GLOWING (Joel Miller)

20 | The Reunion

The congregation of people cleared a path to let the guard and me through. I stared straight ahead, ignoring the looks of disgust being thrown at me from all directions.

The guard stopped walking at the front of the crowd and my nose scrunched up when I recognised Kathleen, standing in front of me with an older man just behind her. I looked up at him, locking eyes. For some reason unbeknownst to me, his expression comforted me.

"Are you ready to talk now?" I didn't respond and she just rolled her eyes, gesturing to the people behind me. "Every single person here wants justice for our soldiers so, put it simply, they want you to suffer." It was like she thrived off of this. "And I'm more than happy to let them. So talk."

I shook my head defiantly. "I'm not telling you anything," I said through gritted teeth. "Your guys attacked me. I just defended myself."

"You came into our city," Kathleen reasoned with a raised eyebrow. "We were just defending our home."

"We didn't know there was anyone here," I admitted. "You didn't exactly make it obvious for us."

"Oh, us?" Kathleen perked up."Who is us?" I kicked myself internally, letting out a sigh. "You were here for Henry and Sam, weren't you?"

"What?" I blurted out. "Who the fuck are Henry and Sam?"

Kathleen chuckled. "Like you don't know." She held up my Firefly pendant, making me fume inwardly. "They're traitors. They deserted to go look for your little club."

Kathleen looked so smug; like she had figured me out and I was crumbling under the weight of my lies. But I wasn't and it was infuriating. "I don't know what you're taking about, lady!" Kathleen scoffed. "I already told you... I'm going to Colorado and I was just cutting through the city. Why can't you fucking believe it?"

"Because you're a liar!" Kathleen screamed, stomping her foot. I immediately shut my mouth, slightly scared by her now. She took a shaky breath, her mouth twisted in an ugly snarl. "Because you're a liar."

"Kathleen." The older man beside her stepped forward, placing a hand on the seething woman's shoulder. "This is going too far. I think she's telling the truth."

I stared at the man, the feeling in my chest confusing the hell out of me. Kathleen looked up at the man, clenching my pendant in her fist. "You don't know what you're talking about, Perry."

The man—Perry—sighed. "Then explain it to me." Kathleen unclenched her fist, holding it out to Perry. He reached forward to pick up the pendant, turning it over in his hand to look at the back. Suddenly, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack. I watched anxiously as he looked up, locking eyes with me. "Jenna?"

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Uhh... yeah?"

Kathleen looked between us, then settled her amused gaze on Perry. "Oh..? Oh, she doesn't even recognise you." She turned back to me. "This is Perry Pierce."

My eyes widened in shock. Perry Pierce? In Kansas City? I turned back to the man, who was still staring at me as if his brain hadn't yet comprehended what was happening. I could barely move, but I managed to open my mouth. "Dad?"

"Oh my god, Jenna." Perry rushed forward, embracing me in a tight hug. it seemed desperate, like he was worried it wasn't real. But it was, and I returned the hug. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again," he said, out of breath. "What are you ding here?"

I tilted my mouth towards his ear, so I could whisper without Kathleen eavesdropping. "I'm trying to get to the Fireflies in Colorado." I glanced up at Kathleen. "I was telling the truth."