My eyelids flutter open; my vision is blurry at first. I blink a few times, trying to make sense of my surroundings. The ceiling above me is white, smooth and unfamiliar. The smell of antiseptic fills my nose.

Soft sheets were pulled up to my neck, keeping me warm. They hold me captive, and I submit willingly to them. As the room comes into focus, I turn my head slightly, wincing at the dull ache that radiates from my temples.

I lock eyes with Ari who wears a sling around his neck. He sits by the window. Light shining in, illuminating his scabbed and bruised face. He looks tired. Like he hasn't slept in days.

"Where am I?" I whisper, my voice hoarse and barely audible even in the silent room.

Ari gets up with a grunt and walks over to my bed with a slow pace. A heavy looking black boot is around his foot, holding him back from being speedy. "You're in the hospital. There was an explosion, but you're going to be okay."

My brow furrow as I try to recall what happened. Fragments of memories flash through my mind—the ice, a bang, the burning building, screams, the blood. My hand lightly touches my side. I wince.

"An explosion?" I repeat.

Ari nod as he sits on the edge of the bed. "Yes, but you're safe now. We both are."

My eyes well with tears. After the show, I was going to make a run for it. But that never happened. I am still stuck here in the Motherwealth. Where it is dangerous. I take a deep breath even though my chest aches. "Why was there an explosion?"

Ari frowns. "I was told there was a gas leak and someone was smoking. One thing led to another."

There is something in the way he said it that tells me he doesn't believe it. His eyes shift around the room as if we are being watched. He is careful. I never noticed it until I went to the edge with him. He has always been careful. Say the right word, do the right move. He wants to stay here, and he was doing all he could to make that a reality.

"That's not really happened though, is it?"

He shrugs. "That's what they told me."

He won't say anything more. Eydis is more vocal than him. We are silent for a moment. "Are you ok?"

He nods. "Just dislocated my shoulder and broke a bone in my foot. They'll heal soon enough. You on the other hand got most of the damage. I wasn't sure if you would make it. You lost a lot of blood."

I swallow a lump in my throat. The image of the shrapnel lodged in my side flash in my mind. There was so much blood. It was on my hands, on the ice...

"Are we..."

"We're in Regal. As soon as you were stable, we flew here. I was told we would get better treatment here," he says. "It's probably true. The best equipment is here."

The arena was packed. Those people must have been in bad shape too. I was not the only one that got banged up. "What about all those people in the arena? Are they here too?"

He gives a dry, lifeless chuckle. "That's not how the Motherwealth works, Telvi. I thought you knew that by now. They will get treatment in their hometown. You are more important, so you get to go to the capital."

His words crush me, making it hard to breathe. All those people. Some must have died but he doesn't seem to care. They were watching us, so I feel somewhat responsible. If the show never happened, all those people would have been fine.

My body aches as I try to move into a comfortable position.

"I was told I could start skating again by next week," he says cheerfully.

"With a broken bone? How is that possible?"

He smirks. "Motherwealth magic," he says, wiggling his fingers in the air. "The best medical treatment is here. Should heal right up no problem."

"You should be back on the ice in a few weeks too," he added.

Staking is the last thing I want to do. We were just in an explosion. I need time to recover. Physically. Mentally. Things have changed. But Ari wants everything to go back as normal as soon as possible. Things will never go back as normal. This is just one more thing on the ever-growing pile. Things are not safe here. I am not safe here.

My eyes meet his. "I don't know if I want to skate again."

His eyes widen. He looks around the room again. "I don't think you have a choice. You signed a contract, Telvi."

I am sure the contract can be broken. If only he understood what is really going on, he would want to end his contract too.

"The talent program isn't what you think it is," I say softly.

He nods with a frown. "I had my guesses. Irena can be open if you ask the right questions. She's from a Commonwealth. She told me I could stay like her."

"So you know how people get cut?"

"It's a shame about Eydis. I am sorry about that. I know how she loved you."

Resentment bubbles under my skin. If he knew, why wasn't he running for the hills? Or at least sharing his knowledge with anyone that would listen. "How long have you known?"

"When Eydis reappeared with no memory, it confirmed my ideas."

I close my mouth. Ari deserves to be here. He is as selfish as them.

Ari cup my cheek, but I recoil. He doesn't seem to notice as he adjusts his sling. "Everything will be fine. Things will blow over and it will go back to normal. We will go back to normal."

But the thing is, things couldn't go back to normal. There is no one to trust in this place. Nothing will be the same. Not after what I learned. How could things continue? I couldn't bear it.

My hands ball the fabric of the sheets. My breathing becomes hitched.

He stands up and sighs. "Do you want anything? Since we are recovering, we don't have to watch what we eat. Irena already told me I could eat as much cake as I want."

As if that makes anything better. "No, I don't want anything." I feel sick to my stomach.

"Suit yourself. Alright. I'm going back to my room for some food. I'll be back later on tonight."

After he leaves, I look around the room. There must be a way I can escape this place. I don't want to wait any longer. Carefully, I sit upright, ignoring the throbbing pain on my side. With careful movements, I drape my legs over the edge of the bed.

But before I can touch the cold ground, a lady dressed in white walks in. "Oh, sweet. You can't get up yet. You are still recovering from surgery." She helps place my legs back into bed then tucks the covers around me.

"Cheer up. The surgery was successful. You will make a full recovery in no time," she says with a smile. She wipes the tear from my cheek with a piece of cloth.

She don't understand why I am upset. It's not because I am in the hospital.

"You should be able to walk around by tomorrow. In the meantime, is there anything I could get you?"

I shake my head. There is nothing that could make this better.

"Alright. Please if you change your mind, you can push this button," she says and shows me a button on a table next to my bed. She then proceeds to walk around the room, looking at the equipment, pushing buttons, and changing out bags. She finally stops then leaves.

With a shaky hand, I smooth my hair. Who am I kidding? This isn't a place to run. And I'm not in any state to run. Once again, I will have to wait. Waiting is killing me. Maybe there never will be a good time to run for freedom. Maybe I will forever be trapped here, stuck in a place that is sickening.

__________

Ari never returns and as the sun sets, turning my room a golden shade of yellow, I know he won't. It is probably better that way. He showed his true colors. We are too different. He isn't a friend. He cannot be trusted. It seems like no one could be trusted in this city.

The light in my room fades, turning a dark shade. Before long, I lay in a dark room. With no visitors, my eyes get heavier and soon, I drift off to sleep.

It isn't until I heard my door click open and something fall to the ground that my eyes fly open again.

Through the shadows and the night light shining through the window, I see a figure move closer to me. My movements are slow and choppy as I try to find anything I can use for protection. They are finally here for me, to take me away. To cut me.

There is nothing within arms distance. The only thing I have is my lungs. I take a deep breath, ready to scream, make a scene but stop when I make out the shine of Ezra's quaffed hair.

He is here in the dead of night. For me.

"Ezra? What are you doing here?" I whisper. My words come out slurred and muddled against the beeping and whirling in the room.

"We don't have much time," Ezra replies as he disconnects a tube from my arm. He pushes a few buttons and unplugs machines from the wall. "We can get you out, but we have to go now."

My eyes widen. Is this the moment I begged for? It sounds too good to be true. This has to be a dream. I am dreaming. The haze of the room feels unreal. This must be a drug induced dream. Ezra cannot really be here. He isn't coming in the middle of the night for me.

He grabs my skates which are in the corner of the room and throw them over his shoulder. "We really don't have much time. They are doing a nursing shift change. We have to act now."

My eyes fill with uncertainty. "But... how?"

His hazy body moves around, collecting my belongings. Slowly he comes into focus. The haze lifts and the last bit of sleep fades. It is replaced with the thud of my heart. Escape. This is the moment. It is time to run.

Ezra gently helps me off the bed. I wobble slightly, still weak from my injuries. My body aches as Ezra slowly takes his hands off me, to test my balance.

"I'm ok." I am not. It just feel like the right thing to say if I want to get out of here. Instead, I want to fall back to the bed and sleep.

He nod. "Regal is too worried about the attacks. It's happening all over the Motherwealth. They will not notice if you vanish. Trust me." He hands me a set of clothes he brought with him. "Put these on. Quickly."

Attacks? It wasn't a gas leak. It was planned. The Motherwealth is being attacked. All those planes. They must have been scouting areas.

Ezra turns his back to give me some privacy, keeping an ear out for any approaching footsteps.

I try to ignore my throbbing body as I slip out of the hospital gown and into the clothes. Every move takes enormous effort, but I push forward. I have to. This is my only chance.

When he finally turns to me, I am slipping on a rimmed hat, hiding my hair within it.

"Lean on me," he says softly. "We'll take it slow."

I nod, wrapping my arm around him. It doesn't provide any relief from the pain, but it does make walking just a little easier.

He opens the door and peeks out. It is an empty white hallway. "Let's go."

Together we move cautiously through the hallways. Ezra guides the way with a firm but gentle grip.

He takes steps with such surety. He has been here before. We take turns and avoid the main corridors, sticking to the less-traveled paths. When someone gets close, he steps in front of me, blocking me from view. He is not noticed by anyone and neither am I. Everyone seems too busy to see us.

I follow silently, trying to ignore the pain. The longer we walk the less I can push the pain to the back of my mind. It clouds the corners of my vision. My breathing grows more labored, and I lean more onto Ezra. It feels like someone is stabbing my side repeatedly.

I lose my grip on Ezra and stumble to the ground. I yelp, stifling a scream.

He carefully picks me up and pushes me against the wall.

Someone passes us, meeting Ezra's eyes. He smiles but the person looks away.

Ezra looks back at me. I can see the concern in his eyes. "Almost there," he reassures me.

I nod. My body feels like it is on pins and needles. I shake. It's hard to move, but I push forward. The only thought motivating me is freedom. This will be worth it.

With a deep breath, and all the strength I can muster, I start forward again.

Finally, we reach the side door. Ezra pushes it open, and the cool night air rushes in, hitting my face, filling my lungs.

"We are going somewhere safe," Ezra replies, leading me to a waiting black car. "I promise."

As long as it is outside of the Motherwealth, it will be.

He helps me into the passenger seat and then gets behind the wheel. As we sped off, I look back as the building we just fled from. It grows smaller in the night.

Once the hospital is out of sight, I feel safe. I can breathe better. I am going to be free.

"Thank you, Ezra," I say softly. I settle into the seat and close my eyes.

"I told you I would keep you safe. I promised you that and I'm not someone who breaks their promises."

I nod, unable to crack my eyes open to meet his eyes.