When Songbirds Fly | Bellamy Blake

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Terms and Conditions

TW// Gun, s*lf-harm, alcohol

—

When I leave the house the next morning, I'm not alone. Jaha stands at the bottom of the ramp, hands clasped in front of him and eyes fixed on the various toolboxes and spare parts that lie around on the porch.

Tidiness has never really been a speciality of mine. It hadn't been a problem before, they always seemed to have been cleared up and neatly put away by the time I next saw them. Now I live alone I seem to be in a perpetual state of disarray.

I frown and, nudging the door shut with the tip of one of my crutches, begin to hop towards him. 'You making house calls now? Because I don't care about your Lord and Saviour Chip, so you might as well jog on back to your cult.'

He smiles warmly, stepping aside to let me pass him before falling in step beside me. 'I hear you've been having a hard time recently. If you ever need a friend—'

'I'll be sure to talk to one. No offence, but you're one of the last people I'd talk to about anything.'

His casual attitude is so unnerving, so unlike him. It was always possible to tell if he was angry before, there would be this flash across his eyes. Even politicians are human. I try to quicken my pace so that I can get to Workshop before he continues the conversation any further. He doesn't seem to get the hint.

'I completely understand. I agree that in the past my actions have been... misguided. Everything has changed now. I've found the light. You can, too.'

Coming to a stop, I watch him in suspicion as he reaches into his top pocket and produces something.

It's so tiny and delicate. A transparent rectangle etched with lines and what looks like a horizontal 8 — the symbol of infinity. The pale sunlight shines through it, seeming to set it alight with a soft, blue glow.

Despite my immediate curiosity in the little pill, I continue to scowl. 'Sorry, Mom taught me to say no to weird guys offering me drugs.'

I decide to leave out the part about me never taking that advice. And the hypocrisy of her words.

'This isn't a drug, this is a key — a key to the City of Light.'

The name causes my eyes to widen in shock. 'I heard that you were looking for it. It worked, right? You found it? What about the others?'

This time, wrinkles form around his blank eyes as his smile pulls further into a look of sympathy. 'John Murphy is alive. He is safe. You can see him again. Just take the Chip.'

He holds it out to me. I hesitate.

'What does it do?'

'There is no pain in the City of Light. You can be freed from all of your grief, all of your hurt. Don't you want that?'

To be honest, that doesn't sound so bad. I could do with a break. My walls start to wear down with each second I stare at it.

'I—'

'Wren, there you are! I've been meaning to talk to you.'

I freeze. Abby is upon us within a few strides, guiding me away with a gentle but firm hand resting against my back. As soon as she's sure that Jaha can't hear us, she fixes me with a look full of hurt and worry. 'Wren, what happened?'

Shrugging, I begin to fidget with the ends of my sleeves. I cast my gaze back to Jaha, who is now walking over to some of his followers. 'I— I don't know. He just came up to me and offered that pill thing.'

Her hands grasp onto mine. 'I know that you're hurting. I know that it seems so tempting to just get rid of all of your pain, but you can't. Not yet. Just wait a little longer. I've been running some tests on Raven to see its effects on her but I need you to swear to me that you won't go anywhere near that thing until I know exactly what it does.'