"Yes. But first, how's Sam been?"
"Um... She's been good. She just had a baby."
"Really? I did not see that coming."
No," Lucy agreed, "none of us did. They used her—Rent-A-Kid used her—but she's fine now. We all escaped. So I understand what it's like to be used and experimented on. Some of it, at least."
She stepped closer to Mr. K and almost reached out to touch him, but stopped herself. The act felt too intimate, too violating.
Mr. K noticed and nodded. "Thank you. We'll talk more about my story later. But for now, why'd you insist on climbing onto that log?"
Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. It felt like the right thing to do."
"Ah. Instincts are a wonderful thing. I'd like you to do something for me, Lucy."
She shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. "Okay. Sure."
"I want you to sit down."
She found a rock near Mr. K, but asked before sitting on it. "Is this okay?"
"Yeah, it's okay."
She sat down.
"Now, just sit still for a while."
"How much of a while?"
"Two minutes."
"Okay." That's hardly anything. Easy peasy. She stilled herself.
"Close your eyes."
Lucy did.
"Now relax."
She released the tension in her muscles and breathed deeply. I can totally sit still. Not a problem. Time passed slowly, and her body twitched, but she forced it still. Her nose itched, and she tried to ignore it, but it consumed her whole attention. She forced herself to focus on something else—the breeze through the trees, the smell of the flowers. Her mind spun in circles, looking for anything to grab onto for a distraction. Her body, bored from inactivity, tried to rebel, but she wrestled it under control.
Mr. K's deep voice broke through her thoughts. "You're holding your breath."
Oh, right. Lucy exhaled and inhaled, reminding herself not to stop. How much longer? She started counting in her head, but she didn't know how long she'd already been sitting there, so she didn't know how long to count. Has it been two minutes yet? She opened her eyes a little bit, to peek at Mr. K, but something else had grabbed his attention.
She finally counted to two minutes, which meant she'd been sitting still for even longer than two minutes. "Okay. That's been two minutes, right?"
Mr. K chuckled. "I didn't realize we started counting. At what point were you sitting still?"
"What? That whole time I—"
"Lucy, you fidgeted like a schoolgirl whispering in class. Your thoughts blared like a noisy trumpet. Do you think that's still?"
She harrumphed and crossed her arms, knowing she looked like a petulant two-year-old, but not caring. "No. I guess not." Stupid stillness. "I'll try again."
Luke called out from the valley. "Lucy, we could really use your help with camp."
She jumped up, grateful for an excuse to move around, be active. "I gotta go help. I'll see you soon, Mr. K."
"I'll be here. Not going anywhere." He chuckled at his own comment, but it was laced with sadness.
Lucy ducked out, eager to escape his presence. But he's everywhere, isn't he? She'd find a way to conquer that whole sitting still thing, just as soon as she found a way out of this valley.
Chapter 87 – Sam
I sat in the kitchen with Father Patrick, Bernard and Darren. Susie had gone to tend to multiple students who'd woken up with headaches. I tried to feel bad that I'd hurt my friends, scared that I could have destroyed their minds if Susie hadn't calmed me and encouraged me to let go, but I only felt emptiness and fear—a deep, clawing, painful, gut-wrenching fear that felt like it would rip me in two.
I'd showered off Mrs. Beaumont's blood and dressed in clean clothes, going through the motions as my mind spun, trying to piece together the puzzle of this night.
"Are you sure you heard Drake?" Bernard's kind eyes drooped with fatigue. "Stress can play tricks on us, make us think things that aren't real."
I sighed. "Yes, it was Drake, I'm sure of it. He came to me while I was showering and said my father, Steele, is behind Ana's kidnapping. But Steele had to be working with someone here, so I need to interview everyone immediately, starting with Mary."
Darren rested his hand on mine, then pulled it away. Ever since Drake had contacted me, there'd been an awkward gap between us that probably wouldn't go away. Drake had always stood between us, but now he presented a visceral reality.
He was coming to Washington, and he'd help me get our daughter back. Maybe then we could be a real family—a simple life with Drake and Ana. It seemed the stuff of fantasy, based in a reality that didn't exist, and maybe couldn't exist.
"Drake doesn't know anything?" Darren loved Ana. He'd been doing little things for her since she was born, and it occurred to me that he probably thought we could be together, given time. Was his heart breaking too? Would any of us ever find happiness?