Secret Silver | hiatus

xii. To Rome

We were to leave at dawn, when the darkness in the skies was tainted by traces of lights, streaks of red and orange slicing the night apart. There was no time to waste, and the days seemed shorter and shorter.

Everyone had fallen asleep at Jupiter, one by one. Silas, Maya, and then Oliver. Everyone but me.

While my body was resting, restoring its energy, my mind was more awake than ever before. Countless questions stole my sleep from me, yet I did not feel tired when it was time to leave in the morning.

My mind was in overdrive, and rest was not an option until I got the answers I needed.

We decided that at this point, splitting up was our best option. Maya and Oliver were gone before us, deciding they'd get as much information as possible about the Alliance.

When Silas and I stepped outside into the foggy morning, we navigated our way out of the forest and onto the spacious dirt road. My car was missing, but concealed beneath some trees was a motorcycle.

Oliver's motorcycle.

Silas looked confused as I approached it, noting the two helmets sitting on top of the seats. A smile conquered my lips; it had been a while since I had ridden one. And Oliver knew how much I loved them.

I swung my leg over the seat, adjusting one of the helmets onto my head. The handlebars felt natural underneath my hands, and for the first time in a while, I felt powerful, so much so that I'd forgotten that a bewildered Silas was staring at me, his mouth agape.

"There's no way I'm getting on that..."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his stance stubborn. His hair was a mess from not having groomed it, and the bruise on his cheek was fading, now barely visible.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Stay here, then."

Inserting the keys Oliver had left me, I started the bike, exhilarated when the engine roared to life. I drove a few feet past Silas before he spoke.

"Wait!" He yelled, his eyes darting around the forest. Reluctantly, he walked over, grabbing the helmet that had fallen on the floor. It took him a few minutes to get it to fit correctly before he swung his leg over the seat behind me.

While he was adjusting himself on the seat, I decided it'd be amusing to mess with him. I revved the engine, causing him to nearly fall off. I was still upset with him for leaving the safehouse, and wasn't afraid to let it seep through my attitude.

An unexpected laugh escaped my mouth, and to my surprise, he began laughing, too. Something about his reaction made me feel calmer. And the slightest big guilty.

Sighing, I tightened my fingers around the handles and looked at him over my shoulder.

"Just hold on."

He nodded, his breathing much steadier than before as his gaze met mine. He trusted me. It was evident in his eyes. Something about that was unsettling.

His arms snaked around my waist and he complied, holding on so tightly that at one point it was uncomfortable to breathe, but gradually, his grip loosened.

He leaned back a little, enjoying the cold wind as we ripped through it, driving faster than most people on the road. We were supposed to meet his uncle at the airport, but I had a loose end to tie up first.

When we came to a stop in front of Julia Knight's house, Silas jumped off the bike, his eyes wide with recognition.

"You're leaving me here again?"