Page 4 of Amnesty

In spite of it all, the more time that passed, the more the nightmares stole my sleep, the more I dwelled on everything that had happened, and the less compassion I felt.

He loves Sadie. Not you. You aren’t Sadie.

Those words haunted me more than the terrible memories that resurfaced in my mind. Those words threatened my future, the life I wanted so desperately, the one I now had.

But how long would I keep it?

I wasn’t a liar, yet I told a lie. To Eddie, the man I loved. The lie, even though already spoken, hung in my throat, threatening to choke me, reminding me every moment of every day what I didn’t say.

I’d been so angry when I found out he suspected all along I was Sadie, the girl he lost. I told him I couldn’t trust him because he refused to tell me the truth.

And now here I was doing the same.

Widow West told me I wasn’t Sadie, but I didn’t tell anyone at all.

I was afraid to.

Afraid if I did, I’d lose everything.

“Am.” Eddie’s voice startled me. Straightening off the rail, I looked over my shoulder to where he stood on the other side of the screen door, gazing out. “What are you doing out here?”

“I had another nightmare,” I murmured, turning back toward the water.

The hinges creaked as he let himself out. From behind, his arms encircled me. Instead of pulling me back into his chest, he moved close to mold himself around me. “You should have woken me.”

If I woke him every time I had a nightmare, it would be every single night. Ever since the widow tried to kidnap me, I hadn’t had one full night of sleep. My insides churned just as much as the lake on the cusp of a storm.

I felt as if my very life were on the cusp of a storm.

“Wanna talk about it?” He cajoled, kissing the side of my neck.

I turned my cheek toward him, taking the solace he offered.

“No,” I whispered.

His chin settled on my shoulder, and he said nothing more.

We stood there for a while, silent, gazing out across the lake. My stare always went to Rumor Island. I became more curious about it with every passing day.

Part of me was terrified of that place, but the other part wanted to go there.

Even in the darkness, I could make out the outline of the ominous suspended patch of land. The distinct shape it made was undeniable, even in the dark. If anything, it was darker there, as if it were shrouded by evil, disguised only by daylight.

“Let’s go back to bed,” he murmured, fingertips caressing my stomach. “I’ll warm you up.”

I allowed him to draw me backward, away from the railing. As I went, a disruption in the inky night stopped me my tracks.

There was a light.

It bobbed around in the air, almost like a firefly on a warm summer night. It wasn’t summer and there were no fireflies out.

Even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to see one at such a distance.

I watched it moving, a golden orb traveling through the shadows.

I squinted, wondering if perhaps my imagination was playing tricks on me. If maybe I was still dreaming, yet to awaken.

“Baby,” Eddie whispered, nuzzling the side of my neck again. “C’mon.”

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