Page 56 of Everything Under the Sun

“Thank you. Atticus.”

With regret in my heart, I closed my eyes, knowing there was little, if anything, that I could do to help them.

19

THAIS

When I woke the next morning, Atticus wasn’t in the room. The door was unlocked but I didn’t take advantage. I was a prisoner of Lexington City, yes, but not of this man who although I did not trust, I began to feel like…maybe I could. He had given me hope. But I decided that once he helped me and Sosie out of the city, we’d make a run for it, and get far away from him, too.

“One thing at a time,” I said aloud, peering out the window into the bustling city streets.

I spent the entire day in the room. No one came to bring me breakfast or lunch; no one came to escort me to the restroom, so I held it until I couldn’t anymore, and then I slipped into the hallway and went to the restroom alone. I was alone well into the evening hours, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. What was this conflicted man, who was as frightening as he was interesting, doing all day? Where was he, and did he even plan to come back? Did he intend to help me, or had he only told me what I’d wanted to hear?

And where was Sosie?

Always Sosie.

“We’ll be out of here soon,” I said, wishing Sosie could hear me.

Darkness fell, and with it came a downpour; the streets emptied of people as they scattered into their homes. I sat on the windowsill, watching the rain thrust into the streets and the sidewalks; I watched the glow of lights burning in the windows of nearby buildings, and heard an acoustic guitar playing somewhere close. My stomach rumbled and my mouth was dry and my heart ached for my sister and my father and my mother. I dreamt of a time before The Fall, when my family was together, sitting curled up on the sofa watching television; our smiling faces; my mother’s enchanting laughter. And I thought of my father, of the way he smelled, like aftershave and cherry cigars, even though he never smoked cherry cigars. And I thought of Sosie’s confidence and her beauty and how she’d prance through the living room, practicing her model walk, and—

The soft patter of footsteps just outside the door in the hall woke me from my memories. And then I heard voices raised outside the window, carrying over the sound of the heavy rain. A commotion in the street somewhere, perhaps? I knew something was going on. I looked back and forth between the door and the window, deciding that whoever was on the other side of the door was the more important matter at the moment.

“Thais,” a young woman’s voice called out, followed by a soft knock.

My hands clenched tight at my sides. I swiped the gun from the desk and held it close.

“Thais, please open the door.”

I stood at the locked door with the gun gripped tightly. I knew it wasn’t Farah—I’d recognize Farah’s accent anywhere—but I also knew that none of Rafe’s wives could be trusted, that any of them could’ve been sent here to kill me.

“Who are you?” I called out through the thick wood.

“I’m Kate—Farah sent me,” said the woman, and my body went rigid.

“What do you want?”

“I was just sent to give you news.”

“Well, what is it?” My cheek was pressed against the door. “I’m not letting you in.”

“It’s about your sister.”

My heart stopped; it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked right out of the room. Sosie? I knew this was bad.

Furiously I fumbled the lock, swung the door open in one swift motion. The girl, petite and cherub-faced, seemed nervous, standing with her delicate hands tangled in front of her, her long fingers fidgeting; the corner of her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth.

“What about my sister?” I prompted.

The girl averted her eyes, which further filled my heart with dread.

“Please, put the gun away,” she said, eyeing it nervously.

I had forgotten it was even in my hand, and while I didn’t trust this girl, I wanted to know what she had to say about Sosie, so I set the gun down on the shelf near the door.

“Your sister is the blind girl?”

I nodded short, rapid nods, and my chest filled up with air.

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