Page 31
“I really want to see it, please, partner.” Our faces getting closer and closer was a big problem. I pressed my lips together, held my breath. But Mina was not as tense as I was. She kept moving until our noses touched.
“Can I?”
“You can.”
With that short reply, she stepped back with a satisfied smile. It was dazzling, crinkles forming at the corners of her eyes, her pink lips curving with pleasure.
“Really? Then starting today, I’m going to think about adult Remi every single day! Just imagine all the adventures we’ll have. Since he’ll be older, he’ll be able to do everything we can’t!”
“He will.” I whispered. I wasn’t sure where this sudden burst of confidence came from. My wrist buzzed repeatedly with messages from my mother, but I brushed them off.
Fear didn’t grip me anymore; I felt ready to face whatever came next. Those bright eyes could pierce through any darkness. And as long as their light was on me, so could I.
“I’ll grow until there’s nothing I can’t do.”
“I’m sure you will, Remi! You’re the coolest person I know!”
I averted my gaze in shame. Adults always praised my abilities, and it wouldn’t be a lie to say I was used to it. At the mere hint of her praise, something inside me clawed at my ribs. My organs sought to tear through my skin to reach her.
To swallow her until she was trapped safely inside me.
“So when you grow up… I’m going to ask you for something big. Only someone as cool as you can make my wish come true.”
“What’s it?”
“It’s a secret!”
I frowned. “Tell me what it is, Mina.”
“No way!” she teased, then tried to run. But I quickly caught her by the arms and pulled her back.
“Tell me. What’s your wish?”
The brightness drained from her face. She glanced aside, and something wistful settled in her eyes.
“A place. Just a place where it’s okay for me to exist.”
The words flowed into my mind, then into my heart. Mina flashed her usual smile, an expression I could never quite manage, I felt it too.
It was like looking into a mirror.
“I can… build such a place.”
She gently cupped my cheeks, her thumb grazed my nose.
“I know you can.” When she hugged me again, I forgot to breathe. My hands moved hesitantly, finding her elbows to steady myself.
“I trust you with any mission. You’re the best spy, after all.”
Trust? I tried not to think about that, focusing instead on the warmth of the girl clinging to me.
When I got home, I didn’t go straight inside. After lingering in front of the building for a moment, I braced myself and headed toward my mother’s “room”.
“Where have you been? It’s been hours—”
“I’m done.”
I stood my ground, letting that single sentence hang in the air. My mother’s eyes widened before a mocking grin crept across her face.
