“You get to run wild in the woods, make dams in the stream, watch all the birds. Those are riches that so many kids never have. And you have a family who love you unconditionally. I know you wish for more, Tally, but you’ve already got everything you need.”
I have an overwhelming urge to reach through the bars and hold Sky’s hand. This girl has never had what she needed.
Freedom, family.
I want to gather this kid up, make her part of my family. Make sure she’s never hurt again.
Pack.
The creature inside me is in agreement.
“Listen to me, Sky. I know things are messy right now. And I know I’m behind these bars.” I grip one of the iron uprights, wishing I had the strength to bend it. “But I’m getting better. I’llkeep you safe. I’ll do what I can, but until this cage is open, keep close to Layla, Dot and Rory.”
She’s silent for a moment, and when she speaks again it breaks my heart. “Do you think life gets better, or if it’s bad…it’s always bad?” Her small frame shudders. “For people like me. People who are not brave. People who can get bossed around and don’t…fight back.” When she finally meets my eyes, I see hers are filled with tears. “I’m too weak for a happy life, aren’t I?”
Fuck.
“NO!”
She huddles into her coveralls and I know I’ve come on too strong so moderate my tone. “No, Sky.” Fuck. “The world is a fucking dick a lot of the time. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got balls the size of Dot, or if you are a little mouse. The world doesn’t care. It’s a harsh and brutal place. But the truth is…we’re not meant to get through life alone. We are tribal people.” I’m riffing now, but I know where I’m going. “You are meant to be part of a tribe, a pack. You’re a vital member. Your role is not to be the fierce defender, your role is more…”
OK, now I’m flailing.
Pack.
“Your part is as necessary as all the others. You bring joy and lightness to those around you. You care. You make people who are lone wolves…”
Lone wolves?
“You make lone wolves realize there is more to life than just fighting. There is family—and that’s what is important.”
I feel completely spent after getting that weird speech out. The words coming out of my mouth feel simultaneously foreign and…innate.
Fuck. Innate.
Before I can bring up her dreams again, she looks up at me with her big, scared eyes. “Er, Taliesin?”
“Yeah, Sky?”
“Do you think they’ll come for me? The people from the island?”
The wolf, or whatever it is inside me, snarls. “Over my dead body.” I mean it with every fiber of my being. This kid is the sister I never had. “While we’re in this shithole we’ll stick together, and once we’re out, I’ll find a place for you. For us. Me, you, Rory, Layla.”
“And Imran?” she asks.
Fuck.
“Yeah, Imran and Clay too, even though Clay’s feet smell like death. We’ll find a place where you don’t have to look over your shoulder, Sky. I’ll find a place where you won’t be hurt again, just like that lady statue would tell you.”
“I like the sound of that,” she sighs, but I can tell by her tone she thinks it’s just empty words.
“I promise you, Sky. I give you my word.”
She looks up again, her small hand briefly brushing my knuckles. “I…guess, if you say so. Rory promised too.”
“Rory? Then you’ve got the two meanest motherfuckers in Quo on your side. Your fate is unstoppable.”
She wrinkles her nose. “Rory’s not mean. She’s…nice.”
