Page 64 of Entangled

I pull back with a frown, adjusting my glasses as I turn so I can see what has Jasper so affronted.

Sun streams in from several divots in the rock, and a network of caves branches out in a dozen different directions. The setup is more organized than I expected, with caves clearly inhabited by families or small groups. There’s a large hollow to my right filled with cooking equipment, and in the center of everything, several logs create a welcoming circle to gather around.

The large man with the sword is kneeling next to a listless Mateo, seemingly trying to get him to have some water, but the rest of the crowd is milling about, bustling from one makeshift setup to the next. They’re slow and meandering, chatting to one another in a happy hum that floods me with nostalgia.

The wired adrenaline has mostly faded from my body, like someone has powered down the electricity that was sparking me awake, but I couldn’t possibly rest now. My gaze darts from one figure to the next, from Kasey chattering to a statuesque brunette, to the two old women holding hands and whispering together. I soak in the pimple-faced young man who blushes in exasperation as a woman with gentle laugh lines tries to scrub dirt from his cheek and over to a red-haired man in his mid-twenties who talks to a bored crowd with pompous hands.

I don’t know their names or their faces, but I still remember them. They’re mothers, and teachers, and children, and eccentric elderly neighbors. They’re all the people I thought died quick and tragic deaths during Day Death. And it’s not just one or two women held in terrible captivity this time—it’sdozensof people, free and banded together, and the weight of it finally hits me with ferocious force.

Theylived.

I refuse, absolutely refuse to embarrass myself again by crying, but the lump in my throat and heat behind my eyes are stubbornly refusing to budge.

Every one of them is utterly beautiful.

I look back at Jasper, not understanding, wanting to share this painful joy, but there’s a different kind of hurt etched into his features.

I frown, then glance back around, trying to see it as he might. To feel the damp chill in the air and the unforgiving, claustrophobic press of rock beneath and all around. The echoing sounds that somehow always become nightmarish as they repeat.

There may be icy river water somewhere, by the sound, but certainly no showers or dishwashers. There are piles of blankets and a few air mattresses, but no flickering fireplace. There’s certainly nothing to keep the rain from pouring through those holes in the rock whenever the weather turns.

It’s a far cry from Bristlebrook, but still...

“This is... well, it’s actually quite a good setup,” I tell Jasper gently, wanting to explain. “It’s not so different from where I used to live.”

Jasper goes very still, his lips a slash in that beautiful face, but he turns his head like he’s paying attention.

I bite my lip, then gesture at the tunnel. “You see, an entrance like that makes it difficult for anyone to sneak up on you. This cave is sheltered, protected from the elements. It would be easy enough to start a fire, too, and there’s fresh air from those openings that would keep it ventilated.”

Tilting my head, I gesture toward the sloshing deep in the caves. “There’s also water, from the sounds of it—always a plus. They would have to make sure these caves don’t flood, of course. But there don’t seem to be any piles of debris anywhere, at any height, that would indicate it’s a common occurrence, and it seems an easy enough climb to get out through those openings up there.” I shrug one shoulder. “I would hope they had a few other exit options, just in case, but all in all, it’s really not so bad.”

Jasper’s eyes press shut, and his eyelashes are midnight against his skin.

My lips purse in confusion. “Jasper? Are you okay?”

He raises one hand for patience.

Baffled, I glance back at Jayk, only to find him staring at me with a clenched jaw and hotly intense eyes.

“I’m sorry?” I venture politely. “I think... I think I’ve missed something.”

Jaykob looks down at his pack, then slings it over his shoulder and stalks over to me.

He shoves something into my hand. “Eat.”

I look down at the strips of shriveled, dried jerky. My eyes slide back up to Jayk’s expectant face, still confused at their odd tension.

“Um. Thank you?”

He nods once, averting his eyes, then rips off a hunk of his own jerky with his teeth.

I take a tentative bite and feel him watching me. It takes a tad too long to swallow, but I force an awkward smile. “It’s very... chewy.”

That seems to satisfy him.

It’s no cheese, but I’m still grateful.

“Should we find Dominic and Mad—” I cut myself off, annoyed. “AndHeather?”

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