"Ohmy- Lucy." She flew into me, nearly knocking me over. I clung tight to my wayward friend. I heard the guys talking, but could only focus on my friend. My friend! We were laughing and crying and trying to catch our breath like we'd just run up and down the mountain path a hundred times. "What- I mean, what?!" she shook me. I laughed, listening to her try to put a sentence together, but I wasn't having much success with my own vocabulary. "How are you here?!" she finally blurted.

"I left! Ohmygosh, Misty, I had to leave!" And I began sobbing in earnest.

She pulled me in again, this time gentler. "Of course, you did. Of course." She didn't ask questions, and I thanked her over and over.

"Ah. 'scuse me. But what the heck."

Misty laughed, and hearing her loud, bubbly laugh again brought me to tears all over. "Babe!" she cried, pulling him to her. "This. This! Is my long-lost friend. Lucy. Lucy, this is Rocco."

"Pleased to meet you." I was a little sheepish after having just wagged my finger in his face. He seemed more so.

"The infamous Lucy?! You escaped too?" he whispered quietly. "Did anybody follow you?" he looked nervously past me. Misty swatted him. "Rocco! Manners!"

"Oh! Yeah, nice to meet you too. I've heard all about you. You were the hardest part of leaving that forsaken commune from what Misty says."

Smiling, I said, "This is Griffin. He's-" I didn't know how to finish that sentence. He was a million things. "He's helping me." I finished, stupidly. Griffin raised his eyebrows at me, amused. He shook Rocco's hand as if we hadn't just had a whole emotional conversation with him.

"Wait. Oh no. How did you find me?" Misty asked, biting her lip, the way she used to do every morning before going down the mountain to try to make a conversion.

"We didn't find you! I had no idea where you were. We met Jerry and Eliana-"

"They had a girl, Babe!" Misty shrieked and jumped up and down.

"They had to run away because of his awful parents." She explained. Rocco didn't seem offended.

"Speaking of my parents, they won't stay in front of that tv forever. Maybe we should move this conversation elsewhere"

"For sure," Misty agreed. "Come on. We can go to the Squeaky Wheel. I work there!" she said proudly.

The Squeaky Wheel was the kind of place the council warned us about. The "gaping maw of hell" were the exact words Brother Augustus used to describe it. Misty pushed through the doors happily and was greeted by customers and workers alike. "Hi all! I'm back!" she moved us to a booth with a wobbly table, and helped herself to a tray and drinks before sliding in next to Rocco and distributing the beverages. "On the house!" she smiled. There was a friendly buzz in the place that made up for the lack of lighting. I jumped to see one man asleep on the bar, but Misty laughed. "That's Gregor. He's harmless. Works the night shift at the quarry. He'll fall asleep anywhere he gets the chance."

"Now!" she slapped her hands on the table, "Tell me everything." I recapped every detail, watching her expressions change. She cringed, frowned, shook her head, then smiled just a little when I got the part about my struggle with Franklin.

"Misty! Are you smiling? It was awful!" I accuse her.

"Yes! No! Right! It is awful. I just have a hard time feeling bad for that sonofa-"

"You think the pillory was bad?" Rocco cut in. I felt Griffin stiffen beside me. "Show 'em what they did to you, Babe."

"It's not a competition, Rocco," she murmured. I wiggled to unstick myself from the seat a bit.

"What? What happened to you?"

Misty shifted around, glaring at Rocco, who didn't show an ounce of remorse at his outburst. It wasn't the first time I wondered exactly what Misty saw in this guy.

She took a long drink from her glass. I watched the ice clunk around when she set it back on the table, like clumsy square dancers. "It turns out, that when you don't make your third conversion you don't just get expelled. The council sees fit to punish you as well." She looked around the bar, then lifted her shirt. The skin of her torso was twisted and pinched. It looked like a fighter who'd given his all, then resigned to defeat. It wrapped around her middle as far as I could see on either side. I didn't have to see her back to know the scarring continued on. I tucked my lips in and bit on them. "Open fire," she explained. Rocco flexed his hands, stretching the fingers straight and wide, then pulling them in to angry fists. "They put me on a spit like a pig. So I could know what the flames of hell would be like." She pulled her shirt back down. "Then they give you another chance! They graciously gave me a one-year extension to get those three conversions!" she snorted a laugh. Griffin swore beside me. I worried I might be sick for a moment.

"Misty. Misty." Were the only words that would come.

"I didn't take them up on it," she said needlessly. "I came here, met Rocco." She kissed his cheek and his fists loosened just a pinch. "Got the job here, got married, and here we are!" She threw her hands in the air. Despite her scars and questionable taste in men, I'd never known Misty to be so happy. I didn't realize exactly how stifled she was in the commune. I should have been a better friend.

"You were the only thing I loved on that mountain, Luce." She took my hand. I remembered something, "Hey! Do you remember Kimmyann?" I filled her in on Annie.

Misty laughed. "See? Every now and then one of us gets out." Sophie. My parents.

"If the rest of the community knew what kinds of things the council did, they wouldn't stand for it. They should know."

Misty shrugged. "Your parents and Sophie might care, but mine sure wouldn't. They sided with the council every step of the way. The council does a stellar job brainwashing them into thinking this is what Diety wants for them."

We sat quietly for a long time. "Anyway, drink up! You guys can stay with us tonight," Misty said. Rocco looked surprised, but to his credit he nodded. "Definitely."

"Well, we sure aren't passing up a chance tosleep in an actual house. Thank you!" Griffin said earnestly.

On the walk home, Misty and I fell behind Griffin and Rocco. Misty linked my arm in hers and leaned in toward me. "Soooo...?"

I didn't look at her. "Sooooo... what?"

She gave me a playful push. "So, what's the deal with Griffin? He's cute."

"What's the deal with Griffin?! How about what's the deal with Rocco?! You got married!!" She giggled and I nearly wept at the familiarity of it.

"I did!" she waggled a little ruby red gem in front of my face. "Look, I know Rocco seems... gruff. But he is loyal and kind, and surprisingly gentle." I looked at her skeptically. "Okay, when he's not being a total brute!" she laughed, but it was trimmed with affection, and I could see how deeply she loved Rocco. I didn't quite get it, but it was clear he adored her and would do anything for her, and isn't that what we want for our friends?

"I'm so happy for you." I pulled her a little tighter.

The little house smelled like soup. A television blared, though nobody was in front of it. I marveled at it, having never seen one this close up before. Misty giggled. "You can sleep in our room. Rocco and I will take the pull-out." Like magic, she reached under the couch cushions and with a yank, an entire bed sprung up.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. I eyed Rocco, nervously. "We don't want to put you out though." Griffin nudged me. I could tell he definitely wanted to put them out. "What about your parents, Rocco?"

He shrugged. Misty spoke for him in a hushed tone. "My in-laws are sweet, but... a little..."

"They're a little out of it. My brother died a few years ago and they can't seem to snap out of it. Unless it's to harass poor El about Jerry." Misty nodded. Anyway, they won't be up before you tomorrow, trust me."

My brain buzzed with the adrenaline of seeing my friend again, but I could see Griffin was practically asleep on his feet. "Okay. If you're sure it's no trouble?"

"It's no trouble," Rocco assured me in the kindest tone I'd heard from him yet.

Misty showed us to her room. The bed was plusher than anything I'd ever slept on. There was a dresser in the corner, but no other sign that this was her bedroom. "We don't want to make it too homey. We don't want to be here long. Just saving money, you know?"

I hugged her tight. "This is a dream. I never thought I'd see you again."

My friend's voice wobbled. "Me neither." With another squeeze, she left. Griffin and I faced each other.

A bed was different than a little nook in a mountainside. "I'll sleep on the floor," he offered.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Don't be ridiculous. This doesn't have to be a whole... 'thing.' Just go to bed."

"Bossy."

I grinned and climbed into bed to show how verybrave I was. My hair tumbled off the side and I felt the mattress wiggle asGriffin got in. In no time at all, I heard his breathing level out. I letmyself flip over to face him, then drifted into the deepest sleep of mylife.