Page 26 of A Harmony of Procellarum

“Nothing about replacements, but he was shaken about the scene. He said the carnage was over the top from the photos he saw. The wife was forced to watch it all, and it looks like he coated her in the husband’s blood as well.” I can imagine all too well the bloody aftermath of Torrent’s kill. I’ve seen the haze come over him before and he doesn’t stop until he’s been sated. “Maybe Luciphia is planning something to help us.”

“This is Shereen, Raiden. We have to remember that. She has always been one to make her own rules. She’s only ever really been loyal to herself,” I snap as anger courses through me. She has the two people who mean the most to me locked in a room together, toying with Torrent like a mouse to the cat.

“She was until that night,” he whispers, and my heart begins to beat. “Everything changed after that, and even though she was long gone when we left that place, I think she’s been waiting to settle the score.” When my silence stretches on, he continues, “I know you haven’t told me everything yet, but I think it’s time I heard the rest of what happened that night. I’ve always wondered what part you and my brother had in her agony.”

I haven’t told him everything because the thought of even revisiting my memories sends my heart into overdrive. I buried that night deep in the recesses of my mind, and when Shereen pulled away, I will admit I was relieved. I didn’t want to face her every day and see the pain reflecting in her dark brown eyes. I was a coward, and I still am.

“Squall,” Raiden calls into the phone. “Where are you?”

“I’m outside of the building still,” I say, my mouth forming the words, but my mind is hurdling quickly into the past.

Raiden must sense it because he tells me to stay put and not to drive.

Chapter nine

Squall

Loving Beginnings Orphanage - 1990

Aboutahalfanhour later, Victor finds me folding sheets in the laundry room, my skin moist with anxiety. I’ve been folding and refolding the same sheet, my hands trembling with fear. I don’t want to go into that basement and I’m afraid if I tell Victor that, I’ll end up killed in my sleep.

“Look what I got,” he whispers as something slips down from his sleeve.

I gasp at the sight of the serrated steak knife and drop the sheet to the floor. “How’d you get that?”

“I snuck into the kitchen while the cook was in the garden. We have to go. I saw a Sister coming back for the next round of checks.” He yanks on my arm, and I stare at him in shock. I don’t give much resistance as he drags me down the corridor leading to the basement. “Sval!” he hisses. “Keep moving.”

I want nothing more than to push him down and take back that knife, then force him to the bedroom. The feelings swirling in my stomach are telling me something and I’m nearly sick with fear. I grew up trusting my intuition, but since I’ve been in this building, I’ve thrown it out the window multiple times.

With a longing look over my shoulder, I debate whether or not to run and get Raiden, but we’re suddenly in front of the basement door and there wouldn’t be any time to stop Victor.

“Did you hear that?” he whispers, pressing his ear to the door.

The hairs along my arms stand straight as a piercing cackle rings from the other side of the wooden slab. Just by the tone alone, I know it’s Sister Jane. I choke on the terror climbing up from my chest, invading my throat and cutting off my air.

The laugh is soon followed by a scream, the sound sending my heart into a crescendo as Torrent lunges for the door handle to rip it open. I grab the back of his shirt with a hiss. “Don’t! They’ll hear us!”

“They’re hurting her,” he whispers back, his eyes narrowed in anger. “We have to help her.”

I want to beg him to turn around and come back with me to the laundry room. The urge to run is bubbling up inside of me as a ringing begins to invade my ears. The room suddenly becomes hazy as I tighten my hold on Victor.

“They could kill us here,” I whisper, the sound panicked. “They don’t care about us, Victor.”

He disregards my pleas and opens the door quietly, the sound of Sister Mary’s chuckling filtering up at us. Bile swirls in my stomach combined with the fucking gruel we ate at dinner, and I swallow it back down in an attempt not to draw attention to us. Victor hauls me toward the pews as my eyes finally do a sweep over the place, and I nearly pass out when I see Shereen being held down on the altar by Sister Mary while Sister Jane paces in front of them.

“You children are out of line,” she snaps, her back to us. “The way you speak to your elders is disrespectful. What you and those boys say Father Robert did is despicable!”

“He did do it! He was hurting us!” Shereen bellows, only to have Sister Jane stop moving, and I watch in horror as her arm drops from her chest with a long whip hanging from her hand.

“Shit!” Victor hisses, the sound echoing around the cavernous room. I quickly duck us behind a pew and wrap my hand around his mouth, praying we haven’t been seen.

“Did you hear that?” Sister Mary asks.

“No,” Sister Jane replies at the same time Shereen screams, “You’re both going to die tonight!” My heart stalls in my chest, and both Victor and I freeze.

“Who is going to kill us, child?” Sister Jane says as we hear the snap of a whip, then Shereen’s cry of pain. “Why would you make such bold threats?”

“Victor!” Shereen yells, the sound bouncing off the walls like a damning echo. “He’s been planning everything. He hates you two and he asked me to help him kill you.” Victor begins to vibrate in my arms as Shereen continues to blurt everything out to the Sisters. “He is going to get a knife from the kitchen and he’s bringing Sval so he can hold you down while Victor carves out your eyes.”

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