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Before my thoughts get out of hand, I dial Georgina and hold the phone in front of me so I can see her face as it rings. I can’t help it. I do it every time, even when I’m mad at her. She’s so good at making me mad in more ways than she will ever know. But there isn’t a single moment where the vision of her isn’t welcome.
Georgina is so beautiful, and she knows it. From her beguiling, crooked smile when she’s teasing and goading to the flutter of her lashes when she’s reeling you in. The flare of her small, upturned nose when she’s holding back in order to pull you closer. The confidence she exudes in her every move is enthralling. It captivates you no matter how hard you try to resist it. And as slight as her body is, it is strong. No matter how far she bends, even when you think she’s about to break, she surprises you.
Exactly as a swan, she’s stunning and fierce.
My swan.
When the call goes to voicemail, I redial, bracing my elbows on my thighs so that I can try and get enough air into my blood. My head is swimming as my call is obviously rejected, and as I’m about to ring again, a text pops up at the top of my screen.
Swan: Stop.
A few seconds go by before another message comes through.
Swan: I’m with Arabella. Casper will pick up my things tomorrow.
It’s for the best, I repeat as I read the text again and again. Seconds tick by. Minutes. The more I read it, the louder the anger screams inside me. At her. At me. At this whole fucking world.
As I predicted, in the end, she’s left. Everyone leaves eventually. Except this time, it’s what I wanted. And still, before I finish reading the message again, my fingers type out my reply…
Freddie: No.
Chapter 2
FREDDIE
“Freddie…” she whispers with a laugh. It’s too dark to see anything. But the ferns smell good, and the rain in the air sweetens the must of the moss and mulch on the ground. “Come find me, Freddie…”
“Are you going to let her go too?”
Pausing, I turn about me, searching for the other voice. There’s nothing though.
“Lucy?”
“She’s gone,” Georgina says.
I can’t find her anywhere either.
“Come back!” It’s impossible to see anything as I stumble through the mulch. “Where are you?”
Giggles echo around me. A cacophony of breathy whispers and feathers swoop in the breeze. There’s no light, not even from the sky. How can I find her if I can’t see her?
“Swan! Swan!” I yell and shout, but all that echoes back is the sound of my own voice calling for him. “Dad! Dad!”
My hands claw at my ears, trying to silence the echoes.
“You should’ve picked me,” Lucy whispers beside me, and as I turn to find her, there’s nothing. She’s gone. “You should’ve picked me, son.”
“Go away. It’s your fault. You did this!” I scream, trying to run as far from her as I can, but my feet sink deeper and deeper into the mud.
“Why can’t you love me?” she asks, standing in front of me. Sapphire-blue eyes shine in the darkness as she brushes her golden hair from her face. Slowly, it burnishes to a bronzed brown, and with a blink, cold eyes glisten to muddies oceans. “Why can’t you love me, Freddie?”
The words burn my tongue at the flicker of brown eyes to blue again. They’re right there as pink lips tip up to a crooked smile. Slender fingers trace the contours of my face. The scent of freesias envelops me, and all I can do is search around me for the other girl. My girl.
“You and me, Fred.” Small hands cup my face, fingertips stroking at the edges of my jaw. When I try to pull away, they grasp harder, nails clawing into my flesh.
“I love you.” The words echo around us, making me rip away from Lucy’s hold and twist every which way to find my swan. There’s nothing but an endless void that sucks the words into oblivion.
“Don’t you love me?” My eyes flit up, meeting a teary blue gaze.
