“It’s not your fault,” she whispers softly.
But as her eyes find mine, I silently disagree.
She may not know it yet, but she is mine. My responsibility.
And I will gladly give up my soul for hers to remain whole.
Knox clears his throat, breaking the frequency between us.
I release her wrist, as I find him glaring at me with awhat the fuck are you doing,bro?face.
Probably realizing my internal struggle, he turns to face her. “Myssa, what’s happening to you is real. All of it,” he says bluntly.
Guess we are going the route of ripping off the Band-aid, then.
I lean back on my desk.
She looks at Knox, then back at me, the expression in her eyes a mixture of relief, confusion, and a hint of fear. Despite her attempts to mask these feelings, the tear escaping down her cheek tells me that all of this has definitely taken a toll on her.
“After my sister Nicole died, and this started, I really thought I was losing my mind, or at the very least I was having a nervous breakdown,” she states, looking up at me, and wiping her face quickly.
Knox takes her hand in his and gestures to me with a soft, quiet tone.
“Myssa, I know this is hard, but we need you to tell useverything,” he stresses gently. “And I do mean everything. Don’t leave anything out. Every detail is important.”
Myssa
I’m not going crazy.
This is the first thought that enters my brain after Knox’s statement. This is real—this isn’t just in my head. And yet, saying that, there’s still a small part of me that hesitates to accept it. I mean, any sane person would, wouldn’t they? I look at Zayne as I unravel it all again for him. I walk him through all the things I told Knox yesterday. The threat to my sister, Jasper, the dreams, the harsh reality of my mark. Every part of this terrifying enigma that has plagued me for the last six months.
Watching the looks exchanged between them and the silent conversation they seem to be having is making me uneasy. I shift in my chair, picking at my nails.
“And that’severything?” Zayne asks, his brow raised.
Instantly, my stomach tightens.
How does he know?
In my recollection, I deliberately left out my encounter with Lily, unsure if I should divulge those details to him. And yet it’s like he’s reading my mind, or at the very least sensing my hesitation. What part she plays in all this I’m not sure, but I feel a strange need to be cautious with that information, if only to protect her.
But now the silence fills the space between us, and it’s deafening. Unable to tolerate it any longer, I stand up, needing to move around. I open the fridge without even bothering to ask for permission. After grabbing water from the shelf inside, I twist it open and take a few gulps.
I hold on to the fridge for a moment, bracing myself for what’s about to come.
This is what I’ve waited for, though, right? I mean, for months I’ve been dealing with all of this alone, suffocating with questions I cannot answer, and now I am finally about to get them. This constant divide in my head between my normal and the alternate reality they're telling me is the truth, is tearing me apart. Heat pricks my skin, and the lightheadedness starts to flutter through me. Gripping my water, I walk toward the couch in the corner and sit down, curling my knees up to my chest. I inhale deeply, trying desperately to fight off the impending panic attack. I feel rising in my chest, trying to use my breath to steady and calm myself.
Even though it might be uncomfortable, it’s no more uncomfortable than the torn reality I’ve been existing in for months. I need to know what’s going on, all of it.
Taking a grounding breath, I finally look up at them.
“You, ok?” Knox’s brow furrows.
“I’m fine, it’s just a lot,” I say, waving him off as I take another swig of my water.
Knox grabs my sweater and pulls the chair he was sitting in over in front of me. He hands it to me, but his intense stare continues as he sits down.
Zayne fidgets, still leaning on his desk, his gaze just fixated on my arm.
