Page 12 of In the Light of Day

Slowly turning, she's no longer in the driver's seat but tucked in a tiny ball under the steering wheel. My knife clutched firmly in her hand.

“Can you tell me how many people you’re running from?”

“One.”

“Any weapons that you know of.”

“Just himself,” she whispers.

Nodding at her answer, she doesn't need to say anything else just yet. One male, most likely unarmed is no threat to me but I’ll shoot first and ask questions later if some guy happens to stumble out of the forest. She said he is the weapon. That he was enough of a force against her, he became the most terrifying thing in the room.

If he's not already dead with the amount of blood she has on her then I will kill him myself.

He will not live to hurt anyone else.

“When you’re ready, climb back on the seat and I'll get my kit from the back.”

She takes a deep breath, still holding my hand as she moves into the seat. I go to get my bag, full of food, water, clothing, and my first aid kit, but her hold on my hand tightens and she shakes her head at me, her eyes panicked that I'll let her go.

Hmmmmm, this is going to be interesting.

“I'm going to unclip my belt, okay? Then I want you to hold one end and I'll do the same. We will stay together. I won't let you go but I need to get my kit to help you.”

Slowly, I pull my belt free and loop it around my wrist, yanking it tight so it's tethered. I place the loose end out for her to grab onto, never forcing my presence on her, only offering, and after a second she does. Her knuckles turning white as she grips it tightly. My movements are slow and steady as I gather what I need and return to her, quickly opening my bag and holding out my hoodie for her to wear. The way she looks at it before tentatively taking it from me and holding it against her, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric, breathing in its scent. It's almost as if she has gone without for so long that she's forgotten what things felt like.

Forgotten what comfort was.

It's taken 30 minutes to get to this point, so the sheriff should be halfway here by now. I offer her snacks and water which she holds eagerly against her chest, along with the other end of the belt. I explain that I'd like to tend to her feet first, clean and bandage them until she can get proper medical care. Waiting for her direction, I kneel and get to work, always listening out for anything unusual. I tell her about what will happen when the sheriff arrives and how if at any stage she wants to talk or tell me something she can. Silently, she watches me clean her wounds and wrap them until the flickering red and blue lights can be seen in the distance. I quickly check my weapons, making sure she still has the knife I gave her.

Standing, I start to turn, intending to shield her from the bright lights of the incoming vehicles but she stops me, letting go of the belt, she takes my hand again tightly. Her bright blue eyes look up at me, vulnerable, worried,scared, and with a deep breath says, “My name is Nova Davis. I was taken by my Uncle Thomas five years ago on my eighteenth birthday. I don't know who I can trust. My family ... my family will be looking for me but I don't know how to get back to them.”

Chapter 8 - Ace

I don't know who I can trust.The words ring out over and over in my head, repeating at an increasing pace as the sheriff leaves his vehicle and slowly walks toward us with his hands open, showing me he is no threat. I face him, muscles tense, chest puffed, ready to do the one thing I've been trained to do.

Fight ...protect.

Except I'm not fighting for myself, my brothers or my country any more. I'm fighting for her. However she needs me, I will be there. Until she tells me otherwise I will fight for her,always. I’m not sure if it’s the guilt from the girl I couldn't save creeping in but here in this moment, standing in front of a woman who has faced who knows how many tragedies in her short time on earth, I will fight until my last breath,for her. But first, I need to show her she can trust me.

Holding my palm out to the sheriff in a stop motion, he stills and I take a final glance around checking everything is secure before I go against my instincts and turn my back to any threats that lurk in the shadows. I have to be able to see she understands when I say this to her. That for some unknown reason she knows she is not alone in this battle anymore. That we’re a team.

I kneel before her, our height difference making us almost at eye level, and say, “Nova. I know we don't know each other yet but I need you to know that whatever happens after this ... I won't let you face it without me. That I will be there for every part of what comes next. Whatever happened in that forest will not come after you again. I will protect you with my life if I need to. If you’ll have me, I want to stand by your side and help you find your family.”

Tears fall down her face but her expression remains stoic. A skill that she has no doubt been forced to learn. Her hand squeezes mine and in a voice that could almost pass as confident, not soft or meek, she tells me the one word that I didn't realise I so desperately wanted to hear.

“Yes.”

Chapter 9 - Nova

Numb - Linkin Park ?

Shaking my head vigorously, I hold on tightly to Ace's large hand. The sheriff wants me to go in the back of his vehicle but there's no way in hell I'm being locked in a cage again. I remember enough police shows from before, and there is no way I can climb in that car and have that door close behind me, I cannot do it.I can't be caged like that.

I want to scream at every emotion running through me right now. How can they not see me falling apart? I feel like I'm stuck in a tornado and the only time I can catch my breath is when I'm holding onto Ace.

A perfect stranger is giving me more comfort by just existing than I have ever felt before ... Or at least from what I can remember. I’m even starting to doubt if my family is looking for me when the sheriff gave me a blank look and explained that he couldn't recall my name on the region's missing persons list, however, that doesn't mean it's not there. Ithasto be there.

I could see he was trying to make me feel better, saying he was an old man now and his memory was not what it used to be but his eyes gave him away. I've had five years to study body language, at least one person's in particular, and I'm positive it saved me from a worse fate more than once. He was as sharp witted as he would have been twenty years ago and I could see he was trying to make sense of it too. Surely there's not been hundreds of missing people that he can't remember us all. Unless there was some huge kidnapping ring happening at the exact same time my uncle took me, then why doesn't he know my name? Someone had to have noticed I was missing. I can feel my heart beginning to splinter the more this alternate reality becomes my truth.

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