“Stay here,” I told Jack.
My father lay under the thin blanket with his back to the door. I went in and sat down beside him on the bed. I placed my hand on his back, feeling for his heartbeat. It had been almost three days since I’d seen him, and he hadn’t eaten that last day either. Four days.
“Dad?” I said softly. No answer. “Dad. Dad.” I was starting to panic, but then he stirred slightly. “Dad, it’s me, Sunny. I’m back.”
“Sunny?” He rolled over to look at me. I was shocked by how pale he was. “Is that you? Where have you been?”
“You scared me. I thought you were… Have you eaten since the last time I saw you?”
“I’m not hungry. I missed you, though. I wondered if you were coming back or if you had run off and married Reyes.”
Obviously my father had not been out of bed that day or he would know that I did indeed get married, but not to Reyes. Jack came into the room with a glass of water. I was annoyed that he didn’t stay out in the living room as I’d asked but thankful he brought the water.
“I wouldn’t run off and leave you, Dad. I love you too much.” I took the glass of water from Jack and put it to my father’s lips. He drank.
“Who is this young man?”
“I’m Jack Kenner, sir. I’m pleased to meet you.” Jack bent down and extended his hand. My father took it and gave it a weak shake. I watched Jack for a moment, surprised and confused by the respect he was showing.
“I’ve never met you before. Why are you here with my daughter?”
“I’ll let your daughter explain that, sir. Sunny, I’ll be out in the living room. Bron’s gone to get some food.”
“Sunny?” my father asked when we were alone again.
“Well… I guess maybe I did run off and get married, although I didn’t mean to. It’s complicated. Jack Kenner was supposed to marry the president’s daughter today, but instead he and I got married. It was kind of an accident.”
How could I explain all this to him without telling him I had been forced into going to Jack’s bachelor party? I didn’t want him to think badly of me.
“An accident? You got married by accident? To a bourge?” My father was smiling now, almost laughing. It had been a long time since I’d seen him look happy.
“It’s not funny, Dad!” But I couldn’t help but laugh, too. It all sounded so ridiculous. “Don’t ask me how I got involved in this, but I met the president’s daughter, Leisel, and she convinced me to take her place at her wedding today.” I decided to leave out the part where Leisel thought she might be assassinated, so I played the role of decoy for her. “We were supposed to change places before the bride and groom were registered, but she didn’t show up. So I had to scan in myself and, well, the scanner worked. It shouldn’t have. It should only have worked for Leisel, but she betrayed us. Jack and I are in a lot of trouble.”
“So President Holt didn’t know it wasn’t his daughter getting married?” He was still laughing.
“Not until Jack’s mother ripped off my veil and wig.”
My father was laughing so hard he started to cough. I realized laughing was using up what little energy he had left.
“I bet you caused quite a ruckus up there. The president must be red-in-the-face, spitting mad.”
“He is. Spit was flying everywhere. I’ve never seen him that mad.”
No one in the Pit liked the president. He was known for his rages. Whenever something went wrong in the Pit, or we didn’t produce enough coal or diamonds, he would televise a lecture, and we would be forced to go into the common rooms and watch him. When we were all stuck there like that, what else could we do but make fun of him?
“Oh my daughter, you make me proud. But now you’re in a lot of trouble. How much trouble?”
“How much trouble do you think an urchin would be in for humiliating the president’s daughter and marrying her fiancé?” I tried to sound lighthearted. But our moment of humor was gone, and the reality of my situation hung in the air.
A tear trickled from the corner of my father’s eye. “Are they going to make it a public execution?”
My breath caught on a sob. Was this our goodbye? “The only reason I’m here with you right now is that I escaped. I don’t know if they’ve discovered we’re gone yet or not, but when they do, they’ll come looking for us. I don’t intend to go back into the Dome alive. I won’t give them the satisfaction of a public execution.”
My father sat up and looked me in the eyes. “Then you stay hidden. Do you hear me? You don’t let them find you.”
“I’ll do my best, Dad. Jack and I have new identities, so maybe we can live down here for a while.”
“You do everything you can to stay alive, Sunny. Get more coal and cover up that hair of yours. Stay out of sight.”
The front door of the apartment opened, and the smell of the food Bron had brought wafted through. She came into the bedroom and handed me the container.
“I promise to stay alive if you promise,” I said to Dad. “Eat this.” I opened the container of stew and started spooning it into his mouth. I could tell it was making him feel sick, but he swallowed it. I managed to get a few more mouthfuls into him before he collapsed back on the bed. I put the glass of water to his lips, and he drank.
“You’re running out of time, Sunny. I need to get you upstairs,” Bron said quietly.
“Can’t I stay here with him? I don’t want to leave him like this.”
“I’ll be fine, Sunny,” Dad said. “I promise I’ll eat and drink. You try and come to see me tomorrow.”
“I’ll check in on him,” Bron said. “Right now, we have to go.”
I kissed my father goodbye and went back out into the living room. I took the coal I always kept in my cupboard and put it in my pocket. Jack gave me a questioning look but didn’t say anything.
“The place is filling up with guards now, so I want the two of you to march in front of me. It will look like I caught you out during curfew,” Bron said.
“Let’s go.” It pained me to leave my father, but I risked everyone’s safety if I stayed. If I were discovered here, my father would be in trouble for hiding a criminal. And if I sent Jack on to the apartment that Benjamin and Autumn were supposed to share and Autumn was absent during the check-in, then he would be questioned about my whereabouts, which would probably blow our cover. I had no choice but to go. I silently cursed Jack for giving me an identity that prevented me from looking after my father.
We marched toward the stairs, Bron behind us with her gun. We only had two levels to climb, so it would be a short walk. As we started up, two guards coming down stopped us.
“A couple of troublemakers?” one of them asked.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Bron said. She motioned for us to keep moving.
“Why are you even bothering to take them upstairs? Just shoot them,” the other guard said.
“That’s against regulations.” She prodded us with the barrel of her gun. “Keep moving.”
“Since when do we worry about regulations down here?” The guard laughed and the other joined in. “Listen, if you want to get your exercise climbing up and down those stairs, be my guest. But I see anyone out, I’m shootin’ them.”
We made it to the fourth level then without further incident. Once we located our new apartment, I nervously passed my hand over the scanner. I was relieved when I heard the door unlock. My new chip worked.
“I have to go back down, so you’re on your own. I’ll keep an eye on your father,” Bron said.
“Thank you for everything.” I wanted to give her another hug to show how much I appreciated her help, but if a guard came around the corner and saw it, we would both be in a lot of trouble.