Page 34 of The Darkest Parts of Me

“You made it!” she says, relieved.

“Cutting it close, but we did indeed,” I say.

We hold each other’s gaze for a few more seconds before she says, “You must be exhausted. Come sit down.” I follow her to the fire, and she leads me to where Tasha is sitting.

“Renn! The hero once again!” Tasha exclaims as I sit next to her, shrugging off my pack and rolling my shoulders.

“I’ll go grab you something to eat,” Maven says and walks off.

“So, how tired are you?” Tasha asks. I stretch out my legs in front of me and then loosen the laces on my boots.

“Honestly, not too tired,” I say.

“Show off,” she says, hitting me in the arm. “I knew you’d be fine, but Maven has been on high alert since you left. She’s been overly anxious,” she says, pursing her lips with raised eyebrows. Her very subtle way of saying Maven was worried about you. I give her a sidelong glance as I take a swig of my water.

Maven appears again with food in hand, which appears to be some kind of rice and vegetable plate. She hands it to me as she says, “It’s actually not bad, but I won’t lie, I’m already looking forward to fresh food again.”

I smile up at her. “Thank you.”

“Will Talla be okay?” Tasha asks.

“I think so,” I say before taking a bite of the food. A few people come over to offer their praise. “I was happy to do it,” I say what feels like a hundred times.

The crowd disperses as people begin to retire to their tents for the night. I quickly finish the food so I can get my own tent up. “I better get set up before it’s too dark,” I say to Tasha. Maven has her back to me and is in the middle of a conversation with Larissa, another local.

“We got it set up for you,” Tasha says, looking pleased. “Well, actually, I set up our tent and Maven set up yours.” I turn back to Maven, but Larissa is stealing her attention.

“Will you tell her I said thank you?”

“Of course. Let me show you where your tent is,” Tasha says, and I follow her. I glance over my shoulder again, finding Larissa still talking to Maven, seeming to be in a deep conversation. “She gets that a lot,” Tasha says, following my gaze.

“What do you mean?” I ask as I walk beside her.

“I’m sure Larissa has been dying to ask her about everything,” she states, very matter-of-factly. “She puts on a brave face, but she hates it,” Tasha adds. I don’t say anything, thinking back to that night at the coffee shop—Jamie’s utter disbelief at seeing her standing there in front of him, like it wasn’t true. “She’s used to it, all the questions and what not. I worry about her, too,” she says.

“I’m not worried about her,” I reply a little too quickly, completely giving me away. Tasha’s lips turn into a smile.

“Your face says otherwise,” she retorts, and I bite my lip to keep from saying more. “Anyway, here we are.” She motions to the two tents nestled near each other.

“Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Glad you made it back safe.” She pats me on the arm before disappearing into her tent.

The low chatter of people settling in their tents drifts through the camp, and beams from flashlights appear here and there. I look back one last time to Maven, still sitting by the fire with Larissa. Tash is right; I do worry about her, but not in the same way I suspect Tova, Mina, and Tasha do. I worry because I know how utterly terrifying it feels to face the things we’ve kept hidden away for so long.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Maven

When I was finally able to join Tasha for the evening, she was already fast asleep on her cot. I’d seen Larissa in the crowd earlier that morning and had tried to avoid her, but she’d found her opportunity and practically held me captive, asking for all the details on my recovery and “how I was doing after such a tragic event.”

There was a small glow coming from inside Renn’s tent as I passed by. For a moment, I thought of saying something, but decided to leave it till morning, quickly zipping my tent flap.

Breakfast today is a pouch of dehydrated sausage, eggs, and peppers. It honestly isn’t as bad as the beef and vegetables from the night before, but as I watch Tasha take her first bite, she very painfully smiles through it. She’ll never admit she’s miserable.

Renn must have woken up much earlier than us, because by the time we emerged, his tent was already packed up. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s a morning person—laziness doesn't seem to be in his character.

As we help clean up the rest of camp, I find him assisting a couple of women who had overheard our conversation yesterday. He’s patiently instructing them how to store everything from their tent back into their bag, but I doubt they’re as helpless as they’re pretending to be.

---