Tremble (Denazen #3)(82)

And before I could reply, he was gone.

I sat there for a while, stewing over what Vince had said. I went back and forth but, in the end, decided to honor his wishes and wait until tomorrow to tell the others. One day. What would one day hurt?

I must have dozed off, because when I woke again, Kale was sitting next to the bed.

“Hey,” I said, thrilled to see him.

He smiled. “How do you feel?”

I wiggled the fingers of my left hand. “Arm’s still attached, so that’s a plus.”

“I was worried.”

“That makes two of us.” I sighed. “I heard I almost took a permanent sleep with the fishies.”

Kale blinked.

“I almost drowned,” I clarified.

“Oh. Yes. And from this moment forward, we will never speak of it again.”

I threaded my fingers through his. “Ya got a deal. What about you? How do you…feel?”

“I’m okay, Dez. I don’t have it all back, but it will come.” He sat in the chair beside the bed and sighed. “I don’t think things will ever be the same, though.”

A chill raced up my spine. “What do you mean?”

“My memories are coming back, but there’s a sense of detachment. I’ve been through so much since that first day in the woods. Things about me have changed—and a lot of that happened while I was at Zendean.”

“Oh,” was all I could manage. I didn’t know exactly what he was getting at, but his words were like a ten-ton weight on my chest.

“I will understand if you don’t want me anymore.”

Wait, what?

“Kale, what are you talking about?”

“I don’t like cheese anymore.”

I couldn’t help laughing. “Well, then deal’s off. I can’t possibly be with someone who doesn’t like cheese.”

But he didn’t smile. “I understood that to be sarcasm. As you’ve pointed out, I have a different vocabulary. I’m not the same Kale anymore.”

I pulled him closer, rolling my eyes. “Of course you are. The more time you spend away from them—in the real world—the more acclimated you’re going to get. It has nothing to do with who you are.”

“Maybe,” he said softly. “But one thing is different—and it’s something that scares me.”

“What?”

“I remember feeling this…this blackness. Like a bubble in my chest. Anger, Dez. For everything they did to me. To all of us. It’s hazy, but I remember keeping it locked away. Controlled. It was something that took a conscious effort but I managed.”

“And now?”

He shook his head. “And now I don’t know. It feels different. I feel different. Like sometimes I don’t want to lock it away. Sometimes, I like feeling angry.”

“I think that’s normal, Kale. After everything you’ve been through—everything we’ve been through, it’s normal. I kinda feel the same way…”

He looked hopeful. “Really?”

I nodded. “Really. We’re gonna be okay. I promise. We all are.” Brandt told me everyone made it out of Zendean okay, but then I remembered Alex. “How is Alex?”

“He’s awake. He wanted to come see you, but Ginger asked him to wait.”

“Wait? Why?”

He looked away for a moment. When he turned back, there was regret in his eyes. “He wasn’t undamaged by Ben’s attack.”

“Wasn’t undamaged,” I repeated, throat thick. “What does that mean?”

“He’s missing a few memories. It’s nothing to worry over, though. He’s truly fine.”

“Okay,” I said, not sure whether to believe him or not.

“And right now, you have something more important to concern yourself over.”

I swallowed. He was right. The sand in my hourglass was almost up. “I… Brandt said— We don’t have a cure, do we?”

He looked away, hesitating for a moment before looking me in the eye. “Brandt’s strange friend is working on it. The scientist, Franklin Wentz—although don’t call him that.”

I blinked. “Call him what?”

Kale lowered his voice and leaned close. “Franklin. Something about babies. I don’t understand, really.”

I couldn’t help my smile. It was so Kale. His mannerisms, his tone—even the way he moved. “So, what about this friend who we won’t call Franklin? How far has he gotten?”

“He’s working on a synthetic cure. He says he thinks he can even duplicate my blood if the Underground wants.”

“I thought that was impossible?”

Kale shrugged. “I guess he’s special.”

“Wait—doesn’t he need at least some of Penny’s blood? We don’t have any. Kiernan destroyed it all.”

“That’s not true. We had your shirt. The one you were wearing when Penny Mills was shot.”

“My—” And then I remembered. I’d gotten blood all over it. “That’s kind of brilliant.”

“I know.” He grinned, but it didn’t last. “A lot has happened. I need to know if we’re okay.”