ARIA
The silence stretched so long that I almost convinced myself the other person had left.
But then—
“Is… is someone there?” I asked hesitantly.
“Shut up.”
I blinked. My heart, which had momentarily settled, lurched into my throat. So he is still here.
“Why are you doing this?” My voice came out rough, strained from exhaustion. “I’ve never harmed anyone.”
A soft, humorless chuckle echoed in the darkness. For a moment, I swore the person was standing right behind me.
“You ask why I’m doing this?” There was something dangerous about his voice—an edge of barely restrained emotion. He sounded angry that I had even asked, yet… utterly indifferent to my suffering. “Because I follow orders, rogue.”
That word again. Rogue.
I sucked in a breath, pushing myself upright on weak, trembling
