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With her eyes on you.
Nothing else matters.
Time has vanished.
The past doesn’t exist.
The pain and the wrong is gone.
Feel, feel, feel yourself sinking.
Not into the darkness
Where the chains pull you down.
But into the light
Where your heart is waiting to be found.
Found, found, found.
I’m not sure how long I lay in that chair, but it’s enough time that my legs are wobbly when I stand. Once I get my footing, I stare at my reflection in the mirror. The outline of the tattoo inks my ribcage. Through the twists, lines, and dark curves of the feather and beak, the scars are still visible, yet I feel lighter inside, different, less bound. I took a massive step today.
Ethan thanks Cole for doing a kickass
job then makes me another appointment to get the outlines shaded while I put my shirt back on. Then I leave the back room with Lyric, and we head for the car.
During the drive home, Lyric and I sit in the backseat with our hands clasped. The contact of her skin lulls me into a relaxing state as I lean my head against the window and watch the buildings and houses drift by.
My thoughts drift to Sadie. I wish she could have been here with me, getting her tattoo covered up. I vow to myself that, one day, when she’s found, I’ll take her to do just that. I’ll help her feel free from the darkness like the Gregorys and Lyric have helped me.
Freedom, is that was this is? Have I finally found something I never thought existed? Is it possible that one day I’ll be free?
All I can do is hope.
Chapter 14
Lyric
Something changed in Ayden the day he got the outline of his tattoo. He became more at ease, as if the mark on his ribcage had been weighing him down. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still my shy boy who is holding onto a lot of pain and constantly worries about his sister. But he has been smiling more, which has to be a step forward, right?
A couple of weeks drift by before he goes in to get the shading done. I want to go with him, but the appointment falls on the day my family and I are meeting my father’s sister and her husband.
They arrive at the house around five o’clock to have dinner, dressed to impress. Seeing my aunt again, I wonder how I ever could have missed the family resemblance. My father and her share the same blond hair and sky blue eyes and joking mannerism to the point that the relation is almost uncanny.
Around six, we gather around the dinner table to eat. Outside the window, the sun is setting, and next door, the Gregory’s driveway is vacant, which means Ayden is still getting his tattoo. As soon as I see that car, though, I’m bailing out to go over there.
“So, where are your kids?” I ask Ava as I pick at my chicken.
“They’re actually still back in New York with their grandparents,” Ava explains, wrapping her fingers around the wineglass. “We wanted to get settled before we brought them out here.”
I wonder if she means with the grandfather I’ve never met. I don’t ask, though, since I can tell the subject is making my dad uncomfortable.
“We’ll definitely have to bring them over when we get them out here,” she continues after taking a sip of wine. “I think you and my oldest would really get along. He’s really into music.”
Funny, I wonder if my dad got his musical talent from his dad, then.
“Does he play anything?” I ask, scooping up a glob of mash potatoes.
“He plays the cello,” her husband, Glen, answers, poking his fork into the salad. “And he used to play the flute when he was younger, but when he reached fourteen, he gave it up. Said he was too old for it.”
“I play the violin,” I tell them. “Maybe we could rock out sometime, orchestra style. Unless he plays symphonic rock.”
“I think I’ve heard him mention something about that before.” He exchanges a look with Ava who shrugs.
“Beats me.” She sets the wineglass down. “He goes through a new phase every other week. The only thing he’s stuck with is the cello.”
“How old is he?” I reach for a roll.
“He’s fifteen,” Ava replies as my mom refills her glass with wine.
“So, Kale’s age,” I remark. “Sounds about right.”
Kale goes through phases like no other. Like that girl he had a crush on a month ago. He’s moved on from her and is focused on someone else.
“Who’s Kale?” Ava wonders, picking up the glass again.
I open my mouth to reply, but I see headlights pull into the Gregory’s driveway and turn to my mother. “Ayden’s home. Can I go over and see how everything turned out?”
She glances at Ava and her husband then starts to protest, but Ava interrupts.
“Don’t keep her here on our part.” She winks at me, reminding me so much of my dad it’s weird. “We have plenty of time to catch up.”
“Fine. Go.” My mom gets up to gather the dishes as I push back from the table. “You should tell Lila and Ethan to come over later and chat for a while.” Chat is code for drink wine and reminisce about the good ol’ days.
Nodding, I take my dishes to the sink and rinse them off then hurry for the back door.
“Don’t stay too late,” my mom calls out as I step outside. “And make sure to keep Ayden’s door open.”
“Okay!” I roll my eyes then shut the door and jump the fence.
I walk in without knocking, a bad habit of mine. Aunt Lila and Uncle Ethan are in the kitchen, chatting about something.
“Hey,” Aunt Lila greets me when I close the back door. “How’d everything go with the family dinner?”
“It seems to be going okay, but that’s usually the case when wine is involved.” I slip my sandals off and walk into the kitchen. “They said you two should go over and chat for a while.”
“I think we could do that for a bit, right?” Lila says to Ethan. “It is the weekend, and no one has practice or anything.”
He shrugs as he moves for the cupboard. “It’s fine by me. I’m not working this weekend.”
“Is Ayden upstairs?” I ask, walking backwards for the stairway.
“He is.” Lila eyes me warily from across the kitchen. “If you go up there, you better make sure you keep that door open.”
“My mother said the exact same thing.” I pause at the bottom step. “How’d his tattoo go?”
“He seems okay,” Ethan answers, opening the fridge. “I think he handled it better when you were there, but he still did pretty okay today.”
Ethan’s version of okay can be a little iffy since he’s fine with almost everything.
Without saying anything else, I turn around and trot up the stairs. When I reach Ayden’s closed bedroom door, I knock as I walk in, something I’ve done since the day we met.
He’s sitting on his bed, writing in his journal with his leg stretched out and his back propped against the headboard.
“Hey,” he says, smiling at me.
“Whatcha doing?” I plop down on the bed beside him, roll on my side, and prop up on my elbow.
“Just writing about what happened today.” He closes the journal, tosses it on the nightstand, and lies down facing me. “About how good it felt to get that damn mark all covered up.”
“Hey, we’re going over to your house for a little while.” Lila pokes her head in, suspicion crossing her face as she eyes Ayden and me on the bed. “Would you two mind sitting on the floor?”
Ayden sighs but climbs off the bed, and I begrudgingly follow. He takes a seat in his computer chair, and I sit down on the trunk near the foot of his bed.
“Everson and Kale are sleeping over at a friend’s house,” she informs us. “And Fiona is downstairs in the den watching some weird documentary about psychics. Keep an eye on her, please, and keep this door open at all times.”
She pushes the door open all the way before backing toward the hall. “I’m going to set the alarm, but if you need anything at all, we’re right next door. We shouldn’t be long.” She steps back, pushing on the door again, even though it’s already open to the wall.
“They’ll be gone for more than a while,” I say once I hear the front door shut. “Ava and her husband are there, and you know how chatty Lila is with new people. Plus, they have the wine out.”
Ayden chuckles as he spins the chair from side to side. “That’s okay. They should enjoy themselves. I think I put a lot of stress on them today.”
“So, how did today go?” I ask, leaning back on my hands.
“Okay.” He rakes his fingers through his hair. “I mean, it would have been better if you were there, but I made it through it and feel pretty good right now.”
