I sat in the springy moss around the tree's base and leaned against the towering trunk. The sunlight shone on my skin and I drank it in with my eyes closed, feeling the warmth sink into me. I would never get enough of the feeling of sunlight and wind and rain and everything real about the world that had been hidden from me for so long. I kicked off my boots and socks, which were still hanging onto some moisture, and dug my toes into the soft moss.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" Coal asked hesitantly from somewhere above me after I'd been sit
ting alone for a while. I could feel his shadow laying over me but I kept my eyes closed and shrugged.
I felt him settle down next to me, not near enough that we were touching but I could hear the steady rise and fall of his breath somewhere to my left. We sat there for a long time and I felt the lengthening shadows move across my face as the afternoon passed us by.
I didn't sleep and I was sure that Coal didn't either. He just sat with me and waited and that felt so good that I wasn’t sure I could express my gratitude for it in words.
Eventually, as the sun dipped below the horizon I opened my eyes and turned towards him.
"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes wary.
“For what?" The temperature was dropping quickly now that the sun wasn't touching us.
“That we can't go and get your parents right away."
"It's okay." And it was. Part of me wanted to go charging out and rescue them but another part of me was still reeling from the shock of finding out that they were alive. Some time to process the information wouldn't do me any harm. I felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of them stuck in some cell needing rescue but it wasn’t like I could do anything about that. Yet.
"I understand if you don't feel the same way about me anymore," Coal said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“What?" I frowned at him.
"I would understand it, if knowing that your parents were captured because they were involved with us, would mean you couldn't feel that way about me anymore." His eyes were guarded as they looked into mine.
"It was five years ago, how old were you then?"
"Fourteen," he replied.
"How could a fourteen year old be responsible for infiltrating the city?" I asked.
"I'm still part of the group that was responsible."
"I'm not angry at anyone here," I said firmly.
"Why not?"
“Because all they wanted was for everyone to have a chance at a life in the real world, and to bring down the lies that trap everyone within that city," I spat, my own anger surprising me.
“But your parents-"
"Were captured because they dreamed of getting out. That's what's wrong here, not the people who were trying to help them achieve it, but the people who are trying to stop them."
“Do you think we're doing the right thing then?" he asked with concern.
"Yes." A long silence followed my answer as we looked into each other's eyes.
"We should go in." He stood and offered me his hand. I pointed at his bandaged ribs and stood by myself.
"If you don't heal you won't be any use helping me get my parents back," I said, smiling at him as I brushed the dust from my pants.
My legs had gone numb and I kicked at the ground to help get the blood flowing again. The moss was starting to feel cold and damp under my bare feet but I didn't want to put them back into my stuffy boots so I just carried them instead.
I felt disgusting. Somewhere nearby, a shower was waiting for me and I ached to get to it as soon as possible. At least Coal was still as gross as me or I’d have died of mortification by now.
"I hate healing," Coal sighed irritably.
He put his arm around my shoulders and walked with me, back into the same apartment we’d slept in the last time we were in town. I wondered vaguely if we were still avoiding his house but I didn’t ask about it again. There were too many things going on in my head without worrying about that.