Take Me Tomorrow

Chapter 30: His Surrender

My ankle ached as I climbed the rusted ladder. Worse, my hands went clammy, my grip loose. When the metal steps swung against the intense wind, I feared falling. My hood blew off. I kept climbing. One step before the other. I never took my eyes off of Lily as she climbed above me. She scaled the golden tower, clearing the steps with a nimbleness only cats had. Unlike her, I was a dog. I wasn't meant to climb. My feet were meant to be on the ground, but I had to climb to get to Noah and Miles. I would get there if it meant saving Broden—if it meant Noah living past tomorrow.

Lily reached the top, and the ladder shook as she hurdled over the roof's edge. She yelped as soon as she disappeared. "It's me!"

I peeked over the edge. Lily lay on the ground, Miles on top of her with her arm twisted behind her back. His hand was still pressed into her shoulder when he asked, "Lily?"

"Miles," I squeaked.

He glanced over his shoulder, and his expression dropped. "Fantastic." He didn't sound fantastic at all.

He let Lily go as I climbed over the rocky strip of the ceiling. When he stood, he pulled his sister up with him. They were the same height, and they were both dressed in black. Their sweaters clung to their thin torsos as if they had dressed from the same closet. They had never looked so alike.

"What—" He was borderline speechless.

Noah's blond hair flashed from the shadows. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, stepping away from the wall. Unlike the rest of us, he wore his military uniform, and his green eyes illuminated with the sage color of his clothes. Even then, there was nothing about his demeanor that hinted relief. He was angry—really angry.

"I told you two to stay away." He spun on Lily. "Why did you bring her?"

"We're already here," Lily spat. She was the only one unfazed by his sudden rage. "And we're not leaving."

Noah's lips pressed together in a thin white line before they parted with a hiss. "Yes," he answered, gesturing to the ladder. "You are."

I stepped between them. "No, we aren't."

Noah looked at me. His eyes softened, and for a moment, I saw the boy who stood in his family's living room, the one who wore a floppy white hat and laughed, not the one who took drugs.

When he looked away, his jaw clenched. It was his surrender. He wouldn't fight me. He had other things happening. He didn't have time for extra drama. We didn't have time at all. And Noah and I were the only ones who knew it. He was leaving today whether he had Rinley or not.

"What's the plan?" Lily asked, but the boys didn't answer.

"I—uh—" I looked from Noah to Miles. I only knew he had to leave tonight—by a train—and Miles was supposed to set it up. The train station had closed over an hour ago. I wasn't sure how they were going to pull it off. I still didn't know where Rinley was.

"We're staking out," Noah said as he walked around the corner.

I bounded after him. Around the wall was a hanging edge that plummeted to the cement below. Wind bellowed up, shooting my curls in all directions. Lily handed me a hair tie without the question being asked. I tied up my hair as Noah watched me, binoculars in hand.

Lily sat down, dangling her feet off of the edge. "See anything yet?"

"Nothing but buildings," Miles answered, "and get your legs up here. Someone is going to see you."