The next morning starts at five, with Harry locking himself in the bathroom. Alouette yawns and sits up, but doesn't inquire about his seemingly sour mood. By now, she knows he won't answer.

She lies down and tries to fall asleep again, but her slumber dissipates when she hears the shower being turned on in the other room. She sighs and gets up, somehow managing her way to the bathroom door with her eyes half closed. "If you wait until six the water will be warm," she mumbles, and the words stick to her mouth like glue. When Harry doesn't reply, she knocks on the door. "Did you hear me?"

There's no reply but the distinct sound of the shower door closing.

Alouette leans her forehead on the door. "You're so stubborn," she whispers. A faint sleep spell comes over her and she gasps when she almost falls to the ground. The scare is enough to wake her up for good, and she sits on the bed with a grumble. There's no way she'll go back to sleep, now.

She checks the time on the alarm clock again and gasps when she catches sight of the date.

October 9th, 2263.

They're going back to the Palace today. Now she understands why Harry has been tossing and turning for the whole night. She's reassured to know that, deep down, he's just as on edge as she is about this—though they are for different reasons. To her, this is the ultimate test. Harry was right when he said it's easy to trust someone when they're the only people you have on your side. She's been thinking about that a lot over the past few days.

For two months, she was the only person Harry had, and he was the only one she had. Their newly formed relationship is based on a sturdy foundation of trust because of it. But everything will change, now. Today is the day she'll find out if Harry can actually be trusted, or if he'll turn against them in the second he's back to the safety of the Palace. The worst part is that, if he were to betray them, she wouldn't be surprised. After all, she too has pretended to be someone she wasn't to seek safety behind enemy lines. After today, she'll know just how steady Harry's promises of friendship are.

It's so easy to feel like she's at the end of the ride, now, but she knows she's far from it. They still have to neutralise the Shade before they move against Northfair, and she still has to find a way to utilise the power and position Harry has granted her to get what she wants—what she's been fighting for. What her father created the Revolution to obtain. Yet, she's so close.

Alouette opens the wardrobe and goes through the clothes inside, finding the most appropriate ones for Harry to wear. It isn't an easy task. Nothing looks good enough when compared to the memory of Harry's pristine suits.

She puts them on the chair next to the bathroom door and knocks twice. "I brought a change of clothes."

The water on the other side of the door is still running, and Harry doesn't reply. There's no way for her to know what he's thinking, though she wishes she did. He's too unpredictable—has always been. The worst part is that he isn't unpredictable at all—his every action is calculated, his every word planned. He's only unpredictable to everyone else because they still haven't figured out how his mind works. It's in moments like these that Alouette wishes she had. She knows him enough to understand him, but that isn't enough. It'll never be enough when the fate of an entire country only depends on him. When Alouette's fate only depends on him.

She picks out her clothes and puts them on. Thirty minutes have passed, but Harry is still locked inside the bathroom. She doesn't find it too alarming. Over the past couple of weeks, she's had the distinct feeling that he retreats to the washroom when he's looking for privacy he can't get in their shared room. He was used to having many private areas just for him in the Palace, after all.

Alouette checks the pockets of the clothes she was wearing the night before and pulls out her knife. She sits on the desk and tries flicking it open in the same way she's seen Harry do countless times. It slips out of her hands, and she parts her legs just in time for the blade to fall between them and clash to the floor. She clears her throat, a little embarrassed. Knives have never been her weapon of choice.

She picks it up and sits on the desk again. This time she opens it slowly and stares at the reflection of her eyes on the mirror-polished blade. It makes her a little queasy to hold such a dangerous weapon in her hand after having seen the damage it can do. It isn't something she will forget easily. She's glad the other knife went missing.

The bathroom door opens, and she hands Harry his clothes through the sliver. After a few moments, he walks out fully dressed. He flinches back in the second he sees the open knife in Alouette's hands, but plays it off and runs his fingers through his still-wet hair. "What do you have there?" There's an edge in his voice that wasn't there before.

"You should take this." Alouette closes the knife and hands it to him. "You know... just to be safe." She frowns. "It isn't your... I mean, that... the other... the one that... you know. It got lost in the fight. This is mine, but I won't be able to take it with me, so you should take it in case you need to protect yourself." She sighs and looks at it. It looks so harmless, now. Just a silvery stick. "You aren't allowed to throw it, though," she adds playfully, "not until you prove you can hit the mark again."

"I'm fairly certain I would still hit something if I threw it." He's teasing her like he always does, but his eyes are still trained on the knife. He takes it from her and turns it over in his hand, but doesn't flick it open. Alouette doesn't miss his reaction.

"How are you?" she asks, observing him attentively.

His dark eyelashes flutter, and he puts away the knife. "I'll be fine. I only need to rest a little more."

"I don't mean physically."

Harry's eyes find hers, but she can't get herself to look at him. She feels so guilty. "I'm always fine," he says. The tone of his voice is so hard that Alouette feels like she's being scolded. "You know that."

"Of course." Her reply feels like a lie just as much as his does. She wonders if it feels like a lie to Harry too. Maybe she wants to scream.

Above their heads, the building slowly comes to life. It's six in the morning now, rising hour for the larks of the Revolution. There are steps tapping and voices mumbling and taps running. Alouette feels like she did on that morning of last May, when she was preparing to leave for the Palace. So much has happened since then, but she feels just as lost as she did back then—if not more. Last May she thought she knew everything, but in truth she knew nothing. It's best not to know, sometimes. It makes it easier to follow orders.

"I should pack," she says, jumping off the desk.

"Don't bother. You won't be allowed to bring a bag inside the Palace."

Alouette raises an eyebrow. "I brought one when I was hired in May."

"There's a difference between entering the Palace grounds as an employee and doing it as an enemy." Harry leans against the desk and pulls the knife out again. He flicks it open and studies it halfheartedly for a few moments before lifting his gaze towards her. "I thought you knew."

Alouette narrows her eyes. "The Revolution isn't an enemy, now."

"I'm simply trying to make things easier for everyone involved," Harry says with a light shrug. "There's not much I can do if you're shot upon arrival because the guards think you're carrying weapons."

"What am I supposed to wear, then?" Alouette hisses through her teeth. "Do you think they kept my clothes?"

Harry flicks the blade open a few times, getting used to the weight of the new knife. "That's inconsequential. I'll buy a new wardrobe for you in the eventuality they've thrown them away."

"You'll what?" She lets out a laugh. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you are."

He stops what he's doing and gives her a long look. "I don't think I'm following," he says in the end.

"You want to buy an entire wardrobe's worth of clothes for me?" She laughs again. "That's ridiculous. You don't even know my size."

"I know your size."

"What? How—"

This time it's Harry's turn to give her a sarcastic smile. "It's in your file."

"My... my what?" It takes Alouette a few seconds to process what he's saying. "You have a file about me?!"

She doesn't know if it's a trick of the light, but the laugh in Harry's eyes looks a little like contempt, now. "I have files about everyone that works for me. Why else did you think I had Evie buy that dress for you?"

Alouette gasps in outrage. "What else is written in that file?!"

"Your name, CV... the basics." He twirls the knife between his fingers. "Oh, your schedule, too."

She crosses her arms. "Well, I'll need to see that file when we go back."

"So demanding."

"You keep a file on me, and then I'm the weird one?"

Harry chuckles. "Now you're making it sound worse than it is."

Her mouth falls open in shock. "I can't believe you." A moment goes by, and she sighs. "You know what, I actually believe you, because that's just like something you would do." Maybe her feelings are a little hurt now that she knows he only got Evie to buy a new dress for her because he wanted to know her size. She doesn't even know what went through his mind when he made that decision. In truth, she doesn't even know why he wanted to know her size, but she's too scared to ask. Something tells her the answer would be as ridiculous as him wanting to buy an entire new wardrobe for her.

I'll buy you five more. No, ten.

She shakes her head and sits at the foot of the bed. She fears she may be losing her mind.

"Okay, so, no bag," she says out loud, trying to get the memory of him ripping her shirt off her out of her mind. She can't be thinking of this right now. "What else?"

Harry is still playing with the knife, but she finds it less maddening than it used to be. She's discovering she's willing to come to terms with many things, as long as they mean Harry is doing well. "Leave your phone here. Otherwise it'll be confiscated upon arrival, and you'll never see it again."

"Are you planning on kidnapping us or something?"

"Yes."

Alouette sighs again. "At least you're honest. Does Jesse know about the phone thing?"

"Does he have to know?"

"Harry."

There's a sudden knock.

Harry moves out of the way and Alouette goes to open the door, relaxing when she discovers the identity of the newcomer.

"Up at six in the morning?"

Jesse laughs. "Who says I ever went to sleep?"

Alouette rolls her eyes and moves to the side to let him in.

"Ezra wants to see you, by the way." Jesse looks around the room, seemingly a little lost. Harry stares at him from the bed. He's back to playing with the knife. Alouette wonders if Jesse thinks it's a threat.

"Now?"

Jesse gives her a light shrug. "I don't know what it's about."

"I'll go check it out." She grabs her jacket and makes for the door, but stops in the frame. "Tell him about the phone, Harry. I don't want the Palace to sink their claws into one of our devices."

"What about a phone?" she hears Jesse ask, but she's already in the corridor.

It takes her a long while to make her way to Ezra's office. It's only a little past six in the morning, but everyone within the Revolution headquarters seems to be roaming the corridors today.

Some people are running around, others haunt the hallways in groups and stare at her muttering to each other while she tries to get past them, others again walk up to her to ask if she's ready, and information about the deal, and about the Shade, and about half a thousand other things she too doesn't know the answer of. She wonders at what point the people of the Revolution have started noticing her this much. Was it when Ezra said her name in that headquarters meeting from seven months ago, or after she came back with no one other than Harry? She can't tell anymore. She misses the way things were before. She isn't like her father—she isn't made to have an audience.

When she finally reaches Ezra's office, she's disheartened to discover that it's crawling with Council representatives and Revolution soldiers. Seeing everyone get ready for them to go back to the Palace puts her on edge—it's the outside confirmation that something huge is indeed about to happen. She wonders if they're worried Harry might turn on them as well.

"Ah, Alouette! Here you are!" Ezra exclaims as soon as he sees her, making some heads turn in her direction. "Everyone else, leave! As I've told you, it's still too early to know anything."

Alouette slaloms through the ten people that are suddenly walking out of the door. Are they all awaiting news on their mission?

"I was about to come get you myself," Ezra says when they're finally alone, closing the door and shutting out the outside world.

She gives him a suspicious look. "And why's that?"

He chuckles. "Calm down, I'm not going to screw you over or anything. In fact, I was thinking we could have an honest conversation." He removes a pile of papers from a chair and sits down, tapping the one next to him. Alouette doesn't sit, and he shrugs. "I've been very pleased with the way you've been behaving in the past few weeks, Alouette. You've been doing a good job."

Alouette looks at him in silence. If there's something she's learned from her misfortunes, it's that it's never a good idea to say too much in Ezra's presence, lest he use it against her at a later date.

"It's making me think I may have been too quick to judge you," he continues. "You must understand my position, though. You were running around with the President and directly disobeying orders, you had me thinking you changed sides."

"If I'd changed sides, don't you think I would've let him go back to the Palace instead of running around with him?"

Ezra raises his eyebrows. "Yes, well. Anyway, that's in the past. I wanted to see you because, you know, I think I like you. You remind me of your father a lot. Daniel was truly brilliant, indeed. A little too idealistic at times, but I think you're past that now."

Alouette tenses up. She doesn't want to listen to him talking about her father. There are too many things going on right now, and in her mind there's no place for his empty praises. "Why am I here?"

"Not wasting time, right. Then I'll get to the point as well. I want you to keep in contact with me once you're at the Palace."

That catches Alouette by surprise. "I thought that was Jesse's job."

Ezra tilts his head. "The thing about Jesse is that... he's young, a little foolish, and likes having a good time. I don't know if I can fully trust him to tell me everything I need to know when you go. You, on the other hand, are honest. Annoyingly so, too. If your morals are as strong as you insist they are, then you're the perfect contact."

"I..." she hesitates, even though there's no need for her to reply. She's way too familiar with gently given orders, by now. They're perfect when you want the other person to think they have a choice, but there's never a choice to begin with.

"Let's work together from now on, Alouette Ivenhart. You carry your father's last name, it's only proper you carry out his responsibilities as well."

"We aren't allowed to bring phones," is the only thing that leaves her mouth instead.

Ezra laughs loudly. "I'm aware of that. He'll provide you with a way to talk to me when you get to the Palace—weekly contact is part of our deal, and he knows it."

Right. "Then, I accept." She still doesn't know if she can fully trust him, but nothing bad can come out of this. If she's chosen to give Harry a chance, surely she can do the same with Ezra. After all, there's a deal binding them all together, now.

"I'm looking forward to our cooperation."

"Me too." That's most definitely a lie, but Alouette hopes Ezra hasn't noticed it. "I'll go, now. There's a lot left to prepare." That's also a lie, considering Harry has just told her she shouldn't bring anything.

She leaves the office and discovers the corridor is even fuller, now. She apologises half a hundred times only to get out of the main building.

It must be nearing seven by the time she's climbing up the stairs of her building. She considers going to visit Amina, but changes her mind when she realises how early it still is. She can see her later, there are still many hours left, and times seems not to be passing at all this morning.

A shoulder bumps into her and she nearly flies down a flight of stairs.

An arm wraps around her shoulders, saving her from near certain death."Hey! Be careful!"

She looks at her saviour, only to discover that it's one of the men on Elijah's team. Either Owl or Lark—she's never been particularly good at remembering the faces of strangers.

"Everyone's going wild today, I swear," he mutters, and then sends her a side glance. "Ah, whatever. Let's go have breakfast to start this wonderful morning."

It's probably Lark.

The rest of the day goes by faster. At breakfast, nearly thirty people storm their table to talk to her and make plans, as if they haven't been doing the exact same for the past ten days. Alouette starts thinking it must be a psychological rule of existence—people always come up with new options at the last minute, when it's too late to do anything. At the third person suggesting her to kill Harry and call it a day, she leaves.

When she gets back to her bedroom Harry isn't there. Jesse informs her he went to talk to Ezra, but somehow no one has seen him on the way there.

At nine she has breakfast with her sister, but she only drinks a coffee because she's already had breakfast with Lark. She brings some food back for Harry. At ten she accompanies her sister to school and talks with Elodie until eleven, making plans for the future. At midday she has a quick lunch with Harry in their bedroom, at one she talks to Anthony and then Jesse. She spends nearly an hour looking for Elijah in the chaos, but can't find him.

By the time three in the afternoon comes around, she's half-certain she has to have spoken with at least half of the Revolution. When Jesse comes knocking on their bedroom accompanied by Owl, Lark and, to her surprise, Elijah, she couldn't be gladder.

Ezra has provided them with one of the best cars in the Revolution's garage, or so he swears while they're standing outside in front of it. Alouette isn't an expert on the matter, but she thinks it looks fine. It's similar in model to the vehicles the Palace's guards drive.

There are a lot of people outside. Ezra has called out a few soldiers to keep everyone in check, but there's no time for long, heartfelt conversations.

Alouette and Jesse say their goodbyes to Ezra, and then she turns towards Amina. She's standing outside with them, holding Elodie's hand. It reminds her of that distant day of May all over again. Alouette kneels down and hugs her tight. "I promise I won't be gone as long this time," she murmurs, "and I'll keep in touch. I'll call as much as I can. So be good, okay? And don't try to run away again."

"I know you'll be back," Amina replies, "but I might still run away if you don't."

"Ami—"

"I'll make sure she's safe," Elijah interjects. It's the first time Alouette hears him speak in days. "I'll make sure nothing happens, here. I'll keep watch." From the look he sends her, she understands he isn't only talking about making sure her sister won't run away anymore.

"Thank you," she whispers at him, but he looks away, refusing to meet her eyes.

"Oh, just go! You're going to make me cry all over again," Elodie jumps in. She throws her arms around Alouette. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?" she mutters in her ear.

Alouette nods, and then she's being pulled away by Jesse.

"It's all very sad and heartbreaking, I know, but we have to leave now if we want to get to the Palace before dark. We'll call in two days at the latest."

He shoves Alouette into the backseat of the car, next to Harry. The door closes, shutting the outside sounds out. Alouette sends Harry a side glance as Jesse walks around the car. His hands are trembling slightly.

She takes his coat from the seat between them and drapes it over his shoulders. "Try not to get a cold, you're still recovering," she murmurs.

Then, Jesse gets inside and starts the car.

•     •     •

The first three hours of the car ride go by silently. There are a thousand things Alouette wants to talk about with Harry, but she's all too aware of Jesse's presence right in front of them. Even though she doesn't think of him as a threat anymore, she doesn't want him to listen to her conversation with Harry—not that Harry would want to have a conversation, knowing he's right there.

Alouette keeps glancing between the two men and the landscape, keeping her thoughts to herself. She's growing increasingly nervous now, to the point she might feel a little sick. This is scary. Going back to the Palace is terrifying, and it's even more so because she knows they aren't expecting them. So many things could go wrong.

One more hour passes, and now she's considering telling Jesse to turn the car around, because this is a mistake. Bringing Harry back is a mistake, after all the trouble they went through to pull him out of his safe walls. There's no predicting what will happen in the second he steps foot on the grounds of the Palace.

She isn't the only one on edge. Jesse keeps tapping on the steering wheel at short intervals, and Harry's hands are still trembling ever so slightly. She suddenly remembers all the things Harry told Ezra ten days ago. Does he think the Palace may have turned against him while he was gone? The simple thought is ridiculous—Harry is the face of the Palace. It would be nothing without him. She can't imagine a world in which they're separate.

They get to Northfair a little after sunset. The sun is gone, but the sky is still a bright, stale white-grey. Jesse parks on the side of the road out of the city, and Alouette changes seats. She looks up for a moment and catches Harry's green eyes in the rear-view mirror. His absurdly green eyes.

There will be no going back.

The car starts again, and they drive straight towards the heart of Northfair.

Alouette bites the inside of her cheek nervously as the buildings around them become larger, brighter. Her eyes flick through them all, desperately trying to recognise her location just to know how much time they still have.

The city is just as bright as she remembers it to be. It's blinding, it's magnificent. It's a star fallen from the sky, one with the universe around it. Its advertisements shine on the car windows, painting the world outside of blue, hot pink and neon green northern lights. Cars speed past down the street and people are running back and forth on the sidewalks, completely unaware their President is missing. Completely unaware of the change Alouette and Jesse are bringing forth. But there's no way to go back, now.

The deeper they drive into the city, the more soldiers are around. Alouette has to thank the darkened windows of their car—without them, they would've already been spotted. They can't allow themselves to be caught out here. It isn't safe—not for them, not for Harry. They have to bring him back. They have a mission. Yet, it keeps feeling like a mistake.

Northfair opens up like a flower around them. They drive past blinking skyscrapers, blinding advertisements, shops turning on all their lights for the night, torches for the moths that keep the entire city running. Some are going home, others are going to work, others are spending all their money on useless things they were led to believe they need. A glance inside a ticking clock, with every cog running perfectly. Unique yet replaceable, unpractical yet efficient, a thousand antitheses coexisting at the same moment, held together by a deep longing for something unknown. The beating heart of a country driving straight into a wall.

Alouette sends Harry a look. He's looking outside, and the street is too bright to see his reflection on the window. She wonders what he's thinking. Is he starting to regret this too?

She taps on her thigh, counting the seconds that separate them from the end of everything. This is a mistake. It's a mistake.

"Harry..."

"Quiet," Jesse instructs suddenly. "We're almost there."

Alouette desperately looks for Harry's eyes, but his are still drawn to his city, that has fallen from the heavens together with him. She's driven down this street once before. She's seen these buildings—she's seen the direction this road takes. The one she came down this very street, with these same bright lights and wandering souls, with is now dead.

It's a mistake.

The street clears. A large square opens, with armed soldiers on each side. The sky above them is darker, now. In front of them, a tall building rises. If she bends forward, she can see the bright white lights coming from the large floor-to-ceiling windows at its very top. It's surrounded by a tall wall, with a closed gate.

Their car inches forward. And forward. And forward. The soldiers realise they aren't going to turn into another street only when it's thirty feet away from the towering main gates.

Jesse rolls down the window, slowly, just enough to hear what's happening outside. Alouette digs her nails into her thigh. Harry is looking straight ahead now, but she can't catch his gaze through the rear-view mirror anymore.

Two soldiers step in front of them and point their rifles at their windshield. "Stop right there! You're within the grounds of the Palace of Northfair, property of the government. Declare your business!"

And just like that, we're back to the Palace. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote/leave a comment if you did, I love hearing your opinions about the story x
Miki