Father stands behind her, holding her body close to his chest as his eyes water. Jeremy stands off to the side, with Barfred and, surprisingly, Oscar flanking him.
And in front of them all is Reverend Clark, his face grim.
“We need to get started,” he states plainly.
“Come here, Atty,” Julian coos, and I startle to see him standing to my left, next to Cameron.
“No,” Atlas whimpers, his body being ripped from mine.
I pull at the restraints holding me, glaring up at Julian. “Leave him. Hands off, Julian.”
“We need to get started,” Reverend Clark repeats, appearing at the end of the bed.
“It’s okay, son,” Father tells me. “Just let him help you, and you can hug your brother all you want.”
I settle into the mattress, letting his words coddle me. The reverend looks determined and stern, placing a leather case on the end of the bed and clicking it open. I can’t see the contents; my heart skyrockets.
“Is… is this going to hurt?” I ask, my voice quiet and strained.
“Yes,” Reverend Clark answers simply.
Atlas makes a small whimpering noise, burying his face in Julian’s shoulder.
“Does it have to?” Cameron presses. “Isn’t there something we can do without—”
“Son,” the reverend cuts in. “It is the only way.”
The stinging in my skin, the pressure in my head, the way my body feels as if it’ll combust at any second—it all heightens at his words. As if something deep inside of me can sense that this is wrong.
The priest pulls a Bible from his case, along with a beaded necklace and a thick wooden cross dangling at the end.
My breath quickens, my wrists tugging at the cuffs once more.
“I can’t watch,” I hear Mother whisper, turning to let my father hold her tighter.
“W-what are you going to do with me?” I ask, panting as I stare wide-eyed at the priest.
“I’m going to exorcise this demon out of you. You’ve made a deal, and the only way to break it is to banish this pest back to where it came from.”
“It won’t work,” I whisper, and the fact comes from so deep inside of me that I truly do believe it.
“It will,” Reverend Clark assures me. “I’ve spoken to a few colleagues, did some research, and thatthinginside of you will remain for the allotted amount of time if I don’t push it out.”
“Youcan’t,” I insist, an anger big enough to crush building inside of me; a fear so desperate and hot that it hurts to stomach.
Reverend Clark doesn’t reply, doesn’t even acknowledge me.
My body tenses, yanking and yanking at my binds as a voice speaks from the back of my mind.
You will die. He will kill you.
Oh, god, I don’t want to die. I don’t want to hurt. Why can’t this be over? What did I do to deserve this? I just wanted to protect my brother.
My vision blurs momentarily, my brain feeling too full to think properly.
“You bitch,”I sneer, an angry and vicious sound. I didn’t mean to say it; it came out all on its own.
Every head in the room whips toward me, shocked.
