I've never fallen asleep in a bed before. It's the softest thing I've ever touched. Too soft. My back is used to straw, lumpy blankets, or just plain dirt.

I sit up, swinging my feet off the bed onto the floor. The door opens and Rene walks in holding a candle. "Can't get comfortable?" she guesses.

I nod, giving a rueful smile. "I guess a patch of dirt is more my style."

She places the candle on the nightstand between the two narrow beds. She sits on the edge of the opposite mattress.

"You must be tired."

"I'm exhausted, but I think I'm too tired to sleep."

She laughs. "Yeah, I know the feeling." She scoots back on the bed, folding her legs underneath herself.

Rene is so different from me. She looks delicate, though I know she's not. She's intelligent and kind. Her facial features are softer, prettier, more feminine than mine. No wonder Nick is head over heels for her. No wonder Zeke couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

She sort of reminds me of Mari. I haven't thought about Mari in a long time. Poor Mari who lived and died a slave.

Was Rene ever a slave? She seems too free for that. I can't imagine her ever being ordered and chained.

As if she read my thoughts, she fixes her eyes on the wall past my head. "I was a slave until I was fourteen. Nick and I were on the same plantation. We worked in the tobacco fields." She curls a strand of hair tight around her finger, her usually carefree eyes clouding over. "One day, one of the particularly nasty field masters struck me with a whip." She takes a handful of hair and pulls it to the side, exposing her neck. A deep, but faded scar marrs the otherwise smooth skin.

"Nick forced me to run away with him that night. I was so afraid." A sad smile pulls at her lips. "But if I had stayed that life would have killed me. I'm not strong. Not like Nick, or you."

"You seem pretty strong to me."

Her gaze comes back to me, genuine surprise there. "Really? That's a lot coming from you."

"I'm just trying to get free." I look down at the floorboards. "That's all I'm trying to do. It doesn't take much strength to look after yourself."

"You've been looking out for Zeke."

More like he's been looking out for me.

"Speaking of the man." Her smile now holds mischief. "Is there something between the two of you?"

Heat flashes up my back. "What? No! Why would you even ask that?" I want to sound dismissive, but the words come out too high pitched to be casual.

Her smile turns into a sly grin. "Are you sure? You seem pretty close. And I see the way he looks at you."

I almost choke. "If it looks like we're close it's just because we've been together for weeks. That's it."

"He's in love with you."

The breath hitches in my throat. She looks at me, curious for my answer. She's teasing, trying to lighten the mood after the previous conversation. She doesn't realize she's dancing close to the uncomfortable truth.

"Lyric, are you okay?"

I wet my lips with the tip of my tongue. "Uh, yeah. Just tired." I pick up the blanket from the floor and lay back on the bed. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams." I don't miss the laugh in her voice.

~

"I really think we should tell her."

My eyes open, vision blurry at first. I blink hard, forcing the inn room into focus. My limbs feels like there are weights holding them down.
Apparently the bed was not too comfortable to sleep. The pliable mattress begs me to drift back to sleep. I fight to lift into a sitting position, ignoring the urge to lay back down.

"It's not a good idea."

The conversation is coming from outside the door. Nick and Rene's voices. They're agitated, disagreeing about something.

"Why not?" Rene. "You've seen her, she's a strong girl. We need as many people like her as we can get."

"Yeah, but she's got that white heel with her. Zeke." Nick says Zeke's name like it tastes disgusting in his mouth. "We can't risk her telling him anything about us."

"I don't know Zeke, but I got a feeling about him. He's a good guy, I can tell."

A scoff. "You can tell? Rene, I'm sorry if I don't want to risk the safety of our base of one of your feelings." Silence. "Not that your feelings aren't usually right," he adds hastily, trying to smooth his blunder over. "I'm just saying it's not safe."

I slide off the bed, walk across the wooden floorboards, careful not to make a sound. I stop in front of the door. Base? What does that mean?

"We do a lot of things that aren't safe," Rene says, her tone even and flat. "We take risks because we have too. And I think we should take a chance on Lyric. Can't you just trust me?"

"I do trust you, you know I do." Nick sounds almost pleading. Guess even big strong men have weak spots.

"Then I think we should tell her."

I twist the doorknob and jerk open the door. "Tell me what?"

They both freeze. Nick and Rene stand a few feet apart from one another, about half a yard from the door. They look at me, then at each other, using that silent communication bond they seem to have.

"Well?" I'm impatient. I don't like secrets. Secrets mean that someone else is deciding what I can and can't do.

Rene and Lyric share one last silent look, before Nick nods. Rene turns to me. "Lyric, do you know what this means?" She lays a finger against Nick's jacket, pointing to the emblem there above the left breast pocket.

I shake my head, folding my arms against my chest. "Should I?"

"Probably not," Rene concedes. "It's a private symbol. Used only among our division of underground free rebels."

My heart jumps against my ribcage. "You're free rebel?"

Rene nods again. Nick looks perturbed, but doesn't say anything.

I knew it. I had a feeling about the two of them from the moment I saw them. Something about them was different. Hopeful and solid, not broken. Not like regular slaves.

A thrill goes through me all the way to my bones.

"This inn," Rene waves her hand in a circle. "It's a safe house for rebels. We're about a day and a half away from our division base. That's where Nick and I are going. I think...we think--" ,she nudges Nick with her elbow, "--that you should come with us."

"What?" It comes out more like a whoosh of air than a word. "I can be a free rebel?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, kid," Nick grumbles, arms tight against his chest. "We said you could tag along. Not just anybody can be one of us."

I don't know much about free rebels, aside from what I've heard in hushed whispers. Free rebels were dangerous to the slave owners and the military alike. Rumors are there's an inevitable war coming between the free rebel factions and the government. It's just a matter of time.

I can be a part of that.

"What do you say, Lyric?" Rene asks, tilting her head to the side. "You wanna come with us?"

Does she really have to ask?

"Of course I do."

"Good." Nick turns on his heel and starts walking toward the staircase. "We're leaving in two hours. Tell your boy goodbye. Say a word about where we're going and we're leaving you behind. Meet you downstairs, Rene." He takes the stairs two at a time.

Rene places a hand on my shoulder. "Sorry, you can't tell your friend."

"It's because Zeke's white, isn't it?"

She shrugs, her smile holding a hint of shame. "That plays a part, yeah. Especially with Nick."

"...I get it."

"He and Nick stayed in the room down the hall." She points to the second to the last door on the opposite end of the hallway. "You should tell him goodbye. Just not where you're going." She rubs my shoulder again before heading downstairs.

I cross the hall to knock on Zeke's door. No answer. I wasn't expecting one. That boy sleeps like the dead.

I open the door, not waiting for an invitation. Zeke is in a heap of tangled blankets and sheets. The pillow is on top of his face, soft snoring coming from underneath the pillowcase.

I rip it away from him. "Wake up." He doesn't stir so I smack in the face with the pillow.

His eyes fly open and he sits bolt upright. "What the?" His sleep drunken gaze struggles to rest on me. "Lyric? Can't you come up with any less heart wrenching ways to wake me up?"

"But you respond so well to all of them."

He rubs the back of his knuckles rough against his eyes. He glances over at the next bed. "I see Chuckles is gone. I barely slept last night I was so afraid for my life."

"Yeah, it really looked like you were having a hard time relaxing."

He ruffles his hair and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. "So what is it? Something wrong? You look worried."

I force my facial muscles to go slack. "I don't."

"You do." He looks concerned, his stupid blue eyes crawling over me. He takes my elbow and pulls me to sit on the bed next to him. I protest, but he ignores me. "You came to tell me something, right? What?"

I swallow, my throat dry for some reason. Why do I feel so nervous about telling him? I should be happy. I am happy. Now Zeke and I can finally separate. I won't put him danger anymore, I can get away from his feelings, I can get away from him. This is what I've been wanting.

"Zeke... I'm leaving with Nick and Rene." Best to blurt it out, get it over with. Besides it's not like I owe Zeke anything.

But judging from his wounded expression he must think I do. "Where?"

I shake my head. "I can't tell you."

"And you don't want me to come with you?"

"You can't."

"Why not?"

I stand up, needing to put distance between us. I walk over to the window and look beyond the dusty curtains out to the trees. "You just can't."

"'I just can't'?" There's heat behind every word as he repeats the sentence. "After all we've been through, after all I've done for you, that's it? That's all I get?"

I fold my arms against my chest, protecting myself even with my back to him. "Who asked you to help me?"

I hear him get to his feet, his steps coming up behind me. He grabs my arm and spins me around to face him.

"Don't go there, Lyric," he warns. "After everything. Don't."

Zeke has never been angry with me before. Not even when I threatened to shoot him, told him I stole from Kalypso, or dismissed his profession of love. But he's angry with me now. That makes me glad somehow. He should be mad at me. If he's mad, then I won't feel so guilty.

I jerk away from him. "It's true though. I never once asked you to help me. And I sure as heck never asked you to love me!"

That last part was not meant to come out.

Zeke stiffens, taking a step back from me like I slapped him. His left hand begins to quiver. He sticks it behind his back, out of my sight. His face is flushed, fuming silent rage at me.

Good.

"You want me to leave you alone, Lyric?" His voice is much calmer than his face is. "I can do that. I can definitely do that."

"It's about time."

His eyes flash heat, but instead of saying anything else he pushes past me and flees the room.