I didn’t know what to do.
Tears poured down my face.
Gasping sobs wracked my bones, but at the same time, I was laughing.
I was touching.
And no one was hurt.
I held it only for a few seconds before I had to snatch my hand back and shove it into my glove.
Sobs shook me all over, and Sy moved closer, letting his body be the thing I could lean on.
He didn’t put his arms around me.
He was just there.
He was my safe haven.
So I started to talk.
I told him about Jess.
About Dr Marr.
About what I saw.
But I didn’t tell him about the experiments.
No one needed to know that.
He listened, his body still and calm.
“This Jess—have you spoken to her?”
“Not yet. They won’t let me in to see her.” I sighed. “My… friend Dev – he says he will get me in tonight.”
“And you believe this fire—”
“It was a distraction. That I’m sure of. There’s something happening out there in the world. Something bad. I think K knows something about it. So does Wild.”
Sy looked thoughtful.
“Darkness is stirring. It fights the light. But they do not understand—both cannot exist without the other.”
“You certainly love your riddles, don’t you, big guy?” I grinned.
He grinned back. “It is an occupational hazard.”
“So what should I do, Sy? Should I follow K? See what he’s up to and clear Jess’s name?”
“This Jess—she is your friend also?”
“Well, I mean… she’s my roommate.”
“But?” he prompted.
“But I don’t know,” I admitted. “What’s a friend, Sy? You say you’re my guardian—are you my friend? Is Ash? Is Dev?”
