Page 99 of Dawn of Hope

“You can’t swim Lennox?” Roley asks.

“Nope. The kingdom I’m from doesn’t have any water.”

“Not even lakes or rivers?” He asks, surprised at my clear lack of life experience.

I shake my head. “We have them, but I’ve never been to one.”

“The bigger question,” Mara says, interrupting us, “is how the hell did you get out of there?”

“I don’t know,” I shrug.

Storm glares at me, his eyes narrowing. “You sure?”

Mara throws an elbow into his side. “Seriously Storm? Has she given us reason not to trust her?”

I stare blankly, trying to look honest, even though my insides feel like a whirlwind of lies, with that voice still tugging at the back of my mind, telling me to stay quiet.

“The island does all kinds of weird things. Maybe almost dying two days in a row was too much for it and it gave her another chance,” Mara says.

Storm grunts, then strides away.

He doesn’t seem convinced, but I wondered if that was just Storm, or if he didn’t really care for me. I need to tread lightly around him. If it gets back to Dane that I lied, potentially exposing the Voyagers to the threats of a Castaway, it would drive a wedge between us. Not only between Dane and me, but also between me and the other friends I have made.

If something happens again, I will deal with how to tell them then, but for now, I am staying silent and granting him a courtesy for saving my life.

“So you really can’t swim, Lennox?” Roley cuts in again.

I chuckle as we head back across the bridge and toward camp.

It feels wrong lying to them, but I can’t shake the look in the man’s eyes when he saw I was breathing.

Please.

It makes me shudder just thinking about the quiet plea for me to stay quiet and hide him, as if what he was doing was just as wrong as what I was.

I ignore the fluttering low in my stomach, and instead focus on the guilt I feel for the lie I am about to tell Dane, and for the feeling I got when another man touched me.

I need to feel something more than guilt. Anxiety rolls through me as we get closer, my fingertips tingling and stomach in knots. I need a distraction to clear my mind, and I know a great way.

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Dane isn’t at camp when we return.

It is still early, but the suns are starting their descent and the sky is turning pink over the trees. I shower quickly, scrubbing myself raw with all the scented soaps and oils, trying to wash away the lagoon water and guilt from my body. My skin is bright pink once I decide I’ve abused it enough.

I dress and braid my hair, one long plait down the back of my head, my skills in caring for my hair having drastically improved since being here. The suns have lightened it with brighter bits peeking through the deep, golden waves. The glow from my skin is also new. I didn’t know it was possible, never having been out in the light before.

I like it.

The thought of losing this reminder of my time in the warm sunshine once I return to my cold, dark throne upsets me.

I push it away and head to the tavern for dinner, sliding onto the bench next to Fin and Roley, who are having a competition to see who canfinish their plate the fastest. The torches begin to light around us halfway through our meal. I look around, but there is still no sign of Dane.

Is he in trouble? How would we know if something happened to him and he needed help? Or is he even on the island?

It’s easy to forget that he actually has a purpose here, more than searching for the cure and the Castaways every day.

I bounce my foot on the bench underneath me, trying to hold in my impatience. I need to do something to expend this energy.