Page 2 of Dust to Dust

"Nova," I voiced as I rolled her name around on my tongue.

Is Nova, Elsa? Elsa had light blonde hair and sun-kissed skin like an angel. She glowed pure, untouched humanity. Everything about Elsa was good. Nova, on the other hand, looked different. With jet black hair, pale skin, and a sinful essence that just screamed the bad girl. Sure, Elsa was only a teenager when she was killed, so comparing her body to Nova's wasn't straightforward. Nova had a similar face shape and lips with that cute cupid’s bow. Elsa's kiss was from cupid, and she stole my heart. I'd suspect Nova's kiss would be a bite from the devil's snake. The one feature that haunted my core was Nova's eyes. The grey was darker than Elsa’s; lifeless. One look told me Nova had seen some serious shit. Setting aside the changed features from child to adult, I was left with a tiny feature only in Nova's left eye.

Once again, I think I'm losing my mind.

A freckle.

Elsa had a speck of a blue freckle in her left eye, and Nova had the same. If Elsa was pretending to be this new girl called Nova, who went to such lengths, why not change her eyes? Did she think I wouldn't remember every detail about her? The little details are often plotted out, but it's the fine details people forget to inspect. Is it possible Nova forgot about the smallest and most delicate of details? I didn't think so. I had a feeling that whatever game Nova was playing was a cry for help, but I had to get to the bottom of the conundrum to be sure.

"What about the new girl?" Damian asked. He stepped shoulder to shoulder with me, and his eyes roamed the brunt-down tree house. Damian didn't know Elsa, but I told him and Dash all about her. They had to put up with my self-destructive behavior after Elsa was killed. Damian had a savior complex when it came to women. We were cousins by blood but brothers by experiences, and as my brother, Damian, suffered when I did.

I opened my lips to confess my irrational thought, "I don't thinksheis Nova. I think Nova is someone else."

Damian tilted his head, "You think she is a spy?" He suggested. It wasn't a wrong suggestion. Men like us, men in high power, face numerous threats. That was why our fathers trained us so hard as kids. That training saved us multiple times and made us want to kill our fathers. We're not the only ones either. The brotherhood, our secret group, will soon need to enact our first plan. We were taking power into our hands, claiming our freedom. When you overthrow a king, the first rule is to make sure you kill him. One who comes back for vengeance isn't to be trifled with. A scorned king can raise an army from the dead. Therefore we had no choice but to end our makers. Men like us, like our fathers, didn't accept defeat. They continued to plot and fight to the last breath.

"I don't know," I admitted.

Damian crossed his arms and widened his stance, "You're here for a reason."

I nodded. Damian didn't miss a thing. Dash was too busy losing his mind and control of Mila, and although Damian was obsessed with his Plain Jane, his mind could multitask like no other. Part of Damian was with Plain Jane, and the other part was always with Dash and me.

I turned to Damian and dropped all my defensives, "I think Nova is Elsa."

Damian tipped his head back and chuckled. When I didn't respond, he stopped, "You're serious?" He raised a brow.

"I'm not sure." Licking my lips, I tried to explain myself, "She has a freckle. The same as Elsa."

Damian flashed me a look of concern, "Dude, you're not serious?"

"Yes."

He uncrossed his arms and stepped closer, "I thought Elsa was like an angel, blonde hair, good heart, etc."

"She was."

"Titan," Damian emphasized my name with concern as he opened his arms, "Nova is a hellfire. She eats men up and spits them out. People have a lot of features that our minds can try to link to old memories. Your dad mentioned you have to get married soon, and I think your mind is playing tricks on you. You're grasping because of your guilt over Elsa."

Placing my palms over my eyes, I pushed my hands painfully into my eye sockets, "It's not the same." I began to explain the freckle in Nova's eye. Damian didn't interrupt; he listened and calculated. That was precisely why I needed him. It was very rare to keep secrets from one another, but Dash currently had too much on his plate. Plus, there was no point in telling him my speculations until they were confirmed.

"Why would she show up now?" Damian questioned.

Looking at my cousin, I confessed, "That's what I need you to help me find out." If Nova was Elsa, and Elsa had been hiding from me for years only to come back and play some twisted game, she had another thing coming. When you poke the devil, you unleash the hell hounds.You better get ready, babygirl, because I'm out for blood.

Chapter 2

Three months ago…

"Your intuition was correct.” Damian said. His jaw was tense, his body on guard and ready for a fight. Damian's right hand was slipped inside his pocket, no doubt gripping his pocket knife. Damian and I agreed to meet at the burnt-down treehouse once he compiled the facts I needed to face or not face the past. Dash would find out if we met anywhere else besides here, and I couldn't tell him yet. Dash was dealing with Mr. Michelson, who was trying to stall the marriage contract between Mila, his daughter, and Dash. Ironically, the man who built a business on not breaking contracts was trying to break his own. Michelson was a fool to try to test a King. I would enjoy watching Dash tear Mila’s father apart and claim his prize.

I liked Mila a lot, and she was suitable for Dash. Mila centered and calmed the beast that roared inside of Dash as much as she rifled it. They had a lot of shit they needed to work out, but once they did, once Mila learned how to put Dash in his place, well, they would be an unstoppable couple. That was precisely what Dash and Mila needed to be to take over their branch of King Corporations. Unlike our fathers, who had to watch their backs, my cousins and I bonded with our new brothers. If we learned anything from our fathers, it was better to have more than one set of eyes looking out for your back. I'd have just that when our brotherhood came into power.

My boots dug deeper into the muddied soil when I turned to face Damian. He stood with a giant pine tree against his back, a tactical move. This way, he only had to watch his side. Dressed in all black, he would soon disappear into the coming night's darkness. Lately, Damian had gained more muscle weight. His usual clothing looked too tight and pulled around his arms and thighs. He was preparing for the battle that loomed on the horizon. The war our brotherhood was waging would soon spark to life. For Damian, his biggest fight would be against himself. He struggled with the fear that he would turn into his father. Dash and I would never allow that to happen, though.

"What did you find?" I questioned. My ribs felt so tight that when I inhaled, it pained my lungs as I waited for Damian's findings. I stood tall, feeling like a tidal wave was about to press down upon me. Damian was good at the vanishing act. Most of the time, he vanished to see his Plain Jane, but I had him disappear the past few weeks to spy on Nova. During those weeks, he gathered the facts I needed, and now it was time to come clean.

Had I lost my mind?

Nova was the first girl I craved since Elsa was killed. Maybe trying to link Elsa and Nova together was just a trickery of the mind?

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