Page 48 of Us Dark Few

Courage lies in baring yourself to the universe.

Khalani stared at the ceiling of her prison cell, where cracks formed rigid, disfigured patterns. When she squinted, the cracks seemed to shift and flow like a chromatic swell of water—shades of green, blue, and even red. Images from her mind reflected on the ceiling, and a soft smile played on her lips.

Ah. There it is.

The aurora borealis shone on the rocky surface, cascading and effervescent, blanketing her soul in serenity. Just like in the book Winnie gave her, but this time, it was her own creation.

The sound of approaching footsteps disrupted the vision, and the image faded away. Khalani sat up, her heartbeat racing as she waited for a guard to pass. When familiar blue hair appeared, a pained smile spread across her face.

“Hey, stranger.” Serene held out a small plate of food with a grin.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Khalani croaked, struggling to her feet.

A full day had passed since she left the medical ward.Takeshi dropped her off at the cell without a word and hadn’t returned to check on her since. She wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad sign, but given what little she knew of him, it was likely the latter.

Serene’s eyes widened as she looked closer at Khalani’s bruised face. “Wow. Good thing you can’t see yourself.”

She snorted and walked to the bars. “That bad, huh?”

“Like an experiment gone wrong.”

Khalani nodded to the plate. “What’s that?”

“Oh.” Serene squeezed it through the bars. “Bon appétit.”

Khalani eyed the contents warily. She was pretty confident a worm moved in the slush. “Yum.”

“I didn’t leave you completely empty-handed. I managed to steal one.” Serene pulled out a small slice of bread.

Her mouth instantly watered at the sight.

“You’re shitting me!” Khalani snatched the bread and almost forgot to inhale, she chewed so fast. “Thank you,” she mumbled with a full mouth. She didn’t mind that the bread was stale and cold. At that moment, it was the best thing she’d ever consumed.

Serene nodded at the wounds on her face. “How you holding up?”

“It hurts, but I’ll be fine.”

“I know, but…are you okay after what Dana did to your picture?” Serene hesitated. “I’ve never seen you so mad.”

Khalani froze. The harrowing image of her parents ripping apart repeated in her brain. Over and over. She wanted to punch something. The cell bars. The wall. Anything with physical form.

“How did she get into my cell?”

“I talked to Derek. We think it happened the day Dana got assigned to clear out the toilets.” Serene’s lips set in a hard line. “They gave her a temporary pass to each cell on the block.”

A knot lodged in her throat.

Dana must have been looking for the papers Charles gave her, but she’d already given them to Winnie. She glanced at her bed, thinking of the poetry she kept hidden underneath.

Was nothing of hers safe?

Serene read the direction of her thoughts. “It won’t happen again.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“I overheard Takeshi talking with Dana after Adan and Derek carried you back to your cell. It wasn’t pretty,” Serene said.

Khalani’s brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

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