Page 64 of Glitter Rose
“You always were dramatic.” He sets the handkerchief on my dresser, then moves to the window, looking out at the grounds like he owns the world. Which, in a way, he does now. “Remember when we were kids? That summer at the lake house? You fell off the dock, and I jumped in after you.”
I don’t remember anything remotely like that. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m trying to remind you that I care about you, Paris. You’re still my sister.”
“Is that why you’re keeping me as a prisoner? Family bonding?”
He turns away from the window, facing me. “This facility is dangerous. The protocols are for your protection.”
“From what? The only danger here is your pet psychopath and whatever the hell you’re doing with my blood.”
He glances at the blue box on the floor, whichmeans I didn’t imagine it. “I’ll have someone else bring your meals up today.”
“Brother of the Year.”
His eyes harden. “Would you prefer Mike back on duty?”
I shake my head, hating my own weakness.
“Then you might want to express some gratitude.”
The words stick in my throat like broken glass. He waits, patient as a snake.
“Thank you,” I grit out, each syllable slicing deep into my heart.
He straightens his perfect suit. “Family is all we have left. Try to remember that.”
He leaves without another word, locking the door. I grab a pillow and curl into myself.
“It’s not real.” Tears burn hot tracks down my cheeks as I scrub at my mouth, desperate to erase him. “Telly, it’s not real.”
Silence.
“Answer me. Please.”
No telescope to talk to here. No plants. No kitchen appliances with personalities.
No Knox.
Just me and a blue box.
It’s not real.
Nothing was.
Gabriel or my own fracturing mind.
The only thing besides me.
It can’t be real.
FIFTEEN
KNOX
Paris.
My Paris looks like a ghost of herself walking toward the Research Building, followed by Mike, each step a little slower than it should be. Her shoulders curl inward, brown hair hanging limp around her face, and fuck, she’s lost weight again. Gabriel has stripped everything from her—the clothes, the nail polish, the glitter, and the sparkles in her eyes.
