I came here without hope, ready to do whatever it took to save my people. I would sacrifice myself without hesitation. But how can I ask this of Hyacinth?
Chapter 10 - Hyacinth
I’m trapped!
Dark, sticky shadows surround me, like I’ve been caught in the web of an enormous spider. I can’t see anything, only more darkness, and it just makes me struggle even more.
Panicked, I throw myself in every direction as hard as I can, and wake up with a horrible jump. It takes me a few moments to realize I’m curled up on the uncomfortable camp bed, not trapped in an impossible situation.
Actually, I am, and it’s no wonder I’m having nightmares about it.
I sit up slowly, realizing I must have fallen asleep after I ran to my room. I don’t know how long I’ve been out, but I’m hoping it isn’t too late.
I want to talk to Shane. I don’t even know what I’ll say, but something has to change. We can’t live like this.
I get up slowly and go through my suitcase to find something fresh to wear. A quick look around the house tells me he’s nowhere to be found, so I head to the bathroom and indulge in a long shower.
The idea of being wet and naked while he’s in the house makes me uncomfortable. But why, exactly? I don’t think he’d do anything weird.
For just the briefest moment, the idea of Shane watching me in the shower lingers in my mind. As my body begins to awaken with a low throb of desire, I quickly reach out and turn on the cold water, shocking myself with an icy flow.
I’m not going to think about that!
By the time I get out of the shower, my body has calmed down, but my thoughts are churning worse than before. Wherever Shane went, he’ll be back soon, and I still don’t know how to talk to him, even though I know I have to.
This situation is way too bizarre. It feels way too much like—
I snap my mind away from that chain of thought, hurrying out of the bathroom and heading for my room. I’m almost there when I hear a footstep in the kitchen.
It has to be Shane, right?
My heart flutters in my chest. I don’t know if I’m more scared of Shane or a random burglar.
Creeping down the hallway, I stretch my neck out to peek around the corner and see Shane at the kitchen counter. I breathe a sigh of relief—just a small one—then continue towards my room.
“Hey, Hyacinth,” he calls. “Wait up.”
I turn around slowly, feeling shockingly exposed in my thin nightgown.
I was going to put a robe on… I didn’t expect him to be back yet.
Shane comes into the hallway, and all the available space seems to disappear. It’s just me and him, jammed between close walls. To make things worse, he walks right up to me, leaving only a few inches between us.
If I try to back up, it’ll look weird… and I’d probably fall right on my ass.
“Yes?” I answer, wondering how I can gracefully extricate myself from the situation.
“Are you okay? After the way you left the table before, I—”
“I’m fine,” I cut him off. “I just want to get to my room.”
“You can’t just avoid me forever,” he says, echoing the exact subject I wanted to talk about. “We should talk.”
“I agree, but right now—”
“I think you’re just deflecting. I can understand your position—”
“The hell you do!” I snap, losing my cool. I take a step towards him and rise up onto my tiptoes. “You can’t even begin to imagine how I feel! Stop presuming things about me—and cutting me off when I’m talking! I just don’t want to stand here in the hallway and have a deep and difficult talk in my fucking nightgown, okay?”
