I can’t tell her of my plans since her brother reads our letters. If he’s like the rest of the Nmen, he’s one of her tormentors and he’ll stop her from escaping.
I bit my lip and met my own reflection again. It’d been a long time since I’d liked what I saw. Not even my long soft hair or large brown eyes could take away from the dark circles under my eyes or the way my shoulders drooped. Before Triple D destroyed my life, I never understood why people would say that grief was heavy or that worries weighed you down. It’s not like there’s an actual weight to emotions, and yet, my reflection in the window showed me, a twenty-eight-year-old woman, looking like I was sixty.
I tried straightening up, but it took energy that I didn’t have so instead I went to sit down again. Patting the sofa next to me, I gestured for Nellie to join me. She complied and placed her head in my lap.
Scratching her behind her ears, I pondered out loud, “We would have the element of surprise on our side, wouldn’t we? No one has ever done something this crazy before and the Nmen wouldn’t see it coming. We know Wilma lives close to the border, so really, if we can find a way to get to her while it’s still night and everyone is sleeping, we could pull it off. Nellie, I know it sounds dangerous, but Wilma and I could be back here within a few hours.”
How would I find her house?
An idea took form in my head.This could work.
Nellie gave an unsatisfied grunt when I pushed her head away to get up and write another letter.
CHAPTER 6
Getting Intel
Tyton
“She’s going to write a book about me.”
I was in the doorway to my sister’s room, leaning against the doorframe with my arms crossed. “What are you talking about?”
“You heard me.” Wilma was on her bed, her young face beaming with pride as she sat against a large pillow with her right ankle resting on top of her left knee and her foot dangling in the air. “My Motlander friend is a writer and she thinks I’mfascinating.”
Arching a brow, I moved closer and reached out a hand. “Let me see her letter.”
With a self-satisfied smile, Wilma handed over the letter and I read it.
Dear Wilma,
Thank you for explaining about the tournaments. Your culture sounds very different from ours, but I’m fascinated and want to learn more about your life.
Did I tell you that I’m a writer? I’ve written three books, and if you don’t mind, I would love to write a book about you.
Anything you can tell me to make it as factual as possible would help. Any pictures so I can get an impression of where you live would be nice. I’d love to see a picture of you, what your room looks like, a map of the area around you. A map of your house so I can see how big it is. And, of course, anything you want to share about growing up in the Northlands will be fascinating to readers on this side of the border. You mentioned your sisters Marni and Claire, but what about the brother you briefly explained about. The one who was strong enough to throw your bottle across the wall? Is he the one called Tyton and does he treat you well?
I too had siblings. Three sisters and a brother. But then, about two months ago we had an epidemic outbreak in this region. Unfortunately, I lost my entire family unit. Now, it’s just me and Nellie. She’s our old family dog.
I hope you’ll write me back soon with as many details as you can think of for my book.
May no harm ever come to you,
Devina
“She lost her entire family!” My eyes lifted from the letter to Wilma, whose smile faltered.
“Yes, it’s tragic.”
“Fuck! That’s brutal. Can you imagine?”
“No, and I don’t want to. Can we focus on the part about her wanting to write a book about me?”
I looked down again. “What are you going to answer about how I treat you?”
“I’m going to tell her the truth of course.”
I angled my head. “Which is?”
