Page 13 of Sawyer’s Mistake

They team piled into the two vehicles. Just before leaving, Kopf loaded the crate of apples into the larger vehicle, but the earlier joyous mood was gone.

Chapter 7

Saoirse

Her head was full of fuzzy wool, as if she’d been out drinking and partying the night before. Except she was sure that hadn’t been the case. Her chin felt wet, as if she’d been drooling all over herself.

She lifted her hands to wipe the drool from her face, but something stopped her from moving her wrists. She tugged harder. It hurt.

What the—

She felt panic bubbling up inside her. She scrunched her eyes tighter then realized she was going to have to open her eyes, no matter how much the idea of opening her eyes scared her.

She opened her eyes a crack and looked down, almost sobbing in relief when she saw her trainers. Once white, now stained brown and distended, those shoes had been with her since the day the aliens first landed. They'd seen her through a lot of pain and fear, but seeing them reminded her that she was a survivor. She’d managed to survive till now, and she didn’t want to die here. Despite her best efforts, she felt panic building up inside her again. She tugged hard on the ropes, whimpering at the pain.

A low, throaty voice spoke from the corner.

“Saoirse? Relax, Saoirse, you’re okay.”

She recognized that voice. She trusted that voice.

“Jake?”

She found the courage to open her eyes and found herself staring straight at Sawyer. He was leaning back against a damp-looking wall. His boots were firmly planted on the ground. But something was wrong. He wasn’t leaning back against the wall, he was being held to it by chains dropping from the ceiling. His blond hair was matted with blood. She gasped, remembering the way the Remur had brained him with a giant fist.

She started hyperventilating.

The only illumination was a small lightbulb hanging from the ceiling near a large steel door. The light flickered, making her eyes hurt. She scrunched them closed.

“Look into my eyes, Saoirse,” he ordered.

She did. Even in this light, his eyes were a deep, calming green.

“Breathe in and out. Repeat after me: We’re okay.”

“We’re okay, we’re okay,” she repeated softly. “Are we going to be okay?”

“Always so impatient, Saoirse,” he said, his mouth curling up into a small smile.

She knew he was trying to make her feel better. She tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace, so she gave up.

“Where did they take us?”

“I don’t know,” he stated calmly. “I woke up just a few minutes before you.”

“Are Paul, Miranda, and Amélie here?” she asked. She remembered everything now. The way they’d taken them in, pretended they were safe, then left them for the aliens.

“I very much doubt that. That’s the reason they exchanged us, to keep the Remur away from them.”

“But that’s …” She never ran out of words but realized she couldn’t come up with a strong enough word in this case. “How can you be so calm?” she squealed. She felt hysteria bubbling up inside her.

“We’re okay, Saoirse. We need to talk about a couple important things before they come back. I need you to focus. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded, hoping she was telling the truth.

“Back at the yacht, you did something incredible,” he began. She remembered; they were about to kill him, and she’d suddenly known what she had to yell. “From the Remur’s reaction, I don’t think I’m the only one who thinks so.”

“They were about to kill you, Jake!” she sobbed.