I grab a couple of fluffy towels and re-enter my closet to find Katie’s already changed and put her shorts and t-shirt back on.

“Ready?” I ask.

“Yup!” Katie replies, following me out of my room, down the side staircase, and out onto the patio. My laptop’s still sitting on the table where I was sitting earlier.

I lead Katie off the patio and onto the gravel path to the pool. Her gaze bounces around the carefully manicured greenery and colorful flowers that surround us as she smiles broadly. I see the surroundings differently, with her next to me. If we’d gone to a place like this while I was pretending to be a normal teenager, I’d be marveling right alongside her. It’s funny—how perspective shifts.

I drop the towels on one of the chaises and pull off the green sundress I’m wearing before laying down on the soft cushions. Katie follows my lead, tugging off her shorts and shirt before flopping down on the chaise next to me.

“Wow,” she says, looking over at me and shading her eyes against the sun. “I am super grateful we got paired as roommates right now.”

I laugh, for what feels like the thousandth time since Katie arrived. I thought being at Lincoln, thousands of miles away from my inevitable duty, was responsible for the lightness in my chest I haven’t experienced in months. But I feel it now, sunbathing with someone I know likes me for more than my clout. “You should have thanked Richard when you talked to him. He was the one who selected you.”

“The one who let me visit?”

I nod.

“You’re right, I owe him big.” After a pause, she adds, “I’m so glad I came.”

“Me too,” I reply truthfully. “And I’m sorry I haven’t been better about keeping in touch these past few months. It’s just that talking to you reminds me of Lincoln. It reminds me of…”

“I know.” Katie says softly. “I get it, Vivienne.”

We’re both silent for a while.

“Can I ask? What happened to Philip? I saw in the paper he was the one who talked to the press.”

“Yeah, he was.” I sigh. “He told the Guard it was because he heard rumors about my true identity on campus and was trying to protect me. There was a private hearing, and he was found guilty of treason. I’m not sure where he got sent.”

“So, he told the press who you were because he thought other people might? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know. Thomas thinks he did it because he had feelings for me,” I admit.

Katie nods. “He was jealous of Jace.”

His name causes a painful twinge I make sure to keep off my face. “Probably.” I drop her gaze and look at the serene surface of the pool instead.

“Do people here know? About Jace?”

I look back at her. “No, nothing ever came out about us—miraculously—so once everything with Philip was resolved, I just figured…” I let my voice trail off when Katie drops eye contact. “What?”