Read Online Water by Terra Harmony - Free Book Online Page A

behind.  The energy spent over the last fifteen minutes had drained me, and I knew I wasn't long for the waking world.  Before I could go, I had to know.  Whether it be damning information or not, I would not be able to retaliate against the world.
    I took Micah's face in between my shaking hands and stared at him with a penetrating gaze that equaled his own.  "Tell me.  Did I kill mom and dad?"  He hesitated, eyes widening slightly at the horror of such a notion.  I had to have his answer quick before I passed out.  "Hurry – tell me!"
    He quickly shook his head.  "No.  God no, Kaitlyn."
    There was truth in his eyes.  Relief flooded into me and retreated, wave by wave, taking blame with them.  Content enough, I allowed myself to drift off with the waves, but not before I saw a final flash of guilt cross Micah's eyes.

 
    Chapter 9
     
    Questionable Timing
     
    I woke slowly, blinking out the pink tones of a coming twilight that filtered through the window.
    "You’re awake," Micah said.
    I turned toward the shadowy figure in the corner of the room, letting my eyes adjust to the light.
    "I am..."  Momentarily distracted by the feel of my bare skin against the sheets, I peeked underneath the blankets, then finished my sentence, "…naked."
    "A necessary measure to get your body temperature back up, as counterintuitive as it sounds."  He smiled, coming to sit on the bedside.  Instinctively, I shuffled away from him, pulling the blankets up to my chin.  My movement was stopped, once again, with the clank of handcuffs holding one wrist tightly to the bed.  I let out an exasperated sigh, annoyed that, after all that, I was back at square one.  Sloths made more progress in a day than I had managed.
    Micah’s sigh mimicked mine as he reached in his pocket and produced a small key.  "It’s no use locking you up.  You’ll just make a mess of things trying to escape."
    Once released, I cradled my wrist protectively, rubbing out the red marks left by the handcuffs.  An awkward moment passed as we sat side by side, neither of us speaking.  Had there been a clock in the room we would have heard it ticking.
    He scooted a little closer to me and looked expectant.  I certainly couldn’t bolt out the door in my current state of undress.  I cleared my throat.  "So is this a new method – captivity by means of nudity?"
    "As appealing as that may sound to most of our male staff, no."  He gestured to a pile of clothes next to his dresser.  "You’ll be staying here, with me now.  Cato thinks it will be safer."
    "Safer for whom?"
    He leaned in closer.  "Safer for everyone involved."
    With him so near, I stifled my breathing, lest he be exposed to morning breath and started smoothing my hair.
    He calmed my hands, laying his on top of mine.  "Stop fussing, you look beautiful."
    My cheeks burned with embarrassment.  I looked away quickly, still unsure of his intentions.  Was that how he truly felt?
    Micah, sparing me for the moment, rose and paced the room.  "Kaitlyn, I know you don’t trust The Seven, or what we are doing.  But if you give us a chance, open your mind a little; you may come to believe in what we do.  You aren’t captive here…"
    I snorted, letting him know I thought otherwise.
    He ignored me.  "…but we need you to understand what your purpose on this Earth is."
    He paused and looked at me as though waiting for an answer.  I took a deep breath and consented.  "Fine – no more running away, for now.  I’ll give you a chance.  But there are conditions.  First, answer my questions and second, when I do want to leave – you will let me.  Agreed?"
    "Agreed," he said, without hesitation.  He returned to the side of the bed to shake on it.  "Everything will be explained to you in time, we just need to take it slowly.  And I’ll be here the whole way."
    "That’s what I am afraid of."
    My joke was taken as such, and he used the relief of tension to lie down beside me in the bed,