caught in

with his eyes closed, complete

hand was

ver blade fr

seconds, I c

explanation, but every possibility

as still

was another

yes shut and op

n was st

mmered agai

asti

n't re

almost peaceful, despite the kni

d at th

oonlight reflect

he knife I had seen mome

ame s

e silve

e narro

urled into t

ld wak

nside me screame

terrified of what would h

wasn't re

am hadn't been

ly turned toward

ped br

gan w

ow

ie

ew exactly wher

asti

th

or and stepped i

ther few seconds before f

cold beneath

lowed

s between us, afrai

only faint moonlight comi

n't turn on a

h the darkness w

inging slightly at his

mach t

was he

efore we reached th

st

or was

topped in f

, he simply

ached for

oor o

row

normally loc

e kept important documents there, and even the hou

d in without

locked door ha

lowed

almost comp

e tall windows, falling acro

ed straight to

he st

the doorway,

tilted

oved benea

row

as he

I hea

all

inside the

drawers slo

egan beati

seen that dr

n reache

ingers disappeared

ulled som

her

mach d

the knife

had just taken from

ere id

ely ide

nable to understand

an have two of

he hid

ed here in his slee

n sudden

ife in his hand

there, stari

athing

came

ep

lids fl

ped ba

n's eyes

tur

anded dire

ren

dn't a

ked co

s moved arou

e you do

allo

alked

fro

ha

here from

ared

remembe

ere as

ression

ha

e sleepw

down at

the open

lowly lost

..

sto

d him ca

n't rem

ok his

N

unded genuin

the knife ins

emember op

opene

oked

I hur

tion sur

N

ers relaxe

closed t

pped

e another kn

n't k

asti

t know,

was firmer

ied hi

ed frig

an

defe

ght

red me e

r seen that k

d at the

't rem

ded m

ying you don

se I d

ed his

don't remember le

to beli

't forget wh

toward t

two identical knives

dn't

stretched

he look

go back

ok my

can

ren

k through the house in the mid

sn't

make it less

ession s

never h

hould have

reminded me

standing

kn

bl

se fina

so

oked

d some

nod

oke as we return

I didn't s

, Sebastian left

my forehead as though no

get so

walk toward

behind him, somethi

t simply forget

ded a

ed to th

r was u

ide and close

econds, I sto

searching through

my hu

uste

, I thou

een trusting someone and ignori

d with t

d every

ume

tra

eip

th

ed the

ess f

ancial

l no

hed the

ng un

eel ridiculous when

helves looked sl

sitting completely f

ed tow

brushed ove

I p

anel

began p

as a narrow

t a small

ok i

were tr

d the door bef

tained seve

ld w

folded

phot

up the ph

tanding outside

ked yo

you

was no mis

ound the waist of a wo

as sm

tian

trangely familiar abo

pe of h

gth of

t her made my

the photo

th

ned i

oticed h

een scra

on

tw

object across it repeatedly

at the ru

mach t

d done

d

at Sebast

d her as though they

y c

t entere

't want to

was

ain, hoping to find something

th

n

d

plana

ard a car

art j

ast

put everyt

wa

pa

hotog

hidden compartment and pus

the study before I hea

ren

choed throu

llway, trying to

es

t you wer

w

at me fo

s moved towa

art s

you in

myself

N

remaine

nt, I thou

he no

downst

lowed

ograph staye

terious

atched-

ge feeling th

een her

asleep, I quietly took the phot

light of my bedside lam

ast

wo

stroye

ned i

th

ned i

something I had

writing along

eath

hotograph close

d been writte

ent cold as

supposed