curiously.
“Oh—I—I don’t actually know where it is. I was never invited,” I answered softly, and I knew Tallis sensed the sadness in my voice, because he stiffened beside me. “But it wasn’t so bad,” I quickly added. “It was nice to have a break from their stupidity every now and then.”
“What a coincidence, we went to the Grove to escape you,” Cyler replied with a laugh. Tallis snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me close. Jacob observed us with a smile before walking ahead with Cyler.
“I would have brought you along,” Tallis whispered before Cyler yelled up ahead.
“I appreciate your support,” I began while watching to see if Jacob and Cy were out of earshot. “But, can you make this a little less obvious?” I gestured between us, hoping he would catch on.
Tallis’ eyes dipped in disapproval as he stepped closer, ignoring my request. He grabbed my shoulders and dipped low so that his lips were moving against mine.
“Once we find Gordon, we’re going to have a little talk about what ‘this’ is,” Tallis said with stormy eyes that were barely visible in the dark. I felt his gaze on me. His fiery disapproval throbbed in my soul.
“Found him!” Jacob’s voice rang throughout the woods, jarring us out of the intensity of the moment.
Tallis and I began jogging towards them through a thick expanse of trees and into an open area. At the base of a tree, the moonlight illuminated Gordon, who was sitting and massaging his thigh. I collapsed on the ground and hugged him before pinching his face between my hands, observing him.
“You scared the shit out of me, what were you thinking?!” I exclaimed while squeezing him, I wanted to make sure he was really there and safe.
“I know, it was dumb. But I couldn’t stand to look at him,” Gordon said while nodding his head towards Tallis, who despite the darkness, looked positively devastated.
“You can’t run away just because you’re upset. God Gordon, you could have seriously gotten hurt. There are consequences to your actions!” I exclaimed as I was flooded with adrenaline and relief. The combination of sensations made me shake.
“You’re one to talk,” Cyler mumbled and then grunted as Jacob elbowed him in the ribs.
“Could you please not seek out every opportunity to insult me,” I said through clenched teeth. The wind picked up and brushed Cyler’s long hair across his face.
“Yeah, leave Jules alone. Who are you anyway?!” Gordon asked, furrowing his brow. My heart warmed at his desire to defend me.
“I’m her brother. Besides, isn’t she the reason you’re out here in the first place?” Cyler asked, tapping on his Tablet before pocketing it.
“No. I’m here because I overheard Tallis telling her that he killed my Grandfather,” Gordon growled. The Grove fell into an awkward silence.
After a few moments of listening to crickets chirp, Tallis spoke. “I know we need to talk but running off and scaring Nikketa is unacceptable. Are you able to walk?” Instead of answering him, Gordon looked to me.
“Tell him that I’ll need help,” Gordon said, all while refusing to even look in the direction of Tallis.
“Yeah,” I began while rolling my eyes, “I’m no carrier pigeon. Cy, pick him up and start walking back,” I ordered. Cy nodded with a sigh and helped Gordon stand, then they began walking with Tallis back towards the Scavenger camp.
My eyes followed them for a moment before drifting up to the sky, looking at the twinkling stars. It seemed so surreal to be here. The Grove was always this abstract concept. A dream. Never before was I allowed to tag along, but now being here felt anticlimactic. The beauty of the stars was nothing compared to the hazy glow of the fire in the Scavenger camp.
“You coming?” Jacob asked softly, and I realized that for the first time since my betrayal, we were alone.
“I want to stay here a moment longer,” I said while looking around the peaceful grove. “For so long, I dreamed of being invited to your secret space. To peek into your world,” I murmured while fixing my hair. I fanned my sweaty neck and enjoyed the light breeze.
“I’m sorry we never invited you…” Jacob’s voice trailed off. He looked up at the sky, avoiding my gaze. I bit my lip, the nerves I felt from what I needed to say caused me to shake.
“Jacob. I—I never wanted to hurt you,” I whispered after we were quiet for a while. I knew this moment had to