“I think there’s something wrong with Lily.”

I looked at Jade and then to Lily. She lay on the cot we laid out for her earlier, sweating and stiff, her muddy hair thrown every-which-way. Her arms and legs tremored, but her eyes were sealed shut. They moved quickly beneath the translucent skin of her eyelids.

I ran to her and started to shake her. “Lil—“

As soon as my fingers touched her shoulder, she bolted up right. She looked at me. Her eyes glassy. The whites bright and circular. The hands she brought up to encompass her head shook with vigor.

“It’s happening soon.” She whispered. There was crazy in her eyes.

“Lily what’s happening? What is it?” I whispered back, wrapping a reassuring hand around my friend’s shoulder.

“The dream. I-I used to have it every now and then. But now…” she shuddered, took a deep breath and continued. “It’s happening soon. I thought if I just ignored it, it would go away. But it hasn’t and I haven’t done anything to stop it.” She looked at Jade, who sat quietly —observing— in the same position she had before.

“It’s you.” Lily pointed at her. Her shoulders shook with a sob. “It’s happening to you.”

Jade’s face paled. She looked down. “They must already know what I did then.”

“Lily I don’t understand. What’s going on.” I said. I’ve only known the two of them for a couple months; when my academy bumped me to the more advanced section.

“I saw it. The Tree. It’s been coming to me in my sleep. It used to be less frequent but now…” Her eyes met mine and she shook her head.

Goosebumps rose on my arms. The tree stood 20 feet tall, with branches as thick as the trunk. It was the only tree for miles and the Society decided to use it as a showplace for punishment. The hangings always took place at sundown, when the sun would paint the tree red. “I always assumed it would be me at the tree.” Lily continued, “but it finally told me. I saw you, Jade. It was you. I saw you.” She sobbed again. “You have to run. You have to leave.”

Jade stayed silent. Then looked at me. “You’ll have to come with me.”

“What?! Why me? Are you crazy?” I started to panic. Life had finally been turning out better for me. Once the adminstrators realized I had some sort of useful ability, they decided I could be trained and educated with the best. I was finally starting to fit in somewhere.

“Look Lena, I’m sorry. But the day we met, you sort of stepped into my plans. That stack of papers I asked you to take to another student… had something inside them. If I’m getting the Tree soon, the society knows about that. And now knows you were apart of it.” Jade indeed did look apologetic, but the damage was done and both of us knew not to dwell on it. The society wouldn’t hear me out, not now, with the obvious friendship that had formed between us. They’d think I was lying and Jade was trying to protect me.

I nodded at her. Understanding.

“I’m coming with you.” Lily whispered. No one objected. We needed her skill set to survive. We sat in the room in silence.

I guess we were running away.