“You aren’t sorry,” I respond quietly. “Don’t lie.” Angela’s steps come closer. I feel her standing right behind me. I wipe the blood, a present, courtesy of Jack, from my nose with the back of my hand.
“I could’ve just disposed of him and not let you see him. I think I’m a little more gracious than you give me credit for.” A laugh escapes me. She grabs my arm and turns me to face her. “Don’t push it.” Her face is red, her green eyes wide. I jerk my arm from her grasp.
“Whatever,” I say loud enough for her to hear as I exit through the door. I know I won’t see my brother again. I wipe the blood from my nose with the hem of my shirt. It’s slowed but still bleeds enough to be irritating. I fight back my tears and continue through the hall. Tyler finds me wandering and pulls me in close.
He doesn’t ask, but the concern on his face shows he already knows. My knees go weak and I fall, but he keeps me from going to the ground. The tears stream down my cheeks. I can’t stop them. My body trembles with every sob. I can hardly breathe. I feel like I’ve lost a part of me. Tyler scoops me up into his arms and carries me the rest of the way to his room. I hide my face in his shoulder. My cries echo off the walls. I don’t know how many people we pass to get to the room, but I know everyone must be able to hear me. I don’t care. I can’t hold it in.
He sits me in a chair and gets a warm, wet washcloth and dabs at the snot-blood-mixture expelling from my nose. He does it gently and holds my hand. I can’t feel it. I can’t feel anything. I just feel numb. I put my hand up to the cloth to stop him and rest my forehead on his shoulder. I know he wants to fix things, but I don’t want him to. I want him to just leave it and hold me. Tyler puts the cloth down and puts his arms around me. “I got you, Kris,” He whispers in my ear. I raise my arms and lock my hands behind his neck. He lifts me with one arm and lays me on the bed next to him. I put my arm around him and hold him as close to me as possible. He does the same. I feel his warmth and love, but I still can’t stop crying.
A knock comes from behind the door and Kyle walks in, followed by Alex. I jump up, seeing Alex and embrace him tightly. My calmer sobs turn back into uncontrollable ones. Alex and I fall to our knees and I feel his tight embrace. I don’t know how long we stay like that. I run out of tears. Kyle hugs me and says something, but I hear mumbles not actual words. I force a small smile and stare at the ground in front of me. He squeezes my hand, but I only feel prickles in my fingers. I watch Alex and Kyle leave and feel myself drifting. I’m in a daze.
I hear muffled tones of Tyler’s voice. I can’t hear what he’s saying. I turn my head towards him and watch his lips move but hear nothing. He sits by me and takes my hand. I wish I could feel it. If my back wasn’t against the end of the bed, I don’t think I’d be sitting up. I remember seeing Vi at the table, needing help just to sit up. Now I’m just as weak as she was. All the life has drained from me. I know I need to fight, be strong, but I can’t. Not right now. Alex may be the only family I have left. How long will it be before Angela shows me the rest of my family’s bodies? My limbs feel like jelly and my head throbs from crying. That’s the only sensation I feel.
I don’t know if Tyler’s still trying to talk to me. I can’t hear anything. I lean over and lay my head in his lap. He brushes my hair away from my face and rubs my back, doing his best to comfort me. I don’t want to talk, I just want it to be quiet. I close my eyes and see Sam playing paintball with me at home in Kentucky. Wrestling with me. Looking out for me, the way a big brother always does. Silent tears roll down my cheeks. I feel the wetness from puddles under my cheek on his lap.
◆◆◆
I awake and find myself on Tyler’s bed. He’s not around, but Sarah and Vi stare back at me. My eyes feel puffy and I can only see out of small slits. Vi sits down on the bed next to me. Her smile is back. I’m thankful for that, but I don’t feel like being happy. Sarah dabs my puffy eyes with a cold washcloth and helps me up. I know they will not allow me to just sit around. Angela won’t allow it.
Vi braids my hair and Sarah helps me dress. I slide my boots on by myself, but if it wasn’t for their help, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of bed. They don’t speak, and that’s perfectly fine with me. I don’t have to guess where Tyler is. He’s with Neiamiah, Kyle, Alex, and Beau, planning an escape, I’m sure. I hope the plan they come up with works. I feel like it’s my fault. If I’d just listened to the dream and did my best to keep Sam off the rock wall, he wouldn’t have fallen, and he wouldn’t be dead. That’s my greatest regret, and I’ll have to live with it now. In a way, I feel like I killed my brother.
Vi and Sarah are on each side of me. They guide me down the hall to the dining room. I don’t know if they do this to keep me from wandering or to keep me from getting myself in more trouble. I focus on the ground in front of me. I sit next to Tyler at the table but don’t eat. The smell of food just makes me nauseous. I push it away and leave the dining hall. I hear Tyler say my name, but I don’t respond. I get outside the dining hall and lean on the wall. I slide my back down it and put my elbows on my knees, my face in my hands. I have some feeling today. I can feel the cool wall pressed to my back and my nose is sore from Jack’s blow. Not eating will hurt me in the long run, but if I’d eaten, I would’ve just thrown it back up. I just saved myself the trouble.
I feel someone standing in front of me. I move my hands away from my face to see Kyle. “Izzy, are you alright?” He asks, squatting down. “I know he’s gone, but you still have us.” I know he’s trying to help, but it doesn’t make the pain go away.
“I know,” I say.
“People are watching you. They’re watching to see how strong or weak you are. I know this isn’t easy. It’s difficult on Alex, you, or me, but we have to believe good can come from this. Sam wouldn’t want you to give up. He’d want you to press on. To live. That’s what we must do, Izzy, press on.” Kyle offers me a hand and helps me to my feet. He embraces me in a tight hug.
Sarah enters the hall, followed by the others. “They just announced today is a free day. No training.” Those words ring in as a relief to me. I worry there is a catch. It doesn’t seem like something Angela would do. “Take a day, Kris. Take a day for yourself. To grieve. After today, you can’t let it get to you.” She hugs me. The sting of tears threaten me, but I bat my eyes to keep them away. Standing behind Sarah, Vi gives me an understanding smile. Sarah releases her embrace and I watch the two of them walk down the hall.
Chapter 20
My eyes meet Tylers when he enters the hall. I don’t have to say anything; he already knows what I need. I follow him past his room to the stairwell that leads to the library. I expect him to start up the stairs, but he continues on past. I see the elevator at the end of the hall and my heart races. The code has changed. If he presses it, the alarm will sound. Just before I say something, he turns to the room on the right. I realize that I’ve been here before with Jack and Tyler. He enters and holds the door open for me.
I slide through and stand in the corner. Tyler presses his hand onto a cinder block on the wall of the closet and a silver keypad slides out of a previously hidden opening. He types in a new four-digit code. It isn’t clear to me how he always seems to know the codes. I don’t see the need to ask him about it. It usually allows me to get away from this place, at least for a little while. The pad flashes green and the blocks slide to the side. I go first. Stepping through the wall, I find myself outside. The wind on my face and the sweet smell of fresh air overwhelm me. I close my eyes to take all of it in. I don’t feel caged. I feel free. Even if it’s just for a short time.
“Keep your eyes closed. I have a surprise for you,” Tyler says, taking my hand.
I know we are close to a wood line. When we first came through the portal and before I closed my eyes, I caught a glimpse of it. He leads me through the woods. The sound of flowing water catches my attention.
“Open your eyes,” Tyler squeezes my hand.
I open them and find mys
elf by the creek at my parent’s home in Kentucky. The cabin playhouse my dad built for me is behind me. I hug Tyler tight. He kisses the top of my head. We take a seat on the porch of the cabin, listening to the creek trickle beside us, the frogs croaking to each other. A deer comes near. I smile. Kyle transforms into his human form and sits next to me. Alex by him.
“What if we get in trouble for this?” Alex asks.
“It doesn’t matter what we do. If we stay put, we are in trouble. If we leave, we are in trouble,” I say, swinging my legs back and forth. “I’d rather be here to say goodbye to Sam than stuck underground.”
“You know he didn’t just pass away on his own,” Kyle says, anger boiling out from inside. Tyler shoots him a look. “You remember the odd stew we had the other night wasn’t right either.”
“Kyle,” Tyler warns.
“She needs to know. She needs to know what kind of person she’s dealing with.” Kyle retorts. Alex stands and walks down the creek side. He must know and not want to listen to it again.
“Tyler, what’s he talking about?” I ask. My stomach is in knots. I don’t know if it is because of the awful things I may hear next or if it’s because I just don’t know how else I am supposed to feel right now.
“I don’t think it’s the best time to be doing this. I brought you here to get away, not to stir more things up,” Tyler says, shaking his head.
“I’ll tell her,” Kyle says, raising his hands up in frustration. Tyler starts toward him, but I stop him with my arm. “Izzy. You’re the only one who got to see Sam after he had passed. Did he show any sign of a struggle?”
“No. He looked like he was sleeping.”
“She injected him with air. Stopping his heart. You wouldn’t see it because she used the same site the IV was in.” My stomach tightens and I feel sick. “I know because she’s done it before. Neiamiah told me that’s how she killed his brother. I don’t know how much of anything that happens here is actually an accident.” He pauses. “As for the stew. Remember the girl who died falling into that exercise? What do you think happened to her?”
“Stop.” Tyler is stern. A growl emerges from his throat, and I know he is holding himself back from shifting. I know he is trying to protect me, but it upsets me as he continuously neglects to tell me things. I turn my anger to the person who deserves it. Angela.
“No one is safe from Angela’s evil, disgusting mind,” I say, feeling the blood draining from my face. My cheeks tingle. I’m going to be sick. I jump from the porch and run behind the cabin just in time. I hear Tyler and Kyle arguing, but Kyle’s right, I needed to know this; at least the part about her killing my brother. He was defenseless, and she took advantage of it. She thinks she is weeding out the weak, but she is an evil soul. I didn’t put the needle to his arm, but in a way, I feel as if I did. I could’ve stopped him if I’d taken the dream more seriously.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and pick myself up off my knees. I walk to the front of the cabin and see Tyler sitting alone. Kyle is gone, probably with Alex. “We are alone.” Tyler keeps his eyes on the creek. “You said you knew who the gypsy woman is.” His voice trails off.
“Yes. She comes to me in my dreams.” I sigh. “I think she’s my grandmother.” My last word sparks interest in him. He turns now, meeting my eye. “I’ve been seeing things in my dreams. Some things are repetitive and others aren’t.” I stare down at my feet and fumble with the hem of my shirt. “I saw him fall, Tyler.”
“Who?”
“Sam. Before it actually happened.” I shut my eyes tight, trying to keep the image from appearing in my head. It’s already there before the words escape my lips.
A look of recognition shines in his eyes as I know he remembers me waking suddenly the night of the dream about Sam. “What else have you seen?” Tyler takes my hand in his.
“Nothing more about the future. Just images of me from the past. Louisa keeps repeating them. I’m trying to figure out what she’s trying to tell me, but it’s not that easy.” I can see the wheels turning in Tyler’s mind. I’m not sure what it is he’s putting together.
“If you see anything else regarding now or future, it’s important you tell me.” He says, urgency in his voice.
“Okay, I don’t know…” Tyler stops me.
“It doesn’t matter. Just let me know what you know. Did you know your grandmother?”
“No. I saw her once when I was five. My mother and she got into an argument and she never came around again. When she first appeared in my dreams, I remembered her face, her flawless beauty. I’m not sure how I can be her granddaughter and look like this.” I see my reflection in the creek below. “It took me a while to realize who she was.”
“You are beautiful. I don’t know why you think you’re not.” Tyler brushes my bruised cheek with his fingers. He kisses it softly.
“I might’ve been before I came here. Now I always seem to have bruises or I’m bleeding from some orifice,” I say.
“Orifice?” Tyler smirks at the word.
“Yeah. Didn’t know I knew such big words, did you?” I don’t know why I said that, but I’m thankful for it bringing out a laugh. I feel weighed down, but the laugh has lifted away some of the weight. “The thing I don’t understand is why my mom hasn’t mentioned my grandmother since that day. She hasn’t talked about her or even acknowledged the thought of her.”
“The answer to that question is a mystery. All I know is you’re important, not just to me but to humanity. I will die protecting you,” Tyler says.
I shake my head trying to fight back tears, “I won’t let you die for me.”
“Kris, Sam didn’t die because of you.” Tyler continues, “He died because of Angela. Don’t twist things around to blame yourself. It will not do anyone any favors.”
“What about you?” I ask.
“What about me?” Tyler asks, unsure of what I’m getting at.
“You’ve dreamed many times of losing me somewhere. I know you have had the dream more than what you are letting on. I can tell it is bothering you.” I hold Tyler’s stare, refusing to let him look away. “I know there is more going on there than what you are sharing with me.”
Tyler sighs and I can see just how tired he is. His eyes are dark and sunken. The stubble on his face shows he hasn’t shaved in a while. Not that it is a bad thing, I sort of find it attractive. I’m worried about him and all the pressure he puts on himself.
“I have had the dream a lot, but there is no way to tell if it means anything.” Tyler rubs the back of his neck with his hand. “I don’t like the dream and I wish it would leave me alone. When I wake from it, I have the overwhelming feeling that I will lose you.” Tears well up in his eyes, but I know he will keep them at bay.
“You’re not going to lose me, Tyler.” My voice sounds more certain than what I feel. Still, I try to convince him it is the truth. I wouldn’t willingly leave him unless it was to protect him. I would do that for anyone I love. I know he would do the same for me.
He pulls me into his arms. I feel the tension in his embrace. “I know.” He whispers. “I know.”
“What about Mykala?” I ask.
“What about her? I feel him puff out his chest a little in defense to my question.
“It surprised me to see her standing with Angela.” I try to make my statement sound neutral. I don’t want him to think I am against his sister.
“I’m not.” Tyler keeps me tight against his chest. He squeezes me a little closer. “She chose her side the day she told Jason where I lived.” He rests his head on top of mine. I know the fact that his own sister turned on he still hurts him. I can’t pretend to know what that would feel like.
Chapter 21
The sun starts to set. Tyler and I watch it disappear behind the tree line. I feel like my old self again. The crickets chirp and I feel calm, at peace. Kyle and Alex went back a while ago to headquarters. We decided to stay behind. I know we will have to return soon. Angela wi
ll be furious with us if she knows we’ve been gone. I’m sure she already knows. I don’t care. I needed to be home, even for just a day. Tyler’s arm is around my shoulder, mine is around his waist.
Fighting Secrets: Unbreakable Series, Book 2 Page 12
