Juniper

Man, I was tired. 

I mean, if getting up early to go to some dead-end job on this miserable planet wasn’t enough, now I was getting dragged along by an IX operative. Not only that, but one who was an absolute freak of nature. 

It had been a day. I was not sure if I’d even fully processed it. I couldn’t really wrap my head around the whole being captured thing.

I mean, hey, I might be shoved into an incinerator tomorrow.

I tried to stay positive. I swear I tried, but something about imminent doom just made me all the more anxious and scared. 

My only hope was that freak. 

Ever since I met Elia, all she has done is surprise me time and time again. 

And I’m not going to lie, there was something different about her, different than everyone else. I mean, besides the obvious. She seemed to care, whether it be for a stranger or for her best friend.

I recognized Elia, back before the train. Well, not recognized her. I hadn’t even really met her yet.

But I saw her with that woman, the woman who fell off her bike, the one that I had helped. Just as I was sprinting off to catch Mr. Pearson, I glanced back behind me and spotted her sitting next to the injured woman, holding an icecloth in her left hand. 

It all must seem so insignificant now, but to me, it meant the world. It takes courage and selflessness to stop what you are doing to help another. 

Now, should she have done that while chasing down an apparently very wanted criminal? Well no, probably not. 

It didn’t matter though, because I could already tell that Elia didn’t think I was much of a threat. Honestly, girl probably thought I was more of a liability to myself than I am to others.

She was probably right. I’m clumsy as fuck, and as a nightweaver, I had accidentally scraped myself more times than I could imagine. 

I had gotten myself into so many dangerous situations because of my clumsyness and tendency to act without thinking. Damn, I was even in this situation because I acted without thinking.

What naive bumpkin would try to steal an object off of a high-ranking WellCorp official?

I could wait another week or two without flora. I wasn’t withering too much yet. It was just the fringes of my body: my hands, my toes, even the tips of my ears. 

It was my punishment to bear. My curse for not rewarding the ancients in exchange for their generosity. 

And yes, it hurt like hell. It hurt so much it was clouding my vision. I had first noticed it in the dressing room of that fancy market, searing pains shooting through my limbs. Despite it, though, I put on a brave face. 

No one likes a angsty and wrathful target. At least no one in their right mind. My only hope for escape was to convince Elia I wasn’t a threat.

I was already right on track. It would be easy enough when she already half-believed it herself. I could see it in her eyes, the scrutiny of her skeptical disbelief.

She was the kindest captor I could have hoped for, almost too kind. It made me suspicious, her constant leniency and hidden grins paired with concerned glances.

People only acted this way when I was useful to them, when they wanted something from me that only time could give.

I just couldn’t believe I let Elia notice my hands. 

“Where are we going?”

We were in the back of a grey pod, zipping down a lightrail to the Xenan Quarter and over gorgeous mansions, their artificial flora greenspaces stretching out for miles in front of them. 

As soon as we had gotten into the pod, Elia leaned over the passenger seat and quietly told directions to the driver a row in front of us. I couldn’t hear anything, but to me it sounded like they were having a heated conversation. 

It was over in seconds, and Elia returned to her seat beside me. 

I had no idea where we were going. 

“Somewhere you’ll be safe,” Elia replied awkwardly, still clearly hung up on her conversation with the driver. “You’ll like it there. Plenty of room for you to explore.”

What did she think I was, some pet wixx? Or even worse, some child? 

I mean, yes, I was grateful that she was trying her best to accommodate me, but all I needed was some space. 

Ugh. 

What was I thinking? I was still her captor. It’s not fair to make demands like this to her when she could reverse her decision to turn me in at any minute now. Which means I could be sent to the Ambassadors. Which means I could be only hours away from meeting a fiery, miserable death.

Instead of responding, I simply nodded my head in thanks and turned to face the window, gazing out across the cityscape as other pods whizzed by. 

The gray tiles on the rooftops glittered against artificial lightrail lamps, shining brightly against the ashen sky. Citizens hurried to get to their next commitment on the streets below us, almost appearing as tiny insects from this distance, their clothes a myriad of colors. 

I truly was thankful, even if I didn’t show it. Elia had saved me.

If Elia hadn't found me, I would have never experienced a miracle. I would have been halfway to the incinerator if it had been anyone else.

She was my miracle.