جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 58

Abbey's point of view.My eyes snapped open to stare at the ceiling. Oh, it was just a nightmare. A shaky sigh of relief escaped my lips as I tried to calm myself. It had been like this for days, ever since I spoke with Charity. The broken sleep schedule and tormenting dreams followed me around like a plague.This one was the worst though. Instead of a new, fabricated attack my mind usually cooked up in my subconscious, this was simply a cruel reminder of the one I had already survived.“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Jeremy’s voice cut through the silence.I tensed for a moment before turning my gaze to him. His eyes were hooded from sleep, framed by thick lashes. The only break in his peaceful expression was the way his brows scrunched as he stared at me in confusion.“Nothing,” I mumbled, watching as his expression soured at my response. “Just a bad dream.”He eyed me for a moment before sighing. “Come here,” he said, still watching me.“I’m fine, it was just a bad dream,” I insisted

Abbey's point of view.I had almost forgotten about the uneasiness gnawing at my chest,until it struck again like a crashing wave. Relentless. Without warning. And in a place I least expected.“I’m not much of a gossiper, but I heard an interesting rumor,” Ben Stone said casually, his voice threading through the chilly afternoon air.My gaze tore away from the children playing in the open field. They were blissfully unaware of the wind nipping at their cheeks as they shrieked and laughed, their little limbs tumbling over one another in a game of tag. For them, the world was simple. For me, it was heavy.Ever since I’d returned to the daycare center, Liza had noticed my mood shifts. I tried hiding it behind timid smiles, but my worried expression betrayed me. I had thought being with the children would distract me, soften the weight of my thoughts. For fleeting moments, it worked. But the silence between their laughter was too loud, and in those pauses, unease crept back in.Jeremy had

Abbey's point of view“I just meant that you don’t normally pick me up. I’m just surprised, that’s all,” I said, glancing up at Eric.He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket, his steps casual and unhurried. “It’s because I’ve been busy with training the warriors,” he replied. “Jeremy and Ezekiel are tied up dealing with some issues in the cells, which makes me your babysitter for the evening.” His lips quirked as he said it, half-joking.“I don’t need a babysitter,” I shot back, quick to defend myself. But curiosity won over, and I added, “What kind of issues are they dealing with? Are they okay?”Eric laughed softly, shaking out his dark curls. They had grown since I’d last seen him, brushing against the tops of his ears. “Trust me, they’re fine. The cells always have issues. That’s why Ezekiel’s such a miserable bastard to be around.”“The cells always have issues because they’re not supposed to exist,” I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.Eric’s

Abbey's point of view.Everything that happened in the last chapter was all in a trance. I kept falling from one trance to another. Seeing visions of how my parents died like I was present. It was as if someone was trying to draw a feud between Jeremy and me. Finally, the door clicked open with an echoing thud at half past one in the morning. Jeremy's dinner had turned cold hours ago before I had those episodes. The noise from the door startled me, tearing my gaze from his empty seat. I had not realized that I had zoned out again. This was not me going into a trance but thinking about everything that happened to me in those few hours after Eric left me. I was silently waiting for him in the kitchen. He didn't see me at first, still caught up in the haze of whatever he had just arrived from.Jeremy grumbled underneath his breath, kicking off his boots and silently moving around the foyer in the dark of the living room. It took him a moment to notice the small glow of the kitchen light,