and trusting me not to break down at the hard stuff. I ignored the thought and took a few deep breaths. I only cried for Jordyn in my mind.
“Maybe they’re with Olivia.”
“Who’s Olivia?”
I couldn’t answer for a moment. Cain waited patiently for me to tell my own story and slung his arm around my shoulders. I hoped he didn’t notice the goosebumps that his touch sent shooting up from my skin. “My best friend. She was one of the first kids taken by the Taskforce. Her father…she needed to get away from him. She was supposed to just go to the boarding school nearby, but one night she snuck into the office to call me and I figured out she wasn’t close to us at all. I don’t know where she is.”
Cain kept his arm around me tight. Good thing too, because if it wasn’t for him I would have immediately melted into a self-pitying puddle on the ground.
I found myself telling him everything. I told him about the last time I saw Olivia. I told him about having to watch her drive away with a man who I knew was going to hurt her. I told him about feeling helpless.
I paused when I realized that Cain wasn’t blinking. He just stared. But it wasn’t in a creepy way. It was more in a way that lets you know you have somebody’s full attention—the way that makes you wonder if you’ve ever been listened to as intently in your whole life.
A chill slid up my spine. I couldn’t remember how long I’d stopped speaking. I hoped Cain wasn’t sitting there thinking I was goofy for just staring at him (or WITH him, I should say). I stuttered back into my story, right at the part where I heard Olivia’s voice for the last time.
The tears I fought off for so long slid from my eyes. Cain’s arm never left my shoulders. “I asked her if she was okay. I asked her why she couldn’t use the phone. But she didn’t want to talk about that place, wherever that place was. She asked me if it was sunny where I was. Which didn’t make sense because she was supposed to be in D.C., same as me.”
I watched Cain’s expression change. I may not have noticed if I hadn’t been staring at him for so long. His face hardened ever so slightly.
“She just made me tell her about home. About stupid stuff. It was the last conversation I had with my best friend and we talked about fried chicken and the squirrels outside… Right after that’s when I heard it. The supervisor’s voice. They caught her in the office.” I felt like I was yelling through my tears, pushing my words out along with them. “I shouted at them but they didn’t even talk to me. They just hung up the phone. Just that quick. Like she didn’t matter at all.”
I tried to breathe normally. I trusted Cain, but talking about Olivia still made my chest hurt. Maybe the fact that my best friend had disappeared wasn’t real until I said it out loud.
“I kept shouting through the phone long after they hung up. I promised Olivia I’d find her. She didn’t hear me, but I hope somehow she knows.” My breath became shallow. “And I will find her! Once I get enough money, I’m going to travel around and search for her.”
Cain smiled. I looked at him quizzically.
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“No, I definitely believe you. All you do is speak the truth. I wouldn’t put it past you to get to the compound then turn right back around and sail right on out of there.” He kept smiling, even though I was being completely serious. Normally I would have found it super condescending, but not when he did it. When he did it I felt warm.
“What then? What are you thinking?”
He gently squeezed me. “You’re going to need a little more than money to make that trip. Make me a promise, will you?”
I hoped he wasn’t about to ask me to agree to something I didn’t want to do. “Okay…”
He glanced down at his tattoo, examining the lines on his arms as if they had just appeared. Then he removed his arm from my shoulders and made me turn to face him head
“Maybe they’re with Olivia.”
“Who’s Olivia?”
I couldn’t answer for a moment. Cain waited patiently for me to tell my own story and slung his arm around my shoulders. I hoped he didn’t notice the goosebumps that his touch sent shooting up from my skin. “My best friend. She was one of the first kids taken by the Taskforce. Her father…she needed to get away from him. She was supposed to just go to the boarding school nearby, but one night she snuck into the office to call me and I figured out she wasn’t close to us at all. I don’t know where she is.”
Cain kept his arm around me tight. Good thing too, because if it wasn’t for him I would have immediately melted into a self-pitying puddle on the ground.
I found myself telling him everything. I told him about the last time I saw Olivia. I told him about having to watch her drive away with a man who I knew was going to hurt her. I told him about feeling helpless.
I paused when I realized that Cain wasn’t blinking. He just stared. But it wasn’t in a creepy way. It was more in a way that lets you know you have somebody’s full attention—the way that makes you wonder if you’ve ever been listened to as intently in your whole life.
A chill slid up my spine. I couldn’t remember how long I’d stopped speaking. I hoped Cain wasn’t sitting there thinking I was goofy for just staring at him (or WITH him, I should say). I stuttered back into my story, right at the part where I heard Olivia’s voice for the last time.
The tears I fought off for so long slid from my eyes. Cain’s arm never left my shoulders. “I asked her if she was okay. I asked her why she couldn’t use the phone. But she didn’t want to talk about that place, wherever that place was. She asked me if it was sunny where I was. Which didn’t make sense because she was supposed to be in D.C., same as me.”
I watched Cain’s expression change. I may not have noticed if I hadn’t been staring at him for so long. His face hardened ever so slightly.
“She just made me tell her about home. About stupid stuff. It was the last conversation I had with my best friend and we talked about fried chicken and the squirrels outside… Right after that’s when I heard it. The supervisor’s voice. They caught her in the office.” I felt like I was yelling through my tears, pushing my words out along with them. “I shouted at them but they didn’t even talk to me. They just hung up the phone. Just that quick. Like she didn’t matter at all.”
I tried to breathe normally. I trusted Cain, but talking about Olivia still made my chest hurt. Maybe the fact that my best friend had disappeared wasn’t real until I said it out loud.
“I kept shouting through the phone long after they hung up. I promised Olivia I’d find her. She didn’t hear me, but I hope somehow she knows.” My breath became shallow. “And I will find her! Once I get enough money, I’m going to travel around and search for her.”
Cain smiled. I looked at him quizzically.
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“No, I definitely believe you. All you do is speak the truth. I wouldn’t put it past you to get to the compound then turn right back around and sail right on out of there.” He kept smiling, even though I was being completely serious. Normally I would have found it super condescending, but not when he did it. When he did it I felt warm.
“What then? What are you thinking?”
He gently squeezed me. “You’re going to need a little more than money to make that trip. Make me a promise, will you?”
I hoped he wasn’t about to ask me to agree to something I didn’t want to do. “Okay…”
He glanced down at his tattoo, examining the lines on his arms as if they had just appeared. Then he removed his arm from my shoulders and made me turn to face him head
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