Defect - By Ryann Kerekes Page 0,76

but I let it go. “You had to be pretty desperate to do this to yourself.” She lifts my hand, inspecting my wrist. After looking the bandage over, she lays it carefully back by my side.

I don’t explain that I didn’t do it to myself, but my mind flashes back to the supply closet, the look of concentration on Will’s face and passing out when I saw all the blood.

Sage distracts me from the memory. “It was quite infected when you got here. We seem to have gotten it under control. Kai’s been here nearly every day to tend to you.”

I’m not sure who Kai is, but I mumble a thank you. Rena was right about them being friendly here, but still, I’m not sure what to tell her – how honest to be. She helps me sit up and hands me the cup of broth. For several minutes, I savor the feel of the warm mug in my hands and the salty burn of the watery broth sliding down my throat. I decide she can probably be trusted since she’s already harboring a Defect in her house. I drink the mugful of broth, and Sage refills it. Then I tell her my story.

I tell her about my mindscan result, and that I quickly became a target inside the compound. I don’t tell her about the capital’s interest in me, or the movement that was starting there, or that I escaped the night before they planned to kill me. It seems like too much to lead in with.

Her eyes are a mix of concern and confusion. “You came all that way by yourself?”

I nod. She’s speechless. Either because I’m stupid or amazing, I can’t tell. Maybe a little of both?

“My …” I don’t know what to call him. “Friend,” I decide. “He’s coming, too. He’ll be a few days behind me.” As soon as I say it, I realize I’ve already been here a few days. And suddenly, I don’t like the way she’s looking at me. It’s a mix of pity and sadness. She breaks eye contact, ducking her head to pull at a loose thread on the blanket. “Sage?” She doesn’t respond. “If Will said he would come for me, he’ll come,” I say, more to convince myself than her.

“Of course he will,” she says softly, her voice full of knowing sadness. “Of course.” She pats the top of my hand.

My whole being aches, not just my body, but also my heart, my very soul. They have taken everything I am. They’ve found a way to use every emotion I have against me. I remember my mother’s words: They can only take what you give them. I search for a way to make her advice apply to this situation, just like it had for all the others. I knew what I’d never let them take – what I wouldn’t part with. My love for Will.

I lie back against the pillow, my stomach full of the warm broth and close my eyes. I drift to sleep with the memory of Will’s lips pressed to mine.

***

End of Part 1

Part II

Lips that taste of tears are the best for kissing.

- Unknown

His lips hover over mine, tentatively, carefully like he’s unsure and waiting to see what I think. My mind, even in its numb state, registers something’s wrong. His mouth seals over mine calmly, carefully. The fire I’m used to is missing. Completely gone. Taken from me. Everything has changed. And I fear it will never be the same again.

Chapter 29

I sense my welcome with Sage is already wearing thin. In the few short weeks I’ve been here, I’ve done little more than lie in bed, curled on my side staring blankly at the wall. She’s cooked and fed me each meal, helped to bathe me every few days in the large copper tub and made sure Kai came every day to tend to my injuries. Not that he needed any encouragement. My arrival here is the most interesting thing that’s happened to this outpost in years, according to Sage. And Kai, though just two years older than me, is the healer here.

I knew I would need to summon my strength and get out of bed for good. I was over the dehydration and my wounds were healing nicely thanks to Kai’s treatments. But first I’d have to remember how to be brave, remember how to be that girl I’d been just weeks ago. And remembering that meant remembering Will. And the