25
Penelope
Penelope awoke to Nathaniel scrambling to cover her with his body and whispering in some language other than Spanish. Then he said in English, “Shhh… Be still and quiet.”
A frisson of panic raced up her spine when she realized he was reliving a terror, and was trying to protect her.
“I’m going to put the knife under you,” he whispered as his hand searched for something above her head. “As they go by, pretend to be dead. I’ll do the same and count how many there are.”
“Nathaniel, please,” Penelope whispered, pushing him over. She rose on her elbow and with her other hand she shook him by the shoulder. “Wake up, Nathaniel. It’s me, Penny.”
His eyes were already open, but she saw the struggle in them as he began to realize where he was and who he was with. When he did fear t
