She walked to the edge of the platform and looked both ways before dropping down. The moment her feet hit the ground, she rolled under the platform. Her shoulder hit a metal grate. The hinges she had installed lowered the grate and she rolled onto the other side of it, grabbing it before it could bang shut.
Rolling into a sitting position, she sat on the edge of the platform and jumped down into a service tunnel. She followed it, twisting and turning at different points until she came to the one that would lead up to the narrow drainage tunnel that ran behind their bathroom wall.
She tossed her tote up onto the ledge, paused to listen to make sure that there were no unusual sounds—like Yahya, before she climbed up into the tunnel. Retrieving her tote, she continued on to her hidden lair. She had to bend over to move through the tunnel, but it wasn’t a long distance.
A quarter mile later, she pushed open the grate and scooted into the bathroom. She cleaned up while she was there before padding into the kitchen. Junebug was swiveling back and forth in her chair, one leg hanging over the side, and chatting up a storm to who-knew-who through her headset.
Midnight tossed a bag of the chocolate-stuffed marshmallows down on her sister’s computer desk before taking the other two bags and placing them in the kitchen cabinet. She swigged down a bottle of water before lifting a hand to her sister.
Junebug grinned at her and mouthed goodnight before turning back to her keyboard. Midnight shook her head and headed for the small curtained area where her bed was located.
The twin bed looked pitifully uncomfortable and lonely after sharing Junayd’s. With a sigh, she undressed and slipped under the covers. She lay staring up at the ceiling, thinking about everything that had transpired tonight.
Her breasts were tender. She ran her hand over them and slipped lower to rest on her stomach. They hadn’t used any contraceptives. She wasn’t on the pill and he hadn’t used a condom. Their impulsiveness could have serious consequences, but she would worry about that if it happened. There was nothing she could do about it now.
“Midnight, are you still awake?”
She rolled onto her good side and looked up at Junebug. “Yeah.”
Midnight pulled back the covers. Junebug sighed and crawled in beside her. There wasn’t much room, but they had snuck into each other’s beds since they were kids. She would never turn her sister away.
“Is everything okay?” Junebug asked.
Midnight bit her lip and nodded. “I… met someone,” she confessed.
Junebug wiggled her nose. “Junayd? I know he's crazy about you. You like him too?”
“Yeah. I like him a lot. He says he’s going to kidnap me tomorrow,” she revealed, inwardly cringing when an unfamiliar blush heated her face.
“Really? Like… carry you across the desert to his tent and have his wicked way with you?” Junebug teased with waggling eyebrows.
Midnight laughed, but soon her grin faded. She reached out to brush Junebug’s hair back.
“I won’t go. I’d never leave you, Junebug,” she softly replied.
Junebug’s expression wavered. “I’m not a kid anymore, Mid. You don’t have to look after me,” she protested.
“No, you aren’t a kid anymore, but the world is a dangerous place. I’ve seen what can happen.You’veseen what can happen,” she said with a tired sigh.
“Is this about the promise you made Mama?” Junebug asked.
A sad smile curved her lips. She kissed Junie's forehead.
“It’s about us being a team. We’ll always be together,” Midnight promised.
Junebug gave her a look. “We'll always be a team, even if we're not always together. I love you, Mid,” she said.
“Love you more, Junie-bug,” Midnight whispered.
Her eyes felt like they weighed a ton. The sun must have been rising. Even though she couldn’t feel it, she could sense the change through the vibrations above as the city came alive. Nestled deep beneath the bridge, Midnight murmured a protest when Junebug kissed her temple before slipping out of the bed.
“You don’t have to go,” Midnight mumbled.
“Yes, I do, otherwise, neither of us will ever have a life,” Junebug whispered.
* * *
“No!”