Sidekick

Chapter 25

Tace slides as a blade of grass under the door.

We sit and wait around until it slides back out and bobs up and down. The coast is clear.

We all hop up off the ground. Om creeps the door open while me and Cam stand behind them.

Instead of craning my neck and trying to get a peek into the room again like last time this time I stand behind Om. Part of me wants to shield myself and hide behind them even though Tace told us we were safe and no one should see us in this room. But my stomach still dances.

Once the door is all the way open Om peeks in. "The coast is clear," they say before straightening and walking into the room. I follow behind them. My gaze jumps around the room waiting for someone to come out of hiding and yell at us.

The door slams behind us.

I jump and whirl around on Cam who has the decency to wear a sheepish smile. "Sorry," he whispers.

"Are you trying to give us away?" Om hisses.

He shakes his head so fast I fear it's going to fly off.

"Just try not to make too much noise again, okay?" I say, trying to keep the peace between us. The stakes are so high that it's creating a thick layer of stress and dis-ease between us.

Cam nods.

I sigh in relief and turn back around to face Om. "Where do we go from here?"

They close their eyes as a look of concentration rolls onto their face. Their eyebrows scrunch lower and their mouth sits in a firm line.

My foot taps as we wait. I wish Tace would hurry up and tell Om where we need to go. We don't have any time to waste. We could get caught at any moment.

After what feels like forever, Oms eyes fly open.

"So?" I ask, already jumping on Om. We can't waste anymore time.

"It's a long way down, but I have an idea of where we're going," they answer.

"So lead us there!" I exclaim. I'm vibrating. I can't seem to stay still, not when we're this close to saving Peggy.

Om grimaces. "It might not be that easy."

The energy I had just moments ago seeps out of me.

"What do you mean?" Cam asks. He comes up beside me. I feel the urge to reach out and grab his hand so that it might soften whatever blow we're about to take.

"The way down to where Peggy is is all in light with nowhere to hide."

My eyes widen as my mouth forms an o. "That means we'd be exposed."

Om nods even though I meant it as a statement and not a question.

"But... we'd still be able to make it down there, right?" Cam asks.

I shrug. "It would depend on a lot of factors. Like how fast we are, if anyone would be wandering the halls." I list the reasons down on my fingers as I continue to go through them.

Cam shakes his head. "I think I get it. So what are we going to do?" He looks helplessly between me and Om.

Om turns to face me. "It's your call. She is your friend."

I smile meekly. A friend that I didn't realize how much I went through for her. I sigh. I still want to save her. I need to. I can't just leave her here to rot away. She doesn't deserve that, no one does. "We still need to try."

"And if we get caught along the way?" Cam asks. His eyes are wide with fear and worry. I want to reassure him. To tell him everything will be okay. But right now, I'm not sure if everything will turn out okay.