"It's true," he said, looking up at her. "I swear." *** He looked over at Blaise. "We.. Don't talk that much. Only when it's convenient really. She and some others in the clan helped Rory and I when we were.." he frowned. "Well, when we were held captive, I suppose."
She raised an eyebrow, offering him her hand to pull him up. * * * She frowned, tilting her head as she sat on the edge of the tidepool. "Held captive...?"
He took it, getting up. *** Jaz frowned, sitting beside her. "I don't know if you knew of the group. It was more of a city thing.. They went by Kumars. It was sort of an underground betting ring.."
She looked out across the water, leaning back against the cliff for a moment. "Do you know how to swim?" * * * She frowned, looking over at him. "You were a part of that?" she asked quietly, her brows furrowed with concern.
He tilted his head. "Sort of. Enough to keep my head up, at least." *** He nodded slowly. "From a young age, yes. I had to stay until I was a teenager. That's where Rory and I met. I was number seven and she was number eight."
She looked over at him thoughtfully, her brow raised in challenge. "Want to cliff jump?" she teased. * * * She watched him with a frown, her head tilted slightly. "What did you have to do while you were there?"
This frightened him. "Not.. particularly." *** His face hardened, looking away from her. "I had to win fights against other children, even if it was to the death."
She laughed slightly, leaning up against him comfortably. "Fine, then. No cliff jumping." * * * She frowned for a moment before standing up and coming over to the front of him, slipping her arms around his waist and pulling him into an embrace, her head on his shoulder.
He relaxed. "Thank you. I think I would've died." *** He took a slow breath, hugging her back. "Rory would always patch us up if we got hurt, but whenever it was her turn to fight.. she was always so defenseless. I always had to help her. No matter what you did, suffering always just replaced suffering."
"I wouldn't have let you die, remember?" she asked, looking up at him. "I don't break my promises." * * * She turned her face into his neck, shaking her head. "You did what you had to do," she replied quietly. "You did what anyone would have done. It's not your fault."
"I know," he said, "but the thought frightens me." *** He wrapped his arms around her. It was a moment of vulnerability for him, and he didn't like it. "Thank you."
She gave him a small smirk before scooting down along the cliff. "That doesn't mean I won't do it." * * * "I think you're something special, you know," she said after a moment. "You're worthwhile."
She moved along the cliff edge, getting to where they were above the water. She took a deep, shaky breath before looking over at him with a grin. She gave him his hat back. "If I die, make me a hat," she said playfully. * * * She didn't see his flush, her head on his shoulder, but she held him like she cared, like he was precious to her, her hand cupping the back of his neck while the other laid flat on the small of his back. "Yeah. You deserve to be happy. You deserve more than life has given you. You're worth being cared about."
"Well don't die and I'll make you a hat anyway!" he said, watching her nervously. *** He relaxed slowly, seeming thoughtful. "Thank you, Lucy.."
She laughed slightly, tilting her head at him playfully before pushing off with a small yelp, falling towards the water. Her small frame curled up in midair as she fell and she hit the water, sinking below the surface. * * * She pulled away from him slightly, looking up at him with a small smile before she heard Aisling's yelp of joy. She watched as Aisling hit the water, her eyes wide. "Oh, wow."
She emerged from the water, panting for breath, but raising her arms in triumph as she looked up at Dion, her dark hair heavy with water and her eyes bright. Lucy laughed slightly, shaking her head. “Yeah. That’s Aisling in a nutshell.”
She swam in the water like she had been doing so her whole life, which she probably had. She came over to the shore, grinning at Dion. *** “She’s much braver than I am,” Lucy said thoughtfully. “I could never do that.”
