Chapter 5Thus began our time together, our running. We hid near the outskirts of the city until midday when Jesse found us a merchant traveling the blue waters of the Mediterranean ocean to take us north, to Gela. I entrusted myself to him, though it terrified me, in a cart covered in oiled canvas, I rode alone as he pulled me to the docks. The streets were rutted and bumpy and I jostled about in silent anxiety. My fear grew as he lifted me from the cart, tucking the thick canvas around me in the hope that the sun would not reach me. As night fell we huddled together for warmth and comfort, a physical closeness we hadn't shared before. It made my heart race, the scent of him so strong, the feeling of him in my arms.
He seemed stunned, speaking little and clinging to me if I shifted too fa
