MADELINE
I stayed there against the tree until the sun started to shift. The heat that had burned against my flushed skin began to mellow into something softer. Gold instead of the hot white. It was the kind of light that made everything look like it was caught in amber.
I watched it through blurred vision. My tears had stopped but my face still felt tight and swollen. My chest still ached with each breath.
Then someone blocked the light.
A shadow fell over me and I looked up. Blonde hair caught the sun like a halo. I would recognize him any day. Wilhelm.
"How did you find me?" My voice came out hoarse.
He crouched down in front of me. His blue eyes were careful, concerned in a way that made my throat tighten all over again.
"The bugs." He said.
"What?" My right eyebrow twitched up.
"Cian put me up to it." He said it simply. "He seemed guilty of doing something and seeing you here dejected and in tears tells me enough."
