Shyanne McClendon

Heart of Iron

I’m not sure this is what Kace had in mind when he gave me this locket. It arrived that June with a letter telling me to start going east, that something was happening. He said, in his words, that “the locket would be useful to me one day, maybe. I mean, I’m pretty sure you’ll find a use for it.” I hadn’t believed him at the time. On any of it. No news was coming from the west (besides more wildfires), and the locket wasn’t even able to be used for a picture. It was iron, at least partially, a heart-shaped lattice work with a thin layer of plastic on the inside to hold whatever was inside. It almost looked like a cage, and I remember thinking it was stupid. It hung down way lower than I liked and wasn’t adjustable, the chain was thick and cold, and the pendant was unusually large. I thought it was clunky and didn’t wear it; there was no use at the time. That was my first mistake.