Tayja
I wake to hear a helicopter hovering above the cabin. Terrified that I've been found, I jump off the bed and hide in the first spot I can think of: under the bed. In retrospect, this definitely wasn't a very original hiding spot nor was it a particularly good spot to wedge myself, as it had very limited egress options. Never underestimate the idiocy of blind panic.
After a few terrifying moments, the whirring of the helicopter grows louder, then the sound becomes more distant as it flies away. I remain huddled under the bed until I hear a knock on the door."Ana?"I'm still unused to hearing that name. Ever since my little sister started talking, everyone's been calling me Tayja. That's what she said when she tried to pronounce Anastasia. It sort of stuck. I'd been spelling it Tasia at first, but soon discovered I could use the more exotic letters y and j to achieve the same pronunciation with a sp
Ryan"You what?" Ana breathes. Her eyes are saucers.I hadn't planned to tell her about the scene I found in the woods, but I also couldn't come up with an explanation for the firearms that would satisfy her."It was last week. I found a helicopter about fifteen miles from here. I think it's the one you came from. You had a bump on your head when I found you. Somehow you escaped the crash with just that injury and made it here."Telling Ana this bold-faced lie is much harder than I would have expected it to be. I hate deceiving her. She deserves the truth. But if I've learned anything about Ana over the last three weeks, it's that she can't handle this truth. It's a blessing she doesn't remember the incident on her own."Why did it crash?" she asks."It's hard to tell. The news said it was probably bad weather." Another blatant lie.Ana's face goes from pale to white
TayjaI open my eyes the next morning to find my pillow wet with tears. I dreamed of Johnston's final moments as he died protecting me. For some reason, we were back in my living room, where this whole nightmare started in the first place. He was trying to defend me from my family's murderers. I was back in my hiding place where I'd been when my whole family died. Just like with my family, all I could do was watch as yet another important person in my life died in front of me. I didn't know Johnston for very long, but he'd been like a surrogate father to me after I'd lost my own.I remember the Glock Ryan gave me yesterday. It reminded me of the weapon I'd seen Johnston carry and use. The sight of the pistol reminded me of him and of feeling safe, that there was someone always looking out for me. My hand itches to hold it again.I hear the water in the bathroom turn on. Ryan must be taking a shower. Ryan Burke. The son of the famous Burke
RyanAna frowns when her first shot doesn't hit the intended target, a piece of the crate delivered yesterday propped up against a tree fifty yards away from the ATV. She takes aim and fires again. This time she nicks the corner. Still frowning in concentration, she continues shooting without a word until she needs to reload."Any more advice?" she asks as she prepares to fire again."Don't pull on the trigger, squeeze it," I say. "If you jerk on the trigger instead of using smooth movements, you'll move the barrel to the right and your shot will go wide.""Huh," she grunts. Her next shot is slower but closer to the center of the target. She narrows her eyes at it, appraising it. "Hmm," she hums in the back of her throat, sounding thoughtful. She lines up the shot again and continues firing until she needs to reload again.She's not bad. She's not excellent, but she's not bad. Maybe I'll take her hunti
RyanWhen she emerges from the bedroom the next morning, I'm wearing the mask again. I'm going to pretend like nothing happened last night and hope she doesn't mention it. We didn't talk about her nightmares. Maybe she won't mention what happened after mine.The plan works at first. She doesn't say anything during breakfast. Afterward, she remains at the table with her Glock, but it doesn't sound like she's very focused on it. The sounds from the gun are slow and there are often long pauses between sounds. I'm not doing much better, still staring at the same page I opened to after finishing my bowl of cereal. Eventually, I hear the sound of the gun being placed on the table and her chair moving. I feel sweat prickle between my shoulder blades.I continue to stare at the book even as I see her approach in my periphery."You don't have to keep wearing that," she says.I don't move, don't look up, and pretend I've not
Tayja"There. 45 seconds, as requested."I'm sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of Ryan with my Glock sitting on the bedspread between us. He's been reading in the bedroom, hiding from me, I suspect, ever since we came back inside from an afternoon of target practice. A very, very quiet afternoon of target practice, save for the echoing gunshots.It seems he's given up wearing the mask, but he's still very uncomfortable with me viewing the injured side of his face. While he wore the mask, he was noticeably protective of his right side. Now that he's not wearing it, he's even more so. I'm not certain he even fully realizes he's doing it. It makes me feel sad for him, but part of me knows that he doesn't want that from me. I've decided to treat him as normally as possible. Maybe he'll subconsciously pick up on that and become more comfortable around me.I was correct last
Ryan"Get up. We're going fishing today." I walk through the living room toward the front door."Fishing?" Ana asks, her forehead wrinkling. She makes no effort to move from her spot on the couch, curled up in a blanket reading a book."Fishing. Our rods are on the porch. Let's go.""Why?""I'm making fish for dinner. Come on." I open the door."Do I have to come?" she asks, looking longingly back at her book."Do you want to stay here alone?" I ask.She frowns. "Can I bring a book?""Fine."She hops off the couch and disappears into the bedroom. I've continued to let her sleep in my bedroom. After sleeping on the couch for a month now, I've become accustomed to it. I've even found that I prefer it. Being only a few steps away from the porch when I wake up from a nightmare feeling hot and panicked is a comfort. Even being able to stare at the auroras dancing through the stars outside the bi
TayjaI roll onto my back again so I can stare up at the wide-open sky. It's so beautiful out here. The air is a little chilly, but I'm warm lying in the sun wearing the jacket Ryan bought me. The sky is the purest blue I think I've ever seen. The snow-capped mountains in the distance are picturesque. Thick forest borders both sides of the river, full of black spruce trees that look like very tall, skinny Christmas trees. The sounds of rushing water and forest life drift to my ears."Giving up so soon?" Ryan asks, a rare grin tugging at the left side of his mouth."I think the fish made their preferences clear," I say, shifting my gaze to the fish Ryan has caught. When I finally managed to catch one, Ryan said it was too small and that I had to throw it back. "Besides, I don't want to clean out fish guts." I make a face."I'd do that for you if you find it so offensive."I smile at him. He looks back at the river.
Ryan"What's cooking, good looking?""Sounds like you were expecting someone else's call," I say flatly."You again? Didn't you just call me last week?""I need you to send some things.""I literally just got done with your last order. Aren't the days like, shorter, or something, up there? You must have gotten it like yesterday.""That's... that's not how any of this works.""Whatever. Tell me what you need so I can hang up.""Lovely speaking with you too.""Come on, man, I got numbers from like ten hot chicks last night." His voice becomes distant. "Last night? This morning? Whatever. I just texted all of them and soon they're gonna start responding so hurry it up."I begin rattling off a short list, including enough ammo to keep up with Ana's rigorous attitude toward target practice. When I reach the last item on my list, I pause."I want a dog.""A