Page 46 of Crimson Born

“As you may have noticed, I’m not exactly living the Amish life anymore. Anyway, this is more of a recent development. I started wearing it after I turned.”

His gaze came up to meet mine. “Really? Why? What’s the significance? Are there pictures in it?”

I swallowed hard and stepped back from the bed, suddenly self-conscious. The necklace was a private thing. A memento, not of good times, but of the very worst.

Of something I never wanted to forget or allow myself to repeat.

An image of Josiah’s haunted eyes came back to me in startling detail.

“No. Not pictures.”

In fact, there were no pictures of my family and friends from my former life. Amish people shied away from cameras, believing personal photographs promoted vanity and individualism, both of which violated our ideals of humility and community.

“But it does mean something to you,” he prodded. “What, did a boyfriend give it to you?”

If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn Reece was jealous. He stared at the locket as if it were a poisonous snake, his lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line.

“No, nothing like that. It’s... remember when I told you Josiah was turned too? What I didn’t tell you is I think I’m the one who turned him—at least I’m pretty sure it was me. He was dying, and I didn’t want him to die. But it all went wrong. After he killed his parents and daylighted himself... later, that night, I went to the spot where he died. I scooped some of his ashes and put them inside this pendant.”

“That’s a little morbid, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like I think he’sinthe ashes or something—I know he’s gone on to a better place—or at least that’s what my religion taught us.”

“And yet you’re still trying to hold onto him.” Reece’s tone was sour.

I touched the locket’s smooth surface. “That’s not why I wear it. I’m not trying to keep him with me. It’s a reminder... of what I did. I turned him. It’s my fault his parents died.”

Reece grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard. “No. It’snot.You didn’t do anything wrong. You were trying to save your friend. Don’t beat yourself up over things in the past you can’t change.”

“That,” I said, “is exactly what I’ve been saying to you.”

“Touché.”

His lips twisted in a sheepish grin so adorable I nearly leaned down and kissed him right there in front of the doctor and orderlies.

“How about webothfollow your excellent advice and let go of the past? We can make a new life here. It won’t be what either of us planned on... but it could be good.”

“You’re right,” Reece said, taking my hand. “You’re absolutely right.”

18

No Pleasing Him

The injections were working.

With each passing day, Reece seemed more himself. His memories were returning along with the color in his complexion and the vitality in his eyes. My visits stretched longer and longer, taking up the bulk of my nights.

We sat in our chairs on opposite sides of the bars, talking for hours about our past lives, our families and friends, the books we’d been reading, and the latest Bastion gossip. I had never spent so much time alone with one person—or revealed so much of my true self to someone.

As Reece improved, so did I. Helping him recover made me feel useful. It gave me a reason to get up every day—or night, rather.

And spending time with him made me feel like Icouldstay here in the Bastion and make it my home, despite Imogen’s brutality and chronic disappointment in me.

Tonight though, Reece was irritable and cranky. There seemed to be no pleasing him. Every book I started reading to him was either “boring” or “silly,” and when I tried making conversation, he literally yawned.

Irked by his rudeness, I closed the book in my lap with a loud clap and stood. “I guess I should be going.”

His fleeting look of surprise was replaced immediately with a surly pout.

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