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Axel raced up the hill.

Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder immediately followed.

He reached the pyres, but he didn’t see her. He was sure it was her, sure he had felt something pulling him up the hill. That he could still feel it now, somewhere close.

His heart sank in his chest, and he took heavy breaths.

Had he imagined it? Was he that desperate?

Drenched once more and feeling the loss of hope, Axel turned to head back down the hill.

His eyes to the ground, he saw the shoes first, a pair of dark jeans, a t-shirt that stuck to her with all the water it had absorbed.

Her chest heaved with heavy breaths. He took a step towards her, and he could hear it.

Her heart called to him through the sound of the rain and the wind. It thumped wildly as he got closer.

Her hair clung to her face; she kept her eyes cast down towards the grass below them.

“We…” she said. Her voice was barely audible over the rain. “… smell sweet.”

The words had barely left her mouth when her knees gave out. Axel moved quickly, catching her in his arms before she hit the ground. He lifted her, and another streak of lightning allowed him to see

the deep bruising on her face and throat.

He didn’t have time to worry about it. He needed to get her to safety first. So he carried her down the hillside, careful not to slip.

Axel laid her near the fire._.

He needed to remove her clothing. He would apologize later, he told himself. So he stripped her down to only her bra and panties.

Axel was not surprised by the various scars he saw littering her body. It hurt to see, to guess at the life she had lived, to wonder if it would have made a difference if he had been there for her.

He found one of the blankets left behind by the survivors and laid it over her.

He sat across from her, the fire blazing between them. She stirred, tossed, and turned. It seemed she was having nightmares.

Axel laid down beside her, hoping that sensing him near might bring her some comfort. Though she didn’t wake up, she turned and wrapped her arms around him. Nestling herself into the crook of his neck.

He wanted to feel uncomfortable. To feel a sense of wrong in their closeness, their intimacy. His traditions told him they were too close right now.

But having her in his arms, feeling her heartbeat so close. It was a joy he couldn’t describe, a sense of belonging he had never known.

***

Sunlight streamed through the cave opening. Axel wasn’t sure how the fire could have stayed lit the entire night, but he still felt the heat of it.

He opened his eyes, surprised to see ash and ember. He looked down. Alice lay against his shoulder, her brow covered in sweat.

Axel touched his hand to her head; she was burning up.

He carefully laid her on the ground and quickly got dressed. He grabbed her clothing and wrapped her in the blanket. She made small sounds of protest but was calmed with a gentle touch of his hand on her cheek.

Axel held her close and left the cave. The village was only about a mile away. Though much of it had been destroyed in the attack, the clinic was apart from the residential area. Unfortunately, the

homes were where most of the attack had been centralized.

The smell of smoke had been mainly cleansed by the heavy rain. The bodies hadn’t been around long enough to leave a stench. Though, there was still a thick perfume of copper.

Axel glanced at the houses he walked past, remembering what the boy had said about the families. He was grateful that he had not been asked to enter any of them.

He took a breath and focused on Alice.

He found the clinic, and he was right. It had been left untouched.

After setting her down in the exam room, he called Bell. She started to ask about Ashleigh, but Axel told her he needed her help with someone in trouble.

Bell talked him through placing an IV and giving her fluids in case of dehydration. Next, he took her vitals and started her on a general antibiotic in case of infection.

Axel didn’t tell Bell who it was he was treating, and she didn’t push. Instead, she told him to call back if there was anything else he needed. He thanked her and hung up the phone.

Alice continued to sleep. She didn’t wake up or even stir while he treated her. He was worried that she might never wake up.

He sat in a chair beside her, holding her hand.

“I know you,” she whispered, her voice almost too soft for him to hear.

Axel lifted his head, and she looked at him with groggy eyes.

“Yes,” he said, nodding happily. “You’ve known me a long, long time.”

“But I don’t know you,” she said.

Axel pursed his lips and gave her a half-smile.

“We’ve both had some trouble with our memories,” he said sadly. “But we knew each other long ago… and we share something extraordinary.”

“Do I make you sad?” she asked.

“No,” he said quickly. “No, I just… I’m happy.”

He smiled.

“I’m happy you’re awake,” he said.

Alice smiled.

The next few hours were brutal.

Alice was in and out of consciousness. Her fever seemed to have gone down, but her mind was in a tailspin. Her emotions joined the ride.

She would say strange things and change her behavior. Sometimes she recognized him; sometimes, she didn’t.

“Well, hello, gorgeous,” Alice purred. “Do you want to play with me?”

“It’s me, Alice. It’s Axel.”

Alice stared back at him. She seemed to be processing the words he had said. Her eyes widened, and her breathing became ragged.

“Don’t show, don’t show, stay calm. Always calm,” Alice whispered quickly, looking away from Axel.

“Smile!” she shouted, looking back at Axel with a pained expression, a forced smile. “Don’t show!”

Axel swallowed his reaction, trying to remain neutral and help her in the only way he could.

The pained expression fell, and she stared at the wall behind him, her head tilting.

“…wet with the same red liquid that covered their kitchen floor,” Alice whispered.

Axel furrowed his brows. He hadn’t heard her say that before.

“There once was a little girl. She came home from school to find that she was alone,” Alice whispered.

She blinked several times as though something had been caught in her eye.

“…never saw her mother again, only the dress she wore, wet with the same red liquid that covered their kitchen floor,” she continued.

“Alice…” Axel called to her.

She squinted her eyes, tilting her head in the other direction.

“The man was there too. He took the little girl away from the kitchen…. To a place where the voice, face, and words they used were always hiding the monster that lived inside of them.”

Axel clenched his jaw. He wanted to shout, to stop her… this story… what was it?

“He taught her to hide from the monsters… in their shadows… with their secrets.”

Alice looked down towards the floor.

“She learned… And then she forgot.”

She took a shaky breath.

“The man… told the girl… she needed to be a monster,” she whispered sadly.

Axel couldn’t stand it anymore.

He hugged her. He didn’t know if it was right or wrong. But with what she felt, what was flowing into him from her…

The pain, sadness, and confusion. How could he not hold her? Comfort her?

“Sweet… boy?” she asked softly against his shoulder.

With a sharp intake of breath, Alice pulled back from him. She stared into his eyes, hers filled with tears and recognition.

“Axel?” she said.

“Yes…” he smiled, “yes, it’s me.”

He moved to hug her again, but she stopped him.

“Axel, your sister…! Ashleigh is in trouble!” Alice cried out.

“She’s missing… how did you know?” Axel asked.

“She’s not missing Axel, he has her,” Alice said frantically. “Granger has her!”

Axel stood up, moving back.

“How could you possibly know that?” he demanded.

Alice swallowed, looking away from him she took a deep breath.

“Because,” she said, “I’m the one that gave her to him.”