Stitch by Samantha Durante Page A

face struck the pillow.
    Unfortunately, her peaceful repose did not last for long.  Halfway through the night she awoke in a cloud of anxiety, a pervasive sense of unease coloring the air around her.  She’d had another nightmare.
    This time, instead of a dim prison cell she’d been outside on a brilliant winter morning, the chill air bracing against the cool sweat that dripped from her brow.  She was digging a hole, struggling to pierce the frozen ground as the harsh winter sun glared down on her back.  She felt weak and exhausted, her body fighting her every movement.  And hungry, so hungry.
    “Need some help with that?”
    She looked up to find a handsome young man, tall, strapping, with short chocolate hair and striking blue eyes.  He looked familiar, like someone she should know, but she couldn’t seem to place his face.  And he was breathtaking; though he approached her with affection and ease, Alessa’s heart pounded at the sight of him.
    He took the shovel from her hands and plowed it into the ground, easily loosening the section of dirt that Alessa had been battling with.  Leaning over the shovel, he turned his back to the others working in the courtyard and dropped his voice low enough that only Alessa could hear.
    “I have an assignment today.”
    She felt her body react with alarm.  She didn’t understand why, but something about his statement rang of danger.
    “What kind of assignment?”
    “We’re stealing rations.  Everyone is hungry,” he glanced with concern over Alessa’s angular frame, “and we need to keep up our strength.  So we’re going this afternoon.”
    Alessa didn’t like the sound of this.  She wished – not for the first time – that he hadn’t gotten involved with these people, regardless of how righteous their mission may be.
    “Who’s we?” she asked, wondering who would be accompanying him during this harebrained scheme.
    He motioned over his shoulder at another young man.  This one she recognized – it was her ghost.
    “ Him? ”
    “Yeah, why not?  He’s perfectly capable, and he’s been dying to get more involved.”
    “But you’re supposed to be looking out for him!” she heard herself say.  “How can you put him in this kind of danger?”
    He shot her a warning look.   Alessa lowered her voice before continuing.
    “Has he done anything remotely this challenging before?”
    Alessa could see the flash of doubt in his eyes, but only for a moment before he set his jaw.  “Listen, he needs to learn sometime.  I can’t hold him off anymore – he wants a part in this, and I can’t protect him forever.  Not to mention, I think it will make him feel better.”
    “Better about what?” she hissed.  She still couldn’t believe he was going to go through with this.
    He hesitated for a moment.  “I don’t know how to explain this to you.  He feels… responsible, for what happened.  For everything.  He thinks it’s his fault, what happened to our family.”
    “What?  How does that make any sense?”
    “It doesn’t, but nothing I can say will change his mind – trust me, I’ve tried.  He feels like he needs to prove himself, like he needs to make up for it somehow.  So I’m giving him the opportunity.”
    Alessa’s head thrummed with apprehension – she had a very bad feeling about this – but she knew she couldn’t change his mind.  She stepped forward and grabbed hold of his shovel, locking her eyes with his.  “Just be careful.”
    He smiled brightly, suddenly cocksure.  “You know I’ve got this.  Don’t even worry about it.”
    His grin was meant to be reassuring, but Alessa knew better.  If there was one thing she’d learned here, it was that nothing was ever as it seemed – and there were no sure bets.
    “Be careful,” she reiterated, the undercurrent of fear sharpening her voice.
    “I’ll see you tonight,” he replied, intrepid as ever.  “Bring your appetite.”
     
    Despite the sense of foreboding