“Okay.” Lila casts a glance at Ethan. “Still, it has to be really, really stressful, especially when we don’t know if they’re going to show up again.”
She seems fairly adamant about pointing out the danger of the situation, and I’m not sure why. She knows I understand, so there has to be some other reason.
“Ethan and I worry about you,” she continues. “After the note and the car being out there last night, we think it might be a good idea if you aren’t alone very much.”
“Haven’t I been doing that already?” I ask. “Especially after getting that note the other day and then talking to the detective.”
“Yes, but . . .” She glances at Ethan again. “We just want to make sure you understand the importance of you following the rules and being safe.”
“Yeah, I understand the rules. Have for a while.” I glance back and forth between them. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve kept stuff from me in order to try to protect me from the harsh reality.
“We’re not keeping anything from you.” Ethan leans forward in the seat and rests his elbows on his knees. “We just want to make sure you’re being safe, and you’re taking care of yourself mentally. We think you’ve been a little too quiet these last couple of months.”
“I’ve always been quiet.” Where are they going with this?
“We know that, but it seems like, ever since you found out about your sister, you’ve been even quieter.”
“We just want you to know how sorry we are that this is happening,” Lila adds, her eyes welled up with tears. “I know it’s got to be hard, especially after what happened to your brother.”
I flex my fingers as my hands begin to tremble.
My brother, gone forever.
Gone, gone, gone.
Just like my sister might be.
After we all miraculously made it out of the house alive, only one of us might survive.
Or maybe none, depending on the outcome.
It isn’t like I haven’t ever thought about it—that the Soulless Mileas could get ahold of me again—I’ve worried about it every hour of every day for the last four years. The note increased the fear, though, and made the idea very real.
“We just want you to know that we’re here for you if you ever need anything.” Lila stands up, crosses the room, and takes a seat beside me. “We love you, Ayden. If you need anything at all, you can let us know, and we’ll do whatever’s in our power to make it happen.”
It’s a nice offer, but what I want isn’t in their power—a normal life with my sister and without the painful reminder of the past branded on my flesh.
Then a couple of ideas strike me from out of nowhere, ideas I’ve contemplated before but have been too afraid to ask.
“There actually might a couple of things you can do for me.” I sit up straighter in the chair. “Could you ask the detective if I can read the letter my sister wrote? I want to know what’s on there.”
Lila’s expression fills with remorse. “I’m not sure they’ll agree to that, seeing as how it’s evidence.” She places a hand on my back, a motherly gesture, but still, the contact causes me to tense.
“Could you at least ask?” I ask, one step away from begging her. “It can’t hurt to ask, right? And maybe it could help me figure out what I’m getting into since she wrote the note right after she was kidnapped.”
“If that’s what you need, then I guess I can ask.” A deep frown etches her face, and worry lines crease the corners of her eyes.
Knowing Lila, she’s probably worried how I’ll react to reading the letter, hence the hesitancy. It isn’t for her to decide, though. I need to know what’s in the note my sister was forced to write and mail to the police while she’s being held captive somewhere by people who are skeletons of human beings and once tried to drain our souls dry.
“Thanks.” I scratch at my side, preparing to ask my next question. “I also want to get the tattoo on my side covered up . . . the one they put on me.”
It’s a big step just asking for it, but I’ve wanted the tattoo removed forever. The only thing stopping me has been my fear of being touched during the inking and of tumbling into a memory. I want to believe I have the hidden strength to do it, though.
Lila glances at Ethan. “What do you think?”
“I actually like the idea of getting rid of it.” He digs his phone from his pocket. “I have a buddy who owns a tattoo parlor down near my store. He does good work. I could take you in to see what it would take to get it covered up.”
“Thanks. That’d be great.”
I know it won’t solve my problems, but the idea of having the tattoo gone gives me the strangest sense of peace.
A taste of freedom
From the bleeding ink
Staining my skin
Like the blood on their hands.
Gone, gone, gone,
The ink is fading away.
Maybe after it’s erased,
I can finally feel like I was actually saved.
After Lila and Ethan agree to my requests, I collect the car keys to head to my therapy appointment.
“You’re just going straight there, right?” Lila checks while walking me to the door.
I shake my head as I grab my jacket from the coatrack. “Yeah, I don’t have band practice tonight.” Throwing a wave over my shoulder, I open the door and step outside beneath the clouds.
“You’ll call me when you get there, right?” Lila asks, following me outside. “And text the therapist to come walk you in if no one’s around?”
“Yeah, I know the drill.” I stop at the end of the walkway, studying her. She has her arms folded tightly around her, and her gaze is continuously inspecting the houses across the street. Odd. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course.” She smiles stiffly. “I was just making sure that car wasn’t out here. Lyric said it was a black, newer model, right?”
“I think so.” I eye her warily, not believing her story. “But you do realize that description fits every other car in this neighborhood.”
She sighs. “I know. I really wish she could have gotten a better look at it.”
Raindrops start to fall from the sky, and I pull my hood over my head. “It could have been someone going to work.”