A tear slides down my cheek.
I now understand why people find solace in tears.
“I killed Rebecca,” I whisper, my lower lip quivering.
Kit nods sadly.
“I killed people.Lots of them.”
“Bad people.People who deserved it.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“No, of course not, but a lot of people are alive because of you.”
“And people are dead because of me.I deserve to be punished for what I’ve done.”
“Don’t say that.You’re everything.Those girls get their day in court because of you.”
“I’m a monster!”
Kit shakes his head.“Hallie, Jupiter wasn’t a monster…she was your guardian.Jupiter learned how to survive in a world that hurt her.Hallie is the girl who endures, while Jupiter is the girl who protects.”
Is that true?
Am I not evil, then?
Was I only trying to survive?
I feel empty inside.“Without Jupiter, I’m nothing.Just a scared little girl who has a make-believe friend.”
“She was real to you.She was your friend, the person who protected you when I couldn’t.But I won’t let that happen.I meant it when I said I’ll always protect you.”
I have so many questions, but I can’t process a rational thought.
Jupiter is fading.
Like a smudge in time.
“Don’t leave me,” I say to her, tears falling.
She soon disappears.But I can still feel her…in my heart.
This time, I don’t feel weak to cry.Maybe I am human after all.
Kit draws me into his arms.“I love you.Always remember that.”
With tears staining his white shirt, I cling to him tight.“I love you too.”
It’s the first and last time I’ll ever tell anyone I love them because when three men in white appear, the end is here…it’s just not the ending I expected.
Iamfucking crazy.
“They’re here to help,” Kit explains, still holding me tightly, before placing a final kiss on my cheek.
The men smile, attempting to appear friendly.But they’re here to take me away, take me away to an institution for people like me.
I am defeated.
