Page 77 of Diamond

I let out a huff. No, it was the right thing to do, and finding out more about her is easy enough. "What's your name?"

"Olivia," she groans out, poking at where a bullet grazed her.

From a quick look, I can tell she was luckier than I was, though her head wound looks nasty.

I'm trying not to think about burning pain above my hip and the damage I must've done by running with a bullet wound there.Pressing my hand to it, perhaps to trigger my mysterious healing power to stop the bleeding, I cannot do much right now.

We're huddled together, I don't even have to look at her to know she has too many questions, most of which I cannot answer.

"What's going on?"

I let out a sigh I didn't realize I was holding when she asks me that, relieved she didn't start with questions about why she was in that chamber or why her hair is green.

Things I don't know.

I answer her question a little too gladly. "Thosekharwant to take us hostage again."

She shoots me a look that lets me know that says she isn't fully satisfied with my answer, so I wait for follow-up questions but get none.

"What language was that, the one you cursed in?"

"Farsi."

For a second, I want to launch into a mini-lecture on who I am and what language I speak, random thoughts charging through my panicked mind, but I stop myself just in time.

She hugs her body closer to herself, shivering slightly even though the sun is blazing down on us. "I understood it. I understood that you called them donkeys."

There is an excitement in her voice that I cannot place. It confuses me because when I was rescued, the only thing that went through my mind was utter panic.

If I could, I would have screamed for hours on end, but she is excited that she can understand my language. As if she has gone through far worse than this and just wants to focus on something innocent. I immediately feel more protective, while my respect grows for this new woman.

But also a bit of wariness over how… odd she seems.

"I am Nasrin." I introduce myself with a forced smile and she shoots me one back.

Her smile is wide and genuine. I feel a bit guilty for my caution toward the woman, but I push it off and try to focus on the conversation I'm supposed to be part of.

"Nasrin is such a pretty name," she says, pushing her gem-colored hair behind her ears.

Her hair is long and shiny, not at all reflecting what she has been through.

"You can call me Liv, if you would prefer that."

Her smile is so infectious that I can't help warming up to her, even as I wonder how unhinged she must be to look so unaffected by our frantic escape.

I grin. "If we are also giving nicknames, then you can call me Rin."

Her eyes light up and she opens her mouth to say something, but the ground starts to quake below us.

I get on my knees to crawl forward, and she follows me. But then I hear two more loud screams of death echoing through the valley. None of them sounds like Kuret, so I relax a bit. I sit back down and she follows, wincing as she does the same.

To avoid disclosing more of our location, I tap her hand and point to the sleeve of my jumpsuit, then point to the thin black band around her waist. I mouthimagineto her, watching as her face shifts from confusion to understanding.

Olivia shuts her eyes tightly and her face scrunches up as she replicates my jumpsuit, down to the high neck and foot coverings.

While she does, I thankAllahfor the opportunity to be with another human. Being around Kuret and the argila has made me feel good, but still a little alone and alien, which is what I am to them as well even if there is a silent kinship between us, one that I appreciate.

Once she's clothed, I get back on my knees and crawl toward a ledge in front of me, a little farther from the commotion. If we get on it, we can wait until the fight is over before figuring out how we'll get back up. And we can figure out how to reach out to Kuret, once he's done dealing with all the threats.

---