I hope they’re out there doing it.
The order.
Or what’s left of it.
When I first got here, I tried to build a fucking boat.
I cannot build a boat. I don’t even have the materials, and there are no books in the library on building boats.
Then I tried to sneak onto the supply drop-off boats, and the ones that bring soldiers on and off the island every few weeks or so.
They keep the boats heavily guarded, and the best weapon I could find in my miniature castle was a kitchen knife.
I finally climb out of bed, putting something on that I barely glance at, then head downstairs. I pause on the stairwell when I hear faint voices.
Tilting my head so my ear is angled better, I still can’t make out what the muffled voices are saying, so I step closer.
It’s Phaedra… and Adrian. What the fuck is he doing here again. Is this going to be a daily thing?
That’s not going to work for me.
“…anyone been here on the island? Anyone to see her? Anyone who shouldn’t be here?”
“No… like who?”
“We had an escaped prisoner a while ago. Thought he might have shown his face here by now.”
My heart stops.
“Who?” she asks, sounding concerned. If they’re talking about who I think they might be, she has no reason to be concerned. He’s not coming for me. Clearly, since he’s been out for a while and hasn’t shown his face here.
“No one important.”
“Okay.”
“She’s uh… not been so great, has she?”
“She drinks excessively every single day. She never goes outside. Stares off into space a lot. I don’t know… was she like that before?”
There’s a long pause. “No.”
I hear someone pull out a chair and stand, so I bolt back upstairs. I don’t want to see his face again.
Finding the bottle I left on the bedside table, I grab it and take a few swigs. I think maybe I’ll stay in my room the rest of the day.
I end up getting wasted, feeling hopeful that it’s Daegan who escaped, and feeling shitty that I’m still stuck here. I drink until I black out.
~
I wake feeling a strange sense of clarity. I can tell that I slept for a very, very long time, and I have to wipe at my puffy, crusty eyes as I open them and face the day with a clean slate.
Something happens as I stare at the cracked mirror again.
He’s free.
I know it.
And I can’t wait around here for him to come and save me. He has more important things to do. I hope he doesn’t.
