It hit harder than I expected. Not just the words, but the way she said them. Soft, broken, certain. She’d seen what I’d done. She didn’t know it wasn’t meant for her.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I said, throat tight. “I swear. I’m sorry if I scared you. I just... I wanted to help.”
She blinked at me, slow and confused, like the words didn’t make sense to her. Then her knees buckled, and I caught her before she hit the ground. She collapsed into me without resistance. No flinch, no fight, just folded into my arms like her body couldn’t hold itself up any longer. She felt weightless in a way that scared me, not soft or delicate, just empty. Like if I let go, she might float away with the wind.
“Where did you come from?” I asked. “Why was he chasing you?”
She wiped at her face, but it didn’t help. The tears kept coming.
“We ran,” she said. “Me and my friend. We were trapped. I don’t know how long… but we ran when we had the chance.”
Her voice caught.
“They got her.” The words broke her. She curled in on herself, knees drawn tight, arms wrapped around her body like she was trying to hold the pieces together. “And I left her,” she whimpered, rocking forward. “I left her there.” Her fists pressed against her skull like she wanted to tear the memory out.
“He was going to take me back.” Her voice cracked again, and she reached for me. Grabbed my hands and locked her eyes on mine.
“You saved me,” she said. “You saved me. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Before I could say anything, she collapsed into me again. Buried her face in my chest like I was something good. I didn’t know what to do with that. But I let her. I let her hold on. When she finally pulled away, her cheeks were soaked, her eyes red and shining. But there was something else in them too—something I hadn’t expected.
Hope.
“How did you dothat?”
The words came out small and unsure, like just asking might get her hurt.
She pressed on, her voice thin but steady. “I mean... that really happened, right? I saw it.”
“I don’t know,”I said at last. It was the only truth I had.
“You have to help me save her,” she said, her voice thin and breaking.
My chest pulled tight. “Your friend?”
She nodded. “I know where she is. I can take you.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came. Then I heard footsteps, hard and fast, hammering the ground behind me.
“Kera!”
I turned toward the sound just as Will and Aran came into view, running across the grass, eyes wide.
“What happened?” Will asked, breath catching. “Who is that?”
“If you don’t start talking, I’m going to lose my godsdamned mind,” Aran added. “What the hel is going on?”
“That man,” I murmured. “He was hurting her.”
Will stepped closer, blocking out the rest of the world. His eyes searched mine, then drifted lower, to my cheek. His expression twisted, like something about me hurt to look at. Then, gently, he raised his sleeve and wiped the blood from my skin.
“You can’t keep doing this,” he said. “Running straight into danger—”
“Why not?” I snapped. “Danger finds me no matter what I do.”
Beside me, the girl curled tighter into herself, pressing her palms over her ears. She peeked up at the sound of their voices, then recoiled, her whole body tensing as she caught sight of the boys.
“They won’t hurt you,” I whispered quickly, leaning closer. “They’re not like him. They’re my friends. Harmless, I promise.”
