“Darlia, I need you to promise you won’t hurt anyone where we’re going.”
I’m sorry, what?
He’s not mad. He’s scared…of me? Haven’t I proven I wouldn’t hurt him or his friends? I could have at any point, especially when they were asleep and exposed, but I didn’t. I had no desire to.
“Are you serious?” I don’t bother hiding the hurt in my voice, because honestly? That fucking hurt.
“Deadly.” The coldness in Cayden’s voice doesn’t waver, and I realise something. He said he sent his mother and sister away, could that be where we are going? Is he worried I would hurt his family?
“Cayden…” My voice breaks, and it’s a sincerity I haven’t even heard before. They’ve all seen me cry over Lauren, but never because of Cayden.
“I won’t hurt your family, I promise.”
“I never said it was my family I was worried about,” Cayden says defensively, and I know immediately I was right. “You didn’t have to. I know you, Cayden, just like I know how much you care about her, your sister. I would never lay a hand on her, I promise. And the fact you think I would, hurts.”
It’s more honest than I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve never talked about feelings or emotions because before, they were a problem, something I couldn’t focus on. But with Cayden, they mean something. I want him to know how he makes me feel.
“She means everything to me, Darlia.”
“You mean everything to me, Cayden.”
?
The car speeds through so many things I didn’t know existed. Cayden is still moody, but has softened slightly. I can respect his desire to protect his sister. But they never have anything to fear with me. I will not harm anyone close to Cayden, ever.
“What’s the pointy things?” I ask, pointing out the car window. Cayden laughs at me, thank god. I was beginning to miss that sound.
A smile tugs at my lips at the sound, and he shakes his head amused. “Mountains, baby. Those are mountains.”
“What do they do?”
This time, it’s Bella and Marcus who burst into tears, Cayden behind them. I don't understand what’s so funny, but if it means Cayden is laughing, then I’ll be clueless any day.
“They don’t do anything, love. They’re nature.”
“Like the trees and stuff?” Bella curls over in her seat, holding her stomach struggling to breathe from laughter. Marcus holds it back, but he doesn’t hold the smile from his face, and it looks good on him, I don’t get to see it often.
“Yeah, baby, like the trees and stuff. Get some sleep, we’re still a while off and you look exhausted.” My eyelids close immediately as I curl into Cayden, his comforting scent filling my senses and luring me into a deep sleep. Cayden wraps his arms around me just before I drift off.
The sound of the tyres on gravel manages to pull me from sleep. Cayden is still sitting in the back, his hand in mine while Marcus continues to drive. I look over to Bella who is still asleep in the front, and I sit up with a groan, my back clearly hating every second of how I slept.
“What time is it?”
“Just after 5:00 a.m, love,” Cayden says, his expression softening as he looks at me. The golden flecks in his eyes are less noticeable in the low light. Right now they just look brown; they’re still beautiful, but not Cayden. The exhaustion must finally be getting to me because I still feel like I could sleep for another twelve hours. My mind is groggy-like, trying to catch up with my body.
“How far away are we?”
“About two minutes.” That captures my attention. I sit up straight and look around, trying to see if I can see anything outside to tell me where we are, what we’re doing. But it’s nothing but fields and farmlands.
The gravel doesn’t seem to have an end until we reach an old farmhouse with a big barn to the side. Immediately, I step out and take a look around. There are fields of different planted fruits and vegetables. There are animals on the right side opposite the barn with cows, pigs, and chickens.
More animals than I’ve ever seen before in my life. They all belong in government-mandated farms now, to ensure even distribution of the food in the rations. It’s beautiful, and peaceful. We were driving for at least eight hours, so we’re clearly a long way away from home, but I love it. It’s so quiet.
Even the air is different here. It feels fresher, like I can breathe clearly after having so much weight on me for so much time. It’s like every moment before this I’ve been drowning, and I’ve finally reached the surface.
Then a big dog with golden fur comes running towards us. My first instinct is to flinch and run away, but Cayden’s hand sneaks around my waist and pulls me into him.
“Don’t worry, it’s just Jackson. He’s a big softy and loves attention. If you pat him, he’ll consider you his best friend.”
