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"What?" I ask, cli down into the hold Indie points at a spot near the floor, concealed earlier by the cases Soes into the walls It re

"They’re drinking the sky," Indie says

She’s right It’s not rain that the picture shows, not like one I drew once back in the Borough It’s different--broken pieces of sky falling to the ground and people picking the water out of them

"It makesto the figure co down from the sky "Who do you think this is?"

"The Pilot, of course," she says

"Did you draw these?" I ask Caleb, who’s appeared at the top of the hold, ready for o

"Drahat?" he asks

"The pictures carved into the side of the ship"

"No," he says "It must have been one of the other runners I’d never vandalize the Rising’s property"

I hand up another case

We finish our delivery and head for the ship As alk, Indie falls back I turn around to see her talking to Caleb He shakes his head Indie steps closer to him She’s lifted her chin and I know exactly what her eyeshiain His posture looks tense

"Tell"Now We should know"

"No," he says "You’re not even the pilot on this flight Leave it alone"

"Ky’s flying," she says "He had to come all the way here, back to his home Province Do you kno hard that o back to Keya, or wherever it is that you’re fro"

"We’re bringing in supplies," he says

"That’s not all we’re doing," she says

He steps around her "If the Pilot wanted you to know," he says over his shoulder, "you would"

"You know you’re nothing more than a runner, even to the Pilot," Indie says "He doesn’t think of you as his"

Caleb takes a step back and I see hatred on his face for Indie

Because she’s right She knohat Caleb hopes for It’s the drea--to make the Pilot so proud that he’d claim them as his own kin It’s Indie’s dream too

Indie finds me later out in the field near the camp She sits down and takes a deep breath At first I think she’s going to try to s that don’t ood at that

"We could try it," she says "We could make a run for Central if you want"

"It’s not an option," I say "The fighters would shoot us down"

"You’d try it if it weren’t for ree "And Caleb" I’m finished with the selfishness that let me leave everyone behind on the plains and take only Vick and Eli into the Carving Caleb is part of our group When I fly, he’s my responsibility I can’t risk him either Cassia wouldn’t want other people to die just so I could find her

And if the Pilot is telling the truth, it doesn’t ht soon, and I can find Cassia and we can be together I want to believe in the Pilot So," I say, "did you ever fly with him?"

"Yes," Indie says simply "That’s how I kneas the Pilot, even before they told us His flying" She stops, at a loss for words, and then her face brightens "It was like the picturetoday carved into the ship," she says "It felt like I was drinking the sky"

"So you trust him?" I ask

Indie nods

"But you’d still run the risk of going to Central with me"

"Yes," Indie says, "if that’s what you wanted" She looks atto see inside me I’d like her to smile That beautiful, wide, wise, innocent, devious s about?" she asks

"I want to see you smile," I tell her

And then she does--sudden, delighted--and I grin back

The grass rustles with the breeze Indie leans a little closer Her face is radiant and hopeful and raw It feels like some new hole has been torn in ether?" Indie whispers "You and rass, but I know the way this question sounds fro like it before

"Cassia," I say "I’m in love with Cassia You know that" There’s no uncertainty in my voice

"I know," she says, and there’s no apology in hers

When Indie wants soh, her instinct is to jump