Page 64 of Beneath the Watching

Frustration built up inside me over the pointlessness of having communication with an otherworldly being that didn’t do a thing for me other than to mostly make nonsensical or useless statements.

The voice hadn’t given me one single practical piece of information, ever. It just went on about things changing and told me about a stolen baby—who I’d since learned must’ve been Kiara. Still, it had nothing to do with me.

“Go away,” I muttered. “Wait. How do I get back to the castle? Where am I?” Regret filled me over my dismissal of the voice. What if, for once, it was helpful?

There was no answer forthcoming. Uncertain what to do, I walked back to the pine trees where Tiffany and I had beentaking samples for my bread making. I dropped the little branch I’d been holding and turned in a circle, hoping and praying I’d find my friend.

It felt like hours had gone by, but I wasn’t sure and neither did I have a reliable source to tell me how much time had passed. The sunlight dimmed quickly, and the shadows toppled, leaving me alone to sit in the moss and scattered pine needles.

“I thought you said someone was coming?” I taunted the voice.

Wait.

Somehow, I knew the voice wasn’t talking about Stefan and I could only imagine how worried he was. A pang of guilt twinged in my breast. I knew he didn’t want me leaving the building and it had been difficult enough to convince him I’d be okay in the kitchens. Having Tiffany as a friend was a comfort to me and I enjoyed her company. Under no circumstances did I think I’d be separated from her when we were mere feet from the castle and in full view of its inhabitants. It figured the one time I did something fun, like go outside, that I’d be thrust into whateverthiswas.

Sighing, I sat down and rested my head on my knees. Maybe if I closed my eyes and reopened them everything would go back to normal? Dissociating wouldn’t work, not like it used to, so I didn’t bother trying to shut everything out. I’d come really far and stopped using my ridiculous coping mechanisms and had started opening up to people and letting them see me. Falling back on old habits would only hurt, not help me.

Stunted magic affected your mental health.

Startled by the revelation, I jumped up. “Where are my parents? Aren’t you my magic?” I asked the disembodied voice. “What Realm did they go to?” If nothing ever died, they had to be somewhere.

All I had were vague memories of a woman and a field full of daisies. No memory of a father. After that, I was placed into foster care and passed around through wealthy homes and treated like a doll—and expected to act like one, too. My childhood was not typical, and I was more than aware of the horror many endured while being a part of the system. I did have bad experiences, just not the stereotypical kind like black eyes and broken bones.

No, mine was saved for emotional and verbal abuse and always delivered with a pleasant smile. “Remember your place,” still echoed in my head when my guard was down.

“Sit still and smile.”

“Don’t show your teeth.”

“Don’t crinkle your eyes.”

“Don’t speak.”

Those were the things that had always run through the back of my head like I had a personal narration system. All I wanted was a family of my own, a place where I belonged and was accepted.

Instead, I embraced being different and allowed myself to be as off-putting as possible. It worked pretty fantastically at keeping people at bay and very few had ever broken through my barriers other than Madison, Kiara, and Al.

Your parents are dead.

The voice tore through my self-reflection, and I hiccupped as my tears started falling. In my heart, I’d known. I’d believed Colette. I’d always had that deep unexplained knowing they were gone. It didn’t lessen the blow of hearing the words, but it felt like a finalizing moment coming from the voice and it blew away my wishful thinking. I’d seen enough magic here in the Fourth Realm to know nothing could bring them back where I could see them.

Your magic was stunted. Except me.

“How was it stunted? What do you mean?” I waited, but no answer came. “Where is everybody? What happened?” My surroundings hadn’t changed back, and the castle was still gone. The stars had come out overhead and the moon was shining brightly.

Turning to examine the area once again, I suddenly came face to face with the man in black. I stumbled backwards, landing on the ground and he took a step forward. I didn’t know how long he’d been standing there or listening, and I was stunned at his appearance. There’s been no warning and he looked very real.

“Who are you?” I asked, making no move to get up. As tempting as it was, I didn’t reach out to feel his leg or try and make sure he wasn’t an apparition. His image was foreboding and if I had to guess, he wouldn’t take kindly to a stranger feeling his pants.

The man peered down at me, his eyes as dark as coal. The moon shined on his face, highlighting his harsh features. I couldn’t decide if he was beautiful or terrifying at night, where he looked more at home than the time I saw him reflected in the water of the stream. He cocked his head. “Stand up,” he ordered, his voice both seductive and stern.

I scooted backward and shakily stood up. “Why are you here, what do you want with me?”

“I am Josiah,” the man said. “I am going to speak with you.”

Taking another step backward, I tried to see where the castle had been, hoping it’d reappeared. All I really wanted was for Stefan to come and get me out of here but there was nobody to be found.

Before I knew what was happening, Josiah had seized my arms, and everything went black. I abruptly found myself inside what appeared to be a home’s living room. After I got overmy shock, I realized he’d done what Stefan referred to as transitioning and effortlessly moved me to another plane.

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