The chill in my hands and feet permeates the rest of my body. I blink a few times and then look up to see Aerin standing over me. She crouches down and looks me in the eye.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod, and she narrows her eyes at me, obviously not convinced.
“Come on, Talen,” Aerin says quietly as she reaches for my hand. “Let’s go.”
She pulls me to my feet, and we scan the area carefully before traveling back over the catwalk and through the door into the access corridor. When we reach the ladder, we stop.
“Quite a shock, isn’t it?” Aerin says. “Your father, I mean.”
“Yeah.” I take a deep breath and stare at the dirty floor.
“Tell me what you’re thinking, Talen.” Aerin steps closer to me and reaches up to run her fingers over my cheek.
“I don’t know what to think, I guess.” I put an arm around her back and lean against her. “I haven’t seen him in years, and it’s not like we parted on good terms.” I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Far from it.”
“What happened?”
“Too long of a story to tell right now.” I glance up at the ladder. “We need to move.”
“All right.” Aerin touches her lips to mine briefly. “I do want to know though. I want to know what really happened to you.”
I nod, but the thought of explaining it all leaves me feeling ambivalent. I want Aerin to know, but I don’t want to relive it.
“Ready?” she asks as she places a hand on the ladder.
I look around the dusty corridor as if I were in one of the homes in Hilltop, making sure I didn’t leave a trace. Keeping myself in the here and now helps quell the churning in my gut.
“We should turn the light back off,” I say. “We don’t want anyone to know we were here.”
“I don’t think they use this access point,” Aerin says. “It looks like no one has been in here for years.”
“They might still notice the light.”
“Good point. Either way, we’re going to have to find our way back to the rooms without any light.”
“No, we won’t.” I grin and pull out the stolen flashlight.
“Always the thief, aren’t you?” Her eyes sparkle as she smiles at me.
“Lost and found,” I say with a wink.
I hand Aerin the flashlight, and she heads up the ladder first with me right behind her. I climb back onto the floor of the corridor and dust off my jeans as I stand.
“I’m pretty sure the room they were talking about is the one we’re staying in,” Aerin says. “We’re going to have to get out of there, and fast.”
“Agreed. The last thing we need is for someone to find our stuff.”
“For all we know, someone’s already there,” Aerin says. “The last thing we need is for someone to find us.”
“Good point. Let’s keep it quiet then.”
“I always do.” Aerin grins.
“Not always,” I reply quickly, grinning right back at her.
“Talen,” Aerin says as she bats her eyelashes, “are you flirting with me?”