Page 107 of Serpent In White
I came here to escape my horrible life, and possibly to kill myself, which I still kind of want to do, even though he’s interrupting me.
“I’m Abdiel.” His hand juts forward into my vision, and I glance at him again.
He’s just staring at me, a pleasant almost-grin on his pillow-lips, hand extended, waiting for me to shake it.Shake hands with a stranger in the woods who just found me crying on the ground? Well, how can I resist…
Ignoring my inner sarcastic thoughts, I shake his hand, quick and unenthused. “Okay, I know your name. Now can you leave me alone?”
“No.” The almost-grin turns into an almost-frown as his forehead lines in something like unease. “I can’t leave you alone.”
“Why the hell not?” I gape at him like he’s nuts, and a shiver brushes through me at the thought that he might not be as nice as he looks.
But then he says, “Because you’re obviously upset. You’re crying, and you were thinking about…” His voice trails, and he clears his throat. “You’re obviously upset. I wouldn’t feel right about leaving you alone.”
“Look, stranger—”
“Abdiel,” he corrects me, grinning. My eye twitches.
“…Abdiel,” I huff, and his smile widens. “I’m not your responsibility.”
“Actually, you kind of are,” he jumps in. “Because you’re on my land.”
My jaw drops, and I stutter, “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” My head shakes over and over, conveying my confusion. “I didn’t know anyone lived up here. I didn’t mean to trespass…”
“Well, I don’t live up here,” he says. Now I’m confused. “I live down there.” He points in the direction that would lead back down the mountain. “Between the mountain and the lake.”
“So then how is this your land…?” My brows pull together. “You can’t own an entire mountain. You’re like twenty-five.”
He beams at me. “I’m actually nineteen, but thanks. I was hoping I looked a little older.” I can’t help but roll my eyes as he chuckles. “Anyway, it’s not just me. My family owns this land. It’s called the Expanse.”
“Okay, I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” I mutter, “But I promise if you just leave me alone for like fifteen minutes you won’t have to deal with me on your land anymore. Well, you will, in a sense, but it won’t be my problem after that.”
Abdiel’s smile disappears, and he blinks those large, sparkly, moss-colored eyes at me. I’m trying not to focus on how lovely they are, but it’s hard when he looks like a baby deer.
“You can’t kill yourself,” he whispers.
My heart thuds, and my stomach jumps into my throat as I glare at him. “How did you—”
“I just know, okay? And you can’t do it.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Look, I obviously don’t know you. You haven’t even told me your name yet…”
He lifts his eyebrow at me, and much to my own trepidation, I murmur, “It’s Rhiannon.”
“Rhiannon.” He nods, as if he approves of my name. It pleases me deep in a place I want to kick because I don’t need this random person to like my name. “Well, Rhiannon, I have to tell you… you have every reason in the world to live.”
“Is that right?” I scoff.If he only knew…
“Yea, it is.” He reaches out, abruptly taking my hands in his. It startles me, and I try to tug them away, but he just holds on tighter. “All life is precious, and all life is necessary. Each one of us is a part of the great transformation. Even you.”
I can’t help giving him a look like he’s certifiably insane, because honestly, he fits the bill. He sounds like a total whackadoodle.
“What the hell does that even mean?” I finally break my hands free from his grip. “You sound nuts, you know that?”
He shrugs, unaffected by my words. “Maybe so, but at least I know the truth.”
“The truth about what?” This kid is starting to hurt my brain. “The things I may or may not be planning to do up here are none of your concern. I didn’t ask you to come rescue me,Abdiel. I came up here to be alone. To escape. I saw that clearing over there and figured nearby would be a perfect place to…” My head gets a little foggy, and I squeeze my eyes shut. “It doesn’t matter. Please, just leave me alone.”
Quiet surrounds us for what feels like an eternity, and when I finally reopen my eyes, I find Abdiel looking at me with much more concern in his deep green irises. His eyebrows are practically knitted together, and he’s gnawing on his lip, like he’s overwhelmed by whatever is happening in his head.
“That clearing…” he mumbles, voice low, almost inaudible. “When you looked over there, did you see a rock? A black one…?”
