After making sure that there was no structural damage to our house, we jumped on Ty’s hoverbike and rode to the other safe house. As we rode, the gritty dirt stung my skin and eyes.

When we reached the other house, there was an indentation where the bomb had hit. It appeared that the explosion had taken out the northern wall. When I saw the number on the side of the house I realized who had been assigned here.

“No, no, no! It can’t be. Robyn!” I yelled while running through the damaged doorway. When I got to what used to be the kitchen, my eyes stumbled across Robyn’s bracelet that was a match to her mom’s. (When Robyn was in basic training, her mom was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. To feel closer to her, Robyn bought a set of matching bracelets and sent one of them to her mom. It was the only piece of jewelry that she was buried with.) At that moment, I knew that she was either captured or killed. She would never take it off of her own free will. I sank to my knees and almost blacked out due to the horror of it all.

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When Ty found me, I was crying, soaked with snow and tears. “It’ll be okay,” he said as he helped me off the floor. “You’ll get through this. We will get through this.”

Hearing him say “we” just broke me further. My arms flung around his neck. I buried my face in his shoulder. My sobs were the only sounds in the ruined safe house. Gravity took effect as I drifted into unconsciousness.