Page 75 of The Mastermind

“You are.” I patted his cheek.

I wanted to scrape away all the pain he had gained over the years. I wanted to comfort him, make him feel worthy. He deserved all the love and beautiful things in the world, but he preferred to dwell in the dark. It showed in his apartment and his choice of clothing. It was time I introduced him to the light, the array of colors available to him. I wanted to give him the rainbow and chase away his darkness because he had done that for me.

He may think he was made of darkness, but in truth, he had chased away mine, little by little.

“Now you know why I preferred staying at your place. You fed me yummy hotdogs, and your mom made me wonton noodle soup. Those things kept my tummy warm. Your home became my home, Audri.”

My heart ached for him. I couldn’t imagine growing up without love. He must have been so lonely and helpless.My parents provided a loving home for Grayson and me. I cringed, imagining the pain Remi had gone through. Now, I understood why he was so reserved back then, why he hung out at our home more than his own. His misery had been his driving force to succeed.

Sadness stabbed me. “I don’t want you to ever feel lonely or sad again.”

“That was my past.Youare my present. How can I be sad and lonely when you’re here with me?”

“Oh, Remi.” I embraced him, wrapping my arms tighter, trying to squeeze out all the misery still stuck inside him. He needed to know how rare and brilliant he was.

We lay there in silence, listening to our heartbeats.

Remi fell asleep first, and I submerged in the susurration of his breathing and drifted off.

Flames snap around me, like mean tentacles waving back and forth, trying to catch me. I’m so scared.

“Mommy! Daddy!”

Where’s Daddy? He was just here.

As smoke billows around me, I drop to the ground and cough. Heat stings my eyes as I glance toward the window with a cove, where I always sit reading with Mochi.

Where did Mochi go? He’s frightened like me.

Someone peeks in the window.Daddy?I lift a hand, trying to get his attention.

The person looks at me and walks away. That isn’t Daddy. Daddy would have seen me. He’ll help me.

I cough again, and my chest hurts so much. I can’t breathe. Everything is so hot.

The figure walks by again. My heart hammers from fear and hope. Maybe it is Daddy. Maybe he didn’t see me the first time. Maybe he’s looking for me.

“Daddy! I’m right here! Don’t leave me!”

Smoke fills the room, and I cough and choke as the monster of flame engulfs me.

My eyes flipped open as I gasped for breath.

Remi stared down at me as concern marred his face. “Are you okay?” He brushed the sweat-drenched hair from my face. “You scared me, Audri. I wanted to wake you, but I knew with these kinds of awful nightmares, I had to let them pass. It was the most dreadful moment of my life to see you like that and not be able to help you.”

“I’m okay now.” My voice trembled, and so did my body. I gripped his steady hand to help me sit up.

“What do you need? I’ll get it. You stay put.”

“Water would be great.”

He rushed into the kitchen and came back with a glass of cold water.

I gulped it down. “Thank you.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He sat down next to me and took my hand in his, soothing the tremors.

As my heart rate calmed, I tightened the grip over his hand. “I think I remembered something from the fire that I didn’t remember before. It seemed so real, Remi.”