gone?”
“Yeah .”
“We’re almost there, sis,” she heard Ben shout ing in the background. “Hold on just a little longer.”
Hannah put the gun down. The grip had turned all sweaty in her hand. “Gotta go. My battery is almost dead.”
“All right.”
“And Josh? ” She sighed. “Thanks for your help.”
She hung up just before the battery died, sagging back in her seat. After five minutes, the headlights of Ben’s car appeared in her rearview mirror. Hannah unlocked the door and staggered outside. Ben parked next to the Datsun after which he and Josh got out. Ben got to her first, hugging her tightly.
“Hey,” he whispered in her hair. “ This is quite a night, huh?”
Now that she was safe, Hannah started to shiver uncontrollably. She could feel Josh rubbing her back to calm her down. For a while, the three of them were just standing there. Ben was the first to pull away from their group hug to get the jerry can. “Let’s feed your car, okay?”
Ha nnah turned around to face Josh. “Thanks for your pep-talk on the phone. I really don’t know what I would have done without my helpline.”
Josh smiled. “I’m sure you would have been just as brave.” He noticed the way she rubbed her hands over each other, and silently took them in his. “You cold?”
“Yeah. Stress, I guess.” Her hands warmed up against his palms. Hannah looked at Ben, catching the glance her brother shot at her hands safely tucked away in Josh’s. She sighed. “God, I’m exhausted .”
“You should sit down.” Josh pulled her toward the Datsun’s passenger seat.
“But – I have to drive.”
Josh shook his head. “No, I’m driving. You’re too shaken.” He helped her into the seat, but didn’t let go of her hands straight away. “I’ll drive safely,” he added with a grin. “Trust me.”
“I trust you.” Hannah closed her eyes.
“Are you done filling her up?” Josh asked Ben.
“Yep, all clear. Y ou driving Hannah’s car?”
Ben shut his car door and started up the engine. Josh sat down next to her, turning the key in the ignition. She closed her eyes again when they drove off, feeling her entire body relax.
“Just rest,” he said . “You’ll have to wake up for tacos when we get home, though.”
“Hmmm.” She dozed off, thinking about the way she’d felt when he held her hands. Josh was six years her junior, but somehow, she felt inexplicably safe with him. She wasn’t sure she wanted to feel that way about him, though. The age difference wasn’t bugging her that much, but his mood swings were. Plus the fact that Emily had warned her about Josh pushing people away.
Hannah fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t notice the car pulling into the drive way. She didn’t wake up as Josh lifted her and carried her inside, and Ben tucked her in.
That was the night she dreamed about the burning village for the first time.
6.
Clouds of smoke billowed above the primitive hoghans of the small settlement. Hannah panted. She was on the run from a group of Mexican-looking soldiers. Even though she’d never seen soldiers dressed like them in her life, she instinctively knew they were from Mexico, and they didn’t mean well.
“Run!” she cried out to the people she met on her way through the village. In front of her, she saw burning hoghans and Navajo people trying to put out the fire with buckets of water. Hannah knew she was looking for someone. Someone who meant a lot to her. She bumped into fleeing villagers and tripped over her own feet, scraping her knees when she fell down. Frantically, she tried to stay out of sight of the Mexicans on the village square by hiding underneath some thorny bushes.
And then, her eyes focused on a figure running ac ross the square. He came closer and spotted her, but he averted his eyes so he wouldn’t alert the soldiers to her presence. Hannah stared up in utter confusion. That man who was trying to protect her was the man she’d been
“Yeah .”
“We’re almost there, sis,” she heard Ben shout ing in the background. “Hold on just a little longer.”
Hannah put the gun down. The grip had turned all sweaty in her hand. “Gotta go. My battery is almost dead.”
“All right.”
“And Josh? ” She sighed. “Thanks for your help.”
She hung up just before the battery died, sagging back in her seat. After five minutes, the headlights of Ben’s car appeared in her rearview mirror. Hannah unlocked the door and staggered outside. Ben parked next to the Datsun after which he and Josh got out. Ben got to her first, hugging her tightly.
“Hey,” he whispered in her hair. “ This is quite a night, huh?”
Now that she was safe, Hannah started to shiver uncontrollably. She could feel Josh rubbing her back to calm her down. For a while, the three of them were just standing there. Ben was the first to pull away from their group hug to get the jerry can. “Let’s feed your car, okay?”
Ha nnah turned around to face Josh. “Thanks for your pep-talk on the phone. I really don’t know what I would have done without my helpline.”
Josh smiled. “I’m sure you would have been just as brave.” He noticed the way she rubbed her hands over each other, and silently took them in his. “You cold?”
“Yeah. Stress, I guess.” Her hands warmed up against his palms. Hannah looked at Ben, catching the glance her brother shot at her hands safely tucked away in Josh’s. She sighed. “God, I’m exhausted .”
“You should sit down.” Josh pulled her toward the Datsun’s passenger seat.
“But – I have to drive.”
Josh shook his head. “No, I’m driving. You’re too shaken.” He helped her into the seat, but didn’t let go of her hands straight away. “I’ll drive safely,” he added with a grin. “Trust me.”
“I trust you.” Hannah closed her eyes.
“Are you done filling her up?” Josh asked Ben.
“Yep, all clear. Y ou driving Hannah’s car?”
Ben shut his car door and started up the engine. Josh sat down next to her, turning the key in the ignition. She closed her eyes again when they drove off, feeling her entire body relax.
“Just rest,” he said . “You’ll have to wake up for tacos when we get home, though.”
“Hmmm.” She dozed off, thinking about the way she’d felt when he held her hands. Josh was six years her junior, but somehow, she felt inexplicably safe with him. She wasn’t sure she wanted to feel that way about him, though. The age difference wasn’t bugging her that much, but his mood swings were. Plus the fact that Emily had warned her about Josh pushing people away.
Hannah fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t notice the car pulling into the drive way. She didn’t wake up as Josh lifted her and carried her inside, and Ben tucked her in.
That was the night she dreamed about the burning village for the first time.
6.
Clouds of smoke billowed above the primitive hoghans of the small settlement. Hannah panted. She was on the run from a group of Mexican-looking soldiers. Even though she’d never seen soldiers dressed like them in her life, she instinctively knew they were from Mexico, and they didn’t mean well.
“Run!” she cried out to the people she met on her way through the village. In front of her, she saw burning hoghans and Navajo people trying to put out the fire with buckets of water. Hannah knew she was looking for someone. Someone who meant a lot to her. She bumped into fleeing villagers and tripped over her own feet, scraping her knees when she fell down. Frantically, she tried to stay out of sight of the Mexicans on the village square by hiding underneath some thorny bushes.
And then, her eyes focused on a figure running ac ross the square. He came closer and spotted her, but he averted his eyes so he wouldn’t alert the soldiers to her presence. Hannah stared up in utter confusion. That man who was trying to protect her was the man she’d been
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