The Wanted

Deshi coughed. “Ok, now you’re just being weird. Did that tree give you consent?”

I blushed and stepped back. Under the cover of the immense canopy, the air was warmer. We were protected from the wind and the sprinklings of snow. I gazed up at the small patch of winter-white sky. Unfortunately, we were also hidden from the sun.

“How’s it going to charge?” I asked, pointing at the leaves above. The whole clearing was in shadow.

Denis stared at the soggy ground, not quite sure which way to go. He decided to stand still. “Someone has to climb up there with the panels,” he said, pointing to a tree behind us. The branches were slightly lower but still really high.

Joseph balanced carefully on a stone, with a sleeping Rosa-May still in his arms. “Of course,” he grumbled. “Maybe we should make the Superior’s son climb up there.” His was voice terse with aggravation.

Denis’ face registered alarm at the suggestion.

“I would,” he mumbled, “but I’m injured. Besides, I think we all know who has to go.” His eyes swung to me, my moss-stained hands clasped behind my back.

I would have volunteered anyway.

“Is there any point in saying no?” Joseph asked, his hair shielding me from his a

I shook my head. “Nope. You ready to throw me?” I needed Joseph to hoist me into the branches. I was smallest and lightest. It made sense that it should be me. He groaned in response.

Denis backed into the chopper like the squidgy ground scared him and sat on the edge, unraveling the wire that co

Denis leaned over me, showing me how to unfold the panels and where to plug the wire in while Joseph hovered. Then, he rolled them up and put both in a backpack.

I took off my jacket, shoved my overlong sleeves to my elbows, and marched to the tree behind the chopper.

“You ready?” Joseph asked, his green eyes pulsing gold, his eyebrows drawn together in worry.

“It’s fine. It should be easy,” I replied, knowing nothing ever was.

He grabbed me under the arms and lifted me onto his shoulders.

I ran my fingers through his curls briefly before placing my hands on the trunk to balance and standing up on his shoulders.

“You’re lighter,” he remarked.

“She never ate much,” Denis said, and Joseph turned suddenly.

My hands scraped down the bark, and I nearly fell backwards before he grabbed my legs. “Sorry.”

The rich food they’d offered me had often made me sick. I ran a hand down my hip and noticed the sharpness of it, the way it almost pierced my skin. Was that why Joseph was being so careful with me? Did I look frail to him?

I glanced down at Joseph’s head. His shirt flapped open and a series of scars ru

“The food was fatty and gross,” I snapped in Denis’ direction. I reached out for the lower branch, but I couldn’t quite reach it. “Throw me,” I said to Joseph.

He put both hands under my butt, counted, “One, two, three,” and hurled me at the branch. I got my arms around it and scrambled against the trunk with my legs until I was up.

“You okay?” Joseph shouted breathlessly, staring at me from below.

“All good!” I said.

I tucked my hair behind my ears, it swung back out, and I climbed.

Each brush of leaves raises my skin. Each crumble of bark beneath my fingertips brings me closer. I’m climbing to the sky, yet I feel closer to home than ever.

The air cooled as I ascended. The old tree’s branches were so thick and sturdy it was an easy climb. Soon, I was in the canopy watching Joseph pace anxiously below.

Breathing in the frosted air, I let it woo me. I let it rescue me from the disasters, the wounding memories, and let my mind empty. The breeze crackled through my head and blew out the musty corners. They were huddled stubbornly and not easily moved.

Carefully, I unfolded the panels and nestled them in a branch that caught the sun, even in this late afternoon. I plugged the wire in and let it drop to the forest floor.

I straddled a branch and waited. Waited for the wind to pick me up and take me away, waited for the unease in me to blister and pop. I waited until someone yelled for me to get down.

Climbing down was harder. I was descending into a darker world and my eyes took time to adapt. That, and my feet were reaching out blindly, searching for branches, scraping the air sometimes and slipping.

Joseph swore as I reached the last few branches.

“You’re nearly there,” he said nervously, his hands out in front, ready to catch me. Taking the last branch slowly, my feet slipped on the slimy moss. I let go of the branch above to grab the next one when Rosa-May screamed. My limbs jerked in surprise, and I fell.

It was only a few meters but those seconds felt unending. My arms flailed up, still reaching for something to hold onto. My mouth clamped shut, my eyes scrunched tight, and I landed with a thump. Strong hands gripped my bare back.

I opened my eyes, my lips forming the words thank you, but rendered mute. Joseph’s face was white, his freckles standing out strongly against his horrified expression. His thumb brushed the ropey scar across my stomach like a kiss. A terrifying kiss. And then he dropped me to my feet, my shirt falling back into place. I gripped the material in my fist, tears scraping at my eyes like thorns. I didn’t understand his reaction.

He stared, his eyes wide but looking right through me. As he backed away, his head sweeping back and forth, he muttered, “I can’t,” before he turned and stormed into the forest.

Maybe I should have left him, but I couldn’t stand the look on his face. I couldn’t leave it like that and not try to change it. I chased after him, leaving Deshi attempting to calm Rosa-May and Denis standing still as a statue, so out of place in this world that he might have been one of Grant’s garden sculptures.

ROSA

Deshi shouted at me as I reached the tree line. “Rosa, take this.” He threw me a pack. When I shot him a confused look, he added, “Just in case.” I didn’t like the expression on his face. It was unfamiliar, frightening, because it was mix of disappointment and regret. It hit me like a plank peppered with nails because it wasn’t directed at me. His disappointment was in Joseph.

Joseph’s blond head bobbed through the trees, the distance between us stretching long as a highway. I called out to him, which spurred him on. Was he ru