Page 50 of Us Defiant Few

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The majestic ball of fire dipped below the horizon, ushering in the peaceful dark. Brock said it was time for them to sleep, and they settled on the road between abandoned cars.

Khalani leaned against a metal door, staring up at the clearest night sky. She studied the dozens of specks sparkling like distant lamps.

Stars.

That’s what Winnie had called them.

She continued gazing up at the heavens when Winnie huffed out a deep breath, sitting beside her.

“They don’t warn you about your knees when you get older,” Winnie exhaled, snuggling close to Khalani.

“They don’t warn you about a lot of things when you get older,” she whispered, her gaze growing distant as cooler air swept through the desert.

She fell into a pit of her own memories, recalling a time when she stared at the night sky with a different person.

Someone who’d chosen to sleep farther away from all of them.

Takeshi’s back was propped up against a black car, legs stretched out. His eyes may have been closed, but Khalani knew better.

Even though Brock was the one taking watch, Takeshi wasn’t sleeping.

She felt his bottomless gaze roving over her body, probably cataloging all the ways he could make her suffer on the long road.

She didn’t stare back at him. It hurt too much.

Khalani didn’t want to witness the beautiful angles of his face. To stare at his deeply corded muscles but not feel his arms wrap around her.

Loving someone who didn’t remember a sliver of your existence was a torture she wouldn’t inflict on her worst enemy.

“Khalani,” Winnie whispered.

“Yeah?”

“You know it’s not your fault, right?”

She tensed. “About what?”

“What happened to Takeshi,” Winnie answered.

Khalani picked up a lone rock resting on the gravel and twirled it in her fingers, seeing if she could reshape it, remold it to be stronger.

“I know,” she said quietly.

“Winnie doesn’t believe you.”

Khalani instinctively wanted to end the conversation and run away. She put on a hard front, but inside, she was like a ball of yarn slowly being unraveled.

Pulling.

Pulling.

Pulling.

Until nothing was left.

Just empty space and useless memories.