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“But look around you, Seer… you’re all the better than you were in your father’s castle. You’re surrounded by people who truly love you and don’t take advantage of your gift. So you have no reason to hang onto your past or the hurts in it.”
Seer lets out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. It’s just….” He shrugs. “I need some closure from the past. I can’t just pretend none of it happened, and I can’t even punish him because he wouldn’t even know what he’s getting punished for.”
“I can’t just let him go either. Why does he get a fresh start after all the evil he did? Why do I have to live with the pain he caused me and he doesn’t? I think it’s unfair.”
I take both of his hands in mine. “Hey, baby.” I give his hands a reassuring squeeze, holding his gaze so that he can see the genuineness of my words in my eyes. “Of course, you have the right to feel that way. You have a right to your anger, but it becomes a problem when you allow it to consume you, so much so that you lose yourself.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before?” Seer says, tilting his head amusedly to the side. But the humor soon vanishes from his eyes, replaced by a solemnity that doesn’t belong in his beautiful blue depths.
“I’m mostly sad, though,” he says after a long time. “I feel bad that we ended up as enemies. We’re twins, after all.”
I kneel on the bed and wrap my arms around his shoulders. Seer lay his head on my stomach with a content sigh.
“You’ll figure this out,” I say, gently running my hand over his hair. “You always do.”
“I just want to stay this way forever,” he murmurs, burrowing his face into the nook of my arms.
* * *
“Can I come in, doc?” I ask from the entrance of Graveyard’s office.
He raises his head from the file before him and waves me in. “Yes, please.”
I quietly close the door and walk over to Graveyard’s desk. I pull out the visitor’s chair and lower myself onto it.
“Have you come to check on your brother?” Graveyard asks casually.
“No.” The response comes out sharper than I intend. I clear my throat awkwardly. “I… I’m here to get painkillers for Victoria. She has cramps.”
“Yikes,” Graveyard mutters to himself before flashing me a reassuring smile. “I’ll give you some meds to pass on to her. She’ll be fine.”
“Thanks.”
Graveyard pushes back from his table and goes to the cabinet at the far end of his office. I watch him go about his business, trying hard not to think about my brother.
“You’re curious, aren’t you?” Graveyard asks, throwing a knowing smile over his shoulder.
“Maybe,” I say with a noncommittal shrug. “How is he?”
“He’s two rooms away, Seer,” Graveyard nods his head to the right. “Get this over with.”
I take in a deep breath and drop my head into my hands. Maybe Pocus and everyone else is right… there’s no avoiding it. I can’t keep him around forever. At some point, I am still going to have to make a decision. I stand up quietly, throwing one last glance over at Graveyard before walking out of his office. I guess some part of me knew this is why I was going to see Graveyard.
A few seconds later, I walk into Edward’s room, closing the door quietly behind me. He’s seated on the bed with one hand cuffed to the headboard and the other holding a thick book up to his face. He looks a little different. Maybe it’s the fading purple blots on his face from the bruises, his ruffled hair, and the stubble on his chin. He looks… humbled?
Edward drops the book when I walk in, his expression registering surprise.
“Nick….”
His voice stops me in my tracks, and once again, I wonder if I’m ready to do this. I turn around again, but his voice stops me in my tracks.
“I’m sorry, Nick.”
I raise my face, and our gazes collide. His eyes hold a staggering sincerity as they bore into mine–and a puppyish hope that doesn’t belong on Edward’s face. But he’s got my attention.
“What for?” I ask, searching his face intently. “What are you sorry for?”
He shrugs hesitantly. He stands up, but the cuff restricts the movement of his hand, and he sits back on the bed with a soft sigh.
