Twice Born

Chapter 3

Pain spears me between my shoulder blades, jerking me out of sleep. I sit up from the floor and look around me. To my left and right are piles of blankets, tangled around the bodies of half a dozen sleeping girls. No one moves. Any one of them could have kicked me in their sleep.

Huddling together is great for keeping warm, not so great for my bones.

I roll up my bedding, careful not to disturb the girls as I tuck it into a corner of an old oak wardrobe. Waking up early doesn’t bother me. It released me from my nightmare, the memory of the man’s death as he pleaded and bargained for his life. The memories of all of those Eve and I have encountered before him.

One of these days, I might reach the end of my tolerance and lose my mind. And then Eve will be the only one left.

Perhaps that’s her goal.

I grab my clothes, which I hung on the wardrobe’s doors when I left the balcony last night. They’re still a little damp and cold. I take them anyway. The sooner I can return Daniel’s clothes, the sooner I’ll stop feeling guilty about taking advantage of his hospitality.

The rest of the house is quiet as I tiptoe outside, carrying two empty buckets. The clouds dispersed overnight, but spring’s chill still lingers in the air. Eve isn’t here, and it’s nice to be alone inside my head. It’s also terrifying, walking through these streets all by myself.

Eve might be unnaturally strong and fast, but the only thing I have is the power to change the form of things. And that only works if I hold still and concentrate. My power won’t be of much use if someone ambushes me.

When I reach the well, a line of people has already formed. I wait my turn behind a middle-aged woman in a faded brown dress. She glances back at me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Sentiment I’ve come to expect from Belvians, especially those living in the rougher neighborhoods in Heiden District. Since the plague, times have been hard here. These people have learned to survive by building walls around themselves.

I seem to fit in perfectly.

An hour later I’m home again. I freshen up in the washroom, using only enough water from the first bucket to clean up. Soon as I slip back into my own clothes, I fold Daniel’s things and head to his room.

He’s still asleep when I take a peek inside. One of the little boys shares the bed with him. Daniel lies on his side, one arm tucked beneath his pillow. His brown hair is ruffled, and his shoulders move with each breath. It’s such an intimate thing, this vulnerability when he’s sleeping. I have to force myself to look away.

I walk over to his bed and place his clothes in a neat pile on the floor. As I turn to leave, he stirs. His eyes open, settling on me when they regain focus. I freeze in place.

“What is it?” he asks, voice rough from sleep.

I take a step backward. This was his first day off since I joined this shelter, perhaps even long before then. And I’m ruining it. “I was returning your things. I’m sorry for waking you.”

The blanket falls to his waist when he sits up, revealing more of his torso. His chest is well-defined under his cotton undershirt, the muscles on his bare arms and shoulders prominent. I force my gaze on his face, even though every part of me wants a second—a third—look.

One thing is clear. I can no longer blame Eve for these feelings I have around him.

“Not your fault,” he says, yawning. “I’m used to getting up much earlier than this.”

“Well, I should—”

“Are you busy today?”

The question catches me off guard. “No.” Which isn’t exactly true. I have to be far away from the shelter when Eve emerges this evening. Otherwise the Trackers will come right for us. “I’m free until sundown.”