Page 119 of Bones
“I promise,” she said. “I’m not sick.”
“You look like shit,” I said, perhaps more harshly than necessary.
To my surprise she smiled slightly, glancing at Raven. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Ray.”
Raven glared at her, but something soft in her eyes made me pause. I’d never seen Raven look at anyone like that.
“Ray?” I couldn’t help asking.
Raven’s icy blue eyes snapped to mine. “Only Clarity gets to call me that. Anyone else tries and they end up bleeding.”
“How are you feeling?” Clarity asked.
“I’ll be fine,” I said, looking warily from Raven to study Clarity again.
Her cheekbones stood out from her thin face and her normally warm brown skin looked like a dull ashy grey. Even her eyes looked sunken.
“Why do you?—”
“How come you’re not talking to Trey?” she interrupted me, a gleam of determination lighting in her hollow eyes.
I forced all my turbulent emotions to the very back of my mind and willed my face to be blank. “Clarity?—”
“Don’t bother, Clare,” Raven said, glaring at me. “She’s a stubborn bitch.”
I narrowed my eyes at Raven, my temper rising. Whatever goodwill we’d managed to achieve after my whipping had been slowly evaporating as the days went by.
“I’m allowed to have my own personal business.”
“Bones, he cares about you so much.”
Clarity’s soft and pained voice speared me through the heart. I turned away and went back to disinfecting medical tools.
“Told you,” Raven said, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from snapping at her.
“He told me about the narc.” Clarity sounded like she’d moved a few steps closer, but I didn’t turn around. “Maybe if you just…explain what happens?—”
“I don’t owe any of you an explanation.” I interrupted, trying to blink away tears.
“No, but we’re friends.” Clarity stood at my elbow, but I refused to look at her. “Friends talk to each other when they’re hurting.”
Maybe I hadn’t had many friends in my life, but I felt more like a deadly virus than a friend. Iknewgetting close to people got them killed, but I couldn’t seem to stop fucking doing it. I blinked furiously, trying to keep the tears at bay. If I could just?—
Clarity laid her hand on my arm, and my healing magicjolted.I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped and Clarity jerked her hand back as though I’d burned her. Her eyes widened and we stared at each other for a moment, then she turned andfledout of the clinic.
“The fuck did you do?” Raven snarled, but she darted after Clarity before I could answer.
Not that I had an answer to give her. I rubbed my arm, trying to erase the sensation of spiders crawling across my skin. I had no idea what just happened, but my magic had never done anything like that before.
* * *
Three weeks after my whipping, I stumbled on a plan to escape.
I started going for walks as soon as I could, forcing myself to go longer every day as I tried to get my strength up. On one of those morning walks I noticed the loggers removing the wheels from the hauling wagons and replacing them with long skids to go over the snow. Through eavesdropping, I learned they planned to leave at dawn. The sickness had used up more of the hold's supply of lumber than expected, so the loggers were being sent back out to gather more. I watched them cover all their tools in the sleighs with heavy tarps to keep the snow off, creating a perfect place to hide.
I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. My back still ached sharply, but the open wounds had closed, and it no longer required a bandage or dressing. It would just be pain, and I could push through pain.
I'd been collecting a little bag of supplies that I stashed inside my mattress. I'd cut a small slice in the bottom and while it wasn't comfortable to lay on, no one noticed. Not that I had many visitors. Clarity didn't return and Raven went back to silently glaring at me. Sometimes that sensation of spiders would crawl across my skin again and my powers would flare in response, but then it would vanish. I had no idea what it meant, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. My plan had to be perfect. If Madame caught me?—
