her own daughter.” Flustered, she paced the room. Her
steps were longer than Mom’s, more hurried. Her entire being pulsed with the
frantic need to move, while Mom had been the calm in the storm. She had dark
hair, blue eyes, but she wasn’t my mom. And I hated her for that most of all.
She ran her fingers through her
hair. “You know how it is. Your mother thought it would be safer if we split
up.”
She wasn’t saying something. I
could almost sense the reluctance in her. I didn’t know how or why, but I knew
she was hiding something. Big surprise, our lives revolved around half-truths. The
sudden ache in my temples wasn’t surprising considering how frustrating my life
had become. “Why?”
“Because I was a bit of a
rebel.” She grinned a lopsided grin that looked eerily familiar…my grin. She
was trying to bond with me, the two rebellious Winters girls. When I didn’t
return her smile, she grew serious once more. “Your mom thought it would be too
dangerous for you and Cameron to be around me.”
Too dangerous? I didn’t buy it. “She
made you stay away?”
She shrugged.
I released a wry laugh, which
left her looking rather leery. Like everyone else, she thought I was teetering
on the edge of insanity. I held my arms wide, welcoming the madness. “I was
captured, tortured. Mom was killed. How much worse could it have been if you’d
been in our lives?”
She frowned and looked away, but
not before I noticed the guilt in her eyes. “You were captured because they
followed me to Savannah. It’s how they found you. It’s why your mom never
forgave me.”
My amusement fled, my body going
cold. Slowly, my mind turned over the past, trying to uncover long-buried
memories. But the pieces didn’t fit, something didn’t make sense. “Your fault?”
She nodded uneasily. No. No, it
didn’t make sense. If I had been caught because of her, that meant…
Frantic, I started toward her,
determined to understand. “Which time?”
She shook her head, confused. “What?”
I latched onto her upper arms,
desperate. “I was caught twice! The first time when I was young, and I got the
scar. The second time I was older. Which time were you responsible?”
“I don’t—”
“Which?” I demanded, tightening
my grip.
She jerked away from me, anger flashing
across her face. I understood, she didn’t like to be touched, something else we
had in common. But I didn’t care. “You were older. It was only a few years ago.”
Older. I had been older. I stumbled
back and sank onto the bed. Maddox hadn’t turned me in? Maddox hadn’t followed
me to Savannah and told them where I lived. All this time…
My aunt was talking, apologizing
for what had happened, but I didn’t care. At the moment nothing mattered but
the fact that Maddox hadn’t turned me in to S.P.I. He hadn’t betrayed me.
But he had, in a way, that voice inside my head reminded me. I
frowned, knowing that voice was right. Determined, I hardened my heart. It
didn’t change the fact that Maddox had stayed with them. Instead of coming with
me, he had remained with the enemy. He was the enemy. I rubbed my temples, my brain throbbing. Hell, I didn’t know
what to think anymore.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
It doesn’t matter , I repeated to myself. Yet it did matter so very
much. I released a wry laugh. I needed to take my anger out on someone, might
as well be her. “Right, I was tortured for a second time, but it doesn’t
matter, because you know, when it’s happened once, the second time is a breeze!
So why are you here now? Good ol’ family reunion? You finally decide to check
up on your nieces?”
“Listen, we have more important
things to discuss than whether I’ll be aunt of the year.” She crossed her arms
over her chest, a stubborn look upon her face. “I have the source, Nora.”
The words should have been
shocking. They weren’t. I swallowed hard. So she’d inherited Mom’s powers. It
wasn’t surprising.
steps were longer than Mom’s, more hurried. Her entire being pulsed with the
frantic need to move, while Mom had been the calm in the storm. She had dark
hair, blue eyes, but she wasn’t my mom. And I hated her for that most of all.
She ran her fingers through her
hair. “You know how it is. Your mother thought it would be safer if we split
up.”
She wasn’t saying something. I
could almost sense the reluctance in her. I didn’t know how or why, but I knew
she was hiding something. Big surprise, our lives revolved around half-truths. The
sudden ache in my temples wasn’t surprising considering how frustrating my life
had become. “Why?”
“Because I was a bit of a
rebel.” She grinned a lopsided grin that looked eerily familiar…my grin. She
was trying to bond with me, the two rebellious Winters girls. When I didn’t
return her smile, she grew serious once more. “Your mom thought it would be too
dangerous for you and Cameron to be around me.”
Too dangerous? I didn’t buy it. “She
made you stay away?”
She shrugged.
I released a wry laugh, which
left her looking rather leery. Like everyone else, she thought I was teetering
on the edge of insanity. I held my arms wide, welcoming the madness. “I was
captured, tortured. Mom was killed. How much worse could it have been if you’d
been in our lives?”
She frowned and looked away, but
not before I noticed the guilt in her eyes. “You were captured because they
followed me to Savannah. It’s how they found you. It’s why your mom never
forgave me.”
My amusement fled, my body going
cold. Slowly, my mind turned over the past, trying to uncover long-buried
memories. But the pieces didn’t fit, something didn’t make sense. “Your fault?”
She nodded uneasily. No. No, it
didn’t make sense. If I had been caught because of her, that meant…
Frantic, I started toward her,
determined to understand. “Which time?”
She shook her head, confused. “What?”
I latched onto her upper arms,
desperate. “I was caught twice! The first time when I was young, and I got the
scar. The second time I was older. Which time were you responsible?”
“I don’t—”
“Which?” I demanded, tightening
my grip.
She jerked away from me, anger flashing
across her face. I understood, she didn’t like to be touched, something else we
had in common. But I didn’t care. “You were older. It was only a few years ago.”
Older. I had been older. I stumbled
back and sank onto the bed. Maddox hadn’t turned me in? Maddox hadn’t followed
me to Savannah and told them where I lived. All this time…
My aunt was talking, apologizing
for what had happened, but I didn’t care. At the moment nothing mattered but
the fact that Maddox hadn’t turned me in to S.P.I. He hadn’t betrayed me.
But he had, in a way, that voice inside my head reminded me. I
frowned, knowing that voice was right. Determined, I hardened my heart. It
didn’t change the fact that Maddox had stayed with them. Instead of coming with
me, he had remained with the enemy. He was the enemy. I rubbed my temples, my brain throbbing. Hell, I didn’t know
what to think anymore.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
It doesn’t matter , I repeated to myself. Yet it did matter so very
much. I released a wry laugh. I needed to take my anger out on someone, might
as well be her. “Right, I was tortured for a second time, but it doesn’t
matter, because you know, when it’s happened once, the second time is a breeze!
So why are you here now? Good ol’ family reunion? You finally decide to check
up on your nieces?”
“Listen, we have more important
things to discuss than whether I’ll be aunt of the year.” She crossed her arms
over her chest, a stubborn look upon her face. “I have the source, Nora.”
The words should have been
shocking. They weren’t. I swallowed hard. So she’d inherited Mom’s powers. It
wasn’t surprising.
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