Titanium

Part 32-Hana

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Hana:

I stand inside Alex's trailer, confusion swirling in my mind. One minute I'm watching Grace with Julian while Lena, Alex and Anabel have some serious conversation, and the next I'm being called in to join them. 

No one seems to want to meet my gaze. Alex is staring at the floor, Anabel is looking at the wall to the left of my head, as if she can fake looking at me if her stare is close enough, and Lena is staring at her feet, biting her lip. Something that she has done ever since we were kids. 

"Will someone please just tell me what is going on?" I exclaim, a little louder than I intended. Now that I am getting my emotions back from the cage of the cure, they are all hitting me at once. Sometimes it's hard to know when something is over the top. 

"We need your help," Lena says, moving her eyes to mine. "With something serious."

"Okay," I say dragging out the word. "what exactly is this 'serious thing'?"

This time Alex speaks. "We want to help people like you. People immune to the cure."

I'm not exactly sure what it is exactly that they want me to do. Not sure how I fit into this picture. I know that man - Tack I think Lena said his name was (nicknames seem to be the norm here. I heard someone easier call someone 'Bram') - said he wanted to do something about this, but I never thought that I would have have some part in that, some way to help. 

"I want to help," I say, feeling the surge of joy at the prospect of doing something useful, of doing something to show that I am part of the Wilds. I never thought that I would want to be an Invalid, that I would want to defy the law. I guess a lot of things can change. I move from my spot by the door into the middle of the room. "But I'm not exactly sure how I can. What is it that you want me to do?"

Lena comes forward and grabs one of my hands, wrapping her small fingers around mine. Although I am still very much taller than her, she seems to be bigger right now, so much stronger.

"We want you to make a speech of some sort, to talk to them. Explain that the Invalids are real, that living with love is not a bad thing. Tell them that they can join us. They trust you, Hana. We trust you."

I think about it for a second, before a smile comes to my lips. This is something I can do. This is something that just might work. And the fact that they trust me, it makes a warm feeling glow in my stomach. I squeeze Lena's fingers. 

"Of course."

Lena smiles, and I can see the girl that I grew up with. The girl that I said goodbye to in August. The girl who had what I wanted, even if I didn't know it yet. 

"Hallelujah," Lena says, staring into my eyes, I can tell that she is feeling it too. This sense of recognition. 

"Halena," I finish.

A/N: Hello! I know, you haven't heard from me in a while, and I feel so bad! I just really haven't had much time to write. I was away, and then I was at camp, and then I was away again. But I'm back now so hopefully updates will come more frequently. 

Thanks for reading!