The Inception (Book #1 of The Inception Trilogy)

chapter eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN

EVELYN IS CONFUSED.

But mostly she's annoyed, in every meaning of the word: annoyed that Harry won't speak, annoyed that she has no idea who Micah is, annoyed that she ran out of stick-arrows, annoyed that it's practically pitch black outside now, and more than ever annoyed with the anxiety running through her veins.

She hates the feeling of fear--she hates being afraid.

When she and Harry reach the hiding spot, they're greeted with relieved sighs. It's only when Evelyn goes to climb into the hole that she realizes how small it really is. In her frenzy before, the tightness of the square hadn't registered, but now she feels as if the walls are closing in on her.

Harry doesn't even try to climb down, and instead motions for the pack of food. She gives him a curious look, wondering if he'll take off with it and leave them clueless in the middle of foreign woods, but there's a gentleness that looks out of place in his red eyes. However, it's gentle all the same, and she hands the duffel bag to him.

"I'm assuming we aren't staying here," she says.

He nods.

"Do you know where we are?"

Another nod.

She doesn't want to ask if he knows where he's going because then that implies that she's tagging along, which she still hasn't decided yet. Needless to say she has no idea where she would go, but surely it isn't so shocking that she doesn't entirely trust him, especially when she's supposed to despise him, to kill him.

"How long?"

He shrugs.

"Well, don't you think you should consider it since you're the only one who can carry Delia?" she questions, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

He gives her a look, like he's exasperated with her pestering questions. He starts helping Robbie out of the hole, then Nive and Sasha, then motions for Evelyn to help with Delia. She wants to ask if it's smart to wander in the night for a place to settle down, but it's obvious they can't stay in the hole overnight. Just the four who were in there were practically sitting on top of each other from the lack of space.

Evelyn presses two fingers to Delia's neck when she seems too still, but sighs when she feels a faint heartbeat. She struggles to lift Delia, but Harry only needs her in reaching distance to pull her up into his arms. Evelyn grabs her own pack and straps it across her back, then climbs up and closes the door after her.

They begin walking in a tense silence.

They walk in pairs in a line, with Harry and Delia in the front, Nive and Sasha in the middle, and Evelyn and Robbie in the back. Or, perhaps one trio if you count Poppy trotting alongside her owner. No one is speaking and everyone is on alert, constantly scanning the surrounding trees and jumping whenever a squirrel rattles the leaves. Evelyn won't admit she's exhausted out loud, but she'd do anything for a safe place to sleep the rest of the night through.

She wishes Harry would talk.

Surely he can if that other one could, so why doesn't he?

Robbie is decent company, but the poor kid is scared out of his wits for conversation, nearly ripping Evelyn's shirt off from his tight clutch. Nive soothes Sasha and Sasha is about as mute as Harry. Evelyn has only heard her whisper things to Nive, who may be her mother or may just be an adult she's latched on to.

Sort of like Robbie right now with Evelyn.

But Evelyn wants Harry to talk so she can ask a thousand questions and hopefully get a thousand answers. She wants to know everything he's been through as the thing that he is, and everything there is to come. When the beast earlier spoke of Micah, Harry hadn't looked confused; his eyes showed quite the opposite. Maybe rage or maybe fierce acknowledgement, but he definitely is not clueless.