Alina swallowed. “I need to talk to you about that.” She sat down in a wicker chair. “Baylor says we can’t afford to get stuck here. We must leave before a quarantine happens, here or at Jaden.” She paused. “Tomorrow morning, in fact.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
Oliver slumped down on the chair next to her, took off his cap, and began twisting it in his hands. “That’s a real bummer.”
“I know.”
He hesitated, then took a deep breath. “I want to go with you. Do you think Baylor will let me?”
Alina stared at him in shock. “Go to Jaden? You’re not old enough!”
“I’m seventeen! Is there an age requirement or something?”
“They need you here to help with the harvest. Your mom needs you. You have a job and school to finish next year.”
Oliver’s cap popped out of its spiral. “Everyone I’m close to, including my mom, knows I don’t want to stay in Millflower. I’ve wanted to live in Stormport or Jaden as long as I can remember. But those opportunities don’t come often. The road is dangerous, and yes, there’s always too much work to be done here. But here’s my chance! Oh, Alina, I want to go! Can’t you ask Baylor?” He turned his pleading, blue eyes on her.
She sighed. “He won’t let you, Ollie. We have to keep the group small. Even four is pushing it. Big groups attract the creatures, you see.”
He looked so devastated, she almost agreed to beg for him but decided against it. Did she want him there? If he found out about Zaiden, he wouldn’t like it, and then their friendship would change.
“How about you come to Jaden next year, after you finish school? You can choose to go then, can’t you?”
“Yes. I planned to leave, even before you came along. You—well, let’s just say Millflower will be unbearable with you gone. Will you be in Jaden next spring?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know what the plan is for ousting Sampson, or what my role is. But it keeps proving to be bigger than I think.”
“Can you promise me something?”
“What’s that?”
“Whatever your adventure is, will you include me? Send for me, or even better, come and get me yourself. I want to join the fight against Sampson. I want more than this small town can give me.”
Alina shifted in her seat. This could get complicated. But then, maybe she was analyzing too much. Zaiden needed to get well and come to Jaden before he could complicate anything—and she and Oliver were only friends. His companionship would be a comfort to her.
“I’ll do all I can, Ollie, I promise.”
He smiled and put his cap back on. “Can I help you pack, then?”
“Sure,” she said, and stood up. Then she remembered Zaiden’s info-disc stashed in her backpack, which he would surely see.
“On second thought, I can pack later; I have all night. Let’s do something fun.”
“Not the granary, then, I suppose.”
“Yes, let’s do the granary! We said we’d be there. I want to do something for Millflower before I leave.”
“Well, that’s the place to be, then. Carthem depends on it.”
They didn’t speak as they walked past the wheat fields to the granary, the golden stalks stretching all the way to Millflower’s back wall. Alina kept glancing at Oliver. He stared at the ground, frowning, but when they reached the granary, his shoulders relaxed. He met her eyes and smiled.
As they filled bags with grain, he told her they should share their deepest secrets with each other. He confessed he liked to dance and often shut the door to his room, turned on his music and let himself loose. Alina asked him to show her some moves right there, but he said he could only dance to music.
Then she broke into a song, something she’d never done before, and was surprised by how perfect she sounded. Oliver’s jaw dropped as she danced along the platform, swinging her hair and belting into the wheat scooper in her hand. He grinned and jumped in, blending his voice with hers, and though his dancing wasn’t as polished, they complemented each other.
The sun was setting when they left, casting a bronze glow over the wheat fields. The hard work put them in good spirits, and Oliver put his arm around Alina’s shoulder like he’d done so many times before.
“You know, Lina,” he said. “There are moments I love Millflower. This is one of them.”
“Well, from what I hear, Millflower loves you, too. At least half the population does.”
He blushed down to his shirt collar. “Actually, you’re unfamiliar with the demographics of Millflower. Women outnumber men two to one.”
“Oh, so two-thirds of the town loves you, sorry, my mistake.”
“And half of that population is already married.”
“Okay.”
“And another twenty-five percent are under the age of eight. But for the last twenty-five percent, yeah, you’re pretty much right.”
Alina burst into laughter, and when she stopped there was an awkward silence. She decided to steer the conversation from where she’d led it.
She wasn’t fast enough.
“You know,” Oliver said seriously, “that percentage of the female population means nothing to a guy. All he wants is for that special, point-zero-one percent to love him.”
Alina tilted her head for a moment, then furrowed her brow. “Huh?”
He cringed. “Never mind.”
They walked in silence, his arm still around her. Neither of them wanted to disturb the moment with words. When Maxwell’s house came into view, Alina felt tears come to her eyes. They reached the gate, where Oliver stopped and took her in his arms.
She could feel his heart racing as she pressed against him. “Thanks for the best two weeks of my life,” he whispered.
She blinked back the tears. “Thanks for being such a good friend. I hope you still have some after I leave.”
He laughed, and the tension loosened. Alina was afraid to pull away and look at him. After several minutes, he released her.
She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Goodbye,” she mumbled to the
