Page 72 of One Impossible Moment
She swallowed hard."Why me?"
"Because you don't belong here," Finn said."And it knows."
Her stomach twisted."Wh-What do I do?"
He shook his head immediately, fiercely."The rift was broken long before you came back."He leaned his forehead against hers, his breath warm and shaky."But it's angry now because I won't let it take you."
Copper cleared his throat softly, drawing their attention."You two need to stay down here until the storm passes," he said."The rift's unstable.It's reacting to...all of this."
Kallie looked between them, her heart pounding."Reacting to what?"
Finn's jaw tightened."Us."
The word hung in the air, heavy and terrifying.She reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his, needing contact."Finn...what if it doesn't stop?"
He squeezed her hand, his voice low and certain."We'll figure it out."
Copper's mouth tightened, and he turned away from her view.His silence scared her more than anything.He knew what would happen and said nothing.
In the quiet of the cellar, Finn held her."How long will it last?"she whispered.
"Once it doesn't get what it wants, it'll calm down."Copper faced them both."We need to stay down here until the sun comes up."
"The others?"Finn held her tighter.
Copper shook his head, glancing at Kallie before meeting Finn's gaze."They'll sleep through it.The same as you would've done before she came here."
Kallie leaned against Finn.Copper's attitude toward her was barely civil.He blamed her for the storm and the danger they were all in.
Maybe he had a right to be mad.Maybe it was her fault.
"Why is it only the three of us who are aware of the storm?How can the other men sleep through this?"asked Finn.
Copper stood near the cellar stairs, listening to the storm batter the restaurant above them.Kallie wrapped her arms around herself, still trembling from the glitch's pull.Finn stayed close, one hand on her back, his thumb tracing slow circles that did little to ease the tremble in her bones.She could feel his tension, too.He stayed coiled, ready to fight.
Copper finally turned toward them, his expression grim."The others won't wake up or come outside at night.They don't sense the storm.They don't sense anything."
Kallie blinked, confused.It would be impossible to sleep through the storm.
Finn stiffened beside her.She glanced at him.Ever since she'd arrived, Finn had kept things from her.She suspected he was uncomfortable forming a relationship after she first arrived because Everstill lacked women.But he'd also hinted that living here wasn't normal and that Everstill didn't like changes.
"How could they not hear the storm?"she asked.
Copper folded his arms."Most of the men here...they don't feel fear.Or anger.Or love.Not anymore, if they ever did."His voice was steady."Only Finn and I have gotten some of our emotions back.Emotions that make us think independently and feel."
Kallie held on to Finn tighter."Why you two?"
Copper hesitated, then looked at her with a strange softness."Because someone could see past the blackness in our souls, freeing us."He nodded toward Finn."Someone who saw something worth saving...even when society didn't."
A tremor ran through Kallie so sharply she had to grab Finn's arm to steady herself.Both men noticed instantly—Finn's hand tightened protectively around her waist, and Copper's eyes narrowed with concern.
"Finn's not bad," she said.
"There's not a man in Everstill who deserves to live.Not me.Not Finn."Copper exhaled slowly."Every one of us committed some crime or made choices in a previous life that took us out of the real world and put us here.This place is where we're sent to live out the rest of our days.We're not expected to leave."
Kallie's stomach dropped."Everstill is a prison?"
Copper shrugged one shoulder."Some would call it that."He glanced toward the ceiling as thunder rolled overhead."But each day, the men get up and do their tasks.They live lives that satisfy them.They know no different.They thrive on routine because they have no emotions to tell them otherwise."
