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She surveyed my apartment before locking eyes on the window.That damn window. “A little cold for an open window, isn’t it?” she questioned.
I smiled again and gave her an agreeable nod. She sauntered over to the window, glancing outside for only a second before sliding it shut.
Every cell in my body screamed in panic.
She wouldn’t know,I told myself. She would have absolutely no idea that I was entering and leaving through that thing.
Theia stepped forward and grabbed my face with her cold, boney hands and pressed a kiss on my forehead.
Every muscle in my body tensed.
“I’ll be home in a few days,” she said. “I’m proud of you, Lyra. Your blood holds more than you can ever imagine. It seems you’re finally beginning to see that.”
“Thank you, Mother,” I whispered back. The emotions from her words were waves crashing on the surface. Did she not see it? Was she really so blind?
“I have to go, but I’ll text you, okay?” She walked back to the front door, and I could finally breathe again.
“Sure,” I replied. “Sounds good.”
She shut the front door behind her.
I slid the lock into the bolt, turned around, and bolted to the kitchen.
Alek was already opening the closet door and sliding out. “That was close,” he said. “I have a feeling she would be pissed if she caught me in there.”
I laughed, but it came out as a breathy sigh. I ran my hands down my face and used the wall for support.
“Hey,” he whispered, “are you okay?”
I opened my mouth to explain that I was fine, but the words didn’t come out. Alek kept his distance as I finally straightened myself out. “She’s… I just wasn’t expecting her visit. That’s all.”
“I get it,” he said.
“I seriously doubt that.”
“So tell me, then,” he said. “Explain it to me.”
Shocked, I met his gaze. He was already staring at me in complete seriousness.
“My mother is… she’s not exactly loving.”
He smiled. “That much, I picked up on.” His smile somehow loosened one of the growing knots in my stomach.
“I sometimes feel like I’ll never be free from her grasp.”
Alek pushed both of his hands into his jean pockets and shrugged. “What was all that she said about you running away? Maybe you could try that again.” I could tell from his voice that the question was innocent, but I tensed up all the same.
“Yeah, well, maybe she’s right. Maybe my rebellious phase is over.”
“Over?” he repeated, taking another step. “Are you sure about that?”
The mischief on his face sent a chill down my spine. “Running away did nothing but end up hurting me even more,” I explained.
“You were younger then,” he assumed. “And alone. You’re not alone anymore.”
Not alone.It didn’t feel free. It felt too good to be true, actually. Because even if Alek wanted to say that, he didn’t know the full truth. He didn’t know my secret that forced me to stay alone. That would force me to stay alone forever.
“What did she mean when she said, ‘your blood holds more than you could ever imagine’? Some sort of family genetics or something?”
