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NAJA
Jackson slept, but I couldn’t. Not really. The possibilities and horrors from the last few days have kept my mind busy, but the biggest question in my mind is still whether I’ve made the right decision for Miri.
I know I want to stay with Jackson, and I meant what I said to him, but my decision affects her just as much. But then, what would we do on our own? At least now I trust Jackson doesn’t want to do us harm. What he did for us is overwhelming – good and evil.
Miri keeps staring out of the car window, and I know she has words to say.
“How much further?” I ask.
“A way yet,” he answers.
Yesterday, he seemed obsessed with being as far from civilisation as possible. “But it’s safe?”
“It will be.”
The tension in the air is back, bringing with it doubt that things might not be as straightforward as we hope.
The bleak, grey weather doesn’t diminish the splendour of the mansion we arrive at a few hours later. The gravel drive, the grand house. It looks like something out of a movie. Even Miri’s face seems to perk up at the sight.
Jackson pulls around and parks at the bottom of the steps, and before he’s out of the car, a beautiful woman appears at the door. He stops and looks at her, his eyes lingering. That look dowses me in ice, and I can’t help but worry who she is to him as he exits the car.
She glides down the steps in figure-hugging jeans, a shirt, and heels that look like the ones we were told to walk in. Jewels drip from her wrist and ears in the same green colour that I feel right now.
“Hey, June.”
“Hey. And it’s Willow, Jackson.”
“Where is he?”
“His study. I’ll take you once you’re all inside.”
At this, I get out and pull Miri with me, both of us hugging ourselves in these battered old sweaters and not much else. I step towards Jackson, running my hand down his arm to link our hands. To my relief, he squeezes it back.
“This is Naja.” He looks at me, and I grab hold of that look. Now is not the time to disintegrate. “And her sister, Miri.”
“I’m Willow. Pleased to meet you. Come on in, and I can get you all tidied up.” Her smile is warm and welcoming, nothing like the evil of the trainer, but I’m hesitant.
“You’re safe. I promise,” Jackson says as he leans his head on mine for a moment.
Miri tucks herself against me, and I wrap my other arm around her before he leads us up the steps. We all walk through the grand doors and Willow beckons to the staircase. “I promise you’ll be safe,” she says. “There are no locks, nobody is keeping you against your will. I think Jackson and Landon will need some time to talk.”
It’s Miri who follows her first, and I look back to Jackson, wondering what else he’s going to agree to in order to keep us all safe.
The house is as impressive inside as out, and Willow leads us past door after door until she opens one to a spacious guest room. “There’s a bathroom through there with everything you might want. I’m going to get you some clothes and shoes and bring you something to eat. Is that okay?” She looks to both of us, keeping her eyes on ours rather than the cuts and bruises over our bare legs.
“Is there a first aid kit?” I ask, wanting to make sure Miri’s foot isn’t infected.
“I’ll bring you one.”
She closes the door behind us, and I sag into the upholstered chair by the door.
“She seems nice,” Miri chirps.
“She does," I agree, looking around the room.
We take our time in the bathroom, and I make sure we wash our feet and dry them. We might have had time to rest at the lodge in Wales, but this is the first time I’ve seen Miri relax.
“Do you know what we’re doing here?” she asks.
