She sat next to him as he flipped to the first book in the New Testament and began scouring the pages until he found the 22nd chapter. She didn't miss the slight fingershake as he located the 14th verse.
"Matthew 22:14," he read aloud, "For many are...
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If Star ran into one more dead-end, she was going to lose her mind. Frustrated, she spun on her heel and started backtracking, her shoes making soft noises as she pressed on. Ordinarily, she could run about five miles without a problem. Throw in an iota of anxiety, uncertainty, and an old lamp–it was annoying, to say the least. She had no idea how long they'd been wandering around in the tunnels. She was beginning to get tired, though. And frustrated. Incredibly frustrated.
I wonder how Nyla and Taylor are doing.
Thinking of Taylor did little to calm her frustration. The girl was useless. Nyla was at least capable of critical thinking. Why did she have to get stuck with them? And where had they gone off too? It was hard to tell the tunnels apart, but she was sure that after walking her original tunnel and finding it blocked, she'd gone back and joined the tunnel they'd come from. That was before the random earthquake, of course.
Now she was wandering alone in the darkness, hoping to run into them somehow. Regardless of how frustrated they made her, it was easier to think more clearly when there were other people there too.
"You need to let someone help you," her mother's voice cut through her head like a knife. Star winced, attempting to shut down the thought before it could become a problematic memory.
"Someone like who? Like you?" Star shot back.
She used the wall to stay upright but her knees wobbled. It was too late. The memory wouldn't fade out.
"Great," she barely managed to get the word out before the pain hit full force, morphing into an old memory of her parents' kitchen.
"Anyone," her Mother answered. Star hated that. She hated the whining in her Mother's voice. Hated the pleading. Why couldn't she accept that this was just how things had to be?
"I don't need anyone else," Star spat. "I'm better off on my own."
"You're pushing yourself too hard–"
"Who are you to tell me I'm pushing too hard?" She scoffed. Anger filled her entire body. "You don't push yourself at all! Of course, it would look like I'm pushing too hard to someone incapable of doing anything useful."
Her Mother was silent for a moment. Star bit her tongue but refused to back down. She turned, facing the window.
"I know you're hurting," her Mother said softly to her back. "I know you're always hurting. I just want to help."
"Well you can't," Star answered simply, focusing on the deer that pounced across the lawn. Bitterness dripped from her voice. "No one can."
The memory shattered and Star gasped, somewhat surprised that she'd been able to maintain an upright position. These memories – they hurt. It was like they sucked the air from your lungs. Some she could shut down before they started, but others were just too adamant.
Chhhhhhh.
Star cocked her head and listened to the darkness, her mind racing. What had made that noise? There weren't a lot of sounds that came from the tunnels. Her shoes, her breathing, the lamp...but chhhhh certainly wasn't one of them.
She waited a moment before starting off again. Had it been her imagination? She'd been wandering around alone for too long.
The tunnel gave way to a few connecting tunnels - two in a different direction and a third that ran the other way. She turned the corner quickly, not wanting to spend too much time in one place. The noise happened again, almost like someone shushing someone else - but this time it was closer.
Star picked up the pace. Something was off, and she did not want to find out what it was. She slowed again as she came upon another dead end.
"Great," she muttered, turning.
A gasp tore from her throat as someone shoved her into the wall.
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