AN EYE-OPENER

Astrid

My heart raced with determination as I dragged Magnus outside. "Where are we going?" he intoned blandly as I matched us both further away from the house.

 

"Astrid!" He called out, putting his weight down so it'd be more difficult for me to continue pulling him along. "That's it, I'm done with this whole thing."

 

"What are you talking about…?" he asked.

 

I suddenly stopped and whirled around to face him. "I'm talking about how strangely you've been behaving, Magnus! What is going on?"

 

"I already told you nothing is going on; it's all in your head," he replied with a look of genuine perplexity.

 

I swallowed hard, fighting back the tears as I folded my arms across my chest. "I'm not going to believe that anymore," I replied, then edged away when he tried to reach for me. "You seem like you, you talk like you, but somehow you also don't, and it's confusing."

 

"Astrid, come on."