All gravity held her down, but she forced herself to stand regardless. Jioni’s walk was slow down the pitch-dark streets, but her mind raced fast with the conflicting thoughts of the minutes prior. City Three has an old Outergen station. Atlas was the mayor. Ok. Jioni raised her head but immediately held it with her palm. The statement sounded too good to be true, but it didn’t sound like a lie. Tracey wasn’t from City Two, but it didn’t seem like she was from City Three either; her accent said otherwise. Jioni lowered her hand to see blood on her fingers. She stared at it for a moment.
On her blood-soaked hand, the truth was clear. Tracey must’ve felt guilt for this, and her forgiveness token was the information on Outergen, despite how vague that information was. And though Tracey felt guilty for the trial, Jioni felt guilty for even teasing the idea of leaving. If her parents saw her now, the disappointment would overwhelm them.
Jioni froze, then exhaled.
Through the day of many detours, she took one last odd step towards Brandon’s apartment. It’d been two days already. Even though Jioni knew what he’d say about all this, it was his presence alone that always gave comfort in times like these. Not Hippie Girl’s, not Kathy’s, not Emmitt’s, but Brandon’s reassurance was the feeling she craved this late at night. She continued to walk, and then a realization struck.
It’d be a terrible idea to disturb him at 1 am. And Jolene has to be home now, too—a death sentence.
Jioni breathed slowly in and out, then made a deal to herself. If he were awake, she’d talk to him. If he were sleeping, she’d leave.
