by Mason, V. F.
At this point, I start to wonder if I should be the one worried in the current situation if this bizarre encounter doesn't faze him.
Finally snapping from my shock, I wince when I realize how my wet dress clings to my body, showcasing my figure for everyone to see. I take a deep breath and croak through my dry throat, “Could you please take me to a nearby gas station?” I groan inwardly at this lame question, because first he is clearly moving in the direction of our town, and second, gas stations are nonexistent on this road. We just have one in the island town and then one in ours.
If he didn’t think I’m crazy before, he does now for sure.
However, he surprises me once again when he chuckles. “There aren’t any, but I assume you need a ride to town.” He points forward. “Either there, or there.” He points back now with his thumb. “Where do you need to go? I'll take you there.”
Blinking at his offer, I reply, “To the smaller town.” Uneasiness rushes through me at how quickly this man came to the rescue, not even questioning my state or asking what the hell is wrong with me. Shouldn’t people be more careful when picking up strangers on the road? What if I set it all up to rob him or something?
His laughter echoes through the open space, and he finally removes his glasses, showing me his piercing blue eyes that remind me of a clear, blue sky.
Even Lachlan’s eyes are not as blue. “Trust me, I know how to take care of myself.”
Only then I realize I’ve said my worries out loud for the guy to hear! And yet he still wants to help me? But judging by the deadliness of his stare, it leaves no doubt in my mind that those who cross the man should be afraid of him, and he probably has never been scared in his whole life.
He taps on the roof of the car. “Not to be rude or anything, but I need to be going. So if you want to be dropped in town, hop in now.” With that, he gets inside, leaning back in the seat, and wraps his hand around the steering wheel, awaiting my decision.
Dumbstruck with this, I push back all the familiar panic creeping along my skin and jump into the vehicle, shivering and welcoming the heat blasting on my face. “Fasten your seatbelt,” he orders in a way that tells me he is used to barking at people, and I do as he says, praying to God I’ve made the right decision.
He starts the car and drives down the road while I rest my head against the window, exhaling heavily. For the first time, I allow myself to relax for a fraction of a second.
I might not be safe inside the car with a stranger, but at least Eudard can’t catch me now. I’ll be able to breathe freely once I contact Arson to help me control him.
Always call a monster to tame a monster, because they all speak the same language and possess the same power.
The drive continues silently with the man turning on music, probably to fill the awkwardness around us, and in a way I’m glad for it, because the last thing I need is a curious man or meaningless conversation.
Shortly, we enter the outskirts of the town, and he asks, “Where to?”
“Just drive straight and then the first turn on the right,” I inform him, and he nods. Since I can see him from the corner of eye, I notice several deep, red scars on his neck, covered by endless tattoos.
Is it possible to be so completely calm? I don’t think I’ve seen this kind of quiet dominance on anyone before.
Finally, we reach my house, and I grab the door handle, turning to him. “Thank you.” I’m really grateful to this stranger who helped me out even though he didn’t have to. But more importantly that he never tried to pry answers from me.
The irony is not lost on me; sometimes lies are the only solution to problems, even if I hate that fact.
“No problem. Take care…” He waits, probably fishing for my name, and I think there’s no harm in telling him.
He can’t hurt me now. “Cassandra.”
“Cassandra,” he repeats and then waves. “Good luck.” My brows furrow at his odd choice of words, so I quickly get out of the car, breathing in the fresh scent of the soil. “You too...” I don’t particularly care to know his name, but it’s rude in the current circumstances not to act at least a little interested to know it.
“Micaden” is all he says before he drives off into the distance, leaving only dust around me. I watch him for a second, the nagging feeling creeping back again, but I shrug it off. I dart inside the house for protection from the fury that will come once Eudard realizes I’ve run away from him.
Eudard
My phone vibrates next to me as I inhale the morning air, opening my arms wide and basking in the sunlight touching the edge of the ocean.
Such a beautiful view deserves to forever be memorized on paintings or photos; too bad everyone is ignoring it, taking it for granted.
Only one who has lived in a dark cage with no sunlight knows how watching nature is a privilege and not a right given to us by birth.
Picking it up on the third ring, I say, “She’s home.” I don’t form it as a question, because he wouldn’t have been calling me otherwise.
“Yeah, delivered her safe and sound.” I hear amusement in his tone. I guess at this point I should be grateful he doesn’t flat-out laugh at me.
I fucking hate when he does that, as it grates on my nerves and reminds me of our teenage years.
They were so fucked up that both of us prefer to forever erase them from our memories.
But since he is not hanging up on me, I know he has more to say. “Just get it off your chest.” I finally break the silence, giving the sunrise one last glance before stepping from the patio and going to my room to find a change of clothes before taking a shower. “Although I can already predict your speech.”
“I’m in no position to give any speeches,” he tells me as I grab my pants and shirt, heading to the bathroom and turning on the light. “But I have advice for you.”
Dumping the clothes on the counter, I rest my palm on the sink and catch my reflection in the mirror. For normal people, such an occurrence doesn’t mean much. But me? I always avoid looking at the face gazing at me now. It forever reminds me about the person who lives inside me, but also about my twin.
Which means I can never get away from the pain of losing him, because I see him whenever I pass by mirrors or shiny glass.
My reflection is the source of the greatest agony for me, one of the reasons all the mirrors back in the mansion have covers over them.
No one wants to make this beast roar, but try as they might, their plans always fail.
“Keep that in mind.” I blink away the rage clouding in front of my eyes, Micaden’s voice bringing me back to the situation at hand where I didn’t hear shit what he had to say.
But it’s not like it’s hard to guess. After all, we both know what it’s like to lose what’s ours, only his story is very different than mine.
So his advice has no merit for me. “Thanks for the help.” I ignore his earlier words, and that’s an answer to him.
There is a long silence at the other end of the line. He must be contemplating either pushing me or closing the subject all together, but I know his choice even before he speaks out.
Micaden doesn’t care much for anyone, but in this particular situation, he will be on my side.
He is the only one among them who knows the source of my agony and why I’ll never be able to let go. To understand one… you have to fully experience that pain in your chest. It’s like someone is ripping you in half.
“You called and told me to wait on the road for her. You didn’t mention it would take her almost five hours to hightail her ass out of your house.” His tone, laced with annoyance, drops a few octaves. “So fuck you for making me stand in the rain.”
Cassandra might have thought she fooled me while she gave in to her body, but I recognized a goodbye when one showed it to me. She thought submitting to me one last time would cause me to drop my guard and relax in her presence so much I’d think she accepted me and wouldn’t run away.
She couldn’
t have been more wrong, because I know her better than anyone.
And with all truths unsaid and discovered, she can’t accept me as her man, because my darkness scares her.
Physically, I will never take what’s not willingly given. My hands fist at the idea of it, because there is no worse hell in this world than crying into someone’s hand while they rip you apart bit by bit, making you a toy to their sick desires.
But it doesn’t change the fact that Cassandra is mine, and she will be trapped in the golden cage waiting for her at my house until she sees we cannot exist without each other.
Our lives are forever entwined.
So once she fell sleep, I called Micaden and asked him to wait for her there, and then I prepared her clothes and shoes. Because my confused phoenix could have run into trouble, and even she is not allowed to hurt what’s mine.
I can’t have her feeling like a victim in these woods with me chasing her; it would merge two painful memories for her into one, and she’ll never be able to see me as anything but a founding five tormentor.
I gave her the freedom she seeks, even if it’s for a short period.
“I’ll make sure to send you a thank you basket. Do you like roses or orchids?” I muse and chuckle when he growls.
“Go fuck yourself, Eudard.” He waits a bit before adding, making all the amusement vanish from me, “You know she will call him, right?” Micaden is one of Lachlan’s, or more so Arson’s, protégés, so his loyalty to them is absolute. He knew about Cassandra, but they must have never crossed paths, since she has no clue about him.
Even though he rules over the nearby town, I’m not sure the town itself is aware of his power or how much of the land he owns.
Strangely enough, we became friends over the years. Even if my relationship with his mentors is fucked up, he is someone I can rely on.
I’m not like most of those serial killers. I believe friendship is possible among the monsters as long as they have different victims and don’t interfere in each other’s lives.
Without boundaries, there will be chaos in this world.
“Yeah, probably.” Then I voice a question of my own. “When the war starts, you’ll have to choose sides.” We both know it’s a matter of time before Lachlan loses his patience with all this and decides to strike.
And in a way, I can’t wait, because I’ve had fury inside me, brewing for a decade, for what he took away from me.
Even if his reasons were right, I don’t forgive him.
“Have you ever considered that maybe you don’t know Lachlan at all?” Micaden asks, and before I can reply, he hangs up on me, the sound of beeping filling my ear.
Throwing the phone on the counter, I give my reflection one last glance before I slam my fist into it with a roar. Instantly, pain prickles my knuckles that are bleeding from the impact.
The shattered mirror with a large hole in the middle and broken glass all around showcases perfectly what’s going on inside me.
I had to live without my heart and soul for a decade, suffering in silence while everything inside me demanded vengeance I could never seek.
This time around, I don’t give a fuck what it takes to destroy the maestro; I won’t let anyone win this war.
And if I have to summon one of the darkest serial killers in the entire country to come here to help me extinguish him?
I’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish that.
Even taunt the underworld king of New York himself.
Chapter Eight
“I’m hiding in the shadows.
Studying an ice princess pretty as the blooming rose.
She smiles so brightly at my twin.
Giving him what mine should have been.”
Eudard
Eudard, 10 years old
Uncle groans behind me, fisting my hair, and then exhales heavily, pushing back, and I stifle the sound of pain wanting to emerge.
Instead, once he steps back, I hike up my pajama bottoms and get up, ignoring the stickiness inside me that slides down the back of my knees. “No matter how old you get, you are still the most precious among them all,” he praises me, lighting up his cigarette and puffing the smoke around us. “Even if you work out a bit too much for my liking.” He frowns at the last words, his eyes roaming over my body while I stand still, looking above his shoulder, counting in my head to fifteen, because that’s how long it usually takes for him to finish his speech. “But I can’t do anything about it, since Ridge loves the damn game so much.” He comes closer to me, cups my cheek, and the ashes of his cigarette fall beside my feet, the tip of it grazing my skin, but once again, I pay no attention to that.
If you don’t pay attention, the monster might get bored and send you away, or you simply don’t notice everything going on around you.
Ignorance is bliss when one lives in hell where monsters walk around freely with no repercussions for their actions.
“Eudard,” he whispers and presses his thumb harshly on my chin, so I raise my eyes to him, aware of his silent command.
He gazes at me with so much adoration I want to vomit all over him, but instead I give nothing away. “Someday you will rule beside me,” he tells me, patting my cheek lightly, and internally I wonder what he means by that.
He repeats it a lot when we are alone, planning a future where I’m by his side. He must be really insane if he thinks I’ll agree to it.
I need to wait until I’m a grown-up, and then I will go against him and turn him over to the police. When I’ll be able to protect Eachann from his fury, and everyone else. That was one of the reasons I decided to play football.
Dad wouldn’t have let me do anything else, and this way I build muscles and the stamina needed to survive here.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if Uncle is so delusional that he believes I’m voluntarily coming to this hell, and not because he blackmails me.
Uncle leans forward, and I mentally prepare myself for the touch of his lips on mine where he pushes his tongue inside my mouth and wants a kiss—the worst feeling in this world.
He doesn’t much care that I thrash in his hold while he does it; it’s one thing I never want to submit to him.
But here no one asks what I want, because everyone takes what’s not freely given to them as long as it suits their sadistic desires.
The knock on the door saves me, and he growls in displeasure, shouting, “What?” I frown in confusion, even if I sigh quietly in relief. No one dares interrupt us when he plays with me.
He says even if the house is on fire, no one is allowed to knock on this door while his favorite toy is inside. “I’m sorry, boss.” Kirk’s trembling voice echoes in the hallway, and I hear him swallow loudly. “But Edward is here to discuss the product.”
My eyes widen in fear that shakes me at the sound of this name.
My uncle is a monster who comes to me at night, but at least he is a familiar breed, while Edward… when one is in his room… you wish to die for how horrific the experience is.
And I haven’t experienced it myself, but he invited Uncle over once to show him what he does with his favorite toy. I’ve had nightmares ever since.
So much blood, so much torture, and void of any emotion, the eyes of the boy will forever stick in my brain.
My fear must show on my face, because he points at the bathroom. “Go clean up, and after that, quickly go to your room. Don’t allow Liam or Eachann to come down either,” he orders, concern coating his tone, but in this situation, I’m grateful for it.
I hate him with every fiber of my being, but it’s better to suffer through his visits and protect my brother than to ever be touched by Edward.
I’m not sure it’s possible to live after what he does to you.
Once I shut the door to the bathroom, I turn away from my reflection in the mirror, because it shows the bites Uncle has given me along with some scratches.
Jumping into the shower, I scrub myself fiercely, not caring how my skin hurts from the
action, wanting to erase all traces of him on me and think about home.
Dad must be pissed we left so abruptly, but as always, he said nothing.
Sometimes I wonder if maybe he just didn’t want to look deep enough to see what was really going on around him, and even though it’s shameful to admit… I've had hope for years he’d figure out what’s going on and save us.
Then I wouldn’t have to carry the burden of making decisions anymore and risk my family.
After that first summer vacation, Dad wasn’t really onboard for us to come here often but relented when we both begged him. I wanted to keep Eachann at the house, telling him I didn’t need him around Liam and me, even though I always hurt when I saw pain in his eyes.
I wanted him far away from this place, but he always came.
I never understood why. Was his piano teacher so good here that he felt like the one back home wouldn’t teach him as well? I’ll have to search for someone for him, because with each year I’ve noticed how various men send glances his way, but Uncle has kept his word.
No one touched him as long as my mouth was shut.
I joined the football team, studied hard, and got into so many fights that the teachers didn’t know what to do with me. Dad just bought new stuff for the school each time, and they continued to tolerate me.
At some point, I accepted that Dad is steeped in worry for Mom, locking a vital part of himself away from us. He loves her so much there is no place left for us, it seems.
Eachann sings and plays in his stupid music class, and Arianna is quick to join him there, probably wanting his attention.
I snarl at the thought, hating this part of myself that despises Eachann, because he can still talk to her, even if he mostly listens to music instead of cherishing her.
Ever since that summer day, I’ve ignored all her attempts to be friends or the tentative smiles she sends my way. I’ve barked, acted rude, and never once bothered to greet her when she called my name.
I still remember how pretty she was on the first day of school and how tears formed in her eyes when I refused to stand next to her, so Patricia slipped in, and they’ve been close ever since.