Page 51 of Calico Descending

Arms wrapped around him, I tip my head back to look up at him. “You’ll do that for me tomorrow night?”

“Every night, if you’ll let me.”

“If it means sleep? Definitely.”

I blink open my eyes to the darkness, but somehow, I don’t remember my dreams. Beside me, Valdys sleeps, his face content and devoid of the lines that ordinarily crease his forehead. He looks irresistible enough to kiss, but I don’t, for fear that I’ll wake him.

Perhaps I’ve slept a few hours, maybe less. It’s hard to tell in this room that remains a constant shade of nightfall.

The click of the door has my attention snapping toward it, and Valdys startles beneath me. Only Medusa enters the cell, one arm behind her back as she tosses a new uniform onto the floor, and her other arm joins the first behind her. “I’ve brought you fresh clothes.”

The tone of her voice seems more somber, and the darkness of the room keeps me from seeing her face to know if it’s actual tears I’m hearing.

I push up from the bed, but stop short when Valdys grips tight to my arm. Twisting around, I let him slide his palm beneath my chin and kiss me. As I pull away, I notice his eyes are on Medusa. Wary. Untrusting.

Perhaps deadly.

“I’ll see you again,” I whisper, offering one more kiss to his stubbled cheek, and his eyes are on me again, as I push up from the bed.

Tucking his arm beneath his head, he seems to take some pleasure in watching me dress, as if Medusa isn’t even in the room. He smiles, tossing a shred of my former uniform onto the floor.

I hide my smile as I pull up my pants, recalling just hours ago, when he tore them away.

As I follow Medusa out of his cell, I glance back to Valdys, stretched out in his bed, shamelessly on display. I’d give anything to crawl back beside him.

Once outside of the door, I wait for Medusa to take the lead, as always, but instead, she ushers me forward. With a frown, I step ahead of her, and if I’m not mistaken, the rims of her eyes are red, as though she hasn’t slept a wink.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, when we step onto the elevator and she stands in front of me.

“Of course.” Her voice is flat, but quieter than usual, and I can’t imagine what’s troubling her.

“Thank you for what you did last night. I was in so much pain, I--” My words are cut short when, in the reflection of the elevator wall, I catch sight of her crossed arms and nothing but a bandage where her right hand would be. “Elspeth?”

She sniffles and clears her throat, but doesn’t bother to turn around, or acknowledge that I’ve seen it.

“Was that … my fault?” Tears gather in my eyes as I stare back at the consequences of her generosity. There is no generosity, or compassion, in this place. It’s doused by the lingering cloud of hate that suffocates any shred of humanity, or decency. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was my doing. I’ll not do it again.” Her words are short and cold, perhaps not meant to be so, but in this climate, there is no softness, or forgiveness. “Fortunately, they were able to switch the locking mechanism to my left print.”

Bowing my head, I allow myself to drown in the guilt, because in spite of what she says, I did this. I’m the reason they punished her. In my selfish desire to see, and be comforted by, Valdys, I put her at risk.

“Please forgive me,” I whisper, unable to lift my gaze to hers.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” The robotic tone of her voice says otherwise, as if she spent the night rehearsing those very words, over and over in her head.

When the elevator doors slide open, instead of letting me go on ahead, toward the barracks, she directs me left, toward Doctor Ericsson’s office.

Chapter 25

“I trust you’re feeling better this morning.” Doctor Ericsson’s lips stretch into an evil smile, as he shifts his attention between Medusa and me, obviously unaffected by the sight of her stump. He undoubtedly will have watched Valdys and I on camera, probably rewinding it to certain parts of our time together, in order to study it closer.

Lowering my gaze to my lap offers a small bit of reprieve from having to look at his wretched face. “Yes.”

“Fantastic. We don’t want you queasy for today’s events.”

“What events?” I don’t particularly care about what he has in mind, with my thoughts spinning around visuals of guards having to hold Medusa’s arm taut enough for the blade.

“You’ll attend the training session for the Alphas.”

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