In Between Seasons

Chapter 17

I always wanted the truth, but I was realizing it was far worse than the lies I had been told to swallow my entire life. Somehow, it was still easier to accept the world for the way it was in truth than it had been in the lies. The lies had been imperfect, but they also didn't involve anyone trying to kill me. The lie had been a simple way of life where women were subservient to men; where I would have married who Father had arranged, popped out kids and taken a societal role. The truth meant I was running for my life, attempting to find freedom while still trapped in the society that wanted me dead. Then again, I wasn't any closer to understanding why things were the way they were. I wondered if we were all just following orders blindly, or in Hunter's case, not following them.

I still didn't fully understand why Hunter chose not to kill me, but it didn't matter anymore. It was clear his choice to not kill me meant he was risking his life, and in a world where the future was infinitely gray, it was a comfort to know he would protect me. I knew I somehow helped him too, because I could see it in his personality shift; in the lightness that had entered his eyes and in the ease of his muscles. I just wasn't sure how I did it.

I glanced over at him, watching as the muscles in his arms corded with each stride before releasing again.

"What's wrong?" he asked, catching me mid drool.

I stumbled over my feet and grabbed onto the rough tree next to me to catch myself, swearing as my skin tore.

"Are you okay?" Hunter asked as he skidded to a stop with more grace than I could muster with time to actually think about what I was doing.

I looked down at my tattered skin littered with pieces of bark and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Sure," I replied as I shook my hand before he could look at it.

"Let me see?" he asked, stepping forward and holding his hand out. His eyes showed the slightest hint of laughter, but he held it in by biting the inside of his lip.

"I'm fine," I repeated, sticking my burning hand behind my back as I bit back tears.

Hunter raised an eyebrow as his hand dropped.

"Come on, Kate. I saw blood."

"So, blood doesn't mean I'm not fine."

"Kate, don't make me tackle you to the ground!"

"You'd enjoy that, wouldn't you?" I shot with narrowed eyes as I kept my injured hand hidden.

He towered over me, his muscular frame taking up my entire line of vision as I looked up at him, still obstinate.

"Kate!" he demanded again.

"Hunter!" I mimicked back. He fluttered his eyes impatiently, and I submitted, drawing out the word as I said it, "Fine!"

I brought my hand around and flipped it over. There were drip marks of blood crawling over my wrist and down the middle of my arm as they streamed from the shredded skin. It didn't look good. I blinked hard before looking up at the sky.

"Nice," Hunter commented with a shake of his head as he examined the damaged I'd done. He looked over his shoulder and then back down at my hand, shifting on his feet in unease.

"We're only a half a mile from home now, so I can get these splinters out and treated properly when we get back," he explained, and I felt my stomach flip at the thought.

Home. I wasn't sure what the word meant, but I knew now it was wherever he was.

"Are you sure we can't just run and never look back? We could go somewhere where no one knows who we are."