Page 19 (1/2)

The first thing I notice is the pounding in my chest It’s so fast it’s painful Why would a heart need to pound this hard? I breathe deeply through my nose and open my eyes on the exhale

Then I throw myself back

Luckily, I’m on a bed and I tu intently atup He’s watchingin my chest a little A little

He’s young Not quite a e to run A door…I need to find a door, but if I take my eyes off him, he may…

“Who the hell are you?” I ask It doesn’t matter who he is I just need to distract him while I find a way out of here

He’s quiet for a mo,” he says

His voicesideways for a few seconds It’s deep…cal Ito do when someone asks you who you are—but I can’t

“I asked you first,” I say Why does my own voice sound so unfamiliar? I raise a hand to my throat and wrap it around my neck

“I…” he hesitates “I don’t know?”

“You don’t know?” I say in disbelief “How could you not know?”

I spot the door and edge closer, keeping my eyes on him He’s on his knees on the bed, but he looks tall His shoulders are wide and pull against the t-shirt he’s wearing If he coht him off My wrists look small Look small? Why don’t I know that my wrists are small?

This is it I have to do it

I dart for the door It’s only a few feet away; if I can get it open I can run for help I screa, a real ear sore My hand wraps around the knob and I look back to see where he is

He’s in the sa?”

I stop “Why…why aren’t you coht in front of the door Technically I can open the door and run out of here before he’s even off the bed He knows that, and I know that, so why isn’t he trying to stop me?

He passes a hand over his face and shakes his head, sighing deeply “What’s your name?” he asks

I open my mouth to tell him it’s none of his business, and then realize that, I don’t know I don’t knohatname is

In that case… “Delilah”