Page 40 of Fixation of the Mind

Rion just folded his arms. “Do you not want her to be prepared?”

Pouting, Ravi glared at his brother before he turned around and stomped his way to the opposite side of the room, dragging his chair behind him. For the next two weeks, Ravi came down for an hour or two, put in his two cents, then left. It was nice having him there to push Rion’s buttons. It always gave me ideas for later.

Eventually, we worked our way out of Foedus and its rules and moved on to software and programming. Since this was more hands on, Rion and I got our groove down, making it easier for me to digest and retain this information. I had learned the basics on how to program AI, look up people, and access building layouts in the Foedus database. The next step was using that for a practical application. It took me a few tries to really understand, but I got the gist.

I was a little worried that I wasn’t learning more, but Rion reminded me that each test was tailored to the person taking it, so they could only guess what Foedus might test me on. The boys wanted to make sure I was well rounded and prepared for anything, which meant the most practical basics were our “curriculum” for now.

He would occasionally help me take the edge off my stress, with a special session on his desk or in Ravi’s chair while he wasn't there. That was especially mean, but it made Rion work extra hard when I reminded him that it was his brother’s seat.

One day, I got the courage to ask Rion about my parents and their death, so he clicked a few screens and found the Foedus’ files. Apparently, my parents were killed in a car accident. The car went off the edge of a winding road, and after it fell, it blew up on impact.

I’d prepared myself for the news before I even asked, having dreamed up all the worst-case scenarios as well as the best, so I’d thought that I could handle the information like a champ.

In reality, I was the opposite of the champ I wanted to be.

My knees got weak, and I fell to the floor with tears streaming down my face. Rion was surprisingly kind when he picked me up and put me in his lap. He hugged me, and the two of us sat in his chair until my body stopped trembling.

“The files never mention you.”

I shook my head, thinking I’d misheard him until he looked down at me like I was being looped into something important.

“The files on your parents, Lisa and Gavin Rose, they didn't have anything about you. No birth certificate, no social, no hospital records. It was like you never existed in our system.” His pinched brow and lips told me this was irregular, the almighty Foedus not having information. "They must've hidden you from everyone."

I shrugged, more focused on the realization that this was the first time I was hearing their names. Lisa and Gavin.

How odd it was to hear their names. A flood of emotions filled me up even though I’d never met these people, or at least I didn’t remember ever meeting them. Lisa and Gavin were the ones who had left me in the woods. Knowing what I knew about the organization they’d belonged to, it was easy to think they had left me there to die after somehow finding me lacking. They must have been getting rid of the evidence. That was how people in this group operated, right?

Water filled my eyes, and my limbs grew heavy as I stared off into space. They didn't want you. You were a burden. A problem that needed to be solved. Reaching up, I grabbed the triangle pendant on my necklace out of habit. The contact shook me out of my stupor, and a thought hit me. If they hadn’t cared for me, why did they give me this? Why did they leave me with a clue to who they were?

“I’m sorry, Layrin. I'm not trying to stir up stuff, but this ‘accident’ just seems very odd and out of place. A lot like how my parents died.” Rion’s voice hitched at the end, and I turned to face him.

Wiping at the wet tracks on my cheeks, I grabbed his hand, feeling both the need to be comforted and give comfort. “What do you mean?”

He opened up a file on his desktop, and loads of documents came out. “Xaden and Margaret Ambros perished when a plane crashed into the side of a mountain. Debris was searched for evidence of the cause, but everything burned up upon impact.” He looked back and forth at both documents.

Mumbling to himself, he said, “It's just so odd that both would…” I put my hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

My stomach rumbled, and he pulled himself away from the computer to look at me with concern. Sheepishly, I said, “I guess I’m ready for dinner.”

He nodded, shutting his computer and ushering me upstairs, but the look in his eyes said he was far from done with those documents. I, on the other hand, refused to get my hopes up. I didn’t think I could handle getting even more disappointed by my dead parents. That would be like opening Pandora's box, and I was afraid once it was out in the open, everything I kept locked up inside would come out… and that was too dangerous.

I suddenly remembered what Mrs. Ricci had said, and I grabbed Rion’s arm. “Maybe Mrs. Ricci knows something.”

His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

Rushing, I explained what I remembered. “After I met with the council, she mentioned my mother. She knew her, and I got the feeling she knew her well. Maybe she could help?”

The gears in his mind were working, and even though he mumbled, “Doubtful,” I saw a small sliver of hope when he said he would look into it.

Chapter 15

How could this perfect angel of a creature be my guiding light but also feed the darkness inside with such exquisite finesse? She might not know it quite yet, might not understand it, but she was a flawless match for me and my brothers, each of us sinking deeper and deeper into our compulsive desire for her.

Ravi had stopped asking me for pictures of her, and as far as I knew, hadn’t purchased any new custom Rin memorabilia for his collection. With his urges being satisfied by having the real deal in front of him, what would become of him if he lost her? Roux came home from the last couple of jobs cleaner than he ever had. His most recent set of mementos was a handful of ripped off nails which he’d kept in a vacuum-sealed bag. It wasn't a piece that needed to be especially preserved like normal and was quite tame for him. And, well, for me, watching and collecting was beginning to not be enough. Even this last time, I made an impulsive decision to use the vibrator to ensure what I wanted happened, being much more hands on than I was used to… and I liked it. I’ve found that I need to be involved somehow, no longer the distant observer. All of these changes were because of Rin.

She challenged us, and in the time we'd spent together, she was blossoming into the gorgeous red-petaled and black-centered flower we always knew she was on the inside. It was truly ironic that her actual last name was Rose. It fit her so well.

We might have experienced a few bumps in the road, but I was having a hard time regretting any of my actions or mistakes. While her being the last descendent of the seventh family brought its difficulties and concerns, it also gave her an extra layer of protection, one much stronger than if she were just our externus. There was also that pesky unwritten rule about families co-mingling, but we could get to that problem later. I had some ideas in the works to take care of that issue when it came to a head.

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