Children of the Eternal

XXXIV

The day grew darker as Will left their neighborhood. Winter seemed like it would always keep its gray grip on the world. When he made enough distance, he found a carriage to take him farther. He was cautious enough to make sure his destination was a distance from Kate's home. He had never visited her apartment building, but knew the location. The cold hit a little harder in an area closer to the Edges. Once again, he blended in with crowds returning from work. Nothing had changed since one sanctuary was extinguished. People still rushed back and forth with no greater discontent. When he read the paper, it sounded very much like everything was inching closer to revolution. There was no sense of coming change at all.

Kate lived on a street with apartments in disrepair. A few fishy businesses were located on the street, but mostly it was full of quiet homes. Will stared at the gray brick building and tried to remember which floor it would be.

"Will?"

He jolted and spun around. Kate stood behind him, the edges of her frayed coat swaying in the wind. Her little brother Josiah lingered further down the street, jumping over some puddles.

"What are you doing here?" Alarm entered her brown eyes. "Has anything happened?"

"No!" He gave a vigorous shake of his head. "That's why I'm here. I wanted to know what... happened."

"Oh..." She fiddled with her violet scarf, the only spot of color in the dark surroundings. "Didn't you get the paper?"

"Yes, but that only tells me so much." He gave an impatient sigh. "I don't know how Matthew's doing. How everyone is doing."

How you're doing.

Kate balled her hands, skin showing through the torn fabric. "I would have sent you a note. Vanessa wanted to be extra careful. She wasn't too happy that you and I spent most of the night in the tunnels. What will his father think?" Her voice turned whiny, and she made an exaggerated face in parody of her sister. "You'll get the blame if he finds out. Keep your distance or you will wish you never left those tunnels."

Will tried not to laugh at Kate's unfair mockery. "My father never even knew. You wouldn't have needed to worry about trouble."

Kate huffed, a little mist escaping, visible in the cold air. "And you were probably really worried. My sister makes things impossible. I..."

"Katie!" Josiah's voice came out in a whine as he ran over. "Can we go inside? It's cold!"

Either from the cold or embarrassment, Kate's cheek reddened. "Not yet. And we can't use the heat until it's time for Nessa to get home from work. You know that!"

Will couldn't imagine not being able to use the heat on such a chilly day. "Here." He thrust the bag of cakes to Josiah. "Have one while you wait."

Josiah's eyes lit up as he examined the contents. "Chocolate! Thanks Will!"

"Only one!" Kate rolled her eyes as Josiah attempted to stuff the whole thing into his mouth. "And slow down. You'll make yourself sick."

"You sound like Nessa," Josiah said, spraying chocolate crumbs as he spoke.

Kate scowled and turned to Will. "Be glad you don't have a little brother. Anyway, everyone is fine. We all made it out."

Will leaned against a broken lamppost. "That's good to know. I heard... someone was executed. I hadn't read that in the paper. I knew there had been arrests, but no names were printed."

Kate grabbed the bag before Josiah could take another cake. "I know. Nessa said the names weren't printed to protect their families. I think it's wrong. They need to be seen as real people. Someone will probably write about the execution."