Light in Dark Places

Chapter Seven

Something shakes Joan awake and Joan flails out of bed, terrified and certain that she's having a heart attack.

"Sorry," Seung-ri says, her own relief palpable.

"Ashes, Seung-ri, don't do that! I thought I was going to die!" Joan says, clutching at her chest to feel her heart beating so fast she's still not ruling out that heart attack idea.

"Sorry," Seung-ri says again. "I just thought— anyway, you've been sleeping too long. It's already noon."

"I always sleep in," Joan points out.

"Right, I knew that. I did."

Joan remembers why Seung-ri might get nervous about Joan sleeping for a long time and feels guilty.

"Don't you have work?" she asks, struggling to get up to a sitting position.

"I'm taking a few days off," Seung-ri says. "While you're adjusting. I thought we could go sightseeing today."

Joan very much does not want to go sightseeing today. She wants to stay in bed for as long as humanly possible. If she doesn't have school (and she's fairly certain waking up from Misery means she never has to go to school again) then she sees no reason why she can't sleep all day.

Seung-ri looks at her, expectant and hopeful.

"Sure, I'd like that," Joan says.

"Great. What do you want for breakfast? I'm going to make pancakes."

"I like pancakes."

*

It's a new morning, and Agatha prays.

In her life before the camp, she would pray with her whole family, and they had books that were important to them. Those books aren't here, and her family isn't here, but she's here (she's always here, always wakes up here) and it's the only thing left for her to do.

"Does that help?"

The woman across from Agatha's cell asks after she's finished for the morning. She's asked the question before, but Agatha doesn't remember if she's asked it recently. "It helps me remember there's something else than here," she replies.

"They say—they say your Ash talent lets you see the future," the woman says. Beth, Agatha remembers finally. Her name is Beth.

"I know of a possible future," Agatha says, and it's true. She only ever knows possibilities.

She braces herself for further questions—she doesn't like being asked about her Ash talent. Premonition is an unusual ability, and it always brings a lot of unwanted attention.

"There's nothing for us but here," Beth says instead.

"The desert is out there," Agatha says, and she's surprised by her own answer. It's not something that would make sense to Beth, but Beth doesn't say anything else.

Somewhere, out there, is the desert.

*

"Don't step off the trail," Seung-ri warns.

"I'm not a kid. I won't get lost," Joan says.

"That's great. But I meant, there are scorpions and rattlers out there, and it's best to stick to the trail."

Joan shudders. Scorpions. She can't believe she's in a place where scorpions roam. They're like spiders with knives. She has this image of them traveling in gangs, waiting to mug unsuspecting ankles.