Chapter 5
Three
It was too hot.
I was itching with the heat. Little prickles danced along my skin like thorns digging in.
I wanted to let myself sink deeper into the warmth. Into the odd sensations that were crawling through me.
I felt utterly boneless. Weightless.
My stomach growled so loudly that if I hadn’t felt it, I would’ve thought it had come from some other creature.
I blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling. It was gray, not faded green. It wasn’t cracked and peeling, and the light…
I turned my head to find the source, my eyes darting frantically around the strange room.
It wasn’t very large, but it was bigger than the cell I’d been kept in.
There was a lamp sitting atop a small table, and another large wooden structure with colorful things tucked into the shelves.
There were words written on them, I knew that much, but I couldn’t read so I didn’t know what their purpose might be.
And I was alone.
This wasn’t the prison. But…
I touched the muzzle on my face. It was still there. So were the collar and chain.
I looked down at myself, shoving the huge blanket that had been draped neatly on top of me down to my waist. My shoulder twinged, and I sucked in a sharp breath, gritting my teeth until the pain passed.
I was wearing a large shirt with a bright yellow object on the front. It had green spikes shooting from the top. I was still wearing my ratty pants, though.
Then I noticed my hands, which were lighter than they’d ever been. My nails were white. All the dirt and grime that had clung to me for years and years and years was just…gone.
It was like part of me was missing, had been stolen while I slept, and my stomach roiled at the thought.
There was a bandage wrapped around my left hand. I couldn’t stop staring at all the clean skin that had been revealed. I’d never seen my skin like this, never been so…clean.
Had that man done this? When? How long was I out? Why was I still alive? What was he planning to do with me? Was he going to eat me?
My left foot was stiff and heavy, the feel of it so unfamiliar that it scared me, so I pushed the blanket down to look at it.
It was wrapped up, too, and there was a wooden thing attached to the side that went up to my knee.
My heart jumped. Gone was the darkness of dirt and grime from a decade spent barefoot. There was nothing but the pale, rough skin that was…mine. What I really looked like.
Even my toes were clean. I wiggled them, entranced at the sight.
I jolted when the door opened, grabbing at the blanket like that could protect me. The giant walked inside, ducking his head as he entered. His dark eyes flashed to mine, wide with surprise.
An enormous smile broke across his face, and my heart started clamoring against my rib cage. His gaze took in every inch of me, darting to my bare feet, traveling up my legs, my torso, until it settled on my face.
“You’re finally awake.” He started to move toward me, then stopped. “I was just checking on you. Was gonna leave this on the nightstand in case you woke up thirsty.” He lifted a cup he was holding, then took a few slow steps to the small table with the lamp and set it down.
I shuffled to the other side of the bed, as far from him as I could get.
He took a step back, away from me, and lifted a huge hand to his hair, rubbing at the back of his head.
“Look, I’m not gonna hurt you. I promise.
You don’t have to be afraid of me. I know I’m big, but…
” He shrugged, then laughed. “I mean, I didn’t really have any control over that.
Anyway, please don’t be scared, you’re safe here.
Really. I just want to help you.” A sadness crept into his eyes as he stared into mine.
“I’m sorry you fell into my pit, I…” He looked away, rubbing at his jaw now.
“Nobody ever comes up here. It’s for my protection.
And Luna’s. I didn’t think…well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, what’s done is done.
I’m sorry. Just know I’ll do whatever I can to help you get better. I’m so glad you finally woke up.”
He smiled again, and I frowned at him. I wanted him to go away. I was on edge, my heart racing as I braced myself to lunge away or attack him if he tried anything.
He kept smiling and gestured at me. “You’re very clean now.
Mostly. And I put a splint on your ankle, though I’ll still try to find something to help you walk.
I’m sorry I did it while you were out, but I…
” He shrugged. “You were really dirty. Like, really, really dirty. I couldn’t risk your wound getting infected. ”
My wound? I glanced down at my chest, about to yank open the collar of my shirt when he took a few steps toward me.
I stilled, watching him as he studied my face.
His lips curved up as his gaze drifted back to mine.
“Here, I brought this so you could see. Your eyes are incredible, by the way. I didn’t know that was even possible. ”
Didn’t know what was even possible?
I braced my hands on the bed, ready to move away if it was something that could hurt me. Except when he pulled the object out of his pocket, I had no clue what it was.
“Here,” he said softly, using both hands to open it. I jumped at the loud snap sound, and his eyes briefly flashed to mine. “It’s okay, I’m just opening it for you.” He set it on the bed, pushing it with those long, thick fingers toward me, but not coming too close.
I kept my eyes locked on him. I wasn’t going to fall for that. He wanted to distract me with that…that thing, and then he was going to…to…
“I’ll be right back, I have something else for you too.” He left the room, closing the door behind him.
I stared at the door, my heart pounding. I was so fucking confused. Was he going to get something bad? Something that would hurt me?
What was this thing, a bomb?
I glanced down at the contraption, ready to pick it up and throw it across the room, when my entire body froze up.
What…what was this? There was a person…
I moved my hand to my face, and the thing in the contraption did the same. Was that me? This was a…
A mirror. This was a mirror!
Excitement raced through me. I’d never seen myself in such a clear reflection. Sure, we would come upon metal things sometimes when Hayes took me out, and I’d seen my own warped reflection in them. But I had never seen anything this clear in my life.
That was me? I picked up the mirror and brought it closer, mesmerized by the sight of my own face. I turned my head left, then right, then stared straight on at my eyes.
One was brown and one was blue. No wonder everyone called me a freak.
And my hair…I rubbed a few strands between my fingers, staring at the light yellow color. Hadn’t it been brown before? Had he somehow changed the color of my hair? It was softer, too. Still coarse and tangled, but it was definitely softer. And it smelled like…
I brought a lock to my nose, inhaling. I didn’t know what that was, but it smelled nice. I smelled nice. I lifted my arm and sniffed my skin.
Really nice.
I looked back at my reflection. At the muzzle strapped to my face, the collar around my neck.
That man had offered to get them off. It was so tempting to just tell him yes, please rid me of these awful things.
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t trust him, and I needed to focus on finding a way out of here. I could get them off once I escaped.
How much time had passed? How long had I been here?
Vague memories that felt more like dreams drifted through my mind.
A soothing voice.
Gentle hands.
But nothing was clear, and trying to think too hard hurt my head.
I used both hands to close the mirror, bracing for the snap. It was quiet when it came. I held it in my palm for a long moment, just staring at the pink coloring.
I didn’t see pink a lot, and I really liked that color. Loved it. Once, Hayes had taken us through a town that was mostly rubble, but there were a few buildings still standing. We’d gone inside one, and there had been a bright pink stuffed rabbit inside.
I’d wanted it. Had picked it up, pet the fake fur that had roughened over time. It was missing an eye and one of its ears had been ripped off, but otherwise, it was perfect.
I’d never wanted anything more, and when I’d tried walking out of the building with it, Hayes had laughed and laughed and laughed, yanking it from my hands and ripping it to pieces right in front of me.
I drew a finger down the soft outer shell of the mirror, then startled when the door opened.
The man noticed my reaction and looked apologetic. “Sorry. How about I knock from now on?”
I didn’t answer him, but I did stuff the mirror under the covers so he couldn’t take it. I’d fight him for it.
Instead of getting angry or laughing at me, he smiled. “You like it? It’s yours.”
Mine?
Nothing was mine. Nothing had ever been mine.
I didn’t believe him.
I let my gaze trail down to his hands. He was holding something. A plate. Was that food? What kind of food? There were a bunch of pieces arranged neatly. They looked solid and were a whitish-green color with red on the bottom.
He saw me looking and held it up. “Apples. I thought you might be hungry. Your stomach’s been making a lot of noise.
I tried giving you some bone broth, but I don’t think it was enough.
” He took a step toward me, then paused.
“I guess I should’ve asked if you like apples.
Or maybe you’ve never even had one before?
It’s a fruit, if you didn’t know. You should try a slice, they’re good.
Perfectly ripe right now, since it’s fall.
This will be the last harvest before winter comes. ”
He was making me dizzy with all his talking. I thought Two had talked a lot, but that was nothing compared to this guy.
And yet, his voice was deep and smooth, and the sound of it was one of the nicest things I’d ever heard.