“I think I want to shower,” I said quietly.“And put on clean clothes.”
Mom nodded instantly.“I’ll finish dinner and bring you a plate.”
She kissed my temple like she used to when I was little, her lips lingering there a second longer than necessary.“Use the room at the end of the hallway.I put clean sheets on it when I heard you were on the way back.”
The room at the end of the hallway didn’t belong to anyone.
That made it perfect.
It looked like the others.The bed was neatly made, the dresser, the TV mounted on the wall, the couch along one wall, and a bathroom with a full shower.I sat on the edge of the bed and closed my eyes.
“Boo.”
I screamed.Loud.My chest locked up instantly, and my breath sliced off as panic flared so fast it made me dizzy.
“Oh my God, I’m sorry!”Alice blurted immediately, hands flying up.“I didn’t mean to scare you, I swear.”
I pressed my hand to my chest, breathing hard, fighting the urge to bolt.“It’s okay,” I said, even though my body hadn’t caught up to that yet.
She winced.“Your mom asked me to bring you some clothes.”She set them on the dresser then hesitated.“Sorry.Again.”
“It’s fine,” I repeated because I didn’t want her to feel bad for something that wasn’t her fault.
“Just let me know if you need anything, okay?”She left quietly and pulled the door shut behind her.
I sat on the edge of the bed again and stared at my hands.They were shaking.Not violently, just enough to remind me that my body hadn’t gotten the memo yet.That I wasn’t running anymore.That I was safe.
I tried to slow my breathing.In through my nose.Out through my mouth.
“Clove.”
My head snapped up.
Ender stood in the doorway.
He hadn’t announced himself.He hadn’t knocked.He was just… there.Solid.Steady, and instantly, my breathing eased.
The frantic buzzing in my veins quieted the same way it had when he’d wrapped his arms around me on the side of the road.
“Can you stay?”I whispered.I didn’t want the feeling of being safe to go away.I didn’t want him to go away.
He nodded without hesitation.
“Just while I shower,” I added quickly.“I just… I just—”
“You don’t need to explain anything,” he said gently.“I’m here.”
I grabbed the clothes Alice had brought me and stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door open.Ender stayed just outside it, turned enough that I knew he couldn’t see in, but close enough that I knew he was there.
I peeled off my clothes slowly, every movement deliberate.Dirt flaked onto the tile.My skin was scraped and bruised, marked with proof of everything I’d survived.
I turned the water as hot as it would go and stepped under the spray.
The heat hit me like a wave.
My shoulders dropped for the first time since I’d been taken.My head bowed as the water pounded against my back, steam filling the room.
I closed my eyes.