28
1368 Words
Azriel
I knew the moment she looked away that something was really fishy.
I'd started having doubts the moment I heard the men's explanation about what was probably going on in Millbrook.
Thinking back now, I'd been a fool. A school assigning a student to a place like Millbrook? It was insane.
Sending a student straight to hell under the guise of a school project wasn't something the school would ever approve of. Besides, with the terrorists continuously taking down anyone who tried to enter, there was no way the school didn't know. It wasn't public knowledge, yes. But the government knew, and all schools would have been informed.
It all made sense now. How she'd begged dad not to contact the school. The desperation in her voice.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she replied quickly, her voice pitched high and tight. "The school posted me. I had no choice. It's not my fault, Azriel, I swear—"
"Seraphina."
I could see the tremor in her lower lip, hands had curling into fists at her sides. I lifted my hands and cupped her face, my palms cradling her jaw, my thumbs brushing the tears already gathering in her lashes. Her skin was warm, and I felt her shudder beneath my touch.
She was such a bad liar.
"Look at me," I whispered.
She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. A tear escaped, tracking down her cheek and landing on my thumb. It burned there, that single drop of salt and sorrow, and I wanted to wipe away every pain that had ever touched her.
"Trust me," I said, my voice rough with everything I felt for this impossible, stubborn, beautiful woman. "I'm not going to judge you. I'm not going to get angry. I just... I need to know the truth, little one. I need to understand why we're really here."
She made a small broken sound, and her face crumpled. I pulled her against me, wrapping my arms around her as her forehead dropped to my chest. I could feel her shaking, feel the sobs building in her chest like a storm gathering force.
Why was she reacting this much?
"I'm sorry," she gasped, the words tearing out of her. "I'm so sorry, Azriel. I'm so, so sorry for putting us in danger. Please, don't be mad at me."
"Shh," I murmured, pressing my lips to her hair. It smelled of woodsmoke and the soap the village women had given her. "Just tell me. We will find a solution."
She pulled back just enough to look up at me, and the devastation in her eyes nearly brought me to my knees. Her face was wet, her nose red, her mouth twisted with an agony I'd never seen in her before—not when we'd been running for our lives, not when she'd thought we were going to die on this deserted island.
"I wanted to come here," she whispered, and the confession seemed to rip something open inside her. She started crying harder, her words coming in jagged bursts between sobs. "I wanted to, Azriel. I 'chose' this. I chose it, and I dragged you into it, and I didn't know... I didn't know—"
"Hey, hey." I caught her hands, brought them to my chest, held them there over my heart. "Slow down. Breathe. I'm right here."
She hiccupped, dragging in a shaky breath. "I was looking for something big," she said, her voice small and ashamed. "Something that would make my report stand out. Something that would prove..." She swallowed hard. "That would prove I wasn't just some privileged girl playing at journalism. That I could brave the danger. That I could get the story no one else was willing to chase."
I nodded slowly, keeping my expression gentle and encouraging her to go on.
"I searched everywhere," she continued. "Conflict zones, disaster areas, political hotspots—nothing felt right. Nothing felt big enough. I was going to give up, just let the school assign me somewhere safe and boring and forgettable. And then..."
She broke off, fresh tears streaming down her face. I reached up and wiped them away with my thumbs, my hands framing her face again.
"Then what?"
"I found a document in my locker," she whispered, and her eyes filled with fresh horror. "It was just... there. No name, no explanation. Just a file detailing everything about Millbrook. The history, the conflict, the access routes, the risks. It was exactly what I'd been looking for, Azriel. It was perfect."
My blood ran cold. "You didn't wonder who put it there?"
"I did!" she cried, her hands coming up to grip my wrists. "But I was so desperate, so hungry for something that mattered—I told myself it was probably just a professor who'd seen my potential. Someone who believed in me. I spent weeks convincing Professor Halloway to post me here. I researched, I planned, I made presentations about the 'untold stories of Millbrook.' I wore him down until he finally said yes. He praised my 'zeal' and my 'commitment to journalism'. He was so proud of me."
Her knees buckled, and I caught her, lowering us both to the ground. I pulled her into my lap there in the dirt and the moonlight. She curled against me like a child, her face buried in my neck, her tears hot against my skin.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, over and over. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. If I'd known—if I'd had any idea it would put you in danger, put us in this mess—I never would have done it. I swear on my life, Azriel. I swear on everything I love. I thought it was just a risk. Just a story. I didn't know people would die. I didn't know I would be throwing the whole family into such a huge mess." She sniffed wiping her face. "God. I didn't even know Millbrook was such a mess. If I knew they weren't allowing anyone to enter, I wouldn't even dare."
I nodded kissing her temple, her cheek, the corner of her mouth. "I believe you baby." I tilted her chin so she could look straight into my eyes. "And, see," pulled her back a bit to see my smile. "I'm not mad at you for anything." Her eyes were swollen and red, making her look pure and delicate. It made me want to protect her. "Seraphina," I murmured. "Listen. I don't care why we came here. I don't care if you chose it, or whether someone manipulated you into choosing it. I'm here. You're here. And I'm going to get us through this. Do you understand me? I'm not leaving. I'm not letting go."
"But I—"
"No." I put a finger to her lips. "No buts. You were ambitious. You wanted to matter. There's no sin in that, little one. Someone used that against you. That's on them, not on you."
She stared at me, her breath hitching, fresh tears spilling over. "How can you not hate me?"
I laughed, low and disbelieving. "Hate you? Seraphina, I got on that plane because I wanted to protect you. Not because the school assigned you here. I would have gone with you too if it was any other place. There's no way I would let you face something like this alone."
I traced my thumb along the line of her jaw. "So no. I don't hate you. I could never hate you."
She nodded, sniffling, her hands clutching at my shirt.
I was already turning the wheels in my head. There was no way this was just a coincidence. Someone dragged us here. Someone wanted us in Millbrook.
But it didn't make sense. There was nothing special about Seraphina. A simple journalism student with ambition and a brave heart. I couldn't think of any reason for anyone to target her.
Which meant the person they wanted wasn't her.
It was me.
But how? How could they have known I would come? How could they have been so certain that I would follow Seraphina?
My mind immediately thought of one person.
Dad.
- Writer
