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I felt like I’d been punched in the face.
“What? No, we can’t leave Covale City. All of Atlas’ business is here. Our—”
“No, Bee.Iwant to leave Covale City. On my own.”
Now, it was as if I’d been stabbed in the stomach.
“What? No!” I responded automatically.
“I need to make it on my own, Bianca. Yeah, I could work with you and Atlas, but I’ll never really know if I have the grit to do it for myself. You’ve always been so savvy, Bee. You’re up for any challenge that comes your way. But me? I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Of course you can do it!” I fired back. “Don’t be stupid. Fine, then go get a place in town and get a job.”
She smiled patiently at me.
“You know that everyone knows who we are, here and in Forny.”
I paled, dread clutching my heart for a moment.
“How far are you thinking about going, Dahlia?”
She shrugged.
“Not too, too far,” she offered evasively at first.
“Not too, too far for what?” Atlas asked, ambling into the kitchen. He kissed my cheek and smiled at my sister, but his grin faded when he saw my face. “What did I miss?”
“Dahlia just informed me that she intends to leave Covale City.”
True to form, Atlas maintained his stoic expression as he studied my twin impassively.
“To go where?”
Dahlia pressed her lips together and looked at the table.
“Montshire.”
Atlas made a sound, but before I could ask him about it, Dahlia went on.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Montshire is warm—not like here. It’s a good place to start fresh.”
“If that’s what you want, Dahlia, I’ll arrange for an apartment and a stipend,” Atlas agreed, already jumping into business mode.
“No!” Dahlia countered. “You didn’t hear the first part of this conversation. I intend to do this on my own.”
“You’re not leaving here without enough to get started,” I insisted, thinking of my trek through Forny, which had almost killed me even before Jesse had captured me again.
Goosebumps exploded over my arms at the memory, which I’d thought I’d tucked deep enough away that I never had to look at it again.
“She’s right, Dahl,” Atlas said kindly. “I respect that you want to do it on your own, but you can’t go with nothing. It’s far too dangerous out there. At least let me send you with a small entourage.”
“Oh, no… no, no. Thank you,” Dahlia chuckled nervously.
Eventually, she reluctantly agreed to a setup, but nothing more than a small lump payment, and we continued to hash out the details over breakfast until the noon sun was almost in the sky. Atlas looked at his watch and grunted, jumping up from the table.
“I have to get to the Halcyon,” he announced, kissing me on the lips. I could still taste remnants of myself on him. “Don’t leave until I get back, Dahlia. I’ll see you to Montshire personally.”
“I wouldn’t,” Dahlia promised, eying him gratefully. “And honestly, Atlas, I don’t want you to think that I’m leaving here without a heart full of appreciation for all you’ve done for me. I’ll be back all the time.”
