AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Two of our members came upon her and offered her a place to stay, a home to call her own. She leapt at the chance."
"Of course she did," I mutter bitterly. "It's not much of a choice when the other is likely to lead to you dying."
"It's still a choice," he cuts me off before I can say anything else.
"I beg to differ."
"I don't think you're in any position to do that," he reminds me. "Not while you're a guest here."
"At least be honest about it and call me a prisoner." I cross my arms and stare him down, hoping the fear I'm feeling inside doesn't show.
"If that's how you want to see yourself, then you're welcome to use that descriptor. It doesn't change anything about your situation."
"I think that's pretty much the definition of being a prisoner," I point out.
"Perhaps. Now, where was I before you rudely interpreted? Ah, right. Your mother."
I dig my nails into the palm of my hand in an effort to stop the anger from overtaking me. Acting out and trying to escape still isn't going to get me anywhere, and when all is said and done, I do want to hear what he has to say about my mother. If he's telling the truth.
"We cared for her and nursed her back to health, and when she was feeling better, we gave her a chance to take the Shadow Oath and become a fully-fledged member of the Shadow Association. Which she did, gladly. Not even a week later, she gave birth to you and passed due to...complications."
My eyebrows knit together in a frown. It feels as if there's something missing from the story, even if the bones of it are true.
"Did you know she was a reaper?" I ask.
"Of course. Everyone in the Shadow Association is supernatural. If she'd been human, she wouldn't have been offered a chance to join us."
"You mean you'd have left her to die in the streets," I point out.
"That's neither here or there."
"I think it is. You can't ignore people in danger just because they don't have anything you want." It seems I'm not doing a good job of keeping the anger inside after all.
I don't care. He deserves to hear it.
"Before you start blaming me for things I'm not guilty of, remember this was eighteen years ago. My predecessor was in power at the time." He seems proud of that loophole to avoiding blame.
"Because you haven't done the same to countless people."
"What I may or may not have done is none of your concern."
"It is if you want me to join the Shadow Association," I counter. "I won't join something that treats people like they're disposable."
He chuckles. "I don't think you're understanding the situation here. You don't have a choice about whether you join us or not. You already belong to us. This isn't a debate. I'm not trying to convince you to stay, I'm telling you that you are."
My heart sinks. That's not good. Maybe I should have tried to escape after all. I still don't think I'd have gotten very far, but at least I'd have tried.
Maybe that's what I need to do now.
With all the courage I have, I get to my feet and steel my voice. "Thank you for your offer, but I must decline. I'm late for class."
I turn without waiting for him to respond and head towards the door. To my surprise, it swings open before I can get to it, revealing Ms Margery behind it with a gleeful expression on her face.
I know from experience that's not good.
"Ah, Ms Margery, we've been expecting you. I think Miss Weston needs some time
alone to contemplate her choices."
