by Leyton, Bisi
Terran was The Family’s word for human. It meant a dirt person. Wisteria found the word deeply insulting, but it was a true reflection of how The Family saw and treated humans.
“I am not here to discuss the Sen. I want Bach to come home,” Lluc continued serenely. “The Sen said a lot of things he did not mean, but has calmed down since.”
“So now your father only wants me dead?” she clarified.
“This is not about you,” Yordi growled.
“Let me talk to her.” Lluc sighed heavily, stepping between Yordi and Wisteria. “Yes, my father wants you dead, but I can make it possible for Didan and Mina to forget this place.”
“That isn’t possible,” she replied.
“Remember, I helped Bach forget you for a long time,” he added.
“You did that?” She shook her head. She’d first met Bach back when she was eleven, but neither of them had any memory of the year they’d spent together. Her father had seen to it that her memories were altered.
Now, it seemed, Lluc had done the same to Bach. Even now that they were together all the time, Wisteria still had almost no recollection of anything that had happened to them. Occasionally, there were flashes or images, but nothing that made sense. However, when she saw Bach for the first time last March, she soon remembered him and it became clear that they shared a deep emotional and physiological bond. The Family called it a Mosroc.
“It is a gift.” Lluc grinned as if he was offering the cure to Nero. “And once they have forgotten, your town will be safe from The Family.”
"What about him?” She pointed to Enric. “You’ll wipe his memory?”
“Never,” Enric grunted.
Lluc shook his head. “I want to help you keep your island safe, and I do not want my brother to know I was a part of this. If I wipe his memories of this island, Bach will know I was involved in this.”
“Why would you do this?” She knew this must be a trick.
“Because you will help us,” Lluc replied.
“How?” she asked.
“How do you think?” Yordi folded his arms.
“You want me to do something to Bach. You want me to convince him to return to The Family.”
“No,” Yordi stated firmly. “You will do more than that. You will make him leave.”
“How can I make him leave?” She shook her head. “He wants to be here, especially after what your Family did to him.”
“He is dying,” Lluc exclaimed passionately. “My brother is going to die, Wisteria. The cut from the danor is poisoning him and he will not survive much longer.”
The danor was the blue-bladed knife Bach was stabbed with.
“No, he’s much better now,” she argued. “He’s been regenerating.” She’d seen Bach regenerate a few times and it was pretty amazing. Although since he’d been stabbed with the danor, he hadn’t been able to regenerate to full strength this time. He’d assured her that he only needed more time to regenerate.
“But he has not fully recovered, has he? And, it has been almost two of your months,” Lluc remarked. “Worst case scenario, it should take only days to regenerate. He needs help from The Family to recover.”
“You’re lying,” she guessed.
“Wisteria, you have a bond with him, so search within yourself. You know he is not well,” Lluc stated emphatically.
Fidgeting with her coat, she thought back. While Bach seemed to feel better, she’d sensed there was something seriously wrong. She hadn’t wanted to admit it. Secretly and selfishly, she hoped he was becoming humanlike and less supernatural. “So, help him?”
“He will need to regenerate in Jarthan and not in this realm,” Lluc maintained.
Jarthan was the realm where The Family had taken her and almost killed her. It sat between Earth and The Family’s home realm. If Bach went with them, she’d not be able to follow.
“I have to convince him to leave,” Wisteria concluded.
Slowly, Lluc nodded his head. “No Famila will return here, but you have to get my brother to leave.”
“No, you will make sure that he leaves,” Yordi corrected.
“Why don’t you just help him,” she begged. “Please? He’s your brother. Don’t you care?”
“This is not a negotiation. Either you make him leave you, or he will die here,” Yordi threatened. “And when that is done, the empirics will return. Imagine the reaction when they find another Famila dead?”
The empirics were a group of brutal investigators from The Family. They’d come to Smythe months ago and had almost destroyed the island.
“Ask yourself: Do you want to see him die and waste away?” Lluc’s tone almost sounded concerned for her. “Could you live with yourself?”
She couldn’t. Fighting back her emotions, she tried to explain. “I’ll talk to him and try to get him to—”
“You misunderstand me.” Yordi squeezed her forearm. “He must hate you and believe you do not want him anymore.”
“You’re hurting me,” she gasped.
“Convince him the Mosroc is different for lesser animals.” Yordi clutched her tighter. “That you have found someone else you want to breed with.”
“Yordi, she understands.” Lluc unclasped his brother’s hands. “Do you not?”
She nodded as she rubbed her arm.
“You have two days, Terran. If he is still here, then I will know I have no brother. I will leave him to his life, or rather death, and your mother will have to face the empirics,” Yordi promised.
“My mother has nothing to do with this!”
“She murdered our mother. We suspected it for a while, but now we know,” continued Yordi.
Lluc looked uneasy. “Yordi, do not—”
“Why? It looks like she knows it too,” Yordi sneered. “I wonder how Bach will feel when he learns you kept that from him.”
“Just like you kept it from him!” Her mother had a checkered and vague past that she never talked about. She didn’t know for sure if her mother had killed Bach’s mother, but Wisteria knew it was possible.
“We did not know. Didan just learned it from his Thayn on the island and told us days ago, after you took Bach,” Lluc said. “But you hid this from him. I wonder . . . what will he do when he learns this?”
“He won’t hurt me,” she maintained. “He’s not like you.”
“Correct. Bach is not like me, because I will personally kill your mother,” promised Yordi. “Unless you give me back my brother.”
Lluc flinched, as if Yordi was going off-script. “Make him leave and I assure you, no Famila will return to your island. What is your answer, Wisteria?”
Nodding, she conceded. “I’ll get him to leave within two days. Where will I find you?”
“You do not need to find us. He will come home,” Lluc informed her.
*****
That evening, Wisteria stood outside the door of a large house on Lavender Hill on the nicer part of the island. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. This was not a house she’d ever visited, but she knew who lived there. Banging harder, she yelled, “Are you in there?”
Eventually, the door opened and seventeen-year-old Steven Hindle appeared. Steven was the son of the most senior scientist on the island, Dr. Tom Hindle. And in Smythe, the scientists and soldiers were at the top of the food chain.
He looked baffled to see her there. “What are you doing here?”
His confusion was understandable, as he’d been trying to convince her for months to hang out at his place. She’d always refused. There was a time when she’d literally dreamed to spend some time alone with Steven. She’d had the biggest crush on him when she first arrived in Smythe, almost three years ago. He was a very cute guy--tallish, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes that always shone. He flirted enough with her to keep her hopes up, but more often than not, she ended up looking like a fool.
Now she’d changed, and she could barely stand him. “You’ve been hinting for months I should—w
e should hang out. I thought we could hang out tonight,” she smiled.
“Why now?”
“I heard your dad wasn’t well and thought you might need some company?” She cringed with each false word.
“Yeah, he’s been out of it since those RZC people left. They completely fried his brain.” He groaned, rubbing his forehead with frustration. “Sabine’s not sure he’ll ever get better.”
“I’m sorry.” She really was.
Tom Hindle had been renewed by a member of The Family, who’d also died, and now was in a similar catatonic state as Yvette Morel.
“Not as much as me.” He let her in. “I’m surprised you’re here. No one’s really been around since it happened, except for Town Hall telling us we need to move into a smaller house.”
Now that his dad was out of action, he was like anyone else. Perhaps if Steven had shown any interest in becoming a scientist himself, things would have been different.
“Ba, ba, ba,” a man muttered from the end of the hall.
Looking closer, she discovered it was Steven’s father. The respected doctor was sitting in a rocking chair, babbling.
“Ba—ba,” Tom stuttered.
“Old man, you need to be quiet. We have a guest here.” Steven walked up and wiped the spit from his father’s mouth with a towel. “You remember Wisteria? She came to visit.”
Tom was staring at the wall, his mind seemingly miles away.
His son stroked his hair and turned back to Wisteria. “He’s actually glad to see you.”
Now she felt guiltier. “Is there any way I can help?”
“You’re helping by just being here.”
“I was kind of hoping I could make you feel a bit better.” She smiled at Steven. “Okay?” “What do you think?” She twirled her braids the way she’d seen Amanda and Hailey do hundreds of times. Boys seemed to like that.
“You’ve lost me,” he paused, and then smiled. “Oh, you want to do this with me?” He cocked his head smugly.
“Oww.” She’d twisted her braid too tight. “Um—yeah. I—do, so much.”
He gestured to the stairs. “Cool.”
“Cool,” she echoed, but her instinct was to run away. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. She had to do this horrible thing in order to save Bach’s life. Forcing a smile, she hurried to follow Steven and shuddered as he placed his hand on the small of her back.
They ended up in Steven’s messy room. He pushed a pile of clothes off his bed, and then sat on the stained sheets, signaling her to join him.
Run away, Wisteria! Closing her eyes, she stepped forward, bumping into something. “Oh.” Startled, she found Steven now standing in front of her.
“Are you nervous? This isn’t your first time?” He was rubbing her back.
“I’m cool.” It would be her first time, but it didn’t matter.
“We don’t have a lot of time. My sister is going to be back, so we need to—”
Reaching up, she kissed him as hard as she could, while all she felt was the urge to cry.
“Hmm.” He kissed her back.
Shuddering, she felt his hand move down her back and onto other places. She fought the urge to push him away.
“I’m going to blow your mind,” he murmured, kissing her neck.
“I’m sorry.” She broke the kiss. “I just need a second.”
“Are you changing your mind?” He jerked back, seemingly frustrated. “Wisteria, you came here and wanted this. Don’t start acting like a kid now.”
“Let’s do this.” She kissed him, but the smell and taste of this boy made her stomach turn.
Sitting down, Steven lowered her onto his lap.
Then, she saw someone out of the corner of her eye.
Eighteen-year-old Bach of the Third Pillar stood in the doorway, watching as she passionately kissed and groped Steven. His emerald green eyes darkened as they filled with rage.
She wanted to break free of Steven and run to Bach, but his brothers’ threats rang in her ears.
“Wisteria?” Bach exclaimed.
She counted to three before breaking free of the revolting kiss. Forcing out a childish giggle, she turned to Bach. Nervously, she fumbled with her blouse, so he would know Steven was feeling her up. “Hey. What are you doing here?” She continued to sit on Steven’s lap.
This wouldn’t be the first time he’d found Steven and her in an intense situation, although the other times Steven had been the one who’d initiated. The end result was the same. Bach had a deep disdain for Steven Hindle.
“What am I doing here?” Bach stormed in, ripping Wisteria away from his perceived rival. “What are you doing with him?”
“Don’t push me around,” she protested, pulling away from him. “You don’t own me.”
“Wisteria, you belong to me, like I belong to you.” He seemed to be pleading with her.
I still do, she wanted to say, but instead she said, “Don’t even start with the Mosroc crap. I’m sick of it.”
“This is why you are doing this? You are tired?”
“Listen, mate, you should go.” Steven stepped forward and shoved Bach. “She doesn’t want you here and I didn’t invite you into my house.”
Still weakened from the attacks in Jarthan, Bach stumbled to the ground. “D’cara.” Jumping up, he dove at Steven, who struck him across the face. Bach ignored the blow and grabbed Steven’s neck.
Even in his damaged state, Wisteria knew Bach could finish Steven off. “How did you find me?” She grabbed his arm. “Are you following me?”
“Garfield told me you were coming here to hook up with Steven,” Bach seethed.
“Why did you listen to him?” Rolling her eyes, she laughed. “Half the time, what he says never makes sense.”
“What? He was right. You were kissing him!”
“And I plan to do a lot more than kiss him, once you leave.” She smiled. “Remember, you have a problem with girls like me.”
“What is wrong with you? How can you say that to me? After everything, you still believe that?”
“Just go.” Please Bach, just leave. She felt tears building up behind her eyes, but she suppressed them. Any sign she didn’t mean it, and he’d never leave. You have to make him hate you, Wisteria.
“My Family, my father, tried to kill me because I wanted to be with you and now you are saying this? Wisteria, you know how important you are to me.” He reached out and grabbed her arms.
Even in his agitated state, she didn’t want him to let go. “Important? You hate people like me. You only came to here to watch my people suffer and die. Didn’t you?” Her eyes watered as she realized this was true. “Don’t lie to me. You’d be happy if every one of us was dead.”
“That was before. It is different now.”
“Different? You still hate humans.”
“I do not hate humans.”
“You distrust us. Judging from your psychotic Family, I know my mother was right to try and destroy your people. You and all your kind are monsters and I just need some fresh air. Steven does that for me.”
“Sorry, man.” Steven laughed while looking a little bewildered as well.
“Wisteria—let us talk about this alone,” Bach suggested, stroking her arms with his thumbs.
“At the end of the day, I’m only human. So, go find one of your girls and do whatever it is you do with her.” She pushed him away. “Find someone you can take home to your mother—wait, you can’t, because she’s dead.” She hadn’t meant to bring his mother into this, but that was a good topic to use to push him away.
His eyes darkened at the quip about his mother. “Wisteria, stop!”
“I’m sure Coia is turning over in her unmarked grave at the notion of you debasing yourself with a dirt girl. Maybe it’s good she’s dead.”
Letting go of her, he stepped back. His fists were clenched at his sides while his knuckles were almost completely white. “You are more important to me than my mother, and I would still be
here if she were alive. She was different from the other Famila, she would understand—”
Smiling broadly, she made herself laugh, knowing it was killing him. “You want to cry about your dearest Coia? How stupid was she to get killed by lowly humans?”
“What is wrong with you?”
“The only thing wrong here is you bursting into someone else’s home, attacking him, and acting like you own me. You need to go now.” Pointing to the door, she glanced at Steven and smiled. Facing Bach’s hurt, bewildered gaze was now impossible for her. If she did, she’d loose her resolve.
“You are coming with me. We are going to talk about this properly.” He reached for her.
She slapped him. “Stop grabbing me and stop acting like I’m a Thayn. You can’t control me and you need to get out now!” she yelled. “You think because we have a Mosroc, that somehow we’re married or something?”
“Ha.” Steven laughed dumbly again.
Bach grimaced at the boy.
Steven had no clue what they were saying, because by now she was speaking in The Family’s Dialect.
“You’re going to spoil my night, so get out,” she demanded.
“Wisteria?” He moved toward her.
“You’ve ruined my life. You! So stay the hell away from me!” The final words she said were a blur, but the words didn’t matter. All she knew was the feeling of ripping out his heart with every breath she took. “I remembered your name, all of it. Do you want me to tell it to Steven? I’ll teach it to him.” She nodded in the other boy’s direction and started to sing. “Colista-Bren-Navida-Dor-Elson-Elsner-Havash-Razerobar-Calshina-Holan—”
“Stop.” Bach covered her mouth with his hand.
She continued laughing. She knew this was the final insult: to recite his formal name aloud. To The Family, this was the greatest insult. Wisteria now felt sort of numb as if she was watching this happen from somewhere else, like she was someone else.
“Enough.” Closing his eyes, he removed his hand from her lips. He moved out, but paused when he saw her coming after him. “What?” he fumed.
Smirking, she slammed the door in his face and backed away. She knew if he’d touched her again she would burst into tears and beg him to stay. Through the door, she heard him furiously storming down the stairs. She sank to ground and wept silently, terrified he’d hear her and come back.