Page 2 of Mine After Midnight

Soft footsteps fall and I close my eyes. He’s come back. He’s not finished with me. My pulse spikes, every muscle coiling, ready to bolt again even though I’m soaked, exhausted, and unable to stand. The river churns somewhere behind me, a reminder of how close I came to letting it take me. The footsteps stop a few metres away, light, hesitant, nothing like his heavy, furious stride.

‘Are you … okay?’

The voice is soft and weary. Young, too. I force my eyes open. A girl stands just beyond the tree line. She appears my age – sixteen or so. Her eyes are wide as they flick from my face to the muddy river behind me.

‘You look like you’re about to pass out,’ she says, taking one careful step closer. ‘Or drown. Or both.’

My throat is raw, scraped from breathing too hard. ‘I’m fine.’

‘That’s a lie,’ she answers, deadpan.

A branch snaps somewhere deeper in the forest. My chest tightens instantly. He’s still out there. The girl’s brows flick up at the sound, but she doesn’t panic.

I’m unable to speak, but something in my expression must give me away. Her grip on her bag shifts.

‘Okay,’ she breathes, almost to herself. ‘You need to move.’

I blink at her. ‘Why are you helping me?’

She shrugs, but her eyes stay fixed on the dark line of trees behind me. ‘Because you look like someone who really needs it.’

There’s another crack of branches, closer this time. My heart slams painfully against my ribs. The girl reaches out her hand, palm open, steady despite the tension in her jaw. She gently touches my skin, brushing feather-light across my arms. A strong scent of lavender and something I can’t quite place washes over me, and for a moment, it eases the all-consuming pain.

A ragged sound escapes me as I roll onto my back, forcing my eyes open. Gentle, leaf-green eyes blink down at me, framed by long dark lashes. Pretty freckles are dusted across her cheeks, which are splashed with pink. Long, strawberry-blonde hair blows over her face. She hastily pushes it away. Bright red nails and silver rings cover her fingers.

‘Can you stand?’

Coughing, I roll to my side and spit out blood and water. Her hand touches my back. The heat of her skin radiates through my shirt, comforting me. After several long moments, I can finally breathe, though every part of my body screams in pain.

‘I think so,’ I eventually sputter.

‘I can’t imagine how you must be feeling.’

My cheek twitches. It hurts. ‘I’m used to it.’

‘I’m calling an ambulance.’

‘No,’ I quickly say. I collect every ounce of energy inside my body to push into a sitting position. Pain wells and burns inside me, all too familiar. ‘I’m fine.’

She looks taken aback at my words.

‘Fine?’ she exclaims, blinking slowly. ‘You’re probably the furthest thing from fine.’

‘Just a scratch,’ I reply weakly.

‘I’m calling an ambulance.’

I try to protest, but I’m fading. I sag into the girl, and everything gives out. She catches me, her eyebrows furrowing in concern. I lean heavily onto her lap, my eyelids growing heavy.

‘I’m getting help,’ she says determinedly.

‘Stay,’ I whisper, my fingers clinging weakly to her shirt. ‘Please. Stay.’

And then everything goes dark.

2

BRYN