51
Wyatt
I sensed that she was close. Her voice sounded like she was in the room with me. It must have been nighttime now, and I hoped that the darkness would protect her. I could still hear the waterfall, the people working, from outside my door. Were they insane? Enslaved? Or did the rhapsody enable them to work endlessly? I wondered where Carl and Henry were, and suddenly, I didn’t want Rachel to come. I wanted her to run, hide. Even if I never saw her again, it would be okay. I wanted to save her, save her as I hadn’t saved Tyler.
I said, aloud, “Rachel, I changed my mind. You have to leave.”
A moment later, I heard her reply. “I cannot leave. I have to do this.”
“But Rachel, you can’t. It’s not safe.”
She didn’t answer.