A Healer's War

Chapter 12 - Leaving Home

Chapter 12: Leaving Home

19:41 Saturday - April 14th.

"Come on! Just zip!" Jane grunted, kneeling on top of her stuffed gray travel case. The zipper stuck. Again. "Stupid muffing case!" Jane wiggled, pulled, and pleaded until the clog gave, and the zipper shot down its track with a satisfying ZIP. Panting and sweaty, Jane slid off the bed, feeling the cold concrete beneath the grainy throw rug. Bag packed, she stopped and took in her makeshift bedroom one last time.

Grace had made this space for her when she'd arrived two years ago. In the basement, she'd strung a line and a curtain to make a wall and door, propped up a wire wardrobe that held the few suits Jane had left, and hung pictures of their childhood together beside Jane's small bed. Trips to the lake, that old rickety rollercoaster on the pier, and summer campfires. Since Jane moved in, though, she'd added pictures Grace had snapped at taekwondo class, the mountainous view from their road trip to the East Coast, and the massive ice cream cones the four of them discovered after a lazy day at a river-side park. Every picture was a memory shared. Every picture, a vision of a life worth living.

She'd found happiness here with her sister, which made it all the harder to walk away. Since leaving with Emmett's empty dossier, she'd questioned her decision again and again, knowing Grace's reaction. She had to laugh—the Director knew her too well. The promise of the Seed, of getting back in the game, would be too much for her to refuse.

"Time to go to work," Jane said, feeling a pang of reluctance.

With both hands on the suitcase handle, Jane heaved, dragging it off the bed. It thumped down beside her, and she double-checked she had everything. She was looking under the bed when the curtain pulled open. She pressed her eyes closed. Grace wasn't supposed to be home for another couple of hours, long after Jane had left. She'd even written a lovely note to leave on her pillow.

"So," Grace said in her motherly tone. "Were you planning on saying goodbye or just sneaking out again?"

"I wouldn't call it sneaking... exactly." On her hands and knees, Jane turned to face her twin. "More like strategic avoidance."

Grace's round cheeks stretched as she smiled sadly. Her thick black hair sat twirled on top of her head, held in place by a modest clip. Smears of reds, blues, yellows, and greens covered her face and denim overalls.

"What happened to you?" Jane laughed, standing and smoothing out her navy suit jacket. It still smelled musty.

Grace looked her up and down. "I ran the art booth at the school fair."

"They missed a spot, but... not many," Jane laughed.

Grace walked over to the bed and plopped down, her eyes searching the suitcase on the floor. "You promised you'd tell me before you left again. That was the only rule."

"To be clear, it was your rule. I signed nothing," Jane said, hoping Grace might smile. No luck. "Fine, I was... sneaking. But the rule was only in place so you could talk me out of leaving."

"To keep you safe, dodo. Someone has to talk some sense into you." Grace folded her arms. "You've been avoiding me." She put her hands up. "No, don't deny it. I know your weird brain. And we're going to skip the banter. Just tell me what happened."

Jane drummed her fingers against her suitcase, looking her sister over again. Grace came ready to fight. As though to confirm her hunch, she met Jane's eye and looked exactly like their mother as both her brows arched, ready.

Still, Jane had to try. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Grace sighed and pointed to the corner of the room. "Then what's all that?" There, on the floor, was everything from Jane's cubicle they'd let her walk out with and a stapler they hadn't. Grace stood, walked over, and lifted out Jane's belt case as though presenting a jury with irrefutable evidence.