“No, you’re not fine. What were you thinking? You don’t hit the guards back!”
“I’m just so fed up.” His voice sounded tired. “But I guess on the bright side, I’m still alive and a bunch of guys are interested in joining your rebellion.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear them? They want me to teach them how to fight.”
“You didn’t deliberately pick a fight to impress Reyes and his friends, did you?”
“It wasn’t the reason I started the fight, but once I got going I realized I had their attention. I counted all the guards, but it’s really dark down there, and I missed one.”
“You could’ve been killed. What you did was dangerous.”
“Did you think starting a rebellion wasn’t going to be dangerous? I teach a couple of guys a few moves and the most they’ll get out of it is what I got today or probably worse. If you want things to change down here, you need to teach an army how to fight. And if I’m not willing to take the risk of fighting back, don’t expect them to listen to anything you want me to tell them. You have to lead by example, and now I have their attention.”
The last time Jack had spoken to me like that was in his apartment before the wedding, back when he was about to become the president-in-waiting. He was using the same authoritative, matter-of-fact tone. I didn’t like this Jack, even though I knew he was right. And what he was proposing—raising an army—was a far bigger plan than anything I ever had in mind. I just wanted the violence to stop. I wanted every person down there capable of fighting back every time a guard or supervisor raised his hand to strike. I wanted to empower them.
“I have to get some ice.” I turned to leave.
“Sunny,” Jack said softly. I stopped at the bedroom door. “I’m sorry. That was harsh.”
“No. It was right,” I said, and left the apartment.
Chapter Nineteen
I decided to go down to the sixth level to get the ice because I was more at home there. I knew the people working behind the counter would give it to me with no questions asked, although I really didn’t want to run into Reyes. He would probably start another argument, and I didn’t need that tonight.
I was beginning to understand now what Jack had been trying to tell me all along. Arming a few people with the skills to defend themselves was only going to get them killed. Jack’s injury was proof enough that the guards weren’t going to put up with an insolent urchin. But I didn’t see how we could raise an army and stay hidden from Holt as well.
Most people had eaten by then, and the line-up for food was short. I looked around to see if Summer was there. She wasn’t. Reyes was there, though, so I kept my head down.
“I need some ice,” I said when it was my turn. Ice wasn’t a usual commodity in the Pit, but it was available for emergencies.
“What do you need it for?” asked the woman behind the counter.
“My husband may have a concussion. I need ice for the swelling.” I hoped I looked pathetic enough for her to take pity on me.
She narrowed her eyes, studying me. “Your husband the one that laid six guards on their backs in the mine today?”
I nodded.
“Then I’ll come personally to have a look at him for you.”
“It’s okay. I just need the ice. He seems fine.” Alarms were going off inside my head. If anyone examined Jack closely they would probably recognize him. He wasn’t hurt badly enough to take that chance. She ignored me and started rummaging through her things behind the counter to put a bag together.
“You two eat yet?”
“Really, all I want is the ice.”
She continued as if I’d never spoken, placing two containers of food into her bag. “I have almost fifteen years of medical training behind me so I can tell you if it’s a concussion or not.” She came around from behind the counter and headed for the door. I had to run to catch up to her. “Might be I can’t do anything for him, but at least I should be able to tell if it’s serious or not. Which way?” she asked when we reached the hall.
“My husband’s really uncomfortable around strangers. Please, if you could just give me some ice.” I realized I should never have sought out help. I was putting us in too much danger of being caught.
“I know who you are,” the woman said in a voice so low only I would hear. “And I know who the man is you’re trying to protect. Now I don’t have much of a soft spot for the bourge, but when I hear a man kicked the snot out of six guards because they were pickin’ on a little kid, well I don’t mind helping out at all.”
All I could do was stare at her in shock. My first instinct was to deny everything she said, but by the look on her face, my denials would fall on deaf ears.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“You think you grew up in the Pit without anyone ever noticing you? It’s hard not to notice a girl of your height who likes to put coal in her hair. That hat you wear isn’t hiding anything.” She laughed.
I started climbing the stairs. “Does everyone know?” All this time I thought we had everyone fooled.
“Anyone who knew you before probably knows you now, too. Not to mention just about everyone down here watched your wedding. You’re a famous couple.”
I left the stairs at the second level and went in the direction of our apartment. I still wasn’t sure about this. I didn’t have to go to our apartment and give our location away. I could still mislead her. But Jack did need the ice, and it seemed like this was the only way to get it for him. I guessed she could’ve turned us in any time but she hadn’t, so I decided to take the risk, went to our apartment, and let her in.
She nodded toward the bedroom.
“Is he in there?”
“Yes.” I followed behind her.
Jack must have heard her voice because he was trying to stand when we went into the bedroom. He leaned against the wall to steady himself.
“Woozy, are you?” the woman asked.
“Who is this?”
“Just sit back down on the bed before you fall over and hurt yourself,” the woman said in a tone not to be argued with. Jack shot me a questioning look, but all I could do was shrug. He sat back down. “My name’s Dawn Reed. I already told your wife I have fifteen years of medical training. I’m not educated like the doctors you have upstairs, but I’ve managed to keep a few people alive in my day.” Jack was still staring at me, and his eyes widened at her admission.
“I’m sure my wife exaggerated my condition. She worries about me like that. I’m fine,” he said brushing her hands away from him.
Dawn persisted, though, intent on feeling his head for any wounds. She found the bump on his head. “Oh, that’s a good one. You’ll definitely need some ice on it to take down the swelling.” She rummaged through her bag and came up with a small flashlight. “Let’s take a look at your eyes.” She bent his head back. He tried to jerk away, but it was too late. “Wow, those eyes are bluer in person than they are on television. How have you been hiding them down here?”
“She knows, Jack,” I said.
“And you brought her here anyway?”
“She can turn us in whether she knows where we’re living or not.”
“She’s right,” Dawn said. “A lot of people have figured out who you are. But no one is going to turn you in. Sunny is a hero down here, and as long as you’re with her, you’re safe, too… I think.”
“You’re saying the minute I’m not with her…”
“No one down here likes a bourge, and you’re high up on the food chain. I mean, you were pretty close to becoming president yourself, weren’t you?” She said it like it was a bad thing. “But if she says you’re okay, then we’ll let you stay down here. And it didn’t hurt that you helped that kid today in the mines either. No one’s ever taken on the guards before. Well, at least not six at once.”
“So, you’re not going to turn me in?”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying? Now let me have a look at those gorgeous blue eyes of yours. Don’t get to see those too often in the Pit!” But Jack didn’t offer his eyes up for inspection.