Page 52 of The Outcast
Aubri’s face was marred with pain as she answered me. “I would understand if you did. I’m crying too.”
Her eyes were still moist, but I wouldn’t call it crying.
“I know what you’re thinking, but as the daughter of Magni, I learned early on not to cry with tears. It gives away my power to show people how I feel.” Placing her hand on her chest, she whispered, “In here, I’m sobbing in fear. Sparrow is my best friend and I love her unconditionally. She is the most loyal and wonderful friend anyone could have. To think that I put her in harm’s way with a lunatic like Keith makes me…” She shook her head. “I saw the Exploration project as a way for Sparrow and me to find our place and make a difference. Men like Keith…” Aubri took a deep breath and placed her hand against her ribs as if it was painful. “I mean, all the strict laws in our country are made to protect us women from men like him. We bypassed them all and brought him close to her, we trusted him to sleep in the same tent as Lilly.” Her eyes were glassy. “What the fuck were we thinking?”
“Out of eight men, one was a problem,” Indiana pointed out. “The others exceeded our expectations. We talked about that.”
“It’s not your fault, Aubri,” I muttered. “If I hadn’t made Sparrow participate in that flirting exercise we wouldn’t be in this situation. Keith was fixated on her from that moment on.”
Indiana sighed with a noisy exhalation. “We need to change things when we go back to the academy.”
“If we go back,” Aubri said in a somber tone.
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CHAPTER 17
Sati
Sparrow
I didn’t sleep much on the dusty bed. My mind was keeping track of Keith, analyzing every sound in the cabin. From what I’d seen, the only rooms were the small bathroom, this bedroom, and a combined living room and kitchen. That had to mean that Keith was sleeping on a sofa.
Few people in the Northlands would consider themselves religious, but I had always believed that there was a power in nature. As a child I would tell the trees and plants about my worries and problems, and I often felt them as a calm grandmotherly presence in my life. Now that I was in danger, I was so desperate that I called out to them. My mind was a battlefield between my logic telling me it was pointless and my heart needing an ally in this dark hour.
When the faint morning light glanced through the small sliver in the curtains, Keith went inside the bathroom and urinated with the door open. The sound of his urine hitting the toilet bowl was loud and I wrinkled my nose when he appeared in the doorway without washing his hands.
“Did you sleep all right?” he asked.
“I haven’t slept at all.”
He smiled. “All brides are nervous before the big day.”
“Keith, let me go. How did you imagine living with a woman who hates you would ever be a good experience?”
He chewed his lips. “Let me make us some breakfast.”
When he disappeared into the kitchen, I turned my head and looked to the window where old flowery curtains were letting in a sliver of daylight. I couldn’t see much but I knew there were trees outside. I’d seen them from the drone when we landed.
“Please send help,” I prayed to the trees. “Speak to your neighbor and let them spread the word that I’m here against my will.” Closing my eyes, I imagined a billion trees talking amongst themselves sharing my plea for help.
My logic kicked in as the pessimist, pointing out that even if every single tree in this country knew where I was, it wouldn’t matter since they couldn’t storm in here to save me or tell anyone.
I sighed and hated the sound coming from Keith cooking in the kitchen. But when a minute later his footsteps came in my direction, I hated that sound even more.
“I looked up that loser you say you love.”
Turning my head, I saw my kidnapper leaning against the doorframe wearing the same clothes he’d worn yesterday. He looked like a poster model for an outdoorsy Northlander with a long-sleeved white t-shirt underneath a warm shirt in red and yellow hues. His pants were black with lots of pockets, and on his feet he wore hiking boots.
“Did you know that Shiva is the name of an ancient god?”
“Yes.”
Keith scoffed. “That’s a joke if you ask me. The Shiva we know bears no resemblance to a god. He’s an idiot.”
“At least he doesn’t kidnap and hit women. That makes him preferable to you any day.”
Ignoring my outburst, Keith continued. “Did you know that the god Shiva had a loyal and dedicated wife named Sati?”
