Someone like me.
Useless.
She'd been too busy touching her hair or polishing her shoes in preparation to go into Margin and find a future husband. My brother snarled at me every time I got in his way, which in a two-room cabin was pretty much impossible to avoid.
"What about you?" I asked Archer.
"Nah, my people don't go to school. We teach each other everything we need to know."
"Your people? Who are your people?"
His flannel shirt rustled like he was shrugging, those large shoulders of his flexing. Another non-answer. "Want to see a magic trick?"
Biting back a sigh, I shook my head. Magic tricks would require me acting surprised at certain moments, and I doubted I could pull that off believably. "Do you have any more number tricks?"
“How about something even better? A book?”
Books were always better, and yet another thing I couldn’t see. I loved listening to Jade read from them though.
“I’ll even read it to you so you can rest,” he said as if reading my mind.
And so we carried on like that for three days, just Archer and me, and I liked it. If I wasn't still healing and growing sicker with worry for my family, I probably would have enjoyed it more. He read from an adventure book that took place on the sea, his voice carrying the tension of the heart-stopping events perfectly.
He told me that Grady had brought my bow inside, and so while he spent time with me playing number games, he whittled me more arrows, the scent of fresh pine mixing with his caramel and wood smoke smell quite nicely. He seemed genuinely interested in me, and his warmth and laughter seeped under my skin and blossomed up into a constant smile that made my cheeks hurt.
He couldn't cook for shit though.
After a stew he'd served with meat that had tasted seconds past raw, he crossed toward me. "This will help wash that trash down, I bet. Sorry about that."
"It's fine. I didn't feel anything kick in my mouth, so that’s promising."
"Things are looking up, then." He chuckled and stopped at the edge of my bed, with what sounded like a teacup rattling crazily against its saucer as he handed it to me.
Every night since I’d been here, he’d brought me a cup of opiate tea to help me sleep, but had lessened the dose each night. I’d noticed when I’d woken up in the middle of the night gritting my teeth with the pain, but better that than develop an addiction.
I already had my hands up, waiting, but instead of taking the teacup he pressed to my fingers, I brushed them along his hand. He was trembling.
"Archer, are you…"
"Yeah, I…" He sucked in a breath. "Sometimes I can control that, and other times…" He folded his hand away from my seeking one and handed me the teacup.
I looked up at him, wishing he'd explain, but he didn't. It didn't feel like something I should press on about either.
The tea's steam curled up to heat my cheeks, so I set it aside on the tray at my feet. "Do you think Grady will be coming back soon? I wanted to ask him about what he saw near my house, see if everything was okay."
Archer cleared his throat, and soon the rickety chair he'd placed next to my bed creaked with his weight. "He's gone for long lengths of time usually, so I don't really know when he'll be back."
"So you're just here alone?"
"No, I have Sasha."
"Right. Of course,” I said. “Why do you have a wolf pup? Did something happen to its mom?"
He was quiet for so long I wondered if I'd actually asked him a question. "She was… She was orphaned. Her and her older brothers."
"And you saved them?"
The chair scooted back across the rough floor as he stood suddenly and took several steps away. "No."
