Page 91 of Fall

23

Istare at the closed door for all of three seconds before anger moves my feet.How dare he!

“Where are you going?” Micah asks weakly.

“He doesn’t get to run away,” I snap and slam the door behind me as I run out.

I hurry down the emergency exit and rush out the doors of Emily Hall. I shout for Elijah to stop walking, but he ignores me and continues without skipping a beat.

“Elijah!” I yell. “Stop being a fucking coward and face me!”

At my words, he pauses his steps just enough for me to be within arm’s reach of his back.

“What exactly is it that bothers you, huh? Is it the fact that your father raped me or the fact that you didn’t know?”

“Stop saying that fucking lie. He didn’t—he wouldn’t do that,” he snaps and starts to walk away again. “He’s an asshole, a pig even, but rape you—no.”

I straighten my spine and keep walking behind him.

“I can assure you that he did. He wears a ring—a family heirloom on his index finger that holds your family’s insignia, does he not?” I ask.

Elijah scoffs and turns his head slightly over his left shoulder. “That’s not proof of anything. Everyone knows that.”

I grab the inside of his elbow, pulling him to a stop. “Elijah, he tried to brand me with it like I was cattle.”

Elijah pulls his arm out of my grasp and proceeds to walk away.

“Have you always been this heartless?” I scream at his back.

I’m seething with uncontrollable anger, but there isn’t anything that I can do. I told my truth. I’m not responsible for who does or doesn’t believe me. I can’t make him care.

He pauses his steps and his back stiffens. “Maybe I have. Maybe you don’t know shit. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that we’re friends. I assure you, we’re not. Just go away.”

His words hit me like whipping rain in a hurricane.

“I considered you a lot of things, Elijah. Spineless was never one of them. I used to think you were different from the monsters hiding under my bed. And to think, Ivy actually loved you the most.”

I loathe how sad I sound right now, but I’m grasping at the fraying strands of my life, and it hurts.

He turns around, his jaw tightening as his muscles tense. The storm in his eyes sends a sliver of fear down my neck.

“I loved her, too.”

His words are so low that I almost miss them. He stares at me for a second longer before turning around and walking away.

And this time, I let him go.

* * *

Istare at the ceiling above my bed, drained from everything that’s happened today. I’m anxious that the Beast will be back, but I’m also relieved. After all these years, I finally let go of my darkest secret, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I do feel lighter because of it.

Then there are the Knights. Every time I think of them, I’m plagued by confusion. Micah seemed really hurt that I didn’t tell him back then, but at the same time, he wouldn’t have listened. He still called Caleb when I was seeking refuge.

But you also said you forgave him.

I close my eyes, and as soon as I do, Caleb’s hazel eyes stare back at me in shock. It’s the same look he had on his face after I told him about his father. Funny, though, that he didn’t argue the way that Elijah.

I focus on my breathing to help clear the chaos in my mind.I just need sleep. Tomorrow I can look at everything with fresh eyes and figure out what my next steps are.

---