“It’s alright. I don’t want to work for Captain Cordova, anyway.” That was a partial lie. I imagined all the secrets I missed out on now, far away from the Capitol’s walls. Still, the idea of sitting in the same room as Captain Cordova made my stomach churn.

“It is probably for the best,” Jaida replied. “I heard they fired Captain Oberland without pension for betraying the state.” 

My heart sank.

Jaida continued, “I know what you are thinking, but it is not your fault. They never got a hold of your memos. I withdrew all of them for our own research. Ryon mentioned how long you’ve been doing this, and we decided it was best.”

Ryon smiled sheepishly at me. What a gem.

Jaida continued, “Do not hold yourself accountable. In fact, they terminated Captain Oberland for his request of the Utopian Project files...a classified program. He confessed to it all.”

“He...protected me?” I gasped. “Why?”

“Because he wasn’t a bad fellow. When I was a child, he was a guard in the Newbird’s Arm before relocating here.” Jaida stared out the window. “I spoke with him briefly after his termination. He’s going back to the Newbird Region to live out the rest of his life. He wanted me to tell you to stay brave.”

I covered my mouth to hold back tears again. All those times working with my head down, writing those fake memos, and keeping a heart-felt smile, I never expected that Captain Oberland cared for me.

Did he know what I was doing this whole time?

Ryon massaged my back as I swallowed my tears.

“You are quite brave, Nanette. Your fight is only just beginning. I’m sure you will continue to be prosperous.” Jaida said. “If I know my brother, he’ll take my recommendation to heart. That’s why I need someone who can help me navigate these uncertain times. Unfortunately, while I would love your assistance, I cannot justify hiring you as an aid. But...” She glanced at Ryon. “Mr. Barnes, I might persuade the committee to hire you if you are interesting. I need more information regarding the Pit, and I am sure my brother will as well, and you seem quite knowledgeable on the predicament outside the Capitol.”

Ryon’s eyes widened. “Really? You would take me? I’m a farm boy. I can’t write well, nor do I have a formal education. Are you sure you want to hire me?” 

Jaida held up her hand. “It doesn’t matter. You have the information I need, and I can trust you, and that is the key.”

Ryon glanced at me for reassurance. I nodded eagerly. This was what Ryon had wanted! He’d be able to stop being a cabby and move into the city… and work in the government, changing it all from within their walls! We’d be able to afford our own home soon enough... and then I would never have to bother Elodie again!

“Um, yes!” Ryon beamed. “I’d be happy to help!” 

“Excellent!” Jaida smiled at both of us. “I will see you tomorrow at the Capitol Building, Mr. Barnes.” She rose, then before turning, she stared at me straight with her auburn eyes. “Do not fret, Nanette. Your story will flourish soon enough.”

The moment she left, I threw my arms around Ryon and squeezed him. I hadn’t seen him smile like that in weeks. It lit up his eyes, punctuating his dimples, while his single golden tooth glimmered in the dim light.

I would have kissed him, but the front door swung open again. Elodie and Marietta walked into the foyer.

Elodie gagged upon seeing Ryon embrace me.

To make a point, I kissed Ryon’s cheek, then released him.

“Absolutely abhorrent,” Elodie snarled, “I hope you two were behaving when Ms. Heartz was here!”

They must have run into her on their way up the walk.

“Why was Jaida here, anyway?” Marietta inquired. “She usually isn’t the most sociable type. Getting her to submit expense reports is a headache as it is…but she has time to come out here?”

Now was my chance to brag about my wonderful fiancé. A grin of delight on my face with each word. “Ms. Heartz just offered Ryon a job!”

I don’t think I ever saw Elodie look so disgusted.