Reflection

26

I tumbled through, landing on the carpet. Adam helped me up. "Thanks," I muttered, brushing myself off. I looked around, and found myself in my room.

"What took you so long?" Adam asked before I could be relieved. "Andromeda wanted to tell me something," I answered, and Adam's eyebrows raised. "What?"

"Nothing?"

Adam nodded, letting the topic drop. "I see."

I glanced around the room. "Where's my dad?"

"Here," I heard Samuel say, stepping into the room. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorway. "That won't be the last time something like that happens, will it?"

"Considering the terms we departed on, I'd say so," said Adam, flopping onto my bed.

Samuel nodded. "Well, I'd rather be a part of this world than not. I don't want you to have to face it alone," he said to me.

My heart sunk. "Dad..." I had known what I would have to do, but I just hadn't wanted to think about it. I took a step closer to him, looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry, but being a part of this world will only put you in more danger."

"Wait," he said, holding a hand up with a frustrated sigh. "I know what you're going to do, but before you do it, I just want you to know that if you have to face this world without me, I'm glad that at least you have Adam."

"You...what?"

He smiled dryly. "I'm saying I approve. I mean, anyone who's willing to break his own wrists to save you is worthy of your time."

"I...thank you," I said, and took a deep breath, looking into his eyes. "Forget everything you know about vampires and witches; forget that they exist, and that I am one. Forget everything about being kidnapped and everything after that, and go get some rest."

His face went blank for a moment, then his eyes focused and he smiled, kissing me on the forehead. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I whispered as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

I felt arms wrap around me, and I turned into the circle of the embrace, burying my face in Adam's chest.

•  •  •  •  •

"There's something you're not telling me," Adam said, sitting cross-legged on the bed next to me. "I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, picking up one of the random magazines that I never read and pretending to flip through it.

"Red."

I looked up, and was met full-force by the intensity of his gaze. "What happened?"

With a sigh, I threw the magazine to the side and sat up straight. "When I was with Cain...he had a witch and a warlock with him. They were the ones who..." I trailed off, staring at my hands, before finishing. "They were the ones who tortured me." Six times, I thought, and knew that number would forever be burned into my brain.

Adam made a strangled noise, but I didn't look up. If I looked up, I wouldn't be able to go on. I took a shaky breath. "The witch was Serenity, and the warlock was her brother, Marcus."

"Wait a second," said Adam, "Serenity has a brother? Serenity tortured you?"

"I'm not done," I said, still looking at my hands. "I know," said Adam, before I could continue. "But first...I'm not sure I want to know the answer to this, but I feel like—like I need to. How did they...?"

"Torture me?" I asked dryly. "It was a spell. The same one Serenity used on me when I first met her, I think, but it was much more powerful. I closed my eyes, but burned into the back of my eyelids was the image of Serenity, staring at the ceiling without really seeing it. My eyes shot open.

Adam was quiet for a moment, and I struggled to tell what he was thinking without actually looking at him, but failed. "You're different," he observed. "You've changed."

"I know," I said softly. "I'm trying to tell you why."

He didn't answer, so I took another shaky breath before speaking again, telling my story quickly and barely stopping for breath. "Cain wanted me to join an army, an army of Blood Children, or whatever he called it. That's why he tortured me, because I said no. When I refused, he brought in James. And, well, you know what happened after that."

"I want to hear your side of the story," Adam said softly. I could see him trying to meet my eyes, but I still refused to look up.

"All right. They threatened to kill James, and that's when I saw a mirror. I moved toward it, thinking that maybe we could have an escape route if I got James." I laughed humorlessly. "I guess I was a little delirious. Anyway, all I found was my reflection. I got angry, and then the mirror exploded. I broke my chain and stood up.

"I freed James, told him to run. It was weird. You and Reuben said something about me possibly being teleninetchetic?" I said the last word carefully, trying to pronounce it right.

"Telekinetic?" Adam suggested.

"Yeah, that. It's where you can move things with your mind, right?"

"Yes, and telepathic is where you can read other people's minds."

"Yeah, I think that's what happened. The telekithetic thing-a-mabob, I mean. When I was mad, which I was very mad, I would focus on something and be able to move it."

I ran a hand through my hair, pushing back the stray curls that stuck to my face. "Cain threw a stake at James, but I stopped it and made it hover above Cain's chest. But he had the power too, and he turned it around and sent it toward me, and I only had time to redirect it towards my stomach. That's why there was so much blood on me. Then I sent it toward him, and he stopped it, but I kept trying to force it towards him, and he kept trying to push it toward me, and so it just kinda stayed in the middle."

I stood up and paced the room, keeping my eyes glued to my feet. This is where it got difficult. "I was so focused on this that when Marcus threw a stake at me I..." I swallowed past the lump in my throat. " I couldn't stop it. And—and Serenity dove in front of me..."

My voice grew softer and softer until it became a whisper, then faded to nonexistence. I slowly lifted my eyes to Adam.

He was trembling, staring at a blank spot on my wall, his eyes empty and far away. My voice was a whisper. "She wanted me to tell you that she loved you, and that she was sorry."

The next part was obvious, but it felt like it needed saying, as if the words would stay with me if I didn't say them, forever left unsaid. They would stay with me either way, though. "She's dead."

But Adam was already standing, his hands balled into fists. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'll be back, I—I just..."

He didn't finish, because he stepped through the mirror and disappeared, leaving me feeling more alone than I'd ever felt.