Nothing Could Fall

Hero Takes a Fall

Alicia follows the constant flow of people, mindlessly glancing at stall after stall, trying to remain as invisible as possible. She knows it's only a matter of time before one of the many Proctors milling about recognizes her. In fact, she's counting on it, but that doesn't mean she wants to draw attention to herself right away.

Alicia turns a corner; a stall displaying dozens of knives catches her eye. Just as she is about to reach it, Alicia is pulled backwards, a strong hand wrapped around her mouth, preventing her from screaming. Alicia thrashes her legs and attempts to wriggle out of the tight hold when she suddenly stills.

"Shhh! It's me. It's me."

The hand drops from her mouth as she spins; a wide-eyed Nick stands before her, a finger to his lips urging her to remain calm, his other hand holding her still.

"Nick? What are you doing?" Alicia gasps, shrugging out of his grasp. "Where are the others? You're supposed to be with Luciana. What's going on?"

"She's not here."

"What are you talking about, 'she's not here?' Who's not here, Nick?" Alicia's mind races with what her brother is trying to tell her. Is Luciana hurt? Were they recognized? Is this plan as terrible as Alicia fears? Is she about to get her entire family killed?

"Mom's not here," Nick interrupts her internal ramble, and Alicia mind runs blank. Their whole reason for risking their lives, for walking straight into the lion's den is to find Madison, and she's not even here.

The guilt washes over Alicia like the floodwaters gushing through the dam. This really is a stupid plan, and she really is about to get her whole family killed. Why didn't she listen to Elyza, to Strand, to Luciana? Every single person told her that Madison may not be here, but she was too stubborn. Too sure of what she thought she saw. Barely snapping out of her guilt spiral, Alicia chokes out a stuttered, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Nick nods his head. "I overheard some Proctors talking about it."

Still unable to fully grasp that she was so wrong about her mother, Alicia shakes her head in disbelief. "But her car. The bullet holes. Nick, there were tire tracks leading from the car to here!"

Alicia feels her body begin its desperate plunge into denial. She's shaking her head, tensing her jaw, and only stilled as Nick grabs both her shoulders. He ducks down and stares directly into her eyes. "She's not here, Alicia," Nick declares slowly, leaving no doubt that Alicia truly heard him this time.

Alicia tenses her body with only one thing left on her mind: get her family out of here before her mistake costs them their lives. "Where's Elyza? Strand? Luciana? We have to get them out of here. It's my fault. We have to get out of here before they recognize us," she rambles quickly, her eyes wild with regret and determination.

"Calm down," Nick soothes. "We'll find them."

Alicia takes a deep breath, resolved to relax her mind and body enough to think clearly. Now is definitely not the time for a breakdown. Nick holds her gaze, waiting for her to calm. She releases one long breath of air and nods her head. "You good?" Nick asks. Alicia nods her head once more.

"Good, because we need to get going. Luciana is in the bar where I left her. Let's start there, circle around and grab Strand. Elyza should still be at the tower. We'll get her on the way out. Okay?"

Alicia can do nothing but nod in agreement. There really isn't a better plan. As of right now, the Proctors don't know they're here. All they have to do is find everyone and leave without being noticed. Easy enough.