“I don’t know. I guess I’d just like to know why they’d do something like that.”
“There is evil in this world, Skye. We’ve been protected from it for a long time.”
She wiped away the tears that kept falling.
“Please, don’t cry.”
Skye sniffled. “I don’t mean to. I just … if they’ve been taking people and using them like that, don’t you think our town would have heard by now? They’d know what was going on?”
“What are you getting at?” he asked.
“I think we’re really far away from home. That’s what.” She pressed her lips together. “I’m scared about what it will mean when they come back through that door.”
“Your first time was never supposed to be like that, Skye.”
She covered her face as the tears began to pour. There was no way for her to stop them. Her first time had been with Noah, the guy she’d started to like while they’d been locked away in their own little prison.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she screamed, not wanting him to touch her.
“Please, Skye. You’re hurting, and I want to help.”
There was nothing he could do to help her. Right now, she could only remember the pain. Still, Noah didn’t let her go, even as she sobbed against his chest. She stopped fighting him.
Even as she hated him, he was the only person to understand her pain. With his arms around her, she rolled over so that she didn’t have to face him, or see him.
“When we get home, I’m going to take you out for hot chocolate.”
Tears fell down her face.
He didn’t understand it yet. They were not getting out. They were both going to die here.
She wanted to hate Noah for what he did, and yet, it wasn’t his fault. She knew that more than anything else. He wouldn’t want to hurt her, not if he could help it.
“Please, forgive me. Please.”
Skye sniffled. “I’d expect some cream and marshmallows.”
“What?”
“All hot chocolate has to have cream and marshmallows to make it special. Otherwise, it’s just hot chocolate, and that’s boring.”
“You forgive me?” he asked.
She nodded. He held her even tighter, and seconds later she was surprised to feel his sobs.
“You’re crying?”
Noah lifted his head.
“Why are you crying?” she asked.
“I promised you I’d protect you. Today I didn’t get to keep my promise.”
“Oh.”
“I want you to kill me.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”