The Green Ones

Episode 3, Part 11

Before I can ask Centavo about his relationship with Citlali, which is clearly more involved than I had imagined, he whisks me into the floating bubble. The forest blurs and pulses until I feel pavement beneath my feet. Stumbling onto my hands and knees, I squeeze my eyes tight and wait for the world to stop spinning.

“I’ve left all necessary funds with Neca. The four of you can stay at my place tonight. In the morning Neca will lead you to the address on your new record. Stay there until registration.”

“And where are you going?” I open my eyes, but the world is still topsy-turvy.

“Don’t screw up. You’re in charge now.”

“Like I wasn’t before.” I blink my eyes and stand, the horizon finally leveling. “Centavo?” Slowly I scan the darkness in every direction. He’s gone. I roll my eyes. “Always with the mystique.”

Alone in the quiet, I realize I haven’t had a moment to myself since my shower in Immortal City. After everything that’s happened since, I don’t feel like being alone. And I haven’t seen Olin since sunset. I plod toward the abandoned apartment hoping to find him and Zorrah waiting for me.

It’s probably midnight. Despite sleeping for most of the day, I’m exhausted. With every step, I swing my head, feeling the weight of my braid tug back and forth. Whoever Centavo is, and whatever his motivations, he’s kept his word so far. There’s no reason to doubt I’ll see the old man again. How did he put it to Zorrah? On the other side.

As I enter the abandoned apartment building, a blue flicker of light laps against an interior wall. The light is followed by laughter, both Olin’s and Zorrah’s. The sound instantly soothes every ragged nerve in me.

I stop shy of the room they’re in and lean against the wall. Olin is recounting his story about the time we first found the sink hole at the city dump. His blue light intensifies every time he grows melodramatic—indulging in exaggeration for the sake of story craft.

He’s good at it, and his gift shines now that he’s got an audience who hasn’t experienced the stories first hand. Zorrah gasps and giggles at all the right moments. I sit, finding myself eager to listen as well.

A deep sense of contentment settles over me. In the next room, two teenagers carry on as if everything in the world were as it should be, laughing and talking about nothing of importance. If this is the payoff for getting my hands dirty, it’s worth it. As long as I’ve got friends and family like these to take care of me, I’ll have the strength to take care of them.

There’s still the matter of Neca stepping so quickly into the cage. But that can wait. Tonight we’ll sleep. Tomorrow we’ll wake up. And day after day, we’ll do the same.