Shady

She looked at him, then the door, and back at him again. She needed to stop. She was all but calling them liars by ignoring their promises and continuing to ...

“It…” she shook her head. “It just is.”

Ky rubbed her abdomen, glancing fearfully back towards the door. Was… was he right? They weren’t going to hurt her? Just because of her scars?” Aleth silently, stiffly, walked next ...

Ky nodded slowly. “… this is different.”

Aleth huffed and fell silent. “No, Aleth—“ she shook her head. “Aleth is going to— he’s — he’s going to call me a liar but, but I’m not lying. No ...

“So why would I want to double it?” Her voice was very, very quiet. Gaze still on the stairs, though she risked a glance at him now.

“… what is it that you think I’m lying about?” Aleth grunted, feeling rushed.

She sighed and rubbed her face. “… fifteen years is a very long time.”

Aleth had to lean on him fairly heavily on the stairs, a lead weight sinking in his gut. “I’m telling the truth,” she insisted, glancing back at the door. “He ...

“… this.” She sighed.”I’m tired of having to…” be alive.

So it was to be a beating. Fine. He had to stay in character. Pretend he didn’t understand what was happening. There wasn’t really an alternative. He physically couldn’t run. ...

“I’m…” she sighed, leaning against the wall, still hugging herself. She stared at the stairs rather than look at him. “ Tired. ”

Fuck. “…can I ask why?” Her breath caught. They were talking about her. Gods. She dropped her gaze, flinching as Ash walked… by? He must have given Emery orders on ...

Ky looked at him guiltily, blushing. Gods. That felt like five years ago now. “… I was just trying to get far enough away from the camp… luckily I ran ...

“There are a lot of places ‘downstairs’ from us,” he said dryly. Ky sprang to her feet as well, staring at Ash with wide, panicked eyes. She didn’t want to ...