Page 110 of Icarus

Icarus squeezed his eyes closed very hard, then opened them again.

“Angus?” Mr. Black called quietly.

Icarus stayed silent. His blood pounded in his ears so loudly that it was hard to concentrate. He bit his tongue trying to keep his breathing silent. There was no way Mr. Black wouldn’t immediately see his bag and harness on the stairs.

“Angus?” Mr. Black shouted.

There was a terrible noise—Icarus’s gear slamming onto the granite with a clatter. Faster than Icarus could have anticipated, Mr. Black shoved his way into the storage closet. The door slammed all the way open, hitting Icarus in the chest.

Icarus caught it by the handle so it wouldn’t swing back and reveal his position. Mr. Black threw the light on and stormed down the first aisle.

“Come out and face me like a man!” Mr. Black yelled. “What, are the pieces on display not good enough for you anymore? Will it ever be enough?”

Icarus heard him reach the vault and begin entering a code. It was bright enough in the storage room for anyone to be able to see someone hiding. All aisles were perpendicular to the door—standing in the frame of it meant the entire room was immediately visible. Mr. Black had incorrectly assumed that “Angus” was somehow in the safe—the only place he couldn’t see into.

Icarus rolled out from behind the door and slid into the main hall. His backpack and gear were far away from where he'd left them due to Mr. Black’s tantrum, but he couldn't save Helios without them. He didn't have time to plan a new escape route.

He abandoned all pretense of silence and snatched his bag off the floor, throwing it over his shoulder, and ran to pick up the harness Mr. Black had tossed across the room.

“Shit. Shit!” Mr. Black shouted. Icarus could hear his thundering footsteps as he abandoned the vault and started running toward the noise.

Icarus rushed to the back door, taking the chance that Mr. Black would see him. He yanked it open and slammed it loudly, trying to create the illusion that he’d gone outside. Then Icarus threw himself back toward the wall next to the storage unit, in the shadow of the staircase, and froze.

“I swear to god. Angus!” Mr. Black roared.

Helios’s father was so furious it made him careless. He took Icarus’s bait, running straight out of the storage unit without looking around, and tore the back door open, dashing out into the night to give chase.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Icarus sprinted up the red stairs and toward Helios’s room. He could still hear Mr. Black shrieking outside, but it was only a matter of time before he realized that Angus wasn’t there.

Icarus dashed across the mezzanine to the blue wing and past it to the white. He ran into the closest room and opened the window. Then he snatched a porcelain figurine off an end table and threw it as hard and far as he could. All the way to where the yellow wing would be.

He heard it smash on the ground behind him as he ran in the opposite direction, back to the blue wing, and hurtled himself straight into Helios’s room.

Eurydice

He closed the door silently behind him.

“Helios,” he whispered.

Helios’s form was on the bed but it didn’t move.

Icarus crept across the floor, relieved when he saw the shock of Helios’s scarlet hair. Then immediately concerned again when he saw sweat beading on Helios’s forehead. He pressed a hand to Helios’s shoulder.

“Helios,” he tried again.

This time, Helios startled and turned over to see him.

“You . . . came for me.” The voice sounded so slow and his eyes didn’t look exactly right.

“Hey, are you okay?” He wasn’t hot, but he was sweaty and his eyes were blown out. Icarus pulled the sheet down urgently.

Helios started to sit up, but he was moving like he was underwater.

“I’m sorry, Icarus, it just hurt too much. I’m sorry.“

“Stop apologizing. What did you do?” They didn’t have time for this. Icarus felt panic rising in his chest, but he couldn’t see any wounds on Helios’s body. Even the Band-Aids had been taken off; all that was left were small silvery scars.

Helios leaned forward until his head was on Icarus’s shoulder.