Chapter 34 : Worthy of Love

I wasn’t sure how long I was tied up in the cave for, but it must have been at least a few days. It was long enough to fall into a sort of routine, as messed up as that was. I was never left alone, which was worse than if I was. There was always someone guarding me, sitting still and silent in the darkness nearby. I could never tell what they were doing or thinking. I rarely knew who it was. It was maddening.

The only time I saw any light was when the guard was changing. A lantern was carried in by the new guard and put out again by the old. Sometimes I could make out a face, but usually the light was too blinding after being in the dark for so long, and I had to shut my eyes against it.

Actually, that wasn’t quite right. I had seen light one other time. A lightning bug had clung on to Nico’s jacket and flitted about the cave for several hours before finding its way out. It had felt like a sign of hope, because it had convinced me that I knew exactly where I was.