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I shook my head. “I refuse to believe it. Everyone deserves a second chance; everyone deserves to be saved. That’s how we do things, Mom.”
She wanted to argue, but she knew I was right. Her face crumpled as she accepted it. She ran down the stairs and threw her arms around me.
“I love you more than life itself. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.” She held me at arm’s length and looked into my eyes. “Come back to me.”
“I will,” I promised.
Zita and Mom looked at each other, and a wordless conversation passed between them before Zita nodded.
“We’ll see each other again,” she said.
I nodded. I was terrified this was goodbye, but I had to do the right thing.
Zita and Mom ran up the steps, leaving me behind. When the door slammed shut again, it felt too final.
I swallowed hard, tasting my heart in my throat. I wished I could just run, too.
What about Erol? He needed someone to fightforhim.
That was exactly what I had to do.
30
EROL
Iwalked through the abandoned dining hall. I could see their footsteps in the thick layer of dust on the floor. They’d come through here, escaping the way I’d let them get away a year ago.
I let my steps falter on purpose, giving them a head start.
“You can’t stop what’s happening,” Cyrene snapped, knowing what I was doing.
She might have been right, but I could give them time to escape. They knew how serious this was. They could sense I would kill them. If they got away before I got to them, there was nothing Cyrene could do.
I heard the sound of a board being kicked, footsteps in the kitchen, and something inside me cracked.
When Hazel turned the corner, my heart stopped altogether.
What are you doing here? I tried to let you escape!
I tried to shout at her, to tell her to leave, but my words were still just a voice inside my head.
“You just can’t let well enough alone, can you?” I heard myself say instead.
Hazel jutted her chin up into the air. Her defiance was beautiful. Goddess, I’d missed her so much over the past few days. I wished I could cross the floor, take her in my arms, and hold her tight.
“You just had to be the hero, the one who saves the day.”
I hated the words that came out of my mouth despite what I felt.
“Erol, this isn’t you,” Hazel said.
I scowled at her. “How would you know who I am? You don’t know anything! You’re young and foolish.”
On the inside, I melted that she would still think so good of me, even though none of it could be seen.
“I know who you are, and I know who you are not,” she said. Those words hit me hard—they were the same words Cyrene had said to me when she’d just been a voice inside my head. “I’ve seen the good in you, and I refuse to believe that it’s not there anymore.”
Cyrene laughed through me, and the sound was harsh and uncomfortable, even though she used my voice.
