Rosalind turned her attention toward the two figures seated at the back of the boat and immediately recognized her mother and Mallory. They were both awake now, though clearly disoriented and frightened from everything that had happened to them. Neither of them understood where they were being taken in the middle of the night.
"Mother?" Rosalind hurried toward her at once before crouching in front of her and taking her trembling hands into hers. "It's alright… we're safe now," she said softly while gently caressing her hand.
The night around them remained dark, making it difficult to see clearly except for the weak torchlight flickering across the boat, but despite that, the woman immediately recognized her daughter. Her hands trembled more violently as she reached for Rosalind and tried to speak, though the words came out broken and incoherent.
"I know… I know, I'm sorry," Rosalind whispered back quickly, understanding her distress even without fully hearing the words.
