Shadows Cast by Stars

We arrive back at the camp at nightfall. I find the place where Madda and I abandoned our packs, and it hits me that the packs and all they hold are now mine. I sink down beside them, rest my forehead on the stiff, rough canvas. I don't cry. I feel like I should, like I need to, but I have no more tears. My eyes feel dry and raw and cracked. So, too, does my heart.

No one approaches me, though I feel many gazes resting on my back. What the men think, I don't know. I don't care. Staying away from me is the best thing they can do. I want blood.

From Shadows Cast by Stars by Catherine Knutsson 2012. Published by Simon & Schuster Canada.