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“There doesn’t seem to be a better way,” Oliver relents after a while. “With the amount of secrecy that’ll be involved, we can’t trust anyone with this mission.”
“No, we’ll have to do this on our own,” I say.
“Tell us how you want to proceed,” Simon says in a grim tone. All trace of humor has vanished from his face.
Oliver looks at me with the same fierceness. They’re both ready to follow my command.
“Oliver, take the flowers to Mom,” I say. “Simon, take the muffins to Rory.”
“Huh?” Identical quizzical expressions spread on both their faces.
I gesture toward the truck. “Dad sent that stuff for them, so let’s not forget about it. I’d have taken them myself but I don’t want them to see my injuries. There’s no point in making them worry over this,” I say, tearing out a piece of blood-soaked fabric from my sleeve. “Let’s make sure they’re both safe and happy. In the meantime, I’ll go to the infirmary and get patched up. You guys meet me at the admin office in another hour and we’ll plan out the rest of the mission.”
“Are you sure you’ll be fine on your own?” Simon asks as Oliver opens the door to my truck.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Oliver throws the basket of muffins at Simon and grabs the bouquet of roses.
“I’ll see you guys soon, then,” I say, turning away from them.
My scraped elbows burn as a chilly night breeze blows past me but my mind is focused on tightening my plan to bring down Senator Vaughn and Jake Hudson. They’re both sneaky and shrewd, knowing exactly how to use their bureaucratic powers to evade any action taken against them.
I must have all the evidence before going after them, I remind myself as I walk toward the clinic.
19
Aurora
My breaths escape in gasps as I try to keep pace with the woman exercising on the TV screen.
“Keep going!” the woman encourages while lifting a pair of dumbbells high over her head while she executes a series of lunges. “You can do it, bestie!”
Sweat trickles down the side of my face as I do my best to mimic her moves. My muscles stretch while my lungs struggle to draw in enough breath.
“Well done!” the woman on the TV cheers, clapping her hands.
My body collapses on the floor. The workout with weights pushed me beyond my limits, leaving me panting and gasping like a fish out of water.
Despite my burning muscles and breathlessness, I feel a grin forming on my lips. It’s been close to a month since I started working out and I’m finally able to see improvements.
In the beginning, I could barely do the workout for more than ten minutes. For the first time, I’ve been able to finish the whole sequence without needing to pause the video several times to catch up.
Continuing to lie on the floor, I feel my happiness soaring. Even in my wildest imagination, I didn’t think I’d enjoy exercising so much.
When I work out, my mind stays focused solely on moving my body, relieving me from constantly worrying about things I can’t control. Exercising gives me the rare opportunity to do something to strengthen myself against the people who are hellbent on hurting me and the people I love.
“What’re you doing on the floor?” A familiar voice startles me.
Sitting up, I stare at Oliver and Simon who’re staring at me with identical expressions of concern on their faces.
“When did you guys get here?”
“Just now,” they answer together.
Simon kneels beside me. “Are you okay, darling?”
“I’m fine,” I say with a smile. “I guess I spaced out a little after my workout.”
