Bali was curled up on the cold floor, hugging her knees to her chest, when Milo came in, slipping through the door silently and letting it close behind him without saying a word. He saw Bali on the floor and walked over to her with a look of concern on his face when she didn't sit up.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, annoyed.
"Nothing." Her voice was hoarse, and she barely turned her head to look at him.
"It's not nothing." He dropped a pile of clothes at her feet and sat down in front of her, leaning closer so he could put his hand on her forehead.
"You have a fever."
"I think this room is making me sick," she said weakly.
Milo looked around the room for a moment and then back at Bali, his green eyes reflecting the concern that he felt.
"It might be. The witches do a lot of dark magic down here," he said.
"Where is down here?" Bali asked, looking up at him.
Milo sighed and thought for a moment. Then he shrugged his shoulders as though his mind had just changed about something and said, "Police headquarters."
Bali was silent for a moment. This information was quite shocking and meant that her city was worse off than she had previously imagined.
"Shit," she said.
"Yeah, it's not great," he replied.
"Is the whole police force corrupt?" she asked him.
"Not completely, but it's pretty bad at the top. The witches have had the chief in their pockets for a while now. He has a few police officers loyal to him who know, but most of the force is oblivious. They just do what they are told."
Bali was silent. She looked at Milo and thought to herself how strange it was that he was caught up in so much evil and deception. Even without his shadow she could still sense the good in him and an innocence that had clearly been damaged but not erased. She wanted to convince him to let her go and come with her, but she just didn't have the energy. The sickness in the room had been evident when she had first woken up some days before; it was in the walls and on the floor, like blood stains you just couldn't see anymore. But it had taken time for it to begin to seep into her, and now she felt it like a poison in her blood.
"You're cold," Milo said, noticing the slight tremor that ran through her, and she nodded, unable to hide her chattering teeth.
"I brought you clean clothes: pants and a warm sweatshirt and socks." He reached forward and produced a key from his pocket to unlock her ankle chain.
"They let you do that for me?" she asked, surprised, sitting up shakily as he stood and turned toward the other wall so she could dress.
"They are weird about ceremonies. They like everyone to be dressed in decent clothes, and I guess they didn't consider a hospital gown a decent outfit," he said with his back to her.
"What ceremony?" Bali slipped the warm hoodie over her head and pulled the jeans and socks on before slipping her boots back on and tying them tight, finding comfort in the added warmth.
"I'm done," she said, sitting back down against the wall, her knees to her chest, pulling the thick blanket back over her lap.
Milo turned around and looked at her, smiling at the change in her appearance.
"I guessed your size right," he said, clearly pleased with himself.
"What ceremony?"
"The ceremony to take your shadow," he said and then added hopefully, "unless you've decided to help them?"
"No, I haven't," Bali replied. She was many things, but she had decided that she would never betray Tony's trust again, no matter what.
"Your friends haven't come to save you. They're not coming, Bali," he said.
Bali refused to look at him or respond. She knew very well that her friends hadn't come to save her, and as she had sat in the dark waiting she had to admit that fear and doubt were beginning to sink in like the sickness in her body. Like poison.
"They really will do it, you know. I've seen them do it before. It's so much worse when you don't choose it," he said quietly.
"I believe you," she said, looking at him with ice in her tone. "Don't you think I know what's going to happen? Huh? I'm not just sitting here waiting to be rescued, you know. I know they may not come in time. But we all have to make choices, and I've made the wrong one before and it hurt someone important to me. I won't make the wrong choice again."
Milo didn't say anything for a few moments. He seemed to be considering her words carefully, and after a few awkward moments he said quietly, "I remembered something yesterday."
"What?" she asked, looking at him again.
"About my sister. I remember how it all started. I remember a man coming to our house to test us, to see if we had powers. He had a black stone, and he made us put our hands on it to see what would happen. When I put my hand on it I passed out, and when I woke up he told me I had no powers and that was why I passed out and that my sister was the one who was important."
"Did that make you feel angry? At her, I mean?" Bali asked.
"No! I was never angry at her. I wanted to protect her. I wanted to be the one with powers so she didn't have to. She never liked them; even in the beginning they were too strong, and she didn't know how to control them," he said passionately.
"So you left? Hoping the witches would give you power?" she prompted gently.
"Yes… and when I came back, I found her in the forest, where we used to meet the man. She was lying on the ground and she was… dead," he said this so quietly Bali could barely hear him. She wanted to reach out and reassure him but thought better of it.
"Her death wasn't your fault. You were just a child," she said.
"But I wasn't even there!" he said bitterly. "I told her I would never leave her, and I left her and she died. Alone." He wiped angry tears from his eyes.
Bali thought of Lucy and was tempted to mention her to Milo, but something inside her warned her to keep quiet. Milo was still working for the witches and apparently the corrupt police department, and even though she felt a connection with him she wasn't sure she could trust him yet.
"I'm so sorry, Milo," she said instead, reaching out and grabbing his arm gently. "That must have been terrible."
Milo wiped his nose on his sleeve. He didn't pull away from her touch, but he did tense under it, and Bali let go.
"So how much time do I have before this ceremony happens?" she asked him.
"Not long. A few hours now. They want to wait until the sun goes down."
"Will they even be able to use my powers after they've taken my shadow?" she asked him.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I don't think they actually care. Either way it will send a message to your friends."
"So they aren't actually planning a hostage negotiation to exchange me with…" Bali almost said Lucy's name but caught herself just in time and said, "with the shadow eater?"
The door opened suddenly, and Milo jumped to his feet, backing away from where Bali sat so that his back was against the opposite wall and his head was down.
"Ahhhh I sssseeee," said the disgusting man again with the rotten teeth as he came into the room wearing a black robe with a hood. "You are making friendssss in the wrong placesss again, Milo."
Milo kept still and said nothing, and Bali looked at the witch, disgust evident on her face.
"My son hasss alwayss had a weakness for a pretty face," the witch hissed.
Bali looked from the witch to Milo in disgust, not willing to believe what she was hearing.
"Itsss true," the witch said, seeing her doubt. "I found him when he wasss jussst a boy, alone and ssscared. I took him in, gave him a home and a purpossse."
"You mean you manipulated him and took his shadow!" Bali spat at the tall man, making him narrow his eyes and emit a low growl.
"I jussst came to make sure you were presentable for tonight. Appearancesss matter in thisss world, don't they, my boy?" the witch said, turning affectionately to Milo.
"Yes, father," Milo said without looking up.
Bali couldn't believe what she was hearing. Milo? Adopted by a witch? No wonder he was so messed up! Bali couldn't imagine growing up around so much darkness and evil. It was a wonder he retained so much genuine kindness and innocence despite his upbringing. Bali sneezed suddenly, feeling herself shiver, unable to hide her sickness.
"Whatsss this? Sicknesss?" the witch said disdainfully. "You humansss are sssso weak, aren't you? No matter. Bring her ssssome tea and cold medicine—not the kind that putsss you weak humansss to sleep. We wouldn't want her unconscious for all the fun," he said with a chuckle before turning and walking out.
Milo stayed against the wall for a long time, not moving or saying anything, and Bali just looked at him, unsure what to say.
"Milo?" she finally said.
But it was too late. He walked from the room without a word, letting the door click quietly behind him.