‘Who said anything about being alive?’
‘I’m just a spectre here to take you to hell.’
“I couldn't let him get away with it,” Christian confesses. “That's all it is. I used Christian's face... to kill him. I'm not your enemy.”
“You took his place,” Aster retorts. “To get into the family. To get close to us—”
“No,” Christian's face contorts, “no—I... couldn't handle his death. I wasgrieving... for the first time. I wanted to give him more. I wanted to make him great. So people would remember.”
“So you're saying you have nothing to gain from all of this?”
“Everything I did, I did for Christian.” His expression is bitter. “But... I'm tired of pretending... and you said—” he looks up at me, “you said maybe—you could accept me. I wanted to give it a try. I wanted to give us a real chance. So I ended it today... I wanted to tell you the truth.”
A lot is happening.
It's a lot.
But some things are making sense.
Why you hate your reflection.
Why you hate when I call you Christian.
Why everyone thinks you're looking for a place to die.
That's because you're not him.
It started hurting you so much you wanted it to end.
It's a lot... but none of it is a reason to go back on my promise.
I place my entire body in front of Aster’s gun.
“He's never tried to hurt me, Aster. Or the team.”
“Not yet.”
“He saved the kid today. He helped us catch the Harvester.”
“To gain our trust before stabbing us in the back.”
“Why are you sofuckingpig-headed today?” I snap venomously.
“You're notfuckingthinking, Reuben. The entire family was there.”
Fuck.
“They know he's a fake. They're not going to let him live. He's done. And he's confused you. Any man who lies about his identity can't be trusted.”
“I don't have an identity of my own,” Christian piques up softly. “And I'm not a man either. Everything I've said is the truth.”
“You don't have an identity?” Aster’s eyes narrow further on his words. “Is this something you do? Stealing people's identities for so long, you can't even remember yourself?”
When Christian looks at me, he looks terrified. When he gets out of thebed, I can see he’s trembling—I can see how much he cares about me. How much he wants me to know. How brave he's trying to be, to get the truth out.
When he shifts, I can only blink. His face... changes. Before my very eyes. One moment he's Christian... the next he's not.
His hair is longer. It’s become a pure white colour. Long and tangly like mine.
