Her pitch-black clothes are tight and her stark white hair is cut short, falling in messy strands over her right eye. Everything about her screams pride. She strolls past us and plucks her arrow from the dirt. Julian throws a nervous glance at me before facing her.
“Dena. What are you doing here?” He sounds wary.
“What, no 'thank you'?” She places one hand on her hip and waves the arrow with the other.
“Thanks for what? Killing them? For immobilizing Rowan? I could have done that.” But his voice lacks the conviction of his words.
The girl, Dena, doesn't even spare me a glance before sauntering over to him. Close to him. Closer than close. She presses her body against his and leans in, so their faces are barely breaths apart.
“No, Julian,” she breathes. He leans away, but she leans closer. “For saving you from my father.”
I blink.
That’s where I’ve seen those eyes. She’s Chancellor Kole’s daughter. My sliver of dislike increases tenfold. That’s why Julian wasn’t at the gallows. She saved him from Chancellor Kole. Not Slate. Not me, like I wanted to.
The tips of Julian’s ears turn pink and he opens his mouth. She raises her finger and traces his lips. “Shh, don't give me that ‘I wanted to die’ crap again.”
I inhale sharply. Julian was trying to get himself killed in the Chamber. The reality of that hits me in the stomach.
They stare at each other in silence.
Dena's gaze flickers to his lips and my cheeks burn. I don't want to see anymore. I wipe my sweaty palms down my pants and hurry towards the Tower.
It wasn't Julian who saved me. It was Dena. I don't feel afraid anymore. No, this is disgust. And anger at my cowardice.
I hear Dena screech and Julian sigh. I want to cover my ears and wash my eyes.
“Lissa, wait!” Julian calls. I stop, but don't turn around.
“Thank you saving me,” I say. He flinches at my monotone.
“It's not what you think.”
“I don't think anything. It's none of my business,” I say. Even I'm surprised at the bitterness in my voice.
By the time we near the Tower, my anger has faded, and every heartbeat of silence makes me more embarrassed.
Julian looks at me. “There was one point in my life when I wanted so many things, her included. I thought I loved her.”
I purse my lips and stare ahead. But he knows I’m listening.
“Then my mom died.” His voice is a soft, pained whisper. “I loved her so much. More than anything. And I-I couldn't save her.” He chokes off in a humorless laugh.
“I didn't want anything after that. Not Dena, not Earth, not even my life. Life lost its meaning. I've been trying to join my mom ever since. And Dena—”
“It wasn't love.”
“What?” He stops.
“You never loved Dena,” I say, facing him. “Or you would love her now, even more so. Love only gets stronger through hardship and pain.”
He stares at me and his gaze softens. I laugh softly, and continue walking. “Not that I know anything of love.”
“You loved Gage,” he says after a moment.
I shake my head. “I thought I did. I thought he loved me. But I was a hungry creature he was able to feed with Earth and lies. When Slate looks at me— that is love. Until then, I had no idea what it looked like.”
The sharp tang of acid flits into my nose, and though there are no clouds in the sky, it’s only a matter of time before the sky will split and rain will spill.
They say Jutaire is red because of the rain. When humans first came to Jutaire, there were many of us. They spread their arms and welcomed the rain to wash over them. But they didn’t know.
Standing in the rain is suicide.
Each raindrop is a bullet. A wound that leaves blood trailing down your skin. They say half our race was murdered by the sky. Their blood seeped into the ground and stained the land red for eternity.
Gage said on Earth, rain was as clean as the water in our basins, which we boil long after the rain has passed. On Jutaire, the scent that reeks
“Dena. What are you doing here?” He sounds wary.
“What, no 'thank you'?” She places one hand on her hip and waves the arrow with the other.
“Thanks for what? Killing them? For immobilizing Rowan? I could have done that.” But his voice lacks the conviction of his words.
The girl, Dena, doesn't even spare me a glance before sauntering over to him. Close to him. Closer than close. She presses her body against his and leans in, so their faces are barely breaths apart.
“No, Julian,” she breathes. He leans away, but she leans closer. “For saving you from my father.”
I blink.
That’s where I’ve seen those eyes. She’s Chancellor Kole’s daughter. My sliver of dislike increases tenfold. That’s why Julian wasn’t at the gallows. She saved him from Chancellor Kole. Not Slate. Not me, like I wanted to.
The tips of Julian’s ears turn pink and he opens his mouth. She raises her finger and traces his lips. “Shh, don't give me that ‘I wanted to die’ crap again.”
I inhale sharply. Julian was trying to get himself killed in the Chamber. The reality of that hits me in the stomach.
They stare at each other in silence.
Dena's gaze flickers to his lips and my cheeks burn. I don't want to see anymore. I wipe my sweaty palms down my pants and hurry towards the Tower.
It wasn't Julian who saved me. It was Dena. I don't feel afraid anymore. No, this is disgust. And anger at my cowardice.
I hear Dena screech and Julian sigh. I want to cover my ears and wash my eyes.
“Lissa, wait!” Julian calls. I stop, but don't turn around.
“Thank you saving me,” I say. He flinches at my monotone.
“It's not what you think.”
“I don't think anything. It's none of my business,” I say. Even I'm surprised at the bitterness in my voice.
By the time we near the Tower, my anger has faded, and every heartbeat of silence makes me more embarrassed.
Julian looks at me. “There was one point in my life when I wanted so many things, her included. I thought I loved her.”
I purse my lips and stare ahead. But he knows I’m listening.
“Then my mom died.” His voice is a soft, pained whisper. “I loved her so much. More than anything. And I-I couldn't save her.” He chokes off in a humorless laugh.
“I didn't want anything after that. Not Dena, not Earth, not even my life. Life lost its meaning. I've been trying to join my mom ever since. And Dena—”
“It wasn't love.”
“What?” He stops.
“You never loved Dena,” I say, facing him. “Or you would love her now, even more so. Love only gets stronger through hardship and pain.”
He stares at me and his gaze softens. I laugh softly, and continue walking. “Not that I know anything of love.”
“You loved Gage,” he says after a moment.
I shake my head. “I thought I did. I thought he loved me. But I was a hungry creature he was able to feed with Earth and lies. When Slate looks at me— that is love. Until then, I had no idea what it looked like.”
The sharp tang of acid flits into my nose, and though there are no clouds in the sky, it’s only a matter of time before the sky will split and rain will spill.
They say Jutaire is red because of the rain. When humans first came to Jutaire, there were many of us. They spread their arms and welcomed the rain to wash over them. But they didn’t know.
Standing in the rain is suicide.
Each raindrop is a bullet. A wound that leaves blood trailing down your skin. They say half our race was murdered by the sky. Their blood seeped into the ground and stained the land red for eternity.
Gage said on Earth, rain was as clean as the water in our basins, which we boil long after the rain has passed. On Jutaire, the scent that reeks
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