Page 75 of Ethereally Redeemed

I look into her mismatched eyes, dulled and distant in the darkness.

She doesn’t seem to notice me. Her gaze is on me, but her mind is somewhere else. A torrent of emotion washes over me—a sense of helplessness at not having her present, and a deep sense of abandonment. I try to push them away as far into my mind as I can, giving her my own jacket to warm her up.

“He’s here,” she mumbles, her voice a croaked whisper.

“Who is?” I try to get her to see me, but she’s too far into her own head to realize it’s me—her Grey.

“They’re all here to take me,” she stutters, eyes glazed and unfocused, yet her entire body is trembling—from anxiety and fear, I cannot tell.

“Baby, I’m here,” I tell her, kissing her forehead in an attempt to get her toseeme.

“He’s here. Arthur is here. F-Frederick!” she repeats, her voice a frantic beat that sears through me like a spear.

“Little doll…” I whisper, and she looks at me, as though she doesn’t quite recognize me, though there’s a flicker in her eyes letting me know she knows who I am, even if she can’t place me.

Fuck, what happened to her when I wasn’t here to protect her?

“They’re all here to take me,” she says, hands shaking as they grip the snow, melting in her hands and drenching her in its coldness.

“Come, little one. I’ll take you to safety,” I mumble, rising to my feet and reaching out my hand.

She seems unaware at first, before finally reaching out her hands, much to my relief. I help her to her feet, her dress soaked through, along with her hair.

The snow crunches under our feet as I lead her toward thepsychiatrist’s building, praying that it won’t set her off again. She allows me to lead her back, my arm slung around her protectively as the snow falls down heavily.

I find Everlee and Draven standing at the building, looking at us, probably having seen me walking with Naya, as they don’t seem panicked anymore.

“What happened?” Everlee exclaims as she meets us half-way, eyes creased in concern.

“I found her like this,” I tell her, holding Naya in my arms.

Everlee grabs Naya’s hand, meeting her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Frederick is h-here,” she stutters. “He’s going to t-take us back…”

Everlee physically blanches as she hears Naya talk, face paling. She takes a step backward, staring at Naya in shock, a look of nausea crossing her face. “W-what?” she forces out, as though the sheer thought of him will kill her.

“He’s going to take us,” Naya whispers, lost in her own mind.

Draven looks at me with an angered expression. “Get your girl in check,” Draven hisses, voiced laced with irritation.

Everlee turns to Draven, her face nearly turning green from nausea—she looks as if she’ll puke at any moment.

“Frederick’s everywhere,” Naya stutters.

“Don’t say his name,” Everlee says, eyes tightly shut. “Please, I can’t…”

Naya stares at Everlee with an open mouth, her eyes wild and terrified, on the verge of breaking down—her body quivering.

“Get yourself together, Naya. You’re scaring her,” he hisses in frustration, and I cast him a glare, rubbing Naya’s shoulders.

She only stares at him, lost in the torment of her own mind. I lift her chin with my finger, coxing her to look at me. “You’re safe,” I whisper.

“I’m not.”

Everlee approaches Naya. “Stop it, Naya! Frederick isn’there. You need to calm down. We’re here to help you,” she says harshly.

Naya turns to me, looking like a lost, frightened child, and it shatters my fucking heart. She’s trapped in the torment of her own mind, captured by her inner demons, and I can’t bring her back.

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