“I spent a lot of time last night talking myself out of making love to you. Now that you’ve talked me back into it, it doesn’t seem fair that you’re not following through.”

“Consider it payback for last night.” He smiled, and kissed me again. “Come on. Let’s go to breakfast before it’s over.”

I tried to bring myself back to the moment, but it was difficult. I suddenly didn’t want to leave our apartment. I wondered what it would cost us if we just didn’t show up for work today. If we just stayed there and explored each other instead.

“We still have to do our hair,” I said, bringing myself back into reality. I went to the cupboard, took the piece of coal and ran it through my hair, then went to Jack to do his hair. “I was thinking about Crystal last night. I’ve been thinking about her song. I can’t get it out of my head.”

“You mean the part about blowing up the Pit?”

“Yes! I had nightmares about those lyrics. When I woke up I couldn’t tell if I had dreamed them or if she really said them.”

“She said them. I just don’t know what it means. I don’t doubt the president would set off the warheads if he thought he was going to lose control of the Dome, but a few riots don’t add up to losing control.”

“She didn’t say blow up the Dome, she said the Pit. And it’s not just that line that bothers me. She sang ‘I overheard it said… the Pit they want to blow and soon we’ll all be dead.’ A few days ago she told me that she overhears things when Malcolm West has dinner with the president. She wouldn’t tell me what exactly. She said she would be killed if she ever told anyone.”

“And yet she sang it to the entire Pit? That would definitely get her killed. None of it makes sense.”

I finished Jack’s hair and put the coal away. My stomach was growling now, and I realized we were really late for breakfast.

“Your vest,” Jack said. It seemed he had to remind me every morning.

I used one of the towels to make sure all the gas was off of the shell before I put it back on. I hated the heavy feel of it and wondered if there would ever come a day when I didn’t have to wear it.

“Ready,” I said putting my hat on and joining him at the door.

Jack started to open the door and then closed it again. He looked at me thoughtfully for a moment.

“Sunny, I know you think that with everything that’s going on our personal lives aren’t important… but I feel differently. The only thing keeping me together is being here with you at the end of every day.”

I was surprised to hear him say that. But since he had said it, I knew exactly what he meant. He had become my source of strength. And living there in that apartment with him had become home.

“Me too.”

He opened the door and held out his hand for mine. I took it, lacing my fingers between his. As we walked down the hall together toward the common room, I felt stronger than I ever had in my life.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The mood in the common room was sombre. It looked like most people had had a sleepless night. All conversation was about Crystal. Everyone was outraged that she had been dragged away simply for singing a song. I realized all along I had been hoping to see her there—silently praying that Malcolm West had just given her a slap on the hand and returned her to her parents.

“She’s not here,” Jack said, as if reading my thoughts.

“No, and I don’t see her parents either.”

David Chavez waved us to his table once we had collected our rations. He was sitting with a large group of people, his wife beside him.

“I hope you avoided the tear gas last night,” I said to Terra.

“David took me home as soon as we realized Domers were coming down into the Pit. We were safe,” she said, hugging her round tummy.

“It was barbaric,” said a man sitting at the table. “They sent a small army of guards to drag that little girl away, and for what? Just because she was singing a song!”

“And we’re not supposed to get upset about that?” someone else chimed in. “Of course we were mad. What did they expect?”

“They did expect it. That’s why they sent so many guards to get her,” Jack said.

All eyes at the table turned toward him, disgust written on many of their faces. I knew without a doubt that in the aftermath of what happened to Crystal, they were seeing Jack as a bourge again.

“Hate him if you want, but he does have valuable insight into the way the bourge work,” I said. “We would be smart to listen to him.”

“I agree with Sunny. He’s done right by us so far,” David said. “If it wasn’t for him, there wouldn’t be an Alliance.”

“All right.” One man at the table turned to Jack. “What do you know about it?” Malice laced his voice.

“I know that they underestimated your reaction when they took Crystal into custody, otherwise they would have sent more guards,” Jack said. “Next time they will.”

“Has anyone seen her today?” the woman on the other side of me asked. We all shook our heads. “Then they still have her… or they’ve killed her.”

“They wouldn’t kill her just for singing a song, would they?” I asked Jack, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

“That song had enough impact to spark a riot, and I think we all know she wasn’t just singing a song. She was urging all of you to go to war. That’s treason.”

Jack’s words didn’t surprise me, but I still didn’t want to hear them. People were exchanging worried looks, and some were slamming their fists on the table in frustration.

Raine joined our table. Mica was standing behind him. “We need to save her then,” Raine said. “She put herself on the line for all of us. We owe it to her.”

“I agree,” I said.

A murmur of approval went through the crowd. People who had been sitting elsewhere were now gravitating toward our table.

“We’ll need a plan,” Jack said. “First of all, we have to find out where she is. Does anyone know for sure if she came home last night or not?”

A young girl about Crystal’s age spoke up. “I checked in on her this morning. She wasn’t there. Her parents are devastated.”

Jack nodded, acknowledging the girl. “Then we need to find out where they’re holding her. I’ll coordinate the Alliance guards to track down that information. Tonight we’ll come up with a plan and get her back.”

A man sitting at the table raised his hand. “I’ll help!”

Soon there was a chorus of people wanting to help rescue Crystal. Seeing everyone come together—standing up for each other—was every bit as powerful as Crystal’s song. I knew she would be happy to know the impact her music had had.

“Until then, let’s not give them a reason to send any more Domers down here,” Jack said. “Anyone starts a riot again and we’ll be back on lockdown. We’ll meet back here right after work.”

“Everyone okay with a bourge calling the shots on this?” a woman from the crowd asked.

“I think it’s time we started trusting him,” someone else said.

I was relieved when I heard the crowd agree, even if most were reluctant.

“Thank you,” Jack said. He pushed his chair back and stood up. Everyone followed suit. We all needed to get to work on time. I joined the queue of people filing out of the room, and Jack fell into step beside me.

“They still don’t trust me.”

“You have to see yourself through their eyes. It wasn’t long ago we watched interviews with you and Leisel talking about the future of the Dome. One minute you’re the presidential heir, the next you’re promising to help them revolt against the current president. People are bound to question your loyalties.”

“If they don’t trust me, this rescue operation could go bad quickly.”

“Not if it’s just you and me doing the rescuing.” Jack raised his eyebrow at me in question. “The fewer people involved, the better off we’ll be.”

“You’re probably right,” he said thoughtfully. When we came to the stairs he pulled me closer to him. I expected the mandatory kiss on my head, but it never came. I tilted my head back to look at him. “You trust me, don’t you?” he asked.