Nothing is impossible. I haven’t tried to escape. We will be free again. I just need to regain my strength first.
I don’t want Liesel to worry, though, so I don’t tell her the truth. I don’t tell her of the pain in my back that agonizes me with every breath. I don’t tell her that I don’t have a plan. That I’m not sure I’m strong enough to protect us both.
I just have to protect her. That would be enough.
Flashes of Rose and Atlas pop in my head. I have to protect us both, for my kids.
I told Liesel that we should rest, that that was the only thing to do. Really, it was just an excuse to not talk and reveal the extent of my injury to her.
Liesel closes her eyes and, judging by her steady breathing, drifts to sleep.
There is no way I’ll be able to sleep with the amount of pain I’m in.
“Are you asleep? I can’t sleep,” Liesel suddenly says.
I chuckle.
“Can you not tell that I’m not asleep?” I ask.
She bites her lip. “Not all of us have adapted to see in the dark like you.”
Good, I like that I can see her, but she can’t see me very well. It gives me an advantage. When it comes to her, I’ll take every advantage I can get. It was wrong to assume I could just bully her into telling me everything. She’s a worthy opponent, playing her own game. Her odds of winning are as strong as mine.
“Let’s play our game then since you can’t sleep.”
“I can’t tell you about our secret. Whoever is holding us could be listening. You can’t punish me for not telling you the truth when it could endanger our lives.”
“No, but you can still tell me a different secret.”
She sighs. “Fine, I’ll answer a question, but only if you answer one of mine as well.”
“That’s not how this works.”
She folds her arms. “Then kill me. We are trapped in a dungeon for who knows how long. There is nothing worse you could punish me with. You aren’t going to kill me until we escape and you get all your answers out of me, so your threats won’t work here.”
She’s right. “You answer one of my questions; then I’ll answer one of yours.”
“With the truth?” she asks.
“That’s up to you to figure out.”
She smiles knowingly. “Fine. What’s your question?”
I have a million, but one pulls at me more than any other. One I still don’t understand.
“Did you love Waylon?”
She stills, not expecting that question. Her eyes glaze over as memories flood her head. She’s no longer in this room with me; she’s lost to her thoughts.
I give her time to think about Waylon, about how she’s going to answer me.
I study her every feature looking for clues as to how she feels about the man. She was so distraught that I killed him that she tried to take one of the most important people in my world from me. Her actions speak louder than any words, and yet, I still feel like I’m missing something. I didn’t think Liesel was capable of loving another man, loving anyone.
“Love is weakness. I have no use for love,” Liesel finally speaks, not looking at me, just staring out into the darkness.
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I’ll answer you honestly because I have a question I want you to answer with the truth.” Her eyes flick to me. I know she can’t see anything but an outline of my body when she looks at me, but that doesn’t stop me from feeling like she can see everything I’m thinking.