Page 222 of Crucible
I can’t feel my brain either.
Finally, it feels like I’ve been rebooted, and my next breath rushes out of me. I fall to my knees, feeling like my stomach is about to drop out of my ass. Instead, I lift my mask and throw up in the grass.
My hands are shaking uncontrollably when I swipe the back of my hand against my mouth.
What the hell just happened? What the fuck was I thinking?
“Holy shit!” I exclaim. “That was a goddamn bear.”
“Yes, it was.” I’m startled enough by the unexpected voice to scream as I shoot to my feet. I’m lucky enough to have theforethought to pull my mask back down before I whirl around because I stop breathing abruptly, choking on my spit and vomit when I see the sheriff standing there, holding a rifle by his side. His bushy brows are raised in surprise while his thick mustache twitches when he chuckles. “But I have to say that was impressive, young lady. Foolish and dangerous, but impressive.”
Now I know why the bear ran off.
It saw that I had backup and probably decided a few scrawny pups weren’t worth the effort.
I understand the feeling.
“Forgive an old man’s memory. Aurora, was it?”
I take off running in the opposite direction.
“Hey! Hold on there! Wait!” he calls after me. One glance over my shoulder shows him giving chase.Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!“I just want to talk to you!”
I don’t wait. I don’t slow, even for low-hanging branches, logs, or the rabbits and squirrels that scurry out of my path. I keep running as fast as I can in the direction Ithinkthe cabin is in.
The sheriff’s old. Maybe I can lose him.
Whatever I do, I can’t lead him back to my guys. I can’t let him piece together why I was never found.
“Stop…Aurelia!”
The sound of my name brings me to a screeching halt.
No.No fucking way. I’m wearing the mask. He can’t see my face. How?
My hair.
My golden locks.
They aren’t covered like when we met in Hearth all those weeks ago.
Still, anyone with access to a pharmacy and a decent hairstylist could have the same. It doesn’t explain how the sheriff pieced together my identity that fucking fast. When I turnaround, the sheriff and I are facing each other down once again. There’s barely twenty feet between us now, allowing me to see exactly what he’s thinking.
The kind sheriff’s expression is shattered—as if he’d taken a stab in the dark and his worst fear answered.
“What did you call me?”
“Christ. It is you, isn’t it? You’re Aurelia George. The…pop star. I know who you are. I’ve been looking for you.” He steps toward me, but I back away, and he pauses in shock like I’d slapped him. “Don’t be afraid.” He holds out his hands. “I’m here to help you.”
“I don’t want your help.” When it looks like he won’t let this go, I try begging, “Please. Thank you for your concern. Now forget you ever saw me.”
“You know I can’t do that. You have no business being out here. God knows what you’ve been through. Just come with me, and I’ll get you home. I’ll take you back to your uncle. Everything will be all right.”
I shake my head and take another step back. “You’re too late, sheriff. I have no interest in being saved.”
His bushy brows turn down even as a determined glint enters his eyes. “Why the hell not?”
“Because I’m trying to saveyou.”
