Page 23 of A Silence So Divine

NON SEEING

PARANOIA

PROMISCUITY

MARK OF DARKNESS

Darkness.My hand pauses, eyes catching on a photo. A little boy, no more than five, smiles at a camera. He looks perfectly ordinary. But according to this file, he is damned.

Like me.

Are these Cecil’s victims? No wonder he doesn’t tell his brother what he does every day. One of the pages said non hearing. Does that mean Creed is in danger, as well?

I grow more frantic, turning page after page. So many people, so manychildren. I didn’t want to bring Creed into this, but I have no choice. His brother is a monster, he—

Searing heat spreads over my scalp. I’m lurched backwards, and in the span of one breath, my back hits the wall. Unyielding fingers burrow into the skin of my throat. I bat at my attacker blindly.

Cinnamon fills my nostrils and dread fills my gut. I can’t make out his face with the candle at his back, but his presence screams lethality. He’s going to kill me.

“You stupid girl,” Cecil seethes, tightening his hold until stars are bursting in my vision. The rush of blood nearly deafens me, his words sounding further and further away.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into!” I’m not sure if it’s the panic seizing my lungs, or the hand at my throat. My fingernails dig crescents into his arms, but my grip is weakening by the second.

I’ve never been afraid to die—being alive has always been much more agonizing. But it had become decent. No, more than that, it was good.Creedis good, and I’m going to die, and I’ll never get to tell him.

Cecil is still speaking, though I can no longer make it out. It’s muffled, like I’m underwater.

I fell in the pond once as a child. The grass was too tall, and I walked right over the edge. I kicked and screamed, but no one came to save me. It had to have been close to ten minutes that Iwas sure I would die. But I didn’t. Just as I let myself slip under, the shallow end brushed the soles of my feet.

Much of my life has been that way. No one has ever saved me, but me. Until I met,

“Creed,” I choke out on a wail, using what little air I have left in my lungs to call for someone I know won’t hear me. My voice is hoarse—unrecognizable. If it weren’t for the pain in my throat, I’d think the delirium had me imagining it. It’s as if someone set fire to my vocal chords.

I should know, that’s exactly the cure Papa chose for me.

The pressure on my throat is suddenly gone and I suck in a breath, grasping at my chest. Warmth trails down my cheeks. Even in the dark, I can make out the whites of Cecil’s eyes. My knees buckle and I begin to collapse, but an arm shoots out and wraps around my midsection. He groans, and for a fleeting moment, I worry he’s ripped his stitches.

We crumple to the ground together, and I can’t tell where my body ends and his begins. To be honest, I can’t feel much of anything. The flicker of candlelight dances across Cecil’s features as I fight to keep my eyes open. His face hovers over mine, his mouth moving. If he’s going to kill me, I wish he would do it already. I can’t take this game of cat and mouse any longer. I’m so tired.

I’ve been tired all my life.

“For fuck’s sake,please—” Cecil’s rough words finally break through the fog. Sensation bites into me like an ice bath, and I become increasingly aware that I’m not on the floor, but a lap. Not only that, but my face is cradled in a large palm.

I blink up at him.

It’s warm—no. Scalding.Heis scalding.

“Your eyes.” He sounds afraid. “They’re… you’re bleeding.”

Movements slow, I bring my hand to my face and wipe at the wetness coating my cheeks. Sure enough, my fingertips comeback stained scarlet. Now I’ll have both of our blood under my nails.

Forming a thought feels like treading water, so all I manage is a noncommittal whimper.

Heat flits across my face and brushes my hair back from my forehead. “I didn’t mean to— I mean—” He’s stuttering now, shaking his head and cursing under his breath.

“There are things no one can know. It would cost me my life. It would costall of us,” He rasps out, still stroking my hair. It’s almost soothing. Like something his brother might do. The change in his demeanor is startling, but I’m too exhausted to fight.

“I don’twantto hurt you, but if you tell Creed…” He trails off, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment. “My brother is the only thing I care about. And I won’t let anyone jeopardize that.”