Bound by Glass

44| A Matter Of Choice

"You really don't know who this is?" I asked Vace, who was walking beside me. He had grabbed a sweater from one of the beds before we left—he was conscious about his scars. I understood.

"No," he said, "He was hurt and he collapsed before we could question him. But he said he knew you, so we couldn't just leave him there."

"Where?" I asked, stopping in front of the green curtain which closed off the infirmary.

"Alley. Balder tipped us off—this guy... he isn't regg. We think he might be one of your upper friends." He crunched his nose when he said it. Vace really didn't like uppers at all.

Who could this...

No. It couldn't be. Could it?

I gave Vace a last look, before I pulled away the curtain in one swift move. Oh, by the Five—was this boy kidding me?

Allie was in the room as well, putting away some things in a cupboard. Her yellow dress seemed way too bright in the dull colours of the infirmary. And there he was, that idiot of a Kael, sitting on that grey sheeted bed with his back turned to me. I cursed violently.

Before I knew it I had stalked across the room, and flung my arms around his neck. "Thank the gods you're alright," I exclaimed, pressing him closer to me. Kael seemed to stiffen under my embrace, as he sat up a bit straighter. He smelled like blood, Allie's herbs, and most of all: Kael. The smell of the boy who would stay up for days to help his patients, and the boy with whom I had played hide-and-seek at the rock formation so many times. He smelled like home, even after all this time.

A second later, I let go, and slapped him straight across his face. "What the hell are you doing here?" I exclaimed, realising what he might've done. My palm stung from the slap, but I didn't mind.

My eyes locked with his brown ones, from which the left one was decorated with a large bruise. It was turning all the colours of the rainbow, and his eye was completely swollen. The shadows of a stubble appeared on his cheeks, but for the rest his face was unharmed. A large bandage was wrapped around his shoulder, and I could see the traces of a dark liquid under the white fabric. Allie had probably used one of her concoctions.

Speaking of... I let my gaze wander through the room, but we were alone. Vace and Allie seemed to have wanted to grant us some privacy.

Kael seemed to be taken aback. He blinked a few times before he started talking, unconsciously rubbing his fingers over his cheek. "Thorne—she found me. Started asking questions about you. I knew I couldn't stay in the Higher District—she said she'd expose me," he said, babbling away. "I—I didn't know what to do. I broke into my father's office... I found out where you were with this thing—" he held up the drive. Flabbergasted, I grabbed the device out of his hands, squeezing it tight in my hand. I exhaled deeply, relief washing over me. The drive wasn't lost. He had it.

I nudged Kael. "Go on," I said, feeling the hard edges of the drive press into my palm.

"I tracked you. But I could only find out in which building you were... and then, blackness. The intimidating black-haired guy and the redhead woke me up."

Vace and Haco.

My eyes grew wide. "Were you followed?" I asked him, grabbing his forearm. "Kael, answer me!"

"No, no!" he said quickly, jerking his arm away. "Oi, that hurts."

I let out a sigh in relief. "You're unbelievable. I was worried sick," I admitted, recalling my dreams. I shook my head. "You can't be here," I said softly, "You'll lead them to us."

"Us?" Kael said unbelievably.

"Yes, us. I am part of them—the redhead, Haco, the dark one, Vace. They're with me," I said. "They've been helping me since the moment I came here—they helped me find you."