Or are they lying?
Sig focuses on her plate, not joining in the conversation but clearly listening.
I don’t know how to respond, and I don’t want anything I say to tell them more than they should know. So I remain quiet, my mind reeling at this new information, trying to pick apart how they delivered it to find the manipulation.
“Who did you come here for?” Auralie asks. She pushes her plate forward, finished with her food and leans her forearms on the table.
Both Stassia and Auralie seem so genuine, like they actually are trying to get to know me. The behavior takes me aback, because I’m not used to anyone treating me like I am anything but royalty, or accepting me so quickly and easily. Mara even gave me a difficult time at first. It makes me wonder if my interpretation is wrong, and the behavior is fake and part of Weston’s long game to make me feel comfortable.
Either way, it’s part ofmygame to make them think I am getting used to them, so I need to give them something.
“My mother,” I say. “The healers told us it was time to give up hope, and I wasn’t ready to yet.”
Their faces fall, softening in understanding.
“What about all of you?” I ask, looking to Stassia first. This might be a game played to escape, but it feels like I can finally use the skills I’ve honed of politicking at court. Showing interest in them is one of the earliest lessons, and asking a simple question could help me learn a lot of information.
Learning more about them might be helpful, but I also risk making them seem more human. It isn’t their fault that Weston has been deceiving them this entire time. They came here for someone just like I did. A good person may still live deep inside them, even if they are doing cruel things now. Maybe I can draw that good person out and remind them of the Voyagers they once were.
“My best friend,” she says, the enthusiasm dropping from her voice slightly.
“My betrothed,” Auralie adds. A tear falls down her cheek and she wipes it away.
I look at Sig last.
“My father,” she murmurs.
Silence falls over the table at the admissions. Everyone sitting here found the healing waters and was deemed unworthy. The island gave us hope, then ripped it away. Was it simply because Dawnlin knew Weston waited on the other side, ready to snatch the waters from anyone who was granted them? Could that be the reason none of us got them?
And if that is true, how could these women stand to work alongside someone who continues to take the hope away from everyone who finds it? How could Sig stand on that beach and tie each of us up, when she knows what it feels like to come to terms with that loss? And it’s not just for us, here now, but for anyone who may need Dawnlin in the future.
My blood boils but I stay quiet, willing the hardened emotions to come over me again. I try not to focus on the details that make these women seem more real, more like me.
“Is anyone on tonight?” Sig asks, breaking the silence.
“I am,” Auralie says. “I need to go get ready.”
“On what?” I ask, confusion replacing my anger from moments ago.
“On shift,” Stassia says, as if it’s obvious what she means.
I glance to Sig, and she shrugs it off. “You don’t need to worry about it yet,” Sig says. “Cap will explain later.”
As soon as her words register, my stomach sinks. It’s getting dark, the night fast approaching, and they’re talking about leaving. They must be going to the island to hunt us, the exact reason we never leave at night.
And they think I’m just going to accept it blindly.
“If you think I’m going to kidnap my friends, you’re crazy,” I snap, the anger spilling over into my voice.
The girls fall silent and exchange looks.
Sig speaks first. “Like I said, you don’t need to worry about it right now. Cap will explain when the time is right.”
The time will never be right for me to bring more Voyagers here, no matter how hard I am working to make them think they’re gaining my trust.
“You’ll have a ship duty though. We all have them,” Stassia adds.
“You’ll get yours tomorrow,” Sig says.
