Chapter 22

For the next few days, Sadie was as silent and fragile as a doll. Every evening at dusk, Gideon appeared. His suit carried the faint scent of smoke, and he would sit by her bedside, speaking softly. "Picked up a new batch today," he said one evening, carefully peeling an apple. "One of them tried to resist." The peel suddenly snapped. His voice dropped. "He's learned his lesson now." Sadie's eyes stayed fixed on the stark white wall, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edges of the bedsheet. Noticing...