LIAM’S POINT OF VIEW
I couldn’t look at her as she walked with me to Harry’s place. Stupid, stupid girl. If that disgusting hostile had hurt her . . . . I couldn’t even think about it. I was angry and frustrated and I knew it was for the best for me to stay quiet, stay away from her and just argue with myself in my head. Arguing and debating and thinking. Regretting. I kept picturing that creature, the hostile – I could have made the shot. I should have got rid of it; it knew our scent now. Something in my head kept forcing me to make stupid mistakes that ended up putting us in worse danger. I wasn’t thinking right. I had to get away from her.
PAYTON’S POINT OF VIEW
Liam was doing his usual tripped out silent daydream thing again as we trudged to wherever his friend was living. I was annoyed with him for making me depend on him. I felt safe when he was around and I didn’t like it – I wanted to be strong on my own. Taking care of myself for so long had hardened me into being really independent and I wasn’t used to relying on someone to take care of me.
“We’re here,” Liam said and I looked up to see an ominous dark wooden cabin amongst the trees.
It looked out of place, like someone had purposely picked the most remote area possible, banishing themselves away.
“So why did we need to come here?” I asked, not really expecting a solid reply.
“I need to leave you somewhere for the night and right now Harry is the only person I trust.”
“What? Where are you going?”
He didn’t answer me. He knocked out a tune on the door of the cabin, like a secret knock, and I stared at him in disbelief as we waited for this ‘Harry’ to answer.
“Liam?” I asked again, more directly, desperate for some sort of answer.
“Look, I’ll be back for you in the morning,” he said and turned his attention away from me as the door opened.
“Payno!” I gasped as I recognised Harry – it was the hostile from the market the day I escaped from Epsilon – the one who offered to buy me from my father.
“No – Liam…” I stepped backwards and considered running for it, wondering if Harry would snap and turn on me like the blonde hostile had just done.
“Payton, it’s alright. This is my friend Harry – he’s been bitten but he’s only a little of the way through the process. You can trust him, he’s not gonna hurt you.”
“Hey – I know you… your Dad sells Venison at the Kappa Sigma market…” said Harry, looking at me with those familiar shocking green eyes.
***
I eventually agreed to go inside Harry’s cabin with Liam and it was surprisingly homely on the inside. It reminded me of our cabin back at Epsilon with all the wooden furniture; I even recognized one of the tables as my father’s handiwork. For the first time since I ran, I wondered if he was even looking for me.
“So you already know Payton?” Liam asked Harry all confused as we sat on one of the sofas.
“I didn’t know her name but I met her a couple of days ago – I bought meat from her dad!” Harry grinned and started a fire in the grate on the other side of the room.
“You never told me you traded meat,” Liam said in a low voice, raising his eyebrows at me.
“Dad made me skin the animals,” I said quietly, flinching at a flashback of being covered in blood and the sight of the insides of the animals my father killed.
