look at me. “I liked when you didn’t know. I liked who you thought I was.”
Apparently I wasn’t as bright as I thought I was. How much work did she go into to hide this from me? That time when she fell asleep with the laptop by her … Was that because she couldn’t move it?
How serious was muscular dystrophy? I didn’t know enough about it. I wanted to run a search for it, to know everything about what we were going to face. But my heart settled quickly. No matter what would come, it didn’t change anything, not for me.
“You could have told me.” I said. My voice was calmer than my mind.
“I know. I know.”
But I could have asked more questions. I looked at her, really looked. She always seemed so tough, but she seemed so breakable now, like she was made of porcelain.
She closed her eyes. “And that’s why I didn’t tell you. I’m not … argh.” Her eyes flashed open wide. “I can’t log out.”
I remembered, suddenly, my granddad, the way he hated when people didn’t know what to say, when people talked around his illness. I knew how to handle this. “Why would you log out? We’re having a conversation.”
“When it comes to fight or flight, I have wings and I run.”
“Not very fast.”
Her face froze. “That’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.” I touched her arm, and I could feel her skin. I swallowed back my worry. “I don’t run. It’s not in my nature. So you can flit around all you like, little bird, but once your heartbeat settles, you can come find me. If you need to go, I’ll be okay. But I’m not quitting on you.”
“You sure?” she asked, her eyes glistening.
I had to be enough for her. “You can trust me with who you are. I promise you, love. I can handle it.”
“I’m Zoe. By the way.”
“Zoe.” I savored the way her real name felt in my mouth.
She bit her lip. “I like how you say my name.”
I smiled. “I’m Griffin, by the by.”
“I know,” she said. “I looked up all your information before we ever talked.”
“I figured. You’re a curious girl.”
She drew a breath like she drew a sword and she faced me like she faced certain death. “I’m not going to get better, Grig.”
I drew a shallow breath. “That doesn’t matter.”
“In fact, I’m just going to keep getting worse.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” My voice trembled, and I fought it. I wanted to be strong for her, but the idea of losing her like I lost my granddad broke my resolve. I stepped close. So close the feathers from her robe tickled my skin. So close I could see the fear in her eyes, see the moment she almost gave up on me. “I’m not running.” I touched her cheek and she leaned into my hand. It was a promise. An oath. And I’d break all my bones before I broke it.
What did it mean that I could touch her? “You can’t log out?”
She stepped back, her eyes wide with panic. “Oh yeah, no, that’s bad. I’m trying. Just give me a minute.”
Her skin raked with static. I reached for her and couldn’t feel her. The sky flashed red. I heard thunder and lightning flashing at the horizon. “I’m going to have to damage the source code to break free.”
My throat clenched. We both turned away from the sky.
“Go,” I whispered.
She pointed up the path. “That way,” she mouthed.
I nodded and she disappeared. And when she left she took a pixilated line of sky with her.
* * *
I felt more alone after she left. But I’d get back to her. I made a promise I wouldn’t run, and I was going to keep it.
I followed the path until I found a cleric holding a lantern at the side of the path, like he was just waiting to give me a side quest. Silver hair, pale skin, his long red robe stained on the edges. And when he bowed, the light glinted off the gold markings on his forehead. “The Seer Spring said you were coming to aid us in our fight against the queen.”
“You are an enemy to the queen?”
He bowed. “I am but a simple servant of the goddess. I am no warrior like you. We could use your help.”
I nodded and he turned. I flexed my fingers and followed him, ready at any moment to draw bones to me. One thing I knew about video games was that