Read Lost in Silence (The Lost Series Book 1) for Free Online Page B

it off her head.
    “Look at me,” my voice a hoarse whisper. She lifts her head. “I need to see your face. Would it be alright if I pushed your hoodie back? You don’t have to hide from me.”
    She nods and takes a deep breath. Her body is shaking uncontrollably. The attack is mounting quickly and I need to be face to face with her when it happens. I have plenty experience with panic attacks, it happens when you learn to deal with the demons I live with everyday.
    I reach towards her, slowly, careful not to move too fast. My hands touch the rough gray fabric and I pull it back gasping at the sight of her. Her chocolate brown eyes are surrounded by huge dark circles. Her face is gaunt and sunken it. She’s at least twenty pounds underweight. Her skin is tight and ashen from malnutrition. I’m surprised she able to hold herself up. I can only imagine what is hidden under the layers of her clothing.
    She shifts back and reaches for her hood. My reaction has embarrassed her. I lift a hand to stop her and our hands touch, electricity shoots up my arm. I pull back suddenly, like she’s burned me, and stare down at the floor. I’ve never felt anything like it before.
    I summon the courage to seek out her face, expecting to see panic and worry. There isn’t any. She’s taken aback the same as I.
    “I’m sorry,” I stutter. My mouth feels numb, like I can’t form words. She stares back at me with confusion in her eyes. Her nostrils flare as her breathing deepens. The panic no longer threatening to take control of her body but she hasn’t realized it yet. “I didn’t mean to touch you.”
    She reaches up quicker this time and pulls the hood back over her head. Fuck!
    “Please, don’t hide yourself from me,” I hardly recognize my voice when I speak. I don’t want her to feel embarrassed or ashamed but I’m worried. I can’t stop the honesty that spills from me. “How long has it been since you’ve had a decent meal?”
    She looks down to the floor and shrugs. She’s lying. I know she is. I would bet my last dollar she knew when, what and where it was. I pick up the bag next to me and set it down in front of her.
    “If you don’t like it, I can get you something else,” I open the bag and take out a bottle of water, a bag of chips and a small sandwich. Setting it all down in front of her, I wait.
    It doesn’t take her but half a second before she picks up the water, twists the cap off and guzzles every last drop. She eyes the sandwich carefully, aware of any movement my body makes. She wants the sandwich but she didn’t trust it was hers. Son of a bitch must have starved her during his sick little games.
    “It’s yours. Eat,” I whisper softly. Her eyes lift to my face again and I swallow hard. They’re filled with unshed tears. She licks her lips and reaches for the sandwich, carefully lifting it to her lips, she takes a small bite. She sighs breathily as she chews her food but her eyes never leave my face. I smile at her, trying to reassure her and grateful she was eating.
    “You can pick out what we have next, if you’d like,” I lean back against the bed and relax, allowing the silence to envelope us.
    After she finishes, her eyes get droopy with exhaustion. It’s late evening and there is plenty of time for rest before we need to be on the road tomorrow, I quietly shift towards her. Her eyes shoot open with panic.
    “Do you want to sleep?”
    We don’t need to be on the road until tomorrow morning. There’s some time still before we need to be on the road.
    “You can have the bed,” I motion to the bed behind me. Her eyes flick to the bed and them to me. I can see the thoughts in her head, she wasn’t going to accept the bed. “I’ll sleep in the chair.”
    She doesn’t move from her spot on the floor for some time, contemplating her options. After a few moments she shifts, moving back into the closet, closing the door softly behind her. It wasn’t surprising but I didn’t like