What does that say about my past?
What does that say about my future?
I sigh, losing to my wandering mind again.
Dragging a hand down my face, I force myself to inhale sharply through my nose, holding the breath in place as I glance around. I can't quite see any of the other institutes, but the edge of The Vale is visible.
As sad as the view is, and as much as I don't like this place, it's still grounding.
Exhaling slowly, I try to focus on what is here with me right now, in the present, to pull me from my mind.
Another inhale.
I focus on the pathway that leads to The Vale. Doing so seems to calm my senses just enough for me to hear the whistle of the wind through the derelict trees that frame Institute Thirteen.
The moment I hear it, my ears prick at the sensation of something changing in the air.
“I know you're there.” The words are raspy and muffled as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
My senses are confirmed a moment later when Thorne steps out of the shadows, filling the space on the small platformed balcony that I graced moments ago. His eyes find mine, but I can't get a read on his emotions as he climbs up and silently takes a seat beside me.
He doesn't say a word, just matches my position, staring out at our surroundings.
My instincts tell me to push him away, to run for the hills so I can drown in my thoughts in private, but his presence is enough to warm the chill that threatens to burn through my bones. I have to take it at face value; I don’t want to be alone.
Not now.
Not ever.
“Is it just you?” I whisper, and he nods, peering at me from the corner of his eye.
“We agreed it was best not to overwhelm you,” he explains, and I instinctively clutch the vials tighter.
My bottom lip wobbles, and I hate myself for it. Choking back the emotion that threatens to overwhelm me, I clear my throat with a small sniff as I dare to ask the only person who has more answers than anybody else. “What are they like?”
The corner of his mouth tilts ever so slightly as he turns to face me properly. “They are good people, Elodie.” I can't reply as a lump forms in my throat, so I nod numbly. Thankfully, he doesn’t take my silence as a hint to shut up and proceeds to offer me a little more. “Odie was my father's best friend. I know I said that already, but…” His gaze shifts, glazing over as he stares down at his hands, a ghost of a smile claiming his lips. “It was always a running joke between my parents that they were each other’s soul mates, while our mothers were their greatest loves.”
Ourmothers.
I choke on a sob.
His smile falters as he shakes his head. “Their kindness was never questioned, and their love for one another shone in the moments they were able to express themselves freely.” Herubs a hand over his chest, lost in thought. “I remember the way Ellie used to braid my sister's hair as she and my mother gossiped about God knows what. The saddest thing is, I don't remember anything about you. I didn't know of you, and as young as I may have once been, there is no part of me that recalls you there.”
I gulp, confused about what that even means.
Was I a secret to begin with?
Did they choose to put me with those people who scarred my soul, along with my skin?
Those are questions I can’t get answers for. Right now, all I have are the moments I've already shared.
“I spoke to them,” I admit, and he startles, eyes widening as his jaw falls, bringing his gaze to mine.
“You did?”
I nod. “They said they were there to protect their family,” I breathe, my heart aching once again at the fact, but my eyebrows gather in confusion. “But if my mother is a scythe, wouldn't she have recognized what I am too with my eye?” I ask, pointing at the iris in question.
The bright blue circle around my eye, now tinted red and leaving a purple hue, is unavoidable, and my mother was the first person to spot it.
