home

search

Chapter Twenty Five

  My conversation with Wyatt lived rent-free in my head days after it happened. It wasn't the topic of Leo or the fact that we slept together. What bothered me most was that Wyatt called me an immortal.

  I wasn't an immortal. How could I be when the whole premise of why I was special lay in my mortality? I had enough doubts about the words, so I pulled out a dictionary and confirmed that both words' meanings hadn't changed.

  Of course, they had not, which meant that Wyatt made a slip-up of some kind.

  But this was Wyatt. He was deliberate and slippery as an eel with every word and action. I couldn't imagine him slipping up and calling me something untrue.

  I looked at my current face in the mirror, and an emotion bubbled to life as reason dawned on me.

  How I body hop and live through books could be seen as a form of immortality. My own body wouldn't age or decay while my soul occupied another. I could endlessly live this way for the unforeseen future.

  This conclusion should have wrapped up everything I was struggling with, but it only worsened it. I thought of the patches on my soul and my unanswered problems. I was missing critical information, but somehow, I was getting closer to the root of it all.

  I left the bathroom and spotted Wyatt goofing off with Darius. How simple life would be for me if the assholes around me would answer my questions? I wanted to ask Wyatt what he meant, but he was the same as Mordecai.

  The two's strange makeup drew me from my thoughts. "What is that on your face?" I asked as I moved closer to them.

  "We're practicing our zombie makeup," Wyatt said with a grin. At my continual confusion, he elaborated. "There's a Brains convention at the center. People are dressing up as zombies or survivors. It's happening this Friday through the weekend."

  "And you're both going as zombies?" I said with a smile as I examined Darius' face closer.

  "Boys only," Darius said with a smirk that didn't belong on his cute face. The curve of his face reminded me of Wyatt, and I whipped my head to glare at him. My face was wiped of annoyance when I flipped it back to eye Darius.

  I snorted lightly and squeezed his cheeks, "Enjoy your boy's trip." I said.

  Wyatt's brows lifted, and he narrowed his eyes on me suspiciously. "You're not jealous?" He said tauntingly.

  "I couldn't go even if I wanted to," I said. "I have a practical exam on Friday, and I'm meeting someone after it. And it very well might last the weekend." Clara mentioned that she wanted to hang out like in the old times. I had no idea what kind of outing she wanted to go on, but it would last days if it were like old times.

  Darius joined Wyatt in peering at me with skepticism. I could feel my hackles rise, and I pushed them down. "I'm meeting Clara," I said. I shouldn't have to elaborate, but under their matching expressions, I found myself explaining away. How could my cute little Darius stare at me with such mistrust? Even I have friends!

  Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Darius reached out with his tiny fingers and grasped my arm. "It's okay, " he said. "If you want to come that badly, you can join."

  I could feel my mouth twitch as I forced a smile. "I have real plans, Darius."

  The doubt in his eyes made me want to laugh and cringe. Wyatt's shoulders were shaking with suppressed mirth, making him the easier target for my pent-up emotions.

  By the time Friday rolled around, Wyatt and Darius had forgotten about their pity invite to me. I'd forgotten about the Brains convention until I returned after my exam to change out of my scrubs.

  My two brothers had become zombies in my absence!

  I found them hunched over what looked like a hunk of guts on the coffee table. Their red-smeared faces wore matching expressions of hunger as they looked up from their prize.

  "Brains." Zombie Wyatt said with startling accuracy.

  My heart jumped into my throat as I staved off the scream that wanted to tear past my lips.

  Their raggedy outfits looked like they were put together from a trash can. The fake bites, guts, and blood on their bodies, on the other hand, were far too realistic.

  "If that is the leftover spaghetti I left in the fridge, then you'll have to order dinner while I'm gone," I said with a twist of my lips.

  "I'm already full on brains," Wyatt growled.

  "Yas," Darius grunted along.

  I walked past them and into my room. I didn't have time to dwell on their red hands; the sight of them all bloody made me feel nauseous.

  I walked out twenty minutes later to find both of them long gone and no trace of spattered sauce anywhere.

  Clara was a punctual creature by habit, yet she was late for the first time since I'd known her.

  I sat in the private tea room, staring at the clock. It wasn't like her to take so long to arrive somewhere. My thoughts took some dark turns as I recalled how controlling and insightful Graham was. Maybe he caught her on the way out?

  I talked about a big game in front of Li Na and even Clara to some extent, but I was terrified to see the man again. He was worse than Rex's heelturn. Even if there had been neon signs telling me who Adam truly was, I know deep down I would have ignored them. And I clearly had. My fragile brain and ego couldn't handle it.

  I saw the surface level of Graham's murky waters and was untroubled by it. But now that I know how deep and still his seas can be, I need to avoid him. Graham's intentions were largely unknown. I refused to believe Clara fully that he wanted me. What would be the point? Maybe he wanted the power he saw in my aura, but me? Little miss fall apart at the breeze? I couldn't believe such nonsense.

  "My apologies for the delay." Clara's breezy voice interrupted my circular thoughts, and I smiled faintly as she sat down.

  Her dark silk dress appeared ruffled, and a sliver of sweat was dripping down her brow.

  "Is everything okay?" I asked, looking into her dark eyes worriedly. Her expression was as serene as ever. She didn't appear stressed, but her outfit and sweaty brow said otherwise.

  "Yes, I fear Graham has hidden my fiancé from me because he suspects that I have met you. I'm not sure how he figured it out, but he has his ways."

  "Probably your aura," I said, trying to distract my heart to stop it from racing.

  Clara's face adopted the perfect expression of confusion, so I elaborated on it.

  "Oh." Clara said, "He doesn't call it that." She snapped her mouth shut as our tea trays arrived suspiciously on cue.

  I could have sworn he did call it that, but there was no point in arguing semantics.

  "Wait, he took your fiancé!" I all but shouted once we were alone again. How had I not jumped on that information sooner?

  "Tell me why Leo Lone is on the hunt for you." Clara interrupted with brutal effectiveness.

  I hiccupped in surprise and could feel my eyes widen, "He's doing what?"

  "His search is even more extensive and thorough than Graham's. Leo is so intent on finding you that he contacted me. I'm not sure how he knew to. I suspect it's why Graham is so suspicious of me right now. "

  As I fought the growing redness in my cheeks, I stirred sugar into my tea with a vengeance. I couldn't meet her eyes and instead stared into the amber depths of my tea.

  "Oh, Dolyn, you didn't," Clara said scantly above a scandalized whisper.

  I looked up to meet her eyes and gave into the battle to giggle nervously. "I did," I said.

Recommended Popular Novels