Real life was going to be boring if she ever got back to it, Amanda decided. Living life as the leader of a rebellion was exhausting, scary, and although she never thought she'd think it, a dose of normal life would be nice after all of this. Still, even that kind of life could get boring at times, and she was ready to do just about anything to break away from the perfect schedule her days had become.

It didn't take long for her to get annoyed with herself either. Although she understood she didn't have training or experience, she still believed she should be able to do what nearly everyone else could. She felt like a new recruit, even after she began to get good at using weapons and hand-to-hand combat to defend herself. She was getting better, but she still didn't feel ready to try and take over leadership. Maybe she never would be. After all, she was fourteen, technically, and in no way a leader. Sure, she could help plan certain things if any ideas came to mind, but no one was suspicious the way things were, and it was probably better that way.

And what about Zephyr? She never asked for this. I can't just dump leadership on her and pretend all is well. She's can't lead the whole rebellion and Supai. That's not fair to her. Amanda sighed and sat down on her bed. She wanted to actually do something to help, like join another mission, but the memory of last time was seared into her mind. She'd never forget the experience, but she knew if she let it, it would make her stronger and more determined to fight.

She didn't want to cause anyone to have to rescue her, however, so she refrained from asking. I wish I could go outside and just enjoy the sunshine, she thought. She remembered Dylan's words to her. "Just don't get caught next time."

Few people went above ground for any reason other than missions or patrolling. It was a rule set in place to keep activity at a minimum and avoid giving away their location. She didn't want to cause any problems, but she was tired of being inside all the time, so she decided it couldn't hurt to go out for a little while.

***

It was bright and sunny when she emerged from the long tunnel into the outside world. The sun was high in the sky and she noticed movement in the trees in front of the field. It was just a flicker every now and then, but it was enough to tell her where a couple of the guards were. She didn't care about the trees right now anyway, so as long as they didn't see her from where they were, she would be fine.

A hand touched her shoulder and she swung around, nearly punching Phoenix, who had apparently followed her. "Oh! Sorry Phoenix. I didn't realize you were following me."

"It's fine. You missed anyway," Phoenix answered with a small smile. It was first time Amanda had seen her smile, and it gave her hope. If Phoenix could find a reason to smile, maybe she could find a reason to come out of her shell too.

"Why did you follow me?" Amanda asked.

Phoenix glanced at the woods and yanked Amanda down behind a boulder. "I want to talk to you. Without an audience."

"Did you have a place in mind?"

"It's in the woods, past where the guards are. I followed you there once, when you were nervous about an attack. It should be secluded enough. What I have to say is... sensitive. Right now, you're the only one I trust."

This piqued Amanda's curiosity, and she nodded. "You lead. I'll watch for guards and make sure we aren't seen." Hopefully Phoenix would agree, because otherwise they'd never get to the spot she'd referred to.

"Fine. But this needs to be quick. People will start to wonder if we're gone too long and I have night shift soon."

***

The secluded area Phoenix had mentioned was a small tree house, carefully hidden in a huge oak tree. There was no ladder to get up, so Phoenix climbed up first and Amanda followed, using hand and foot-holds carved into the side of the tree to shimmy up to the first branch. Then it was just normal climbing the rest of the way.

Inside the tree house was a dirty rug that had clearly been salvaged from the woods somewhere and a makeshift bench that was basically a log that had been nailed down and flattened on the top. There were two windows with screening to keep out bugs. Since the tree was so tall, you could look through them and see the setting sun, which peeked over the treetops and surrounded everything with a golden halo.

Amanda stared out the window for a moment, captivated by the beauty there. "I love the view here," she commented.

"It is amazing," Phoenix agreed, sitting on the bench by the window.

Amanda joined her. "What did you need to talk about?" she asked, secretly hoping that Phoenix might open up to her and give a reason for the pain she hid so carefully, yet felt so keenly.

"The rebellion. Someone is selling us out. That's why the security wasn't out when you got caught. They were warned before it happened, which means the person doing it is either well-connected or very good at spying on you. I've seen someone slipping through the woods at night every third week too. I suspect that whoever it is has been meeting with Akram's men at night when they think no one is watching."

"Did you try to follow them?" Amanda asked. "Maybe you could get a glimpse of them and whoever they're meeting?"

Phoenix shook her head. "They're good... really good. I can't risk giving myself away or I might disappear too."

"You say that as if it's happened before. How long have you suspected this?"

"At least half a year. I've kept it to myself until now because I didn't know who to trust, but someone I trusted with my life came to me and voiced exactly what I'd been thinking. We were going to look into it together, but they got to him somehow. Everyone thought it was an accident and I wasn't about to argue and suffer the same fate."

"This... someone... They weren't part of the rebellion, were they?"

"No. He was a good friend. Someone who knew about the rebellion, but kept it quiet, slipping us information every so often. He did a lot of work alone. I think I was probably the only one who actually knew who he really was."

"So he worked outside of the rebellion and gave us information through you, but once he looked into the traitor, he just disappeared? Do you know how they got to him?"

"I don't know, but whoever is betraying us is smart. They cover their tracks and keep their head down. I don't know how to flush them out."

"I... might have an idea. But I need to talk to Zephyr, preferably with you present."

Phoenix shook her head. "What if Zephyr is the traitor?"

"Trust me, Zephyr didn't betray us. I know her better than anyone here and she would never do that. She believes in our cause and she would never give in to Akram."

After a moment of silent consideration, Phoenix nodded. "If you trust her completely, I'll help explain things, but if you're wrong we could both get killed."

"I'm not wrong about this."