Page 16 of Where We Began

- Chapter 6 -

Laiken

Icount all the redflowers in the wallpaper before the door swings open again, releasing Dominic into the hall. His eyes are beyond tired. I imagine his father draining his life as a giant mosquito would.

He spots me and jumps. “You're still here?”

“I waited for you.” Standing, I stare at the door behind him. He shuts it solidly, motioning for me to follow him. I go eagerly. I'm ready to get as far away from that room as possible.

We walk until we're in an unfamiliar area of the house. It's quieter here, the noise fading as we approach a wide set of glass doors. “What did he say?” I ask, unable to resist any longer.

Dominic opens the doors, revealing a gigantic room with floor to ceiling shelves stuffed with books. My parents had books, but not such a limitless amount. This is a library.

“Why are we here?” I pry, trying to get him to look at me.

He shakes his head, half-jogging down the shelves. There's no one else here that I can see.

His singular focus bothers me. “Dominic, what's wrong?” Still he ignores me, serious in his mission. Together we weave through the aisles, me on his heels.

Grabbing a stack of thick books, he sets them on a circular table. Dust flits up; I sneeze without covering my mouth. “Here.” He taps the tomes. “These are where we'll start.”

“Startwhat?Dominic, what did your dad tell you?” I clench my hands, thinking all kinds of terrible things. “That guy is really creepy. I can't believe he's yourdad,but whatever he did or said about you, it's probably all lies, and—”

The sound of another book slapping down cuts me off. “Stop.” His eyes flash at me. “Don't insult him so loudly. He's still my father, okay?”

I falter. “Sorry.”

He stares me down, the tension erasing from his features bit by bit. “I'm sorry, too. It's not like he makes it easy for me to defend him. He said some awful things about you when I was in there.”

Prickles run up my spine; I laugh out of surprise. “Likewhat?”

“He called you an idiot.”

I crinkle my nose. “Well, I'm not.”

“I know that.” Dominic taps the top book. “But you're not familiar with modern things. Your world and mine are completely different. People who work with my family expect a certain level of intelligence. As you are, no one will take you seriously.”

That gets my hackles up. “So you think you're better than me.”

“Laiken—”

“Maybe you know lots about cell-phones,” I wrack my brain, “And computer things. So what? You know who knew all of that stuff? My dad.” Heat blooms behind my eyeballs. I'm ranting and I can't stop. “You think that helped him at all when it came down to it? Huh? It didn't. Because if it had, I wouldn't betrapped here!”

Dominic braces himself against the table, staring at me. I'm humiliated by my outburst. Before I can run, he reaches across and grabs my hands. His touch is warm. It makes me jump. “You're right,” he whispers. “Knowing about technology can't fix everything. I just want to help prepare you for life here, Laiken. That's all. I swear.”

Inhaling until my chest burns, I let the air out loudly. My fingers squeeze his—Kara enters my mind.She'd adapt. She'd excel just to show she could.“I'm happy to learn. Half of what your dad said sounded like made up stuff.”

He smiles with one side of his mouth. “I'll teach you whatever I can before I leave.”

My joy dissipates. “What?”

Palming his neck, he sits at the table. “That's what my father wanted to talk to me about. He's enrolled me in a military boarding school. I start next month.”

My bones aren't doing their job. I crumple into the other chair, staring at him. “But we only just met.”

Propping his chin on a fist, he goes quiet. “Are you that attached already?”

Fire swims up my throat. I avoid his eyes. “You're the only one I've met so far that seems trustworthy.”

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