Sometimes I wondered if the whole world possessed that musty, dying aroma. The odor hadn’t been as prevalent at the section of wall I’d visited, but it had beentheretoo.
“No,” Corson said. “It smells like, I don’t know,somethingelse.”
I scented the air again and smiled when I understood what he meant. “That’s the aroma of a school. My elementary school smelled like that too. Every school I’ve entered has that smell. I’m not sure what it is,orwhy.”
The smell was fading from this school, and perhaps one day, it would be gone for good. Then no one would ever remember the aroma of aschool.
“Interesting,” Corsonmurmured.
He stared over my shoulder at the dingy, blue jacket tucked securely within the newest locker. The yellow patch on the jacket’s sleeve had a football in the center. Beneath the jacket was a set of white pom-poms. “Would I have been a cheerleader?” Ipondered.
For some reason, I couldn’t picture myself jumping up and down while cheering. However, I could imagine the happy girl I’d once been, the one who had twirled in her apple dress, leadingcheers.
“I’m not sure a cheerleader fits you, Wren,” he murmured. “But then, you wouldn’t be Wreneither.”
I winced as I closed the locker. I didn’t know why I’d revealed to him that Wren hadn’t always been my name. Over the years, anyone who knew my name wasn’t Wren had either died or been killed, except forRandy.
“I was thinking the same thing earlier,” I admitted. “I’d have been an entirely differentperson.”
“I’m gladyou’renot.”
My eyes widened at the open honesty he radiated with thosewords.
“What is your real name?” heinquired.
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied, but for some reason, it did when it came to him. I wanted him to know there had once been adifferentme.
“Does anyoneknowit?”
“Anyone living you mean, and otherthanme?”
“Yes.”
“No,” I said. “Not even Randy knows what my name was, but he did name me Wren.” I stopped in front of the next locker. The hinges creaked when I pulled it open to reveal the empty, dusty interior. “I’d forgotten all about my real name. It wasn’t until I had the nightmare in the tunnel…” my voice trailed off as I gazed at the emptiness within. “It wasn’t until then that Iremembered.”
“Remembered what?” heasked.
“That at one time there had been a girl who lived for cookie dough batter, twirling in her dresses, trying to get through church every Sunday, and crazy about her lunchbox. Then, one day, that girl’s life was overturned, and for her to live, she ceased to exist. As the years passed, I forgot allabouther.”
Corson rested his hand on my shoulder, drawing my attention to him. Emotion swelled in my chest as I gazedathim.
Don’t care about others!I’d repeatedly told myself this over the years, but I realized now I’d failed miserably in my endeavor. I loved Randy and his wife, Nadine. Jolie was my best friend, and I consistently took the last two pieces of jerky without complaint. I cared about others, but to care about ademon…
That was a betrayal of my family, wasn’t it? However, Corson and the other palitons were our allies now. Corson hadn’t killed my family and countless other humans for pleasure, or at least I didn’t think he’d killed humansforfun.
“Have you ever killed a human?” Iinquired.
His eyes held mine as hereplied, “Yes.”
I winced and went to pull away from him, but his hand tightened on my shoulder to keep me in place while he continued speaking. “It was a necessity, plain and simple. I killed them when they tried to kill me. I’ve never killed when I didn’t have to. I don’t kill for sport, but I put my life ahead of theirs. I would do so again, especially for you. Have you ever killed ahuman?”
“I have,” Iadmitted.
“Why?”
“Some to survive, another when he tried torapeme.”
His jaw clenched so forcefully that I heard his teeth clamp together and a muscle twitched in his cheek, yet his hold on me remained tender. “Did hehurtyou?”
