Benjamin collapsed against the door. The only thing he could hear was the pounding of his heart as he tried to recall how he had ended up here, locked up in an unfamiliar place. He looked down and saw needle marks on his forearms. What happened?
The silence was broken by a soft sequence of knocks. "Benjamin? Are you awake?"
"Wren?"
There was no answer.
"Benjamin, I brought you something to eat."
"Wren, this... this has to be a mistake," Benjamin's voice wavered. "What's going on?"
"If you let me in, I'll explain everything," Wren replied. "I don't want to fight you. I'd really rather not have you in chains. It wouldn't be... pleasant."
The word pleasant suddenly recalled a memory. It was the night before they were supposed to return to Aster.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
They had stayed a few days longer than planned. Wren had urgent work come up. He had apologized over and over again. On their final night, Wren had suggested one last outing—somewhere special.
