Page 74 of Anarchy Chained: Alpha Thomas

“It’s OK,” Sadie says. “You can rest. But can you hear me?”

Yes, I send her mentally. I can hear you.

“I know you’ve done bad things. And I know I should not think of you as a… friend.”

Friend, huh?

She squeezes my hand. “We’re not at Prodigy. We’re with my sister. I have a sister!” She is excited about this. “I’m not…” She pauses. “I’m not what I feared. I just have a twin.”

Twin. Well, that makes sense, I guess.

“Our friends, Uzi and Iziah, they’re here too. We all escaped together a couple years ago. Well,” she says, sighing. “Uzi and my sister Cyan did. Iziah and I were caught. Uzi and Iziah got us out of the tunnel. They came to save me. And I’m sorry for how they treated you. You don’t deserve that. But you’re getting better now. I’ve only fed you a few times and believe me, you look a hundred times better.” She squeezes my arm and I realize I have no shirt on. “Your muscles are even back. I don’t understand how we heal like we do. Cyan says she has the mesh and nanites too. So do Uzi and Iziah. I guess we were in the same test group. My memory is coming back.”

“All of it?” I croak out. It’s barely a whisper.

She squeezes my hand, then whispers, “Sullivan. I know that’s you.”

I manage a smile.

“I’d know you anywhere.” Her whisper is so soft, I barely hear it. Which means she’s worried about the others overhearing. She wants this to be a secret between us. “There’s still a lot I don’t remember. Like… why was I with you?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I croak again.

She chuckles under her breath, trying to be quiet. “I know you’re someone good. At least to me. But I was gassed or something. It took some more of my memory away.”

“Fuck,” I say. “I forgot, sorry.”

“I got the earlier stuff back. I remember my sister. And Iziah and Uzi. But I have a big gap. The years Prodigy had me since the escape. I don’t remember anything.”

“Just give it some time,” I manage to spit out. But shit, it feels like a very long string of words right now.

“Can you open your eyes?” she asks. “I need to see them. I need to see those eyes so I know you’re going to be OK.”

I try again, this time managing to bring them to half-mast. “Hey,” I manage.

“Hey, yourself.” She smiles. Then she inhales deeply and lets it out. Relief. “I was so worried. When I finally woke up and realized they didn’t feed you…”

I try to shrug, but I’m not sure I pull it off. “No biggie,” I say. My voice is hoarse but at least my mouth no longer feels like it’s stuffed with cotton. “You can make it up to me later.” I wink. Or… what I think passes as a wink right now. It’s more of a two-eyed blink.

But it gets results. Because she smiles and maybe… yes, I think I see a blush.

“Do you know,” I say, thinking I must be delirious for even going here, “I haven’t flirted with a girl since I was twelve.”

“Twelve?” She laughs. Then she looks over her shoulder, afraid someone might be watching her reaction. “Kind of a late bloomer, huh?”

I laugh this time. Or cough. She helps me sit up so I can do it properly, patting me on the back. “Sorry if I got you in trouble with your people.”

“I’m not in trouble. They don’t control me. We’re equal partners.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“For what?”

“For using your… street cred, I guess. For getting me out of that fucking prison cell.”

“I’m not done with you yet, Sullivan Brooks. Not even close. Whatever’s going on, we’re just getting started. So I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine.”

This makes me look at her for several silent seconds. “Do you need me at your back?”