Page 76 of The Gods Veiling
Kyzen’s comment about not being able to turn back time blares in my mind along with his remark about babysitting me. The many times I’ve been spoken about like an orphan child that needs someone to watch her every move rings through my ears.
The little rock at my feet goes soaring through the trees as I throw it as hard as I can. When it bashes against a branch, I let out a scream that I feel like I’ve been holding in all damn day.
I let my anger fly free as I tear up handfuls of grass and dirt. Each moment of the day that replays across my mind has more of the agony in my chest and hatred in my heart bleeding out all over the forest floor.
My throat grows raw as my eyes burn with tears I can’t hold back anymore. My desperate breaths draw up a memory I wish it wouldn’t have.
“I can’t run anymore, Mom. I’m gonnabe sick.”
“Things in our lives, Thayla, will push us past our breaking point. We must push back harder. Never give up.”
“Keep going, my shooting star.”
I bellow to the sky. “What’s the fucking point past the breaking point?”
Why the hell did you both tell me never to come here if you knew this is exactly where I’d end up? Why did you leave rather than prepare me better?
The crack of a branch has me on my feet, spinning around in a millisecond. I get into position, ready for the attack.
My muscles never relax, but I quickly drop my guard and wipe my cheeks as Yemi steps out from behind a tree. “Did you seriously fucking follow me?”
“Where you go in your free time, I have to go. I saw you run out your door.” She shrugs.
“Gods. No, you don’t. Go back to your house,” I snap, then turn my back to her and try to collect myself.
There’s no movement behind me, but hell, honestly, I wouldn’t know if she left or not. I never once heard her following me.
“Are…you okay?”
“Why even ask if you don’t give a shit? You’ve made it incredibly clear you want nothing to do with me, and I get it. So here’s your out. Just get away from me.”
I drop back down as my legs scream for me to give them a break. My shoulders slump with the shaky sigh I let out and I stare through the endless stretch of trees.
A silent moment passes before the leaves crunch beside me, and she makes herself comfortable. I roll my eyes as I pull my legs closer to me and cross them, then pointedly ignore her.
“It’s not that I don’t want anything to do with you. I just don’t want my life to be harder than it has been over the past two years. I’m just trying to protect myself.”
I hum quietly. I can see and understand that. I’ve done that for quite some time now, although I was never cold to anyone, just…closed off.
“Yeah…fucking same,” I grunt and try to rein in the venom in my tone. “You don’t have to protect yourself from me. I never wanted to come here.”
“Then why in the realm did you enter the Veiling?”
I snort at the accusation in her voice and let out a sober laugh. I examine the curiosity in her unblinking, unemotional stare. I’m pretty sure part of her is just trying to find out as much as she can so she can protect herself like she said. The other half may really be interested.
At this point, I don’t care. I need to tell someone the truth before it makes me explode.
“I didn’t. Mellcom and Jeremiah, you know the two from Oddian that I kept snapping at?”
She nods, and I carry on.
The truth of this morning falls out of me in a rush of words. I don’t take a single breath until it’s out there in the open. I include the part of me beating Mellcom’s ass in the living room and that brings me a small sense of justice.
I’m pleased to witness the shift in her face. The shock comes first, followed by the guilt.
Her mouth opens and closes repeatedly before she covers it with her hand. It’s the first genuine reaction she’s had directed toward me.
“No need to get upset on my behalf. I’m here now. There’s not much I can do about it.”
