I’d gotten several chapters in before the door pushed open. Quinnlyn stood in the doorway with a paper bowl of soup. I put the book down, pushed myself off the bed, and walked to the doorway. I reached for it and wrapped both hands around the bowl. I turned around and headed back to my bed, without saying a word.
He remained in the doorway, staring at me. I stared back, widened my eyes, then raised one eyebrow. He didn’t say anything, just watched me. The classic staring contest. He didn’t know that I was excellent at this game. I cocked my head to the other side. A couple of minutes must have passed before he slowly took a couple of steps backward and then turned, leaving my view.
“I win!” I shouted, then started spooning the soup into my mouth. It tasted perfect after feeling so crummy.
Chapter 9
It had been over two weeks since I’d gotten sick. I used to think that every day was thesame ol’ same ol’, but I learnedthatwas truly the same thing every single fucking day. Some days Quinnlyn seemed at ease, and other days, he grumbled under his breath more. Today seemed to be one of those grumbling days. He paced the room more, seeming like he was too anxious to sit. He was short-tempered anytime I asked questions.
I finished lunch and took an afternoon nap. I came out of my little room and walked into the main room. He paced in front of the window, hands slightly clenched at his sides, and veins bulging at his neck.
“Is something wrong with you?” I asked.
He shook his head side to side.
“You look madder than a wet hen,” I said, before shrugging my shoulders.
He stopped and looked at me, then shook his head and carried on. I walked over to the window closest to the closet door and stared out. No matter when I looked out the window, there were always people moving about the property. Sometimes I’d see Benji or some of the others that I had seen when I was held in the dungeon. Sometimes ATVs were driving around, sometimes they were playing yard football.
In the evenings, I’d been paying attention to the moon cycle. Remembering what Ravik and Quinnlyn talked about. The full moon was clear to see when it was bright in the sky, lighting the road and the field. The waxing crescent was harder to spot—a sliver after the darkness of the new moon. I knew that the new moon was usually thirteen to fifteen days after the full moon, which meant he’d probably leave tonight.
“What happens on the day the moon starts to appear?” I asked, while staring at the guys below us packing the truck with gear.
“None of your business,” he said flatly.
“I mean, it’s one of the two times you leave me, so it kind of is,” I pressed.
“It really isn't—”
“You leave on the full moon, as well?” I cut him off.
“Shut the fuck up and drop it,” he said, anger lacing his tone.
“Hmm… what are you gonna do? Smack me around?”
“I might… go back to your room and watch your mindless movies.”
“I’ve watched the same ones over and over again,” I said.
He plopped down on the couch and threw his feet up on the coffee table. A low sound came from his throat.
“You know… I’ve been reading this book—”
“I. Don’t. Fucking. Care,” he said, cutting me off.
“You should… because in that book there are people who turn into something else on the full moon,” I said, turning my head, focusing on him.
He remained the same, unfazed.
“And? Your point?”
“You leave on the full moon—”
Two knocks hit the wooden door, interrupting me. He got up, unlocked the door, and opened it a crack.
“I got it from here,” the female voice said.
“Thank God,” Quinnlyn said.
