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“Hey,” Mirabelle says softly from the bars of my cell door.

My hands fall away from my head. I stand frozen in the center of my stable, unsure what to do.

The others can all tell her what they want. And she does it.

Can I do that too?

But what if she says no?

I don’t know if I can handle that.

“You—you were really upset earlier,” she says, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Were you mad at me?”

I shake my head. Back and forth. Back and forth.

No. Never.

I’m never mad at her.

“Okay.” A smile tugs at her lips. “That’s good. I was worried there for a second.”

Her smile makes my breath hitch in my chest.

I missed her.

So much.

I was so afraid and so angry when she disappeared.

The others try. Rowan, Ash, and Griffin. They’ve tried a lot more since Mirabelle came into the picture.

But no one would talk to me in the way she does.

I creep towards the door, bracing myself for her to tell me to stop. A single harsh word. A single flinch and I think I would’ve fallen apart.

But she continues to smile brightly at me like there’s no reason for her to do anything but smile at me.

I reach tentatively through the bars, brushing my thumb against her lips.

She swallows hard, her smile dropping ever so slightly and I jerk my hand back.

She reaches up, her own fingertips brushing against where I just touched.

“I’m not sure what you’re saying here. Or asking for. You could be saying you like my smile, but you’ve told me that before. I also just kissed Ash,” she rambles, glancing up at me through her lashes. “Are you asking for a kiss, Rage?”

Her pulse flutters at her neck, betraying her nervousness.

Is it because of the kiss or because she’s afraid?

I take a deep breath, her sweet strawberry scent filling my lungs.

Sweet. Not sour.

She’s not afraid.

I clear my throat. My throat feels swollen. Like I was choked.

I don’t know how much of the feeling is real or in my head. I haven’t even wanted to talk in so long.