Page 190 of Seeking Shadows

The voice comes from behind me, and even after all these years, I’d recognize that sarcastic tone anywhere.

My chest tightens before I even turn around. When I do, Taylor is already sitting next to me, her eyes fixed on our father’s headstone.

“Hi, Dad,” she murmurs.

The wind blows her curly hair, and for a moment, she looks so tired that my heart aches.

“It’s been a while,” I say, not knowing where to start.

She lets out a dry laugh. “Years.”

Silence.

I haven’t seen her since the last time I heard her hate-filled voice. Since the last time she told me she never wanted to see me again.

“Why are you leaving me?” Her voice shakes, but her gaze is sharp, burning into me like a blade. “Why do you hate me so much that you want to leave?”

“It’s just college.”

“You wouldn’t be moving to another country if it was just college. Talk to me.”

My chest tightens. The desperation in her eyes is a knot, tightening until it’s hard to breathe.

“I’m your family.” Taylor takes a step forward, her breath shaky. “Don’t leave me. Please. Not like this. I’m your little sister. We’re a team. You and me against her.”

I close my eyes for a second. If I stayed… If I stayed, I would sink with her.

“I can’t be here.” My voice is barely a whisper.

The silence lasts less than a second. Enough for the storm to shift.

Taylor steps back, her gaze sharp now, like shattered glass.

“Okay,” she says, her voice firm but empty. “Go.”

She tilts her head, her eyes cold, like she never felt anything for me.

“I hate you. I don’t want to see you again.”

The final cut. The perfect hit.

I just lower my head and walk away.

I was so fucked up at the time. I just wanted out. What my mom had done was so fresh, and I had just gotten into a fight with one of her boyfriends. All I wanted was to escape. Get away.

“You never came to see me.” My voice is rougher than I expected.

Taylor crosses her arms, looking away. “I didn’t mean to.”

That’s a lie. I know my sister too well for that.

“You were hurt.”

She lets out a heavy sigh, as if the weight of the years falls on her all at once. “I was fucked, Zane. And you weren’t here.”

The guilt hits me hard. I knew I had hurt Taylor when I left, but I hadn’t realized how much.

“I know,” I admit, my voice low. “I should have stayed.”

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