I open my eyelids and focus on the middle-aged man in front of me. His full beard, bald head, and relaxed posture strangely put me at ease, as if I were talking to my own father. His calm green eyes try to read right into mine. What does he see? Desperation? "Why did Sean banish his son?" I ask defeatedly. It's not much to go on, I'm relying on pure instinct and curiosity, but I have nothing else to tether to. He crosses his arms and replies nonchalantly. "Because of what the hybrids did to his son."I nod. Everyone knows this much. The hybrids scarred his son. However, I remember the discomfort my dad displayed when he mentioned this, how he said he could never have put me through something like that, and so, I follow his lead."Because of a mark? What, Sean can't handle a scar?" I provoke. The result is immediate. Fierceness replaces tranquility, battling among his wrinkles, anger directed at the perpetrators. Rage that I recognize all too well. "It's more than that," he takes
Today, I see the graves. Today, I finally say goodbye. And so, I'm all nervous energy, walking around my room aimlessly, just trying to calm down. I barely slept, too afraid of the monsters lying waiting for me with open mouths and sharp teeth.Devin and my parents have tried in vain to calm me down these past couple of days. I can see the worry that oozes off them in waves. Even though being near them is a welcoming distraction, it's not enough. As the hands of the clock get closer to the desired time, my heart escalates to an alarming rhythm, the blood quickly traveling through my veins, rushing, screaming, begging for relief. My mind is so scattered that I've successfully tricked myself into believing that the scars on my back are open. I keep glancing at the mirror to assure myself it's only an illusion. The hallucination is so real that the scent of blood tickles my nose, and my back burns exactly like it did all those days of torture. My brain keeps balancing between past and
By the time we hit the road, I'm convinced my heart has finally and utterly given up. My mind swirls around the kiss I shared with Devin, trying- and failing- to make sense of what exactly happened back in my room. Does this change things between us? Does it have to? Still, it's a welcoming distraction from the overwhelming and all-consuming anxiety creeping steadily on me. My mom drives while Devin cheerfully chats away with her from the passenger seat. There's a boyish grin plastered on his face, threatening to split his lips, something that wasn't there this morning. It's strangely fascinating how at ease with each other they seem to be, how the conversation just flows. I can only hope one day to have the same ability. To walk without my ghost's weight crushing me or to endure it as they do. How do they do it? Every so often, Devin glances back at me and smiles with abandon. I know this is just a ruse, a trick to stray his conscience away from the lingering worry. Worry for
"What happened at the station?" My mother asks, abruptly rescuing me from my wandering mind. We walk through the empty streets on our way to the cemetery side by side. The air is filled with tension and dread, mostly mine. "Nothing," I reply quickly. She turns to me and gives me the look. The one that says that I'm not fooling her. "It's a bad day," I justify. I can't see she's not happy, but she doesn't force me to say anything else. And all too soon we reach the black iron gates. My steps falter as my heart gallops straight to my throat. "We don't have to do this now. We can come back another time," my mother says noticing my hesitation.I shake my head vehemently. "Let's go," I say with no determination. We navigate through the cemetery, each step weighing more than the previous, my blood rushing, my eyes burning, my breaths shallow, and then... then I find them. The sight brings me to my knees in front of them. My mother attempts to grab me, but I'm in a distant world, so
The walk to the hotel is a blur. So much so that I have no idea how my mother achieved it. She calls someone as soon as we arrive- my father, no doubt. The word 'therapist' is repeated often, but I'm in no condition to resist. The air in the room is pungent with crippling dread, and awkward silence. Nothing I can say can fill the empty void, and it all seems useless. If the cemetery is any proof, it just showed that I can't deal with my past. Any of it. And it's finally catching up to me. What a mess. My mother gets us a few sandwiches for lunch, and I attempt a smile. I don't think I could handle leaving this room, even if I wanted to. She cleans the superficial wounds I created while scratching my back, and we fall back into silence.We sit side by side on the single bed, reeling from the entire experience. It seems like hours before my mother breaks the silence. "How are you feeling?" She asks timidly, and I want to punish myself for making her uncomfortable around me, for push
The hours pass by incredibly slow as we attempt to deal with all the bagagge that just landed in our laps. So, we do everything we can to minimize the collateral damage. We talk, we walk, and we pretend that the world isn't falling apart right beneath our feet. We fall into a dependent rotine, concerned that even the slightest detour could send us reeling into the somber pit we barely escaped of. When my phone buzzes in the middle of the second night, disrupting the quiet of our small hotel room, I all but jump to it, because there's only one person that would try to text me.Can you come downstairs?I frown. What is Devin doing here so early? Something must be seriously wrong. My heart kickstarts in my chest. I look at my mother's sleeping form once before I push the sheets back from my body, and rapidly tip toe to the exit. I close the door as softly as I can, but I'm already anxious, torn between launching myself into a stream of apologies or questions. I fly by the empty, bare
My heart beats in a frantic rhythm, and adrenaline courses through my body with each thunderous contraction. My mind is scattered with too many scenarios that could destroy my only chance of escape.I clench my fists as I press my ear closer to the door, listening to the chaos that quickly spread through the compound. Screams permeate the air, and a part of me is destroyed every time the echoes reach me.Somewhere out there, the person who raised me that cared for me is on a killing spree, maddened with the loss of her mate. Somewhere out there, Natalie is ready to fight these men until her last breath. We orchestrated this plan years ago, already knowing that one of them would be assassinated. It was only a matter of time. Still, losing them both is agony.I swallow my sorrow and grab the necklace around my neck, squeezing it tight. It's a simple heart-shaped pendant hanging from a rusty chain. It's also my most prized possession. This symbolizes Natalie and Adrian, their love for e
The colorful shops, the bursting-to-the-brim coffee shops, the cars that hurriedly pass the avenue, and even the people themselves are fascinating. Everything feels so strange, so intense. It's tremendously hard to get used to seeing so many people. For years, all I could do was imagine the outside world, and now that I'm finally here, I can never let go. I'm mesmerized by the sky, how the clouds chase each other in a never-ending race, and how the sun displays itself so proudly.These people have the most magnificent miracle above their heads and do not glance up. They take these mundane things for granted, unaware of the unfortunate ones that would give anything to be this free. Instead, they look at the ground or their phones. Some are in such a rush that they don't see anything at all. So many saddened faces pass through me, and no one bothers to slow down.As I absorb the world around me, I vow that if I ever find myself safe, I'll stare at the sun every single day because every
The hours pass by incredibly slow as we attempt to deal with all the bagagge that just landed in our laps. So, we do everything we can to minimize the collateral damage. We talk, we walk, and we pretend that the world isn't falling apart right beneath our feet. We fall into a dependent rotine, concerned that even the slightest detour could send us reeling into the somber pit we barely escaped of. When my phone buzzes in the middle of the second night, disrupting the quiet of our small hotel room, I all but jump to it, because there's only one person that would try to text me.Can you come downstairs?I frown. What is Devin doing here so early? Something must be seriously wrong. My heart kickstarts in my chest. I look at my mother's sleeping form once before I push the sheets back from my body, and rapidly tip toe to the exit. I close the door as softly as I can, but I'm already anxious, torn between launching myself into a stream of apologies or questions. I fly by the empty, bare
The walk to the hotel is a blur. So much so that I have no idea how my mother achieved it. She calls someone as soon as we arrive- my father, no doubt. The word 'therapist' is repeated often, but I'm in no condition to resist. The air in the room is pungent with crippling dread, and awkward silence. Nothing I can say can fill the empty void, and it all seems useless. If the cemetery is any proof, it just showed that I can't deal with my past. Any of it. And it's finally catching up to me. What a mess. My mother gets us a few sandwiches for lunch, and I attempt a smile. I don't think I could handle leaving this room, even if I wanted to. She cleans the superficial wounds I created while scratching my back, and we fall back into silence.We sit side by side on the single bed, reeling from the entire experience. It seems like hours before my mother breaks the silence. "How are you feeling?" She asks timidly, and I want to punish myself for making her uncomfortable around me, for push
"What happened at the station?" My mother asks, abruptly rescuing me from my wandering mind. We walk through the empty streets on our way to the cemetery side by side. The air is filled with tension and dread, mostly mine. "Nothing," I reply quickly. She turns to me and gives me the look. The one that says that I'm not fooling her. "It's a bad day," I justify. I can't see she's not happy, but she doesn't force me to say anything else. And all too soon we reach the black iron gates. My steps falter as my heart gallops straight to my throat. "We don't have to do this now. We can come back another time," my mother says noticing my hesitation.I shake my head vehemently. "Let's go," I say with no determination. We navigate through the cemetery, each step weighing more than the previous, my blood rushing, my eyes burning, my breaths shallow, and then... then I find them. The sight brings me to my knees in front of them. My mother attempts to grab me, but I'm in a distant world, so
By the time we hit the road, I'm convinced my heart has finally and utterly given up. My mind swirls around the kiss I shared with Devin, trying- and failing- to make sense of what exactly happened back in my room. Does this change things between us? Does it have to? Still, it's a welcoming distraction from the overwhelming and all-consuming anxiety creeping steadily on me. My mom drives while Devin cheerfully chats away with her from the passenger seat. There's a boyish grin plastered on his face, threatening to split his lips, something that wasn't there this morning. It's strangely fascinating how at ease with each other they seem to be, how the conversation just flows. I can only hope one day to have the same ability. To walk without my ghost's weight crushing me or to endure it as they do. How do they do it? Every so often, Devin glances back at me and smiles with abandon. I know this is just a ruse, a trick to stray his conscience away from the lingering worry. Worry for
Today, I see the graves. Today, I finally say goodbye. And so, I'm all nervous energy, walking around my room aimlessly, just trying to calm down. I barely slept, too afraid of the monsters lying waiting for me with open mouths and sharp teeth.Devin and my parents have tried in vain to calm me down these past couple of days. I can see the worry that oozes off them in waves. Even though being near them is a welcoming distraction, it's not enough. As the hands of the clock get closer to the desired time, my heart escalates to an alarming rhythm, the blood quickly traveling through my veins, rushing, screaming, begging for relief. My mind is so scattered that I've successfully tricked myself into believing that the scars on my back are open. I keep glancing at the mirror to assure myself it's only an illusion. The hallucination is so real that the scent of blood tickles my nose, and my back burns exactly like it did all those days of torture. My brain keeps balancing between past and
I open my eyelids and focus on the middle-aged man in front of me. His full beard, bald head, and relaxed posture strangely put me at ease, as if I were talking to my own father. His calm green eyes try to read right into mine. What does he see? Desperation? "Why did Sean banish his son?" I ask defeatedly. It's not much to go on, I'm relying on pure instinct and curiosity, but I have nothing else to tether to. He crosses his arms and replies nonchalantly. "Because of what the hybrids did to his son."I nod. Everyone knows this much. The hybrids scarred his son. However, I remember the discomfort my dad displayed when he mentioned this, how he said he could never have put me through something like that, and so, I follow his lead."Because of a mark? What, Sean can't handle a scar?" I provoke. The result is immediate. Fierceness replaces tranquility, battling among his wrinkles, anger directed at the perpetrators. Rage that I recognize all too well. "It's more than that," he takes
Even though the tension in the room was suffocating, my parents and I managed to come up with a plausible story for my disappearance. We predicted all of the questions and created the answers. Bethany informed the police that I was discharged and was finally ready to be interrogated. How she got a doctor to play along with the act is beyond me. They came to the house, a man and a woman, and spoke as if not to scare me away. They revised the pictures of my wounds and inquired about every single detail: who they were, their appearance, and what they wanted. I answered as truthfully as I could, except for the purpose of my abduction. I played the role of the devastated victim: fragile, defeated, and heartbroken, to prevent them from confronting me. My parents stood beside me, one on each side, encouraging and aiding the scenario of the destroyed family coming together. It takes us about 2 hours before they're satisfied, though I doubt this will be the last time I hear from them. Onc
Devin tenses, reluctant for once, but he doesn't deny me the truth. "It started four days ago. Your parents asked me to not say anything. They wanted to talk to you first, to deliver the news."I stare ahead once again, pondering over this new piece of information."Don't be too harsh on them, Audrey. They want to protect you. They just don't know how."I bow my head to hide the disappointment and the fear. The overwhelming and all-consuming fear that threatens to untether me from this earth. Against my will, my hands start to shake uncontrollably, and I can feel myself slipping away to another reality, to another time. Slowly, I begin to fall into another flashback. Devin's hand suddenly covers my own, and I flinch out of instinct at the unexpected connection. Still, he shows no indication of moving them soon. This, too, is a change, the ease with which he touches me. "Hey," he says softly. "We won't let them hurt you. You have my word," Devin vows passionately, squeezing my hands
I'm numb. I'm in another dimension as Eric turns on the TV, and my name appears on each channel. A picture pops up next to it- how they got it is beyond me. But there's no mistaking my identity. My breathing becomes shallow, and I become hyperaware of it. Ryan and Eric speak, but the sound is lost on me. Ryan finishes the arrangements with Eric, and all I can do is focus on the air quickly leaving my lungs. I'm done. I'm utterly and irrevocably done. I can't do this anymore. This was the last straw. The thin grip I had on reality just escaped my weak hands. They are coming for me. The words keep replaying in my mind as I try, in vain, to stay tethered to this moment. I'm slipping away. My back burns, reminding me of what they will do when they find me. I can smell the scent of burnt flesh and feel my skin reaping apart beneath the sharpness of the whip. They're coming. I can't breathe. Ryan must have noticed because he quickly leads me away from the building. Still, when he tr