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“That’s what I figured. What's wrong with you? This is not why I gave you this job.” Odin pinches the bridge of his nose with his middle finger and thumb. He then rubs his eyes with the same hand before dragging it down his face.
“I’m sorry. Honestly, I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Why is she so important anyway? I mean… I understand Ødger was supposed to break her.” I scrunch my eyebrows together. “But how does that make her so crucial that I would need to keep an eye on her? I’m not understanding, and frankly, I haven't understood since you first gave me the assignment."
“Has Nova talked to you about him? About Ødger? I need to know what happened on that island. I need to know details of what happened between her, Tyr, and that piece of shit.” He quietly stirs his coffee, adding a single-serve shot of creamer before finally looking up at me.
I sigh heavily, staring into my cup of coffee. It’s not my story to tell; it’s Nova’s. I’m not about to explain to Odin what I’ve learned, even if this is supposed to be my job. He won’t get how close I’ve become to her in such a short amount of time. I feel like I’ve known her my entire life. She means so much to me– even I don’t understand.
"You don't want to know the details, Nicholas. It… It’s more than you need to know."
"You haven't called me by my real name since we started The Society and changed from our other names, Aleksandr. You know I’ve stopped going by Nicholas for a while now. Anyway, do you genuinely want to know why I've put Nova so high on a pedestal? Do you want to know why she is so important to me?"
I nod, my attention piqued.
"Tyr, the man she always speaks about?" Odin puts his head in his hands. “He was my son. He didn’t know I was his father, but still.”
Shock doesn't even begin to explain how I felt. The questions spin through my head like flipping through a rolodex. I knew that Odin had fathered a child when he was a teenager, but the baby had gone to live with the mother in the UK. I had no idea it was Tyr. How did I not put the pieces together?
I met him a few years ago. I knew he was a hopeless romantic who wanted to save himself for true love but had some possessive tendencies. I just made the connection that they were inherited from his father. He was kind of corny but extremely sweet. Overall, Tyr was a decent person who was always very kind to us within The Society, never stepping on other people’s toes, never butting into a conversation, and always wearing that stupid smirk on his face.
It takes a while for me to speak again. I don’t know how long; it could have been minutes or days.
“I didn’t know, Odin. It makes everything so much clearer. That's why you took it upon yourself to put her up in Three Norns Hill. I still don’t quite understand why you locked her up in a mental institution instead of sacrificing her.” My boss finally pulls his face, twisted with pain and unshed tears, from his hands and takes a deep breath, readying himself for the explanation I know is coming.
“So, you know that Ødger’s job was to take people to the island. Not to actually fuck them, but to prepare them for the sacrifices. He got them accustomed to pain– but never broke their hymens, or their minds. I discovered that he wanted to have four people at once because he wanted to provide for the Yule Solstice Feast we had. Apparently, he thought it would enable him to rise through the ranks of The Society. He’d done two people before, but he wanted to prove to himself that he was up to the extra challenge. I sent Tyr undercover to see what the fuck he was planning.” He lowers his gaze and lets his unspilled tears finally flow down his cheeks. “I’m the reason Tyr is dead. His brain hemorrhaged because of my order. I killed my son.”
I can’t think of anything to say that will help. There’s nothing to say; nothing can help a grieving parent. It’s clear to me that Odin feels responsible for Tyr’s death, but I didn’t know his anguish. I have questions, but I’m not sure how to ask them. I’m not even sure if I should ask them. But Odin seems more emotional when he isn’t speaking, so I decide to test the waters.
“Ødger didn't know about Tyr because he was so new to us. That’s why he didn’t recognize him. Right?”
“Yeah, I made sure to keep Tyr away from his prying eyes. Ødger had no idea that Tyr was a member when he was sent to kidnap him."
“So... when Tyr died in the hospital after you visited him, did you ask her parents to get her help?” I ask.
“I did go to her parents. They are good friends of mine. I made sure to make myself known when I found out how special Nova is. I wanted to give them fake support and keep tabs on them. You know? Anyway, Nova is going through a psychotic break. It started when the nurses discovered her fast asleep with my boy’s body after he was pronounced dead. She thinks Tyr and her best friend Aimee are still alive. She thinks she lives with him, and Aimee visits her often. This is the first time anything like this has happened, according to her parents.” Odin looks more somber by the second.
“Wait, what happened to this Aimee person? Who is she? I know we got Kyianna and Caleb back, but no one’s said anything about an ‘Aimee.’”
“When Ødger followed Nova to the beach, her best friend Aimee was with her. To get Nova alone and take her back to the island, he had to kill Aimee. Or so he said.” Odin looks at me with tears in his eyes. “Nova was in love with Tyr, and vice versa. I guess I kept her alive and around because she was everything to him. She was the last one to make Tyr smile. She was the last one to hold his hand, to give him a hug, to look at him. Nova was the last living person to be with him. I think I am trying to keep him around… through her. She’s alive because my son is living in her memories.”
I’m dumbfounded. Two and two make four. No wonder Nova’s always talking about him in a way that doesn’t match up with the person she’s been hanging out with. No wonder she’s always going on about things that never make sense. But how is he hurting her if he’s in her head? Unless it’s that other guy who beat the shit out of her? But why would she stay with him? And why does she think Tyr is suddenly the bad guy now that Ødger is gone?
“Odin, you can’t keep her in an institution just to keep her close. She isn’t Tyr. You can’t keep her locked up just because she thinks she can still talk to him. You have to let her go; let him go. Have you ever explained to her what is going on? Gotten her therapy to help her figure out what's going on inside her head?”
Odin shakes his head as if to clear it of self-reproach. He seems to not acknowledge the pain he’s caused her. He’s oblivious to the mental torment she's gone through since being kidnapped. Does he not understand or not care?
I’m going to have to break her down further just to fix her up, and I don’t know if I’m ready to commit to that. How can I ruin someone's perspective on life and expect them to suddenly be okay? Maybe the institute is the best place for her. Maybe Odin’s right to lock her up. I certainly have more questions than answers.
What I do know is that my thoughts about Nova are beginning to change. There’s more to the story; I just need a little help to figure it out.
“Odin,” I speak softly. “What have you done?
Slumbering
My voice is shaky, and my breathing is ragged. Lying here brought up feelings that I’ve fought vigorously not to have. My head is resting on his chest, with our legs tangled together in an unkempt knot. His bed isn’t very comfortable, but it’s something to relax on. After he laid me down the other night, he left. He hasn’t talked to me for a few days, and I’m worried I said something wrong. Tyr isn't home very much, just coming and going.
He came to me last night, determination in his eyes, and his mouth turned down into a frown. He knocked on the front door, but thankfully, Tyr wasn’t around. Alek took me to his place and cooked for me before laying us down in his bed. My body found him, and we lounged together in silence until his breaths became deep, and he started to snore. I laid awake for a long time, watching him in peace until sleep grazed my own eyes, and I drifted off behind him.
“Look, Nova,” he sighs heavily, sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. “There is something you need to know. I can’t pretend anymore. What I’m going to say is going to hurt you– emotionally.” I sit up and move into a position where I can see him properly. He also moves, criss-crossing his legs beneath him.
