A Beautiful Reflection From Firework Eyes

Our Song Has Not Been Sung

"Does Kellin have any ideas about the escape?" Jack asks. I freeze at his words. To be honest, it had completely slipped my mind. Kellin had been so tired for the past few weeks. As soon as he came back from Study, he'd practically collapse and I'd have to catch him, carrying him to his bed. But that is just a stupid excuse. If I had actually wanted to tell him, I would have remembered in the last few weeks. The truth is, I don't want him to know.

"No," I mutter, but Jack catches on quickly.

"You haven't told him?" Jack asks incredulously.

I shake my head, fiddling with the pen in my hand, avoiding Jack's questioning gaze.

"Why not?" Jack asks.

"If Jack kept something like that from me, I'd punch him," Alex says.

"I know," I mutter. "It's selfish, I know."

"Then why haven't you told him?" Jack asks.

"Because I'm scared that it will go wrong and we'll get caught," I burst out. "If we do, I want him to have at least some deniability. That way he won't get punished with the rest of us. Yeah, maybe he'll be trapped but at least he'll be alive, right?"

Alex shakes his head. "I still think you need to tell him."

I sigh. "I will, okay? Just not now."

"When though?" Jack asks.

I shrug. "I don't know. I just want to keep him safe."

"You can't keep this from him forever," Alex points out. "He could help us."

"I know," I say. "But until we have a full plan out, I want to keep this from him. He hasn't been here as long as the rest of us have. I don't want him to get his hopes up, only for them to be crushed again."

---

"Where have you been?" Kellin asks as I slip back into the room. I freeze, looking over at where he's lying in his bed. He's awake for once, looking up at me.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Kellin shifts so he's propped up on one elbow. "You're always gone every night after I fall asleep," he says. "I wake up sometimes in the middle of the night and you're just gone."

I'm not sure how to respond, so I just keep standing there, staring at him.

"I know you're keeping secrets from me," he continues. "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing," I say. "There's nothing going on." I hate lying to him, but I don't want to tell him the truth either. That way, he can claim deniability in case this all goes wrong. I don't want him to get hurt. I want to tell him all this. That he's the reason we are searching for an escape. But if I tell him, he could get punished if it all goes wrong. It's safer for him if he doesn't know. So I keep my mouth shut.

He just raises an eyebrow at me, telling me he can see through my fairly obvious lie. It's hard to miss how his eyes travel to my scratched up knees and the bandages on my hands. Thankfully, he doesn't press though.

"Whatever." Kellin shakes his head. "It doesn't matter anyway." I want to reach out and close the growing distance between us, but I don't. It's better if he doesn't know. He's safer that way.

---

The determination to get free has kept us going for so long. But at last, our energy has run out, our morales low. There really doesn't seem to be any way for us to escape.

"We've explored this whole place," Alex sighs. "What if there really isn't a way to escape?"

"So we're just giving up?" Jack tosses his pen across the room. "This is it, huh? We're done?"

"Jack—" I reach over, but he brushes my hand away.

"No, really. You were the one who came up with the idea," he fumes at Alex. "And now you quit? We're just going to live here until we die?"

"No," Alex starts, but Jack keeps talking.

"You were the one to drag the rest of us in," he points out. "You can't just give up."

"What if we asked the guards?" I ask.

Both of them turn and look at me.

"I mean, what else do we have to lose?" I ask. "Some of them feel bad for us."

"If you're talking about what I think you are," Alex says, "He just felt bad because he had to stab you."

I roll my eyes at him. "C'mon. Seriously. They're military, aren't they? I don't think they had the choice to come here."

Jack looks thoughtful. "Maybe," he says. Alex gives him a doubtful look. "Lex, please? What else are we going to do?"

Alex hesitates, then nods. "Don't blame me if it all goes sideways," he mutters.

"I don't think it will," Jack says. "Between my awesomeness and the brains that you guys have, I think we're gonna be okay."

"Did Jack just give us a compliment?" I wonder out loud, making Alex smirk.

"Hey, it's still probably gonna be because of my awesomeness," Jack defends himself. "But fine. It was sorta a compliment."

"I'll take that over nothing," Alex grins. "Okay, let's do this."