Free Dust: Before and After by S.E. Smith Page A

chains around both of her wrists. His hands curled at the sight of the thin body. He wondered what she had done to deserve being chained like an animal.
    “Just eat, girl, so I can take the tray back,” Beau ordered.
    Josie slowly sank to her knees and picked up the food. It didn’t take her long to devour the meager offering. She stood up and kicked the tray across the floor, ignoring Alex when he stepped forward in warning. A menacing smile curved her lips as she tilted her head and looked over Beau’s shoulder.
    “What’s the matter, Alex? Feeling a little hot under the collar?” Josie asked with a soft laugh. “I can make you hotter if you like.”
    “Josie,” Beau growled in warning.
    Josie’s gaze swept along the wall where Dust was standing. He saw her frown for a second before her gaze locked on Beau’s face. The tension in the air grew the longer they stared at each other.
    “Go away,” she finally muttered, looking away. “You don’t give me enough food to fight.”
    “If I did, you’d kill us all,” Beau retorted in a soft tone.
    Josie gave him a malicious grin before she stepped back to the center pillar where the chains were attached. She ran her hand along it, pausing before she disappeared again. Dust watched as Beau bent and picked up the tray before he started to turn back toward the door.
    “Wouldn’t you?” Josie’s whispered question resonated through the room.
    Beau paused and turned back to her. Dust waited, starting to feel the drain from being in his current form pulling on him. He clenched his fist, focusing to keep the form.
    “Wouldn’t I what?” Beau asked in a harsh voice.
    Josie glanced over her shoulder and stared at Beau. “Wouldn’t you kill all of us if we starved you and treated you like some unnatural beast? Wouldn’t you, dad?”
    Beau’s face stiffened and he turned on his heel. Dust released a deep breath when the door closed behind them. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, debating if he should solidify and eat a candy bar now, or after he got out of the room.
    “Don’t let them know what you are,” Josie’s voice echoed in the room. “They won’t chain you up. They’ll kill you, like they did the others.”
    Dust was so shocked when Josie reappeared around the pillar that he lost his hold on his form and reappeared. He stared at Josie. With shaky fingers, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the other two candy bars that Sammy had given him. Tearing one open, he quickly ate it. He started to unwrap the other one, but something stopped him. Glancing up, he saw Josie’s gaze locked on the precious energy in his hand.
    He took a step forward, pausing for a moment before he pushed his reservations away. He wanted, needed, answers. Why was she chained up down here? What did she mean when she said they had killed the others? Was she like him? And most important, was Beau really her father?
    “I’m Dust,” he said, holding out the candy bar as he came to a stop in front of her.
    She hesitated a moment before she reached out and took the chocolate out of his hand. Ripping it open, she quickly devoured the sweet treat. He watched as she licked her fingers even as she kept her gaze on him.
    “I’m Josie,” she finally responded. “How long have you been here?”
    “We just arrived this afternoon,” he admitted, frowning at the chains hanging from her arms. “Why do they keep you chained up?”
    Josie tilted her head and smiled at Dust. “Because they are afraid of me,” she replied with a bitter laugh.
    “Should they be?” He asked curiously.
    Dust studied Josie’s face for a moment before he looked around the pillar. Stepping to the side, he saw an old mattress on the ground and some blankets. There were some other small items, a bowl of water, a towel, some additional clothing, but not much else. His gaze swept the back wall. A makeshift toilet was up against the wall. He started to turn back to look at Josie when he