Nada's Escape

63- Blinkers.

Excuses are made and Amy distracts whilst I creep into Penny's bedroom ahead of Finley.

My blinkers are up today, blocking out every attempt to broach the subject of that missing hour. Surely Finley gets that it's not personal. Amy's around for distracting me as much as Penny, though I haven't had the guts to give her the full story. Still, in the absence of intel, I need to fill in the gaps. I need to know if breaking Penny's oath is possible.

I reach beneath the cool cotton pillow to the silky ribbon, still as tightly strangled around the knotting point as the first time I'd tried.

Finley closes the door with a quiet click and clarifies, "So we each take one half and pull?" He walks across the window and I focus on the free world outside. There's a lawn that seems to glow green compared to the red dirt path and a hills hoist that still manages to look inane, despite its eerie creaking in the breeze.

"It's been tugged so tight that it'll take some wriggling to undo." Not like Finley's council oath band. Why had that been tied so loosely?

I hold the knot out awkwardly before me, excess folds sliding down my wrist. Finley delicately places his fingers into the knot's gaps. I wait until he settles and I catch his nod in my periphery before walking my own fingers carefully into the knot's grooves.

"Ready?" I ask, winding my fingers further into the knot's heart. As we begin to pull, the action inspires déjà vu of popping bonbons at Christmas and the silly coloured paper hats my family would stretch over their hair. I'm pretty sure the ribbon doesn't make that iconic popping sound but I do feel it give. Winding deeper again I pull harder, unsure if I'm brushing fingertips or just feeling the centre of the knot slipping.

"You guys are taking way too long." Amy's voice breaks into the room through a slit in the doorway. I feel the knot melt apart under our fingers, unravelling like spaghetti. I withhold a gasp and try to split my gaze between catching the ribbon and Amy's face, which takes in the mess with widening eyes.

"Thank you," I tell her, grateful that Penny is technically free. Still, a cold flash of fear hits my stomach: did I lose time again? I compulsively check my watch. I can't remember exactly when we'd come in here; probably only ten minutes at a maximum though. Not an emergency. Even so, I keep my eyes from Finley as I ask Amy, "Help me retie this?"

I hope that Finley will pick up the queue and head out to distract Penny. Besides, Amy and I are experts at this after gluing all the fake ribbons from the last ceremony back together. I slap my forehead like an idiot. "Damn it! I forgot the glue."

Still a little panicky from the rush of Amy busting in and being neck deep in Huntsmen voodoo again, I dart out to grab the glue. I babble to Penny, standing over the fruit bowl in the kitchen, "Do you have mandarins? They're fantastic. I'll get you some... right now."

I've gained so much momentum at this point that when the front door opens before me I dash through without thinking. I crack headfirst into Henry, setting my skull to ringing. I yell out to warn Amy and Finley, but it's a gibberish garble. Still we need the glue. So I take off at halting run for my bungalow.

That was real. I can hardly believe it. We could save them all.