anything practical, but it’s beautiful. Long enough to brush the middle of my calves, fitted in the top and flaring at the waist. I slide into it and marvel at the feel of the fabric swishing around my legs.
Emily smiles warmly. “It looks beautiful on you,” she says when I study myself in her mirror. “It was always much too long for me.”
She walks up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I inwardly cringe at the touch, but don’t let it show on my face. Emily is being astoundingly nice to me and I don’t want to insult her. I am finding it easier to be around her though. My breaths stay even and my limbs stay relaxed, so that’s progress I guess. “Thank you,” I say.
“May I do your hair?”
I nod, too stunned to do anything else, and she leads me to a chair in the corner.
It’s a strange sensation for someone else to brush my hair. Since my mother died when I was born and I lived out in the woods with only my father and Jace, I’ve never had any female companionship. Jace would have laughed if I asked him to brush my hair.
I find myself actually enjoying the sensation of Emily’s quick fingers braiding and twisting my hair and I relax into the soft touches with my eyes closed. She steps back to admire her work in the mirror and I open my eyes. She’s left a few wispy tendrils down to frame my face and has used tiny braids to pull the rest of it back from my face and create an intricate twist on the crown of my head. I’ve never seen anything like it. “Wow.”
Emily claps her hands. I’m beginning to get the impression that she’s rather pleased with herself. “Oh Jax, I always knew you were gorgeous. Your hair is the perfect shade of red to set off this dress.”
My face heats with a blush and I turn away from the mirror. “So what exactly are we going to do?”
“Dane keeps a spare set of keys to the holding cells in his office.” She waves off my questioning look and continues, “He will be officiating the Promising ceremony tonight and that’s going to be when you go in. We’ll meet up once you have the keys. The entrance will be guarded, but I’m known for delivering food to prisoners and we can make it seem like you’re just keeping me company or something. Depending on who’s on duty, one or both the guards will look the other way.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Yours won’t be the first prisoner to have a little help escaping the holding cells.”
“Thank you Emily,” I say. “For all of this. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes bore into me and she swallows. “Just promise me, once you’ve gotten Jace, you’ll come back here. There aren’t many people strong enough to go against Dane, but I think you and your brother are. There’s something special about you two. Even Dane knew it. He hadn’t let any young male outsiders inside in years— until he let your brother in. He hasn’t forced you to work and didn’t force you into the dormitory. He wanted you here so he’s let the rules slide for you. I don’t know what that means, but…” She reaches over and grabs my hand. I don’t even flinch. “I think with your help we could change things here.”
There’s so much more here than I had ever noticed. Have I really been in this much of a fog to miss the undercurrents in Bridgelake? What else have I missed? I want to know more, but there’s no time. Once I have Jace back safe and sound, then I can focus on learning more about how I can help Emily. Wait. To join her cause I’d have to stick around and that’s not in the plan.
I study Emily’s face, this girl who’s had so much tragedy in her life and still pushed through my walls to try to befriend me, who is helping me now even though the consequences could be awful for her.
My earlier conversation with Jace plays in my head. It can’t be just us forever . He’s right. “I promise Emily. I’ll get Jace and then do whatever I can to
Emily smiles warmly. “It looks beautiful on you,” she says when I study myself in her mirror. “It was always much too long for me.”
She walks up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder. I inwardly cringe at the touch, but don’t let it show on my face. Emily is being astoundingly nice to me and I don’t want to insult her. I am finding it easier to be around her though. My breaths stay even and my limbs stay relaxed, so that’s progress I guess. “Thank you,” I say.
“May I do your hair?”
I nod, too stunned to do anything else, and she leads me to a chair in the corner.
It’s a strange sensation for someone else to brush my hair. Since my mother died when I was born and I lived out in the woods with only my father and Jace, I’ve never had any female companionship. Jace would have laughed if I asked him to brush my hair.
I find myself actually enjoying the sensation of Emily’s quick fingers braiding and twisting my hair and I relax into the soft touches with my eyes closed. She steps back to admire her work in the mirror and I open my eyes. She’s left a few wispy tendrils down to frame my face and has used tiny braids to pull the rest of it back from my face and create an intricate twist on the crown of my head. I’ve never seen anything like it. “Wow.”
Emily claps her hands. I’m beginning to get the impression that she’s rather pleased with herself. “Oh Jax, I always knew you were gorgeous. Your hair is the perfect shade of red to set off this dress.”
My face heats with a blush and I turn away from the mirror. “So what exactly are we going to do?”
“Dane keeps a spare set of keys to the holding cells in his office.” She waves off my questioning look and continues, “He will be officiating the Promising ceremony tonight and that’s going to be when you go in. We’ll meet up once you have the keys. The entrance will be guarded, but I’m known for delivering food to prisoners and we can make it seem like you’re just keeping me company or something. Depending on who’s on duty, one or both the guards will look the other way.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Yours won’t be the first prisoner to have a little help escaping the holding cells.”
“Thank you Emily,” I say. “For all of this. For everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes bore into me and she swallows. “Just promise me, once you’ve gotten Jace, you’ll come back here. There aren’t many people strong enough to go against Dane, but I think you and your brother are. There’s something special about you two. Even Dane knew it. He hadn’t let any young male outsiders inside in years— until he let your brother in. He hasn’t forced you to work and didn’t force you into the dormitory. He wanted you here so he’s let the rules slide for you. I don’t know what that means, but…” She reaches over and grabs my hand. I don’t even flinch. “I think with your help we could change things here.”
There’s so much more here than I had ever noticed. Have I really been in this much of a fog to miss the undercurrents in Bridgelake? What else have I missed? I want to know more, but there’s no time. Once I have Jace back safe and sound, then I can focus on learning more about how I can help Emily. Wait. To join her cause I’d have to stick around and that’s not in the plan.
I study Emily’s face, this girl who’s had so much tragedy in her life and still pushed through my walls to try to befriend me, who is helping me now even though the consequences could be awful for her.
My earlier conversation with Jace plays in my head. It can’t be just us forever . He’s right. “I promise Emily. I’ll get Jace and then do whatever I can to
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