“You’re right,” she interjects, rinsing off a plate. I grab a rag to start drying beside her, feeling suddenly useless. “We’re just passing time until we grow old and die. Coloring, reading, watching movies; what’s the point? It’s stupid.”
Hunter comes over, gently prying the sponge out of her hand. “It’s not stupid. I was just being a butthead because I’m frustrated.”
She looks up at him, blinking back tears. “Why?”
Features strained, his gaze bounces from her face to mine. “Because I forgot, okay? We’ve been here for so long that I convinced myself there wasn’t anything else, and now here’s Risa, reminding me that there’s an entire world full of people out there, living their lives while we’re stuck hiding here, trying to be forgotten.”
He swipes at his angry tears, scowling. “And I hate it. I’m not like you guys and still can’t go outside because Uncle Zane refuses to make me like him. If he would, I could protect you better and maybe we could go outside, just for a little while.”
Trying not to cry right along with him, I strive for the right thing to say. I know what false hope can do to a person, though; shatter them worse than anything in the end. And ultimately, if I fill them in, there’s a chance they’ll tip off Zane. Of the two of us, their loyalties would lie first with him, and I can’t take that risk when it’s our only chance at getting out of here.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just because Zane won’t turn you now, doesn’t mean he won’t when you’re older. He can’t protect you forever, can he? He’ll need to pass the torch to the only person he can trust sooner or later.
“Be subtle. Ask him what his plan is in case something happens to him on a supply run and we’re locked down here so we don’t starve to death. Plant the seed in his head that he needs a fallback plan in case of an emergency and he’ll come around eventually. Either he’ll tip you off where he’s hidden a spare key down here, or he’ll turn you so that you can pick up where he left off if he’s killed.”
Nodding to himself as he processes, Hunter takes over on the dishes. “I’ve got this, why don’t you two go play a game or something?”
Lips pressed into a flat line, my stomach twists. “You know, you’re allowed to have an identity beyond your sister’s guardian. That’s a hell of a lot of pressure to put on yourself.”
Haunted, blue eyes bore into mine. “I didn’t choose to, the people that killed our parents did that for me.” His voice drops to barely more than a whisper. “They’re not ever going to stop looking for you, you know; Addie either. It’s either live a long, depressing life, or a short one.”
Looking over his shoulder, I follow his gaze, watching his sister set up the board game as he croaks, “So yeah, my only purpose is taking care of her, but that’s still better than not having one.” His shoulders sag in defeat as he turns back to the dishes. “At least leave a note when you make a break for it, because it’s going to wreck her when you ditch us.”
I startle. “Why do you think I’m going to leave?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t you if you found a chance to escape this hellhole? I’ve been here for five years, Risa. It doesn’t get any better, you just delude yourself into pretending you aren’t buried alive.”
Chapter 26
Risa
––––––––
Afaint thump startlesme awake and I strain my hearing, barely breathing. Three heartbeats on the stairwell outside of the door have mine sprinting in response, and I gently ease away from Adelaide, careful not to wake her up. My shoes still have Bennet’s bloodstains on them despite how hard I scrubbed, but I slip them on happily, not wanting a repeat of being hunted through the woods because of a cut foot. A muffled curse has me pausing with a frown, and I push my senses farther before, blanching.
It’s not them. This so-called safe haven may as well be a tomb, trapping us like rats.
