Page 109 of In Between Darkness
Chapter Forty-Three
There is a target on my back. I have had my thumb inches away from the trigger for weeks now, holding back, hoping I don’t apply too much pressure or say the wrong thing, and now someone has pulled it for me. The firm structure I built around my life is now at risk of tumbling down, and I have to move quickly if I want to preserve the ruins.
I grab my black duffel bag from the ransacked ground below and start packing it desperately. My stomach is in my throat, and the only thing I can think of is getting out of here.
“Ho-ly-sh-it!” A familiar voice stands stunned in the doorway. “What the fuck happened to your room?”
“River?! What are you doing here?” I pull him into the room, peering around the doorway to check there is no one loitering in the halls, and shut the door behind me. River looks confused at my frantic movements, but I’m sure at this point, he is naturally prepared for me to act shady around him.
“I saw you leave the dining hall alone, and I just wanted to talk,” he says as his eyes trace over mine. “Going somewhere?” He gestures to the duffel bag hanging around my arm, and I shuffle in my stance. I am going somewhere, but I don’t really know where yet.
I don’t know who knows my secret, but I know that they knew what they were looking for. I swallow down the mass in the back of my throat and turn my attention back to River, who is still looking at me with concern.
“I’m sorry, but now’s really not a good time,” I say as I gesture to the chaos around us. He nods his head as his eyes scan the room.
“Did Alex do this?” he asks as he picks up one of the surviving books and places it back on the table he lifts to its feet.
“I honestly don’t know,” I admit, getting antsy at his interrogation. “I was just on my way out, anyway,” I say, making my way to the door.
“Asha…” he calls out, making me stop momentarily. “What’s going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
I sigh as I turn to face him.
“Just a little more than usual,” I say. “But it is nothing for you to worry about.”
“But I do worry, Asha. I keep having these dreams about you… I wasn’t going to mention anything, but they’ve been eating me up inside.”
“What kind of dreams?” My muscles stiffen as my mind instantly worries about the serum wearing off, and I know I have to tread carefully.
“It’s always the same.” He wades past my belongings closer to me. “You’re in danger, running from someone. I think he’s a Moon because he uses his shadows to pull you in.”
He continues, and I try to hide my worry. “…And I can’t save you no matter how hard I try.” His eyes sadden as he gives in to his hopelessness. “And I think I know what it means.”
“You do?” I look up at him, shocked, hanging on his every word.
“Yes. I didn’t appreciate you when I had you, and now I’m worrying about you falling for someone else and them hurting you.”
I hide my relief. His veil is still intact.
“Thank you for worrying about me, River, but you really don’t have to,” I reply and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He relaxes into my touch and breathes a heavy sigh.
“Okay. If you’re sure,” he reaffirms and makes contact with my eyes again, we stand in brief silence for a moment before he begins walking towards the door, but I shudder and grab his wrist to halt him.
“What are you doing?” he asks in confusion.
“Shhhh,” I beg him to be quiet as the sound of heels echoing down the hall becomes louder. Something in my bones tells me this is bad; I can’t shake the feeling. My fingers tremble with hesitation as I tiptoe towards the door and open it a crack. I don’t have to look twice to know who is coming down the hall. I can recognise those ginger curls anywhere. It’s Miss Worthington, and she is coming this way. The feeling of unease unsettles me to my core; my room has just been upturned and my valuables stolen. For all I know, Miss Worthington could have orchestrated this and is on her way to interrogate me.
My eyes trail over to River’s who is looking more confused by the second. The confusion only increases when I frantically pull him into the bathroom behind the shower curtain.
“I’m sorry, River, you were right… I am in trouble,” I whisper to him, standing shoulder to shoulder in the bath.
“Asha, you need to tell me what’s going on,” he whispers back to me as he pulls me closer towards him.
“You really don’t want me to do that,” I mutter under my breath, remembering the picture of disgust on his face when he saw through my facade the first time. “But I don’t think I have a choice right now.”
With every second that passes, the footsteps are getting closer. “I’m going to do something now, and I need you not to freak out, okay,” I say as I savour the way his eyes look over minewith worry and adoration, knowing they will not view me the same way again.
“What are you going to do?” he asks, looking a little more tense than before.
