She'll come around, we know that for sure, but not knowing when feels like a curse, more painstaking than the fact that she died again to begin with.
Maybe this is the side of the pain I feel, since I didn't experience a physical wound like she did.
“All we can do is wait,” Hugo breathes, his voice tight and strained, making it clear Archer isn't the only one concerned, but someone has to keep a level head.
It seems we all have our roles here.
Hugo is rational, Archer is dripping with distress, and Meadow is a calm and quiet presence. Teddy is tugging at his hair so much, I'm certain he's gonna lose half of it, while Sax hums, the sound almost calming, but it does nothing to impact my state.
Mute.
That’s my place in the madness.
My mind is alive, my world swirling around and around, but it's taking so much of me to navigate my endless thoughts and worries that being present and anything more than a spectator is impossible.
I haven’t breathed a word since the meeting, a fact that’s driving my brother insane, but I can’t find the strength to use my tongue.
“We know who did this. Maybe someone should go and serve up some consequences,” Archer sneers, and Teddy sighs.
“We’ve been over this; we can’t go after Francesca without proof. We’ll have it when Ivy is awake and her memories come back to her. Until then, we sit and wait.”
It’s the truth, but it does nothing to appease Archer. I can’t say I blame him. If Ivy was dead—like, dead dead—I don’t imagine we would be sitting around waiting for proof. But my sources say Francesca hasn’t been seen on campus. Otherwise, I would be putting my money where my mouth is and raining Hell down on that bitch.
“What is being done about it, Hugo? What does Viola have to say for herself this time? This clearly wasn't the doing of your father; he'd have taken her with him, Leonardo too. This is the work of someone on campus. She can't say this isn't her jurisdiction anymore. Something has to be done. If not Francesca, what about Odesa? It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?” Archer snarls, desperation getting the better of him as he rakes his hands through his hair.
I’d rather be out hunting for the bitch, but I'm too scared to leave Ivy's side. For the first time in my life, I don't want to wade in with force and ruin. I want to ensure that she is safe first. But when the time comes, I will be the reaper, and I will cause ruin to everyone who stands in my way for the harm that has been caused here.
“I just don't understand why anybody would do this,” Meadow breathes, voicing her concerns for the first time, and Sax scoffs.
“Unfortunately, Meadow, power is a fickle thing. Regardless of how strong or aware of her abilities Ivy may or may not be; others will see her as a threat.”
“But she doesn't want to harm anybody,” she insists, and my brother shrugs as my stomach clenches.
“To some, it doesn't matter. To some, the mere knowledge that someone might outweigh you, overpower you, and beat you at your greatest is enough for them to take action. Some people here won't want to see Ivy grow into who she is meant to be, but it is our job to ensure that she does,” Sax reiterates, and my chest clenches at his words.
I have never agreed with him more.
“What do you say, Baron?” Sax asks, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. I meet his stare without twisting my head, and don't move a muscle as he rubs the back of his neck. “You're going to have to speak eventually, brother. Keeping it all bottled up isn't going to help,” he insists with his voice low, but everyone can hear him. When still nothing passes my lips, he sighs. “Don't blame me when it happens. Remember that you're the one who made me do this.”
Curiosity curls through my veins as I try to figure out what he means by that, but it would require speaking, and I'm quite happy being on complete lockdown until I see her eyes open. That is, until a knock comes from the door.
It swings open without a second’s hesitation, making me think it’s the nurse, but to my surprise, my eyes almost bug out of my head when they land on familiar green pools staring back at me.
“Ma?”
“I warned you,” Sax mutters as my eyebrows furrow, and I blink at my mother.
She barrels into the room, wrapping me in her embrace a moment later, and for the first time in ninety-six hours, I heave a sigh of relief.
I feel my mother's body tense, as if she takes the weight from me, and exhaustion clings to me for the first time. Happy to drown in her embrace, my moment of peace doesn't last long when whispers reach my ears, and I realize she's not alone.
Aster and Cami follow behind, quickly flanked by my dad and pops.
It looks like it's a whole family gathering.
Hugo stands, shaking hands with my fathers while I try to process what the hell is going on.
“What are you all doing here?” I blurt, and Sax clears his throat.
