Chapter 46

• I listened, waiting to hear footsteps or someone calling my name. A shiver went through me and I didn’t know if it was the damp air or fear. I tried not to think about rats or mice, but the more I tried to think of something else, the more I thought about rats and mice.
• I closed my eyes, determined to push it from my mind and find something else to focus on. Reaching behind me, I jammed the phone in my pocket and hugged my arms around my waist. As I did my arm bumped Arius’ mark. It was tender, but not in a bad way. I smiled to myself. I still didn’t know where the idea had come from, or that I’d been bold enough to suggest it. I didn’t regret it though. Arius, his family—this whole other realm, it was different in so many ways, but in others it was the same as anywhere else.
• “Please find me Arius.” I whispered. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to distract myself enough that I wouldn’t freak out. If it hadn’t been so dark, I could have paced. Sitting still always made time pass slowly. Sitting in the dark and silence made it feel like time stood still.