by K. Anne
We studied each other for a few moments.
“I see you’re not lunging across the table to attack me this time. I guess the doctor was right. You have improved.”
Without a doubt, I knew that Uncle Jack would tell me off for that one, but I couldn’t help it.
“And I see that you’re still alive. I guess we’re both surprised.”
“What’s that supposed to me?” I demanded.
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, but I think it does. I mean, the fact that I’m breathing is what brought us both to this room, so please enlighten me as to why you are surprised that I still have a pulse.”
She glanced at the nurse behind me, but she stayed silent. Her eyes flashed to mine. I perfectly understood what she wanted—for us to be alone. I carefully studied her, looking for any signs that she was about to attack me. She remained calm. Truthfully, I couldn’t think of a time I’d ever seen her so calm.
“I’d like to speak to my mother—alone,” I said, my decision made. I wanted answers, and I knew there was no chance she’d give them to me if these two men stayed with us.
“Miss, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” the nurse behind my mother said.
“It’s fine. You’re not going to hurt me, are you, Mom?”
She gave me a smirk but didn’t speak up.
“Seriously, guys, give us a moment.”
Both men seemed to hesitate before the one I could see finally nodded. “If you need us, we’ll be right outside.”
I waited until they closed the door behind them before speaking to my mother again, “We’re alone, so start talking. Why are you surprised that I’m still alive?”
“Because Death marked you. They told me so. I thought they’d send someone else since I’d failed.”
I gave her an incredulous look. “Who’s they?”
“The Gods,” she said simply.
Goose bumps rose across my skin. Whatever the doctor thought he knew, he was wrong. My mother wasn’t any closer to passing the sane mark than she had been the night of the attack.
“And how do you know what they want?” I asked.
If it wasn’t for what had happened with the brothers, I would’ve walked out of the room without another word, but now, I had to know what my mother wanted to tell me.
“They spoke to me that night while you were at the game.” She smiled. “‘It all begins when she ends.’ They made it clear that your time was up, and it was my responsibility to end your life, so you could continue on to the next one.”
“You do realize how crazy you sound right now, don’t you?” I asked.
“Of course I do, but it doesn’t matter. They spoke to me. I just don’t understand why they’ve left you alone for this long…unless…”
“Unless what?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Either something is protecting you, or they meant what they said to me. It’s my responsibility to end you.”
I pushed my chair away from the table. “I’ve heard enough. I’m leaving now. Have a nice life, Mother.” I stood and walked around the table, careful not to turn my back on her.
“Ella?” my mother said softly as she turned to face me when I reached the door.
“What?” My hand gripped the doorknob. All I wanted was to escape this room.
“I love you. I hope you know that. You’re destined for great things. You’ll end this war and save so many.”
Her words floored me. “I love you.” She had a funny way of showing it.
I was so shocked that I didn’t even see her lunge for me. One minute, I was standing there, and the next, I was on the floor with my mother on top of me. Her hands circled my neck, choking off my air supply. I fought for breath that would never come as my hands closed over hers. No matter how hard I pried, her grip refused to loosen.
Our bodies were pressed up against the door, blocking the nurses, doctor, or my uncle from getting into the room. I felt the door banging against my hip over and over, but they couldn’t get in.
My eyes locked with my mother’s again. Instead of the emptiness I’d expected, I saw regret.
“I’m so sorry that I have to do this to you,” she whispered.
My struggles lessened as black spots danced in front of my eyes, but I fought to stay conscious. If I closed my eyes, without a doubt, I knew that I’d never open them again.
No, I thought, I won’t die like this!
With one last bout of energy, I bucked my hips. She was still on top of me, but her grip loosened just a fraction—enough to give me hope. My head shot forward, my forehead connecting with hers. She cried out in pain as she rolled off of me.
With her weight gone, the nurses could finally get the door open. They rushed into the room, followed by the doctor and my uncle. The look of pure horror on Uncle Jack’s face was the last thing I saw before I passed out.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I almost instantly closed them again. A bright fluorescent light was attached to the ceiling directly above my head, blinding me. I slowly peeled my eyes open again, giving them time to adjust to the brightness. As soon as they were open, I instantly knew where I was—a hospital room. I’d woken up in one just a few months ago after my mother’s attack.
I snorted out loud. Of course she was the reason I was in one again.
I reached up and touched my throat, wincing as my fingers made contact with the sensitive skin there. Without a doubt, I knew that I would have two hand-shaped bruises circling my throat.
The door to my room swung open, and I looked up. Uncle Jack walked in. The moment he saw that I was awake, he rushed over to me.
“Ella, are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” I winced at the sound of my voice. I sounded like an eighty-year-old chain smoker.
“I’m so sorry. I never should’ve agreed to bring you here. I thought—”
“It’s okay.” I kept my voice at a whisper. “You didn’t know what she’d do.”
“It doesn’t matter! I was so focused on helping her that I never even thought she’d do something like that.” He faltered. “Through that window, I watched her attack you, Ella, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew what she’d done last time, but seeing her actually hurt you, I…I can’t grasp it. My sister isn’t a violent person. She never has been.”
“She thinks she’s doing the right thing,” I said, still keeping my voice low. “She thinks some higher power is telling her what the right thing is.”
“What are you talking about?” Uncle Jack asked.
“Before she attacked me, that’s what she said. She thinks the Gods are talking to her. She really believes that she’s doing the right thing by trying to kill me. The first time, she wasn’t herself. I could’ve looked past it, but this time, she was fine. She told me she loved me.” I laughed humorlessly. “I saw her face when she was on top of me. Her expression was full of regret.”
“She’s insane,” he said after a moment. “Totally and completely insane!”
“She is,” I agreed. Or at least, I thought she was.
My reasons for finally seeing her came back to me. So many things she’d said were similar to Cain and Asher’s conversation.
“Death marked you.”
Hadn’t they mentioned Death, too?
But while they seemed determined to protect me, my mother obviously didn’t agree.
“I just don’t understand why they’ve left you alone for this long…unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Either something is protecting you, or they meant what they said to me. It’s my responsibility to end you.”
She thought that maybe someone was protecting me. Could it be possible that she was right? Could two teenage boys be the reason I was still alive?
It was ridiculous to think about, but right now, every option was possible.
I’d come to my mother for answers, but the only thing she’d managed to do was leave me with more questio
ns.
“I promise you one thing, Ella. You will never see your mother again. I’ll make sure of it,” Uncle Jack said, pulling me from my thoughts.
“That’s much appreciated,” I mumbled. “When can I get out of here?”
“I’m sure Dr. Gralin will want to check you over again, but after that, we should be able to leave.”
“Good,” I said.
It was time to find the answers I was looking for, and my first stop would be on Cain and Asher’s doorstep.
Despite my protests, the doctor kept me overnight just for observation. I was pretty sure he thought I might sue the hospital for leaving me alone with my mom.
Early the next morning, I was in the process of being released from the hospital.
Dr. Gralin thoroughly checked me over, constantly apologizing for what my mother had done. I ignored him, my mind too focused on what Cain and Asher were hiding from me.
Once I was given the okay, he let me go. Besides the bruises on my neck and my gravelly voice, my mother had done no permanent damage. I was relieved. I was also smart enough to know that if I hadn’t been able to get her off of me when I did, I would be dead right now.
The ride home was uncomfortable. Uncle Jack tried to keep up a steady flow of conversation, but it was kind of hard when I refused to participate. Finally, he just gave up and stayed quiet.
The silence gave me time to think, not that it did me much good. I needed to find a way to get the brothers to confide in me, but I had no clue how. That made me angry. Whatever was going on, it had to do with me, so I had a right to know.
By the time we pulled into our driveway, I had moved on from angry to furious. No matter what argument I thought about using, I knew none of them would work. The only thing I was sure of was that I had a better chance of finding out the truth from Asher than I did with Cain. Even though Asher had lied to me, I knew he was the more honest one of the two. Cain would just sidestep my questions with sarcasm or outright lie to me. Somehow, I had to make Asher trust me enough to give me the truth.
Guilt churned in my stomach. I liked Asher, I truly did, but I knew that anything I did from this moment on would be laced with untruths. Every kind word I said or action I made would be to gain his trust. To me, that wasn’t true friendship. I would only be using him.
It’s to protect yourself. I had to remind myself over and over again.
I wouldn’t be doing anything that would truly hurt Asher. I just needed answers.
As soon as Uncle Jack shut off the car, he was out and walking around to my door. He opened it for me, and I climbed out. Worry was still etched into every line of his face. I fought not to roll my eyes. He’d been the same when I first came to live with him. It had taken almost two months for him to finally realize I wasn’t going to have a breakdown of my own. After witnessing my mother’s second attack, I was sure it would take him longer than two months this time.
I glanced over at Cain and Asher’s house as I crossed my yard. It looked empty, no light or movement coming from any of the windows. I knew better. From somewhere inside, one of them was watching me. I could feel it.
“You can’t hide forever,” I whispered before walking into Uncle Jack’s house.
I spent the rest of the day locked in my room. I was supposed to work at the theater that night, but I called in sick. There was no way I could handle dealing with the general public all night. Plus, we were required to wear a uniform at work. They’d never allow me to wear a scarf to hide the bruises on my neck.
Instead of working, I took a quick shower and settled in for the evening. I could’ve worked on some of my homework, but I decided against it. It was Sunday, but school was closed tomorrow for a holiday. I considered that to be the only bit of luck I’d had lately. I wasn’t sure how I was going to hide my bruises until they faded, but at least I had another day to myself.
I shut off my bedroom lights and crawled into bed. I pulled the sheets up to my chin and snuggled down into them until I found a comfortable position. Even though I was exhausted both mentally and physically, I couldn’t fall asleep. I tried to clear my mind, but no matter what I did, my thoughts continued to drift back to the brothers. Everything had changed so quickly between us.
For a moment, I considered the fact that maybe, just maybe, I had imagined all of it. I knew that wasn’t true. The things I’d seen could possibly be explained as something normal if they didn’t occur so close together. Cain’s eyes and his strength had been the first signs that something wasn’t right, but I could’ve pushed that aside if it weren’t for the fact that they had occurred right before things had happened in my kitchen.
I felt insane. My every thought made me believe that Cain and Asher weren’t normal teenage boys. I wasn’t even sure they were human. That thought scared me. What if I was losing my grip on reality? What if whatever sickness my mother had was being passed down to me?
That was the last thought I had before I slipped into unconsciousness.
When I awoke, it was still dark in my room, the only light coming from the moon shining through my window. I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, wondering what had caused me to wake up. Usually, when I fell asleep, I would sleep like the dead until my alarm went off.
I glanced at my phone, noting that it was just after two in the morning. I sighed. Of course it was. Two o’clock, and I was wide awake. I probably wouldn’t go back to sleep for hours.
A gentle breeze moved through my room, brushing my hair away from my face.
I froze. Why would there be a breeze in my room? I knew for certain that my window had been locked before I went to bed. Preparing myself for whatever I would see, I turned and looked at my window. It was open with the curtains billowing around it.
“What the hell?” I whispered as I stood and walked over to it.
I looked down into my yard, almost expecting to see someone moving around, but there was nothing. Still, the open window unnerved me. I slid it shut and locked it. I even pulled up on it to make sure that it was indeed locked.
Shaking my head, I turned back to my bed and stopped dead. Someone was sitting on my bed.
Before I could make a sound, the light on my nightstand clicked on. I blinked. The person on my bed hadn’t moved an inch.
“Evening, Ella.”
I stood up straighter. “Cain. Can I ask, what are you doing in my bedroom in the middle of the night?”
“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by.”
I should’ve screamed for Uncle Jack. In fact, if I were smart, that would’ve been the first thing I did when I saw that someone was in my room. But I wasn’t smart, not when it came to the Collins brothers. Having Cain in my room should have terrified me, especially after what I’d witnessed, but it didn’t. Some part of me knew that he wouldn’t hurt me.
“And you used my window to visit.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. “Let me guess. I can add wall-climbing to your abilities.”
He chuckled. “What abilities?”
“Strength. Glowworm eyes. A knack for knowing when your brother needs your help. And before you ask, no, I don’t know exactly what it was you helped him with. I’m still trying to figure that part out, but…” I paused. “I know it has something to do with Death.”
If I’d expected him to react, I would be sadly disappointed. All he did was watch me with that smirk of his on his face.
“You can tell me what’s going on, what you and Asher are protecting me from. I won’t freak out,” I said when he didn’t speak up.
“I know for a fact that you would indeed freak out if you knew even half of the truth, Ella.” He gave me a pitying look. “Sometimes, it’s better to just let things go.”
“You have no idea how I’d react. Maybe I’m stronger than you think,” I shot back. “Besides, it isn’t your place to decide what I can and cannot handle.”
“Oh, but it is. And as for your ability when it comes to dealing with the truth, I assure you, I know how you’d
react and the outcome.”
I studied him. “How could you possibly know that?”
He walked over to me. I stood my ground. If I backed away from him, I knew it would only make him think he was right about me. I would not show fear, no matter what.
“I’ve seen it time and time again.” He looked almost sad. “I’ve felt it.”
“What are you talking about?” I whispered.
He was so close that I could feel his breath against my face. It unnerved me to have him so near, especially after the last few days.
If he noticed my discomfort, he ignored it and stepped closer, effectively removing the small space that had been left between us. He softly smiled at me before lowering his lips to mine. My breath caught in my throat as he gently kissed me. I was so shocked that it took me a moment to respond.
Before I could think about what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Kissing him like this was even better than the first time. I wanted to lose myself in him.
I was so engrossed in our kiss that I didn’t notice the chill that slowly started to seep into my room. By the time I felt it, it was too late. Cain seemed to feel it at the same time I did. He jerked away from me and looked to his left. His eyes started to glow again as a look of anger flashed across his face.
I was so mesmerized by his eyes that it took me a moment before I could look away. I’d known that they could do that, but to see it again was still shocking. The only thing I could think was that I officially had proof that everything I’d seen before was real.
Finally, I managed to follow his gaze to the corner of my room. It was empty, but as I stared, the temperature dropped even more. I shivered as I willed my eyes to see whatever was in the room with us.
Cain sucked in a shocked breath. “No!”
Before I could ask what was wrong, he flew backward. I watched in horror as he was thrown across my room. A choked cry escaped me when he reached my wall. Instead of crashing into it, he went through it. I scrambled across the room to where he’d disappeared. The wall was still intact, but Cain was nowhere to be seen.
A sound filled the room. I wasn’t completely sure what it was, but it sounded like a rustling cloak. I fought not to fall to the floor as the cold became more intense. It was almost overpowering.
