message saying, “We’re
fine. At the hotel. Getting some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” It was as vague as I could make it while
letting him know that I was alive and well. He responded almost immediately to it, but I ignored it. There was
nothing I could say to it anyway.
I ate quickly, and it hit me instantly. I staggered into the next room like a drunk person, and I was
thankful that I’d already changed into my pajamas at least. When we came back, my clothes were drenched
from the snow and covered in dirt and what not, so I had changed right after Peter fell asleep. Within seconds
of hitting my bed, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, Ezra was sleeping on the bed next to me, pressed so close to the edge he was nearly
falling off. I assumed it was because he had no other place to sleep and didn’t really want to disturb me or
56
push me off the bed. Slowly, I sat up, careful not wake Ezra. Then I looked over Ezra’s shoulder and saw
Peter sitting on the other bed, just staring over at us, and it was as disturbing as it was unexpected. I gasped,
and even though I had managed to catch a surprised yelp before it escaped my lips, Ezra’s eyes shot open as
soon as he heard me. Since I wasn’t used to sleeping with him, I couldn’t know if he was always this light of a
sleeper, or if it was our current state of things that had him sleeping on edge.
“Sorry,” I smiled guiltily at Ezra.
He waved me off as he moved so he was sitting up. While he didn’t appear tense, his eyes searched the
hotel room quickly, appraising it to make sure that nothing was out of place. He had slept on the covers, fully
clothed, and he was much more alert than I was. Even though I had woken up with a start, I yawned and felt
like I could fall back to sleep within minutes, if I wanted to. But I didn’t want to. There was that whole matter
of trying to figure out how we were going to get out of here alive.
“How long have you been awake?” Ezra asked Peter, looking at him carefully.
“Not long.” Peter tried to tuck his hair behind his ears, but it was filthy, almost to the point of being
matted, and it was refused to tuck back.
“So what’s going?” I chimed in.
The boys were sitting across from each other, and Peter had lowered his gaze, but Ezra just kept
staring at him. I was kind of hidden behind Ezra, and I felt left out of the conversation. I wrapped the
comforter around my shoulders and scooted across the bed, so I was sitting next to Ezra. He glanced over at
me and sighed, and I just kept looking between the two of them until one of them answered.
Somebody had
to have an idea about what we were going to do.
“So… what?” I asked flippantly when neither of them said anything. “The plan is a staring contest of
some kind? Cause that’s not a very good plan.”
“I have an idea,” Ezra finally admitted, and Peter gave him a hard look. “I can try and make an
exchange.”
“What kind of an exchange?” Peter narrowed his eyes suspiciously and tensed up sharply.
“There’s
nothing that you have that they want.”
“That’s not true,” Ezra shook his head. “While they don’t enjoy money, they require it. They have to
travel to the larger cities to eat, and they can’t walk around in the rags they live in. They don’t work or have
any sort of income flow. I know they don’t enjoy stealing or whatever it is they do simply because they don’t
57
enjoy interacting with humans. I can help them lower their interaction.”
“They won’t take money. You’ve been gone for too long. You don’t remember what they’re
like.”
Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“There’s got be something that they want!” Ezra insisted. “These aren’t self-sufficient creatures!
Gunnar is power hungry, and there is always something he can use to make himself more
powerful.”
“Yeah, cause we really wanna make him more powerful,” Peter scoffed and stood up. “No. I
fine. At the hotel. Getting some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” It was as vague as I could make it while
letting him know that I was alive and well. He responded almost immediately to it, but I ignored it. There was
nothing I could say to it anyway.
I ate quickly, and it hit me instantly. I staggered into the next room like a drunk person, and I was
thankful that I’d already changed into my pajamas at least. When we came back, my clothes were drenched
from the snow and covered in dirt and what not, so I had changed right after Peter fell asleep. Within seconds
of hitting my bed, I fell asleep.
When I woke up, Ezra was sleeping on the bed next to me, pressed so close to the edge he was nearly
falling off. I assumed it was because he had no other place to sleep and didn’t really want to disturb me or
56
push me off the bed. Slowly, I sat up, careful not wake Ezra. Then I looked over Ezra’s shoulder and saw
Peter sitting on the other bed, just staring over at us, and it was as disturbing as it was unexpected. I gasped,
and even though I had managed to catch a surprised yelp before it escaped my lips, Ezra’s eyes shot open as
soon as he heard me. Since I wasn’t used to sleeping with him, I couldn’t know if he was always this light of a
sleeper, or if it was our current state of things that had him sleeping on edge.
“Sorry,” I smiled guiltily at Ezra.
He waved me off as he moved so he was sitting up. While he didn’t appear tense, his eyes searched the
hotel room quickly, appraising it to make sure that nothing was out of place. He had slept on the covers, fully
clothed, and he was much more alert than I was. Even though I had woken up with a start, I yawned and felt
like I could fall back to sleep within minutes, if I wanted to. But I didn’t want to. There was that whole matter
of trying to figure out how we were going to get out of here alive.
“How long have you been awake?” Ezra asked Peter, looking at him carefully.
“Not long.” Peter tried to tuck his hair behind his ears, but it was filthy, almost to the point of being
matted, and it was refused to tuck back.
“So what’s going?” I chimed in.
The boys were sitting across from each other, and Peter had lowered his gaze, but Ezra just kept
staring at him. I was kind of hidden behind Ezra, and I felt left out of the conversation. I wrapped the
comforter around my shoulders and scooted across the bed, so I was sitting next to Ezra. He glanced over at
me and sighed, and I just kept looking between the two of them until one of them answered.
Somebody had
to have an idea about what we were going to do.
“So… what?” I asked flippantly when neither of them said anything. “The plan is a staring contest of
some kind? Cause that’s not a very good plan.”
“I have an idea,” Ezra finally admitted, and Peter gave him a hard look. “I can try and make an
exchange.”
“What kind of an exchange?” Peter narrowed his eyes suspiciously and tensed up sharply.
“There’s
nothing that you have that they want.”
“That’s not true,” Ezra shook his head. “While they don’t enjoy money, they require it. They have to
travel to the larger cities to eat, and they can’t walk around in the rags they live in. They don’t work or have
any sort of income flow. I know they don’t enjoy stealing or whatever it is they do simply because they don’t
57
enjoy interacting with humans. I can help them lower their interaction.”
“They won’t take money. You’ve been gone for too long. You don’t remember what they’re
like.”
Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“There’s got be something that they want!” Ezra insisted. “These aren’t self-sufficient creatures!
Gunnar is power hungry, and there is always something he can use to make himself more
powerful.”
“Yeah, cause we really wanna make him more powerful,” Peter scoffed and stood up. “No. I
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