Chapter 5
Zora held my phone in one hand and hers in other. Green light on hers washed her palm. Red light on mine pulsed against my thumb.
She stood near hallway window. Streetlight and flashing red from SUV cut across blinds in thin lines. Warm lamplight behind us made dust visible in air.
Zora lifted her phone toward window. Green EXEMPT badge stayed solid. No change in flash pattern outside. No new chime.
Then she lifted my phone same way. Red SELECTED badge brightened. Soft ping came from outside, not from phone. SUV light flashed faster for two beats. Zora pulled my phone back. Flash slowed.
"See," she whispered. "Yours talks. Mine doesn't."
I swallowed. Throat dry. "Try again."
Zora tapped her screen. FINAL NOTICE interface showed ZORA BANKS EXEMPT in green with small green indicator below. At bottom was smaller text: HOLDER PROTECTION ACTIVE. No transfer option visible. She pressed green bar.
Phone buzzed once. New line appeared: PROXY REQUEST?
She looked at me. I nodded.
She tapped yes. Keyboard popped. She typed NYLA BANKS and hit submit.
Screen blinked. Red text replaced green: DENIED. EXEMPT DOES NOT EXTEND. HOLDER ONLY.
Second line underneath in smaller gray letters: COMPANION STATUS UNCHANGED.
Zora tried again. Pressed and held green indicator. Menu opened: CANCEL, PROXY, HELP. She hit CANCEL.
Same response. DENIED. HOLDER ONLY.
She hit PROXY again, typed my name again, added SELECTED subject. DENIED.
Her jaw tightened. She set her phone down on side table. Green light still solid.
"Won't let me carry you," she said. Her voice low. Barely above breath.
I held my phone tighter. Red record icon pulsed. "What did that say? Holder only?"
"Yeah." Zora glanced toward front door. Double doors with frosted panel still closed. Red spill moved across floor. "Means I'm good. You're not covered."
Second scene, she tested movement.
Zora picked up her green phone again. Walked toward front window. Steps slow. Stopped one foot from glass. Leaned forward. Looked through blinds.
No alert. SUV stayed parked. Light pattern unchanged.
She waved hand near glass. No alert.
She stepped back, grabbed my wrist, pulled me one step forward. I moved maybe two feet closer to window.
Immediate ping outside. Louder this time. SUV headlights brightened. Red light strobed faster. My phone vibrated hard in hand. Red SELECTED button throbbed.
Zora yanked me back toward hallway. Vibration stopped. Lights outside settled after few seconds.
Breath caught in my chest. Gold pendant cold against skin. "Okay," I whispered. "Okay, don't."
Zora stared at window, then at my phone, then at hers. Understanding clicked behind eyes.
"Green lets me move," she said. "Red tethers you."
I nodded. Couldn't speak yet.
Third scene, kitchen side exit.
We moved toward kitchen. Side door with small window faced driveway, not street. Same warm lamplight inside, dark outside.
Zora went first. Held green phone up. Cracked blinds with finger. Peeked.
"Clear on side," she murmured. "No cruiser."
She opened side door two inches. Cool night air slipped in. No ping. No flash.
She stepped one foot over threshold onto small concrete step. Still no ping.
She looked back at me. "Come here. Stay behind me."
I took two steps toward door, still three feet away. My phone buzzed. Not loud, but sharp. Red icon pulsed faster.
Zora closed door. Buzz stopped.
We stood in kitchen. Keys lay on counter where I'd left them before. Zora's dark jacket hung over chair. My zip top felt too thin.
"Holder only," Zora repeated. Quiet anger in voice. "Stupid. Thought exempt meant both."
"It said companion unchanged," I said. Words stuck. "So I'm companion?"
"You are selected subject," she said. "I'm background. They don't see me unless I make them."
She tried one more proxy. Held green phone, tapped HELP. Text appeared: EXEMPT HOLDER MAY MOVE FREELY. EXEMPT STATUS NON-TRANSFERABLE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SHIELD SELECTED SUBJECT.
Zora scoffed. Soft, breathy. "Non-transferable. Great."
Fourth scene, split-risk plan formed without saying plan yet.
Zora set both phones side by side on counter. Green and red glowed against laminate. Light reflected up onto her face, mine.
"So we can't walk out together," she said. "I can go to car. You can't get near windows."
I stared at keys. "Then how—"
"I go first," she interrupted. Gentle but firm. Protective behavior, same as entryway. "I get car to side door. Open passenger side. You run three feet. That's it. No window time."
My hands shook. Gold bracelet slid down wrist. "They track phone. If I leave phone here—"
"They track you, not just phone," Zora said. "Phone is beacon but leaving it makes worse. Remember HELP line? Don't shield selected. Means they expect you with it."
I picked up red phone. Screen showed NYLA BANKS SELECTED again. Red circular icon below still recording. I wanted to turn it off. No power off option.
Zora picked up green phone. "I keep mine. You keep yours. I move where you can't. That's leverage."
She demonstrated again. Walked to side door, opened, stepped out, stepped back in. No alert. Then reached hand toward me. I extended phone toward doorway from distance. Immediate buzz.
We both froze. Buzz faded when I pulled back.
Zora exhaled slowly. "Holder only. Got it."
I finally spoke full sentence. Voice small. "So you are free and I'm not."
May you like
Zora looked at me hard. Eyes moved slowly, pause before speaking. "For now. We use it. I scout. You stay back."
Keys cold when she slid them toward me across counter. Green light steady. Red light pulsing. Both phones still active on counter between us, waiting.
