“—And before you think about lying, I’ll know. I don’t like liars. Iburnliars.”
We refrain from speaking at all. If I say anything, I know he’ll see right through me. The desire to tell my dad who I really am is too strong right now. I have no urgency to preserve the future after the hell I’ve seen.
“What’s your name?” Mom asks.
I keep my face pressed into her shoulder.
“Niklaus.”
At first, I’m surprised he gives them his real name. But then again, Patient Thirteen might have detected the lie quickly.
“How old are you, Niklaus?”
“Twenty-one.”
Stand upright, leaning away from Mom to wipe my face and nose. I dig my feet into the dirt to keep them from freezing in the snow. I can see Niklaus doing the same.
My father advances forward before my mom puts a hand up to stop him.
“Niklaus, my friend here has many gifts, but patience isn’t one of them. I need you to tell me why this is our second run-in with you two, and I need you to be honest.”
I watch the dynamic between my parents with intense curiosity and admiration. How can I be terrified of being caught in a lie and yet still amazed at the way he looks at her with so much respect and tenderness through his rough exterior? I’ve never seen them interact. I’ve seen her hold his hand. I’ve seen her talk to him. But never have I seen them speak to each other.
“We’re being chased by people who think we are in cahoots with the two of you. We just broke out of where they were keeping us. They followed us here and you saw what the end result was.” Niklaus levels his stare on my mother, careful not to look at my father. He uses an approach I’ve seen before. It’s political. It’s poised and sincere. A tactic in his leadership training.
“Why would they think we’re affiliated?” my father asks.
Niklaus continues to speak for the two of us. “They said they saw us with you that night. I guess they had eyes on the two of you.”
Patient Thirteen walks through the snow to think.“No, that’s not right. Demechnef wouldn’t have taken people we only had a random interaction with once.” Those concentrated, dark brown eyes pin Niklaus in place. He stops walking.
“Because it isn’t Demechnef who has been chasing us,” Niklaus says, and it’s as if a lightbulb goes off. He finds the details he needs to convince my father.“They’re called the Vexamen Breed.”
“I see.” My father’s demeanor changes.
“Who are the Vexamen Breed?” Mom asks.
Patient Thirteen shoots his gaze to her, pausing with uncertainty.
“They’re children, well, teenagers that the leaders of Vexamen trained to be vicious soldiers from birth. The same men who slaughtered that village.” His eyes fall to his boots in thought.“But wait, that doesn’t explain why they tied you up and buried her alive.”
I searchmy mind for answers. But the truth is, I’m not all here right now. I couldn’t be more thankful that Niklaus has it in him to speak up, to confront my parents head on. If my father chose to interrogate me right now, I’d crumble to pieces.
“Maybe they were trying to draw us out,” Mom offers.
But something shifts in my father. He turns to the forest, searching the open planes of pine trees and ice. A quiet panic sets in. “Where’s DaiSzek?!”
Oh no…
Niklaus opens his mouth to speak then stops himself. He searches for a way to answer without giving away that we do in fact know who DaiSzek is. “What, the animal? The black wolf? It took off after the Breed left us here.”
My father takes off into the woods, leaving us with my mother, Uncle Warrose, Grandpa, Aunt Ruth, and Uncle Niles. We’re careful not to interact with any of them as Mom ushers us into the cave they’ve been camping out in.
At first, we eat in silence away from the others. I chew the warm meat sluggishly, unsure how much will make me sick since I’ve been conditioned not to consume this much at the asylum.
After we’re done, Niklaus and I curl up next to the fire, sitting close together. I scoot dangerously close to the flames. The airy chill is rooted so far within my body, it feels like no amount of fire could warm me up again.
“How did you not inhale the dirt? They didn’t shove you in a coffin or anything.” Niklaus shakes his head as he stares into the bright crackling orange aura. “You should have died. Even down there for a minute or two. You should have…”
