“You look tired,” she says.
“Apocalypse will do that.”
“No, I mean…” Her fingers shift against my neck. “Never mind.”
I set her down on one of the flat rocks near the water’s edge, making sure she’s stable before stepping back.
She pats the space beside her. “Sit with me?”
I lower myself to the rock.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” She gazes out over the water. “Peaceful.”
“Mm.”
“Remember that summer you taught us to skip stones? Dakota was so bad at it.” She laughs softly. “Every single one just plopped straight down. She got so frustrated.”
“She never gave up,” I say.
“She never does.” She shifts closer. “So determined. Even when she should let things go.”
I stretch my legs out, boots nearly touching the water’s edge. “Stubbornness runs in your family.”
“In some of us more than others.” She tucks her knees to her chest. “Do you think about before? How different things were?”
“No point.”
“Are you always this chatty, or am I special?” Her teasing tone carries an edge I can’t quite place.
“Got a lot on my mind.”
She rubs her arms. “It’s chilly out here.”
“We can head back. Or want me to get you a blanket?”
She opens her mouth, then closes it, gazing back out into the water. “No.”
We sit in silence, the lapping of water against the shore filling the space between us.
Should I get snacks for later when Dakota comes over? Maybe Ramirez has some cuffs lying around…
TWENTY-EIGHT
DAKOTA
The compound sleeps. Or pretends to, anyway.
The dirt path crunches under my boots as I walk to Julien’s cabin.
I exhale slowly, forcing my shoulders down from where they’ve crept up near my ears. Amelia was asleep when I left, snoring softly, my mother retired early with one of her headaches, and my father… I don’t know, don’t care, as long as he stays wherever the hell he is.
The moon’s bright enough that I don’t need a flashlight, which is good because fumbling with one would announce my presence to anyone awake.
Not that I’m doing anything wrong. We’re just training. That’s all.
Is that what Julien was doing with Amelia? Just sitting at the lake?
I round the back, where the door faces the tree line instead of the open compound, and knock.
