Page 47 of Hysteria Rises
We pause in the hallway where all the women’s bedrooms are situated. I don’t have a fucking clue why Twenty-three was given a room or why all of a suddenthe Collective decided it was a good idea, but here we are.
Just as we stop outside her room, my eyes dart to Cross’s and hold as we freeze in place. Something that sounds an awful lot like a whimper is followed by a noise that I can’t make heads or tails of.
“What the fuck was that?” Cross mutters, shoving his hand into his pocket and pulling out the key to her room. Metal grates on metal as he forces it into the lock and turns the knob.
I give the door a nudge, and as it swings open, we find Twenty-three sitting straight up in the bed. There’s a wild sort of terror in her eyes, and her hands are thrown up in front of her face. Almost like she’s trying to fend off some unseen monster. It becomes clear that whatever we heard a few seconds ago washer.At our appearance, she emits a blood-chilling sound: part wail and part scream.
My eyes widen as my focus shifts from the blonde sprite raising the dead to Cross. Simultaneously, the bottle I’m carrying meets the concrete flooring with a loud clink as I get it out of my hand. “Oh my god, shut her up.” The words rush from my lips without prior thought as we scramble into action.
Cross dashes toward her at the same time I spin and shut the door behind us. He hauls her to him, covering her mouth with his hand. “Shh!” he tries to soothe her, like one of the women would a crying child.
His arm is already around her back, so I kneel infront of her, gripping her biceps and giving her a gentle but firm shake. My voice is rough with the strain of what will happen if we can’t get her to calm. “Spitfire! You’ve gotta be quiet.”
Against her temple, Cross frantically whispers, “You’re gonna bring the kind of attention we can’t afford down on our heads.” He shoots a worried look at me that readsWe’re in so much fucking trouble.
But then, rather abruptly, she quiets. Her gaze darts from me, then she twists, staring into Cross’s eyes. “Please don’t tell them.”
The Collective. I can’t imagine she’d be referring to anyone else. “We’re not going to tell anyone anything. We’re not here to hurt you.”
A look of indignation crosses her face as she pins her stunningly bold blue eyes on mine. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? All you’ve done is hurt me,” she mutters. Then, the change in her is so quick, it nearly gives me whiplash. “I didn’t mean to—” She sucks in a wet breath. “I never meant for that to happen,” she finishes on a sob.
“Didn’t mean for what to happen?” Cross presses, bending at the waist because she’s tipped her chin downward.
She shakes her head, looking at us from under spiky lashes. “Nooo,” she begins to wail again.
My heart thuds. “Shhh,” I whisper.
Gritting his teeth, Cross demands quietly, “Tell us what you’re talking about.”
Her face crumples in abject misery. “Why should I?You’re putting me at risk by even speaking to me and expecting me to answer.” Her eyes crash shut. “Just go away.Go. Leave me alone. Because it’d be just my luck if someone came down here and found me talking to you. Worse, I have no way of knowing you won’t tell them yourselves. Andthenwhat?” Those pretty blue eyes are full of emotion, and she’s shaking like a leaf. “Why are you still here?” she cries, her voice laced with anger and frustration. Boring her gaze into me, she snaps, “Is this your way of trying for round two?”
When my brows pinch together, I feel the way a line has formed down the center of my forehead. “Huh?”
She throws out a hand in agitation. “You’d probably like to stay long enough for your asshole father to show up so he can tell you to fuck me again.” She immediately clamps her lips together.
Jesus.My insides twist uncomfortably, and I sneak a look at Cross. It’s clear we’re both torn about what our response should be. Weshouldbe putting a stop to her speaking out about a member of the Collective like this. But… I’d never do that to her. WhywouldI? But she doesn’t know that. And I wish I could make her understand that I had nothing to do with my part in her correction.
Cross is silent, so I follow his lead.
The look of regret on her face tells us she knows what she’s just said about Kiefer was really fucking dangerous and stupid. I wet my lips, immediately changing my mind. Hesitantly, I murmur, “I think youalready know this, but you can’t voice your opinion like that.”
She clenches her teeth together, exhaling hard, then curls into a ball, wrapping her arms around the legs and burying her face in her knees.
This little spitfire of ours needs to learn to control her temper if she’s going to have a chance. I would straight up tell her she’s being stupid and to be more careful if Cross weren’t here. But as it is, I’m uncertain where he and I stand. How we feel about each other swings wildly on a pendulum from day to day. Does he hate me? Do I hate him? I have no fucking idea most of the time.
My throat dry, I let my eyes connect with Cross’s. For once, it’s clear he doesn’t know what we should do with her either, but he lets loose a ragged breath as if he’s begrudgingly coming to a decision.
A moment later, he whispers to her. “Look at me. This is how you survive.” He pauses, touching a knuckle to the underside of her chin. “Follow. Honor. Nourish. Kneel.”
The way her face twists, both in confusion and in anguish at his words makes my heart throb uncomfortably in my chest. I wet my lips, meeting her eyes. “You’ll understand soon enough that those principles will get you everywhere.” She opens her mouth to say something, but I shake my head. “Please trust me. Speaking out will only cause you more suffering.”
She pinches her lips as she stares woodenly atme. “In the woods”—she hesitates, drawing in a shaky breath—“you told me that you don’t have a choice.”
Cross’s eyes flick to mine, surprise registering on his face.
My jaw tightens. I can do nothing about the fact that Cross knows what I said to her, so I meet her watery-eyed gaze. “Yes. That’s true.”
A small huffing sound escapes her lips. “Well, you wanna know who hasn’t ever had a choice?Me.”She pounds her fist against her chest. “I’ve never had a fucking choice inanyof this.”
