I sit carefully on the chair, keeping my gun holstered and out of her sight. We need to pack and get moving. The sensors are working, at least. They work on a different system, via my cellphone. That’s what makes me think the prick somehow got into the WiFi or her laptop specifically.
Mira stares blankly at the table.
“Can you nod or shake your head, Mira?” I ask gently. “Or are you… too far away?”
I’ve been far away before. In battle. Dissociated, but somehow the body keeps moving, keeps pulling the trigger.
She shakes her head slowly.
“Did you see somebody in the woods?” I ask.
Elle hovers nearby, glass of water in her hand. She glares at me like she’s annoyed that I’m pushing Mira, but she also looks like she wants to know too.
Mira nods slowly.
“Who?” I say.
Mira turns her head to me, then slowly lifts her hand and covers her own face with it.
“He was wearing a mask,” Elle whispers.
Mira lowers her hand and nods.
“Did he say anything?” I ask.
Mira nods, but then her eyes fill with tears, and her shoulders shake. Elle puts the water down and rushes to her, pulling her into her arms. I chew the inside of my cheek as my fingers twitch for my gun.
A few minutes pass like that, then Mira sniffles and pushes away from Elle. She nods again. When I don’t get it, she nods at me, insistently.
I think. “He… talked? The man in the mask?”
A nod.
“Okay, Mira. But I know you can’t tell me what he said. And that’s okay.”
She shakes her head stubbornly, then points at me.
“Me…” She nods and points at Elle. “And Elle…” Another nod, then she makes a bigXwith her arms.
Elle whispers, “Can’t be together?”
Mira nods, staring at me with tears glistening in her eyes.
“Did he threaten you? From beyond the sensors? Did he have a weapon?”
Mira nods.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her. “But now, we’re going to my place. You’ll be safe there.”
CHAPTER 18
ELARA
Rhett’s cabin is more like a fortress, a steel-gray structure inside large walls, all of them with cameras posted on top. There are small gardens growing between the cabin and the walls, vegetables and fruit. Mira looks down, curious and wide-eyed. She’s more like her old self, the person she was before Rhett reignited something in her.
Inside, the cabin is all sleek oak, hard surfaces, and very little sentimentality. The fireplace is a stylish black steel thing. There aren’t any throws, but the furniture looks comfortable. Mira walks like she’s dreaming toward the nearest couch and sits down.
“You’re safe here,” Rhett says. “I wish I’d brought us here straight away.”
