Red and a plastic cup that spelled out the IU basketball season from the previous year, in faded red letters. I had the same cup at home. Home.
“Will I ever be able to go home?” I asked.
Harlow’s smile slipped down the hard lines of his face. “Do you really want to?” he said. “You’re safe here. I mean, I know my place is a little small, and it could probably be cleaned up a little, but from what I’ve heard about your mother …”
“What have you heard?” I stood up. “Have you heard anything about Gennifer?” I scanned the room for my shoes.
Harlow put his sandwich down and stood up himself. “You deserve some answers. I’ll tell you everything I know—but, please, Deb, you’ve got to sit down, eat something, get some rest. You can’t pass out from exhaustion or blood loss every night of your life—not if you want to live to see your sixteenth birthday.”
There was something about his tone, the look on his face, the sympathetic tilt of his head—I trusted him. I truly did.
“Why do I trust you? I don’t even know you. Is it a spell?”
He laughed. “So you do trust me? Well, that’s a start.” He took a big bite of his third sandwich and sat back down on the desk where he’d been perched above me and my pallet. “The thing is, Deb, there’s a lot to tell. Lots. And I won’t be able to get through it all if you ask a lot of questions—but I promise I’ll tell you everything I know, and I’ll help you find out the rest, no matter what.”
“But? Isn’t there a catch?”
He laughed. “Smart girl. With a troll, there’s always a catch. Rule number one. Remember that.” He sipped a drink, so tiny in his hulking hands, then looked around the mansa. “Enough of that, though—you’re pretty well caught as it is, I’d say.”
I smirked. The bed was so soft, though, and now that my belly was full, I felt so tired again—but I wasn’t going to sleep without some answers.
“I really do want to find my sister as soon as I can,” I said. I lay down on the bed and gave in to the comfort of soft blankets around me. Sometimes in the middle of the night, Mom would drink too much and throw up on her blanket, and then she’d take mine. I used to climb into my sister’s bed to keep warm, but I stopped when we weren’t little anymore.
I stretched out on the pallet and yawned. I could get used to this. Harlow’s gruff, quiet voice almost didn’t break me out of my doze.
“I’ll help you find Gennifer,” he said. “It won’t be easy, but I think we can liberate her from McJagger if we approach it the right way.”
“McJagger!? That black hole has my sister?” I sat up, cold and feeling a little sick.
Harlow dropped to his knees before me on the floor. He held me gently by the shoulders, staring deeply into my eyes. “Trust me, Deb. Slow down. You have to trust me, or we’re never going to get anywhere.”
I nodded, but I was really tiring of this. I mean, he was a troll, for Pete’s sake! Part of my mind was screaming that he was probably going to eat me, eventually. The other part actually did trust him. I wasn’t sure which side was winning.
“Start talking,” I said.
He laughed. “Bossy, bossy. You know, I’m breaking a lot of rules by having you here.”
“Start with ‘here.’ Where are we, exactly? Then tell me about these rules. Whose rules?”
Harlow stood up and walked slowly around the room. “This,” he said, opening his arms wide, “is my mansa, my mound. My home.”
“Are we underground?” I wondered why it was such a sunny place.
“We are. I put a lot of skylights in, though.” He pointed to the circular ceiling, where mismatched windows hung. “Never was a fan of dark, cold places. We’re all going to end up underground, eventually, right? I’m not in a rush for the darkness.”
“Are we very far from … the Fog?”
“Far enough, yeah. They couldn’t follow us even if we were right next door. When you took the vow with me,
“Will I ever be able to go home?” I asked.
Harlow’s smile slipped down the hard lines of his face. “Do you really want to?” he said. “You’re safe here. I mean, I know my place is a little small, and it could probably be cleaned up a little, but from what I’ve heard about your mother …”
“What have you heard?” I stood up. “Have you heard anything about Gennifer?” I scanned the room for my shoes.
Harlow put his sandwich down and stood up himself. “You deserve some answers. I’ll tell you everything I know—but, please, Deb, you’ve got to sit down, eat something, get some rest. You can’t pass out from exhaustion or blood loss every night of your life—not if you want to live to see your sixteenth birthday.”
There was something about his tone, the look on his face, the sympathetic tilt of his head—I trusted him. I truly did.
“Why do I trust you? I don’t even know you. Is it a spell?”
He laughed. “So you do trust me? Well, that’s a start.” He took a big bite of his third sandwich and sat back down on the desk where he’d been perched above me and my pallet. “The thing is, Deb, there’s a lot to tell. Lots. And I won’t be able to get through it all if you ask a lot of questions—but I promise I’ll tell you everything I know, and I’ll help you find out the rest, no matter what.”
“But? Isn’t there a catch?”
He laughed. “Smart girl. With a troll, there’s always a catch. Rule number one. Remember that.” He sipped a drink, so tiny in his hulking hands, then looked around the mansa. “Enough of that, though—you’re pretty well caught as it is, I’d say.”
I smirked. The bed was so soft, though, and now that my belly was full, I felt so tired again—but I wasn’t going to sleep without some answers.
“I really do want to find my sister as soon as I can,” I said. I lay down on the bed and gave in to the comfort of soft blankets around me. Sometimes in the middle of the night, Mom would drink too much and throw up on her blanket, and then she’d take mine. I used to climb into my sister’s bed to keep warm, but I stopped when we weren’t little anymore.
I stretched out on the pallet and yawned. I could get used to this. Harlow’s gruff, quiet voice almost didn’t break me out of my doze.
“I’ll help you find Gennifer,” he said. “It won’t be easy, but I think we can liberate her from McJagger if we approach it the right way.”
“McJagger!? That black hole has my sister?” I sat up, cold and feeling a little sick.
Harlow dropped to his knees before me on the floor. He held me gently by the shoulders, staring deeply into my eyes. “Trust me, Deb. Slow down. You have to trust me, or we’re never going to get anywhere.”
I nodded, but I was really tiring of this. I mean, he was a troll, for Pete’s sake! Part of my mind was screaming that he was probably going to eat me, eventually. The other part actually did trust him. I wasn’t sure which side was winning.
“Start talking,” I said.
He laughed. “Bossy, bossy. You know, I’m breaking a lot of rules by having you here.”
“Start with ‘here.’ Where are we, exactly? Then tell me about these rules. Whose rules?”
Harlow stood up and walked slowly around the room. “This,” he said, opening his arms wide, “is my mansa, my mound. My home.”
“Are we underground?” I wondered why it was such a sunny place.
“We are. I put a lot of skylights in, though.” He pointed to the circular ceiling, where mismatched windows hung. “Never was a fan of dark, cold places. We’re all going to end up underground, eventually, right? I’m not in a rush for the darkness.”
“Are we very far from … the Fog?”
“Far enough, yeah. They couldn’t follow us even if we were right next door. When you took the vow with me,
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