Sapphire Flame (Sapphire Wings Book 3)
Part II: 4

I ended up spending that day in my room, trying to force myself to relax and forget about all of the frightening things for at least a little while. While it was all a pressing issue in my mind, I didn’t feel like I was in any shape to deal with it yet. I’d let myself recover first, then work on figuring all of this out.

It wasn’t like it was that bad either. No one was bothering me, and this allowed me to do as I wanted.

Well, almost no one was bothering me.

My parents were making it a point to check in on me frequently now. I couldn’t blame them either. Mom and Dad were both extremely worried about me with everything that had been going on in the last few days. I certainly hadn’t been acting like myself, and now I had even had some weird fainting incident outside in the middle of the night, along with it looking like something had attacked me. They were probably getting concerned that I was starting to have a nervous breakdown or something.

Of course, I knew that was far from the truth. Or at least I hoped it was. A part of me was starting to doubt my sanity in all of this.

Yet I did my best to push all of this aside and at least try to enjoy being with my parents that evening. While Mom was putting up my curtains that she’d just washed, me and Dad were sitting at my piano, where I was playing the song I’d been writing and letting him help me critique and add to it. I had to admit that this felt pretty good now. Doing this with them felt more like myself than who I’d been for months now.

The only problem I had was that nagging feeling of dread in the back of my mind. I didn’t know what it was. It was just like a gut feeling that this peace wasn’t going to last, and while I didn’t want to acknowledge it even to myself yet, I knew why that might be.

“You know what, this has been nice, even if this morning was terrible. It’s been so long since we’ve hung out together like a family for a full day.” Mom was saying.

“Yeah, you've got a point. We need to cut back on working a little more too. We’re comfortable enough to hand off some of the workloads, and with everything that’s been happening, I think we get time with each other more important.” Dad agreed as he sat back on the bench beside me.

“I’m sorry about all this trouble, but seriously, I don’t why this stuff’s been happening to me lately, and I don’t remember anything about last night. Maybe it is that curse trying to aim for me.” I lamented.

“I guess it could be, but it still worries me about that stuff with Noel too,” Dad admitted.

Mom looked over at us, “They still haven’t caught her, have they?”

“No,” Dad answered, “From what my dad’s told me, the Dregs have been looking everywhere for her, but they’ve reported back that they can’t find a trace of her other than being in this area right after she escaped. It’s like she’s disappeared into thin air, and that worries me.”

My stomach tightened as I heard that. They hadn’t found Noel yet. That wasn’t good. In fact, it only added to my worries about what was happening to me. Was she really behind it?

Even though I still didn’t want to believe it, I had to acknowledge that the possibility was staring me right in the face.

Mom crossed her arms and let out a frustrated sigh as she stood near us, “I can’t believe that they’ve lost her this easily. Those Dregs are supposed to be like Grim Reapers, right? They should know how to do their jobs very efficiently, not be searching up and down for a soul they’re claiming has disappeared.” she complained.

“Come on Anna, you know it’s never that simple when it comes to the other worlds. You don’t need to worry so much about it either. We won’t let her get to us. I’m making sure of it along with my dad and Michael.” Dad reassured her.

I smiled, feeling a little better hearing that, “Yeah, I don’t think we should keep worrying about it. I haven’t been dreaming of her since I came back, so maybe whatever the Sumarians did while I was there is now keeping her away from me. The Dregs will probably end up catching her soon when she finally makes a mistake and blows her cover. Then it’ll all be done.” I added.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Mom reluctantly agreed. I noticed that her attitude seemed a little more subdued as she straightened the curtain absently, “But you know, I do feel sorry for Noel too. What happened to her was horrible, and then that curse destroyed what was left of her. It’s so sad to think that she’s still suffering in death.”

“I know, and I’ve felt the same way. No one deserves what happened to her, just like our family didn’t deserve what happened to my grandmother.” Dad agreed.

His words immediately caught my attention. My mind went back to that terrifying vision of the hanging woman. Was it possible that she was connected to us, if this was indeed Noel still affecting me?

“Um, Dad, I know this is probably something no one likes to talk about, but I’ve heard before that your grandma died before you were born. But no one talks about what happened to her. Was it connected to what happened to Noel?” I asked him, being very careful about my wording.

“It was from what I understand,” Dad answered, “And yeah, they don’t like talking about it for how traumatic it was, especially for Gabrielle. From what I know, my grandmother hung herself in their childhood home. I believe it was in her bathroom, and Gabrielle found her.”

A chill ran up my spine as he said this. She’d hung herself in her bathroom. I betted it was connected to the bedroom that I’d seen the woman in during that vision. Was that what had led up to her suicide? Why would Noel show me that if it was?

Mom shivered a little as she heard this, “Um, Raziel, that’s really, really horrible and sad, but can we drop the subject now? It’s a little much with everything that’s happened.” she requested.

“Yeah, of course. I get it,” Dad agreed. He glanced at the nearby desk clock, “Hey, I’m gonna head to the garage for a bit so that I can finish installing that muffler for the Mustang. Will you two be good for an hour or so?”

“Sure. I’m good, and me and Mom can hang out some more, right?” I said as I looked at my mother.

Mom grinned, “Yep. We’ll be fine, so go ahead and let yourself relax doing that. We can come to get you if anything comes up.” she promised.

Looking back at this moment, I wish with everything I have that I’d asked him to stay, or even to take me down to the garage with him and let me help work on the car too. But I just agreed and let him go. Everything had been so good, and I’d thought that he needed a break from all of the stress too. My father had always been a family man above all else, so my issues had really gotten to him. He deserved some time to enjoy one of his hobbies.

Mom shook her head as she sat on my bed, “You know Noah, your dad’s been through a lot with this too. I keep trying to tell him that you’ll be okay, but he just can shake his worries.” she admitted.

I turned on the bench so that I could face her, taking in the small woman sitting there. It was crazy to think that she was only human when most of our family wasn’t. But I swore she was tougher than anybody ever thought a woman could be with everything that we’d already been through. I'd always believed that my mother could stare Hell in the face and live to tell about it.

“I get what you mean. Dad and I have always been close, so I know it’s been rough on him. I hate thinking about that woman trying to tear us apart too, and all because she hates Pop for whatever reason.” I admitted.

“I get it, but I meant what I was saying too. I do feel awful for Noel and what she’s gone through. Maybe she still doesn’t know what she’s doing. That curse has stayed wrapped around her soul, and that’s so terrible to think about.” Mom sighed.

It was just like her to feel sympathy for Noel, but deep inside, I admit that I felt that way too. Noel didn’t ask for all of what happened to her, and I didn’t feel like she was truly a bad soul. I just wished someone could help her now.

But just as I thought that, I felt something warm spread across my thigh. I blinked, then looked down. My black pants looked darker, and touching the stain, I noticed that it was wet. I brought my fingers up and saw blood on them.

Mom immediately got up as she saw this, looking alarmed.

“Oh my God Noah, what happened?!” she exclaimed as she got to me.

I knew better than to lie, although I still tried to downplay this, “I think I might’ve broken something open again.” I stated.

“Noah! What in the world did you do?!” Mom responded as she saw how much blood was already there. She was already helping me up a little to take my pants off so that she could look at my wound.

“It’s just a cut, and I don't know how I did it.” I managed to tell her.

Mom’s eyes widened as she saw all of the dark blood pooling over my leg, and immediately hurried to grab one of my spare blankets to put over it in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

“This is very bad Noah! We need to get your dad and call Gabrielle right away!” she told me.

She lifted the towel, attempting to touch where one of the bleeding cuts was so that she could examine it a bit closer. But when her fingers touched there, a strange feeling suddenly came over me. Like before, a part of me began reeling from it. But this time, I had no physical reaction. Instead, it was like my mind began blacking out, and my head tilted down as my vision blurred.

Then, there was nothing.

The next thing that I became aware of was waking up in my bed. I sat up slowly and looked around my darkened room, holding my head in confusion. I looked down to see that my pants were completely off now, and the star was bandaged. A little bit of blood was outlining it through that bandage.

My head buzzed, and it took me a few minutes to focus on what was around me. I didn’t see a sign of anybody being around now. Surely my mother could’ve called for help and stayed with me if I’d passed out from the blood loss. Seeing my clock, I was sure that I had at least passed out for how much time had gone by. But there was no one around, and the room was eerily silent.

I didn’t get it. My clothes had been changed and my wound was taken care of, so what the hell was going on?

I slowly got up, walking towards the door of my room. But as I passed the large mirrors on my closet, I caught a glimpse of something strange. From the corner of my eye, the reflection hadn’t looked like me. Instead, they seemed to be a smaller person with long, dark brown hair.

I stopped and turned to look fully, but all I saw was me standing there. I didn’t look any different either. Feeling a little spooked, I opened the door and quickly pulled out a pair of clean pants and a shirt, then hurriedly got dressed. I needed to get downstairs and find my parents. They’d be able to tell me what happened to me.

But as I finished dressing, the door to my room suddenly opened. Sara stopped as she saw me, her green eyes wide and looking like she was both startled and upset.

“There you are.” she managed to speak. Her voice was cracked, like she’d been crying.

“W-what’s wrong?” I managed to ask her. Something had to be wrong. She wouldn’t be there looking for me if it wasn’t.

“It… it’s your mother Noah.” Sara managed.

My heart was racing now, all kinds of awful scenarios running through my mind. What had I done?

“What about her? Did something happen to her?” I responded quickly, doing my best not to sound as frantic as I felt.

Sara managed to keep herself together, and what she said felt like it nearly shattered my entire world.

“They just took her to the hospital. She… she tried to kill herself.”

I don’t think I could wrap my head around her words as I stood there with the world crumbling around me. It couldn’t have been. My mother was the strongest, happiest person I knew.

“That… that can’t be…” I heard myself say.

Sara grabbed my hand, “We need to get to the hospital right away. Your father and grandfather are already there. Come on.”

Everything felt like a blur after that. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a hospital waiting room while my mother was being set up in the ICU. From what I had picked up in my miserable state about what had happened, my mother had almost died. My father had come back into the house and heard the shower running, and when he went into the bathroom to check on her because she wasn’t answering him, he had found her slumped over in the tub with both of her wrists cut open. She was already close to death when he found her, and her heart had stopped right after she’d arrived at the hospital because she’d lost so much blood. By some miracle, they were able to revive her, bringing us to where we were.

I was having a hard time grasping any of this in my mind. I couldn’t imagine seeing my mother like my father had found her, or now seeing her lying in that hospital bed. I was almost afraid of what that was going to look like.

My father was very quiet as he sat in the chair beside me. He hadn’t said much of anything since I’d gotten there. I had been hoping that it wasn’t as bad as said had said, but I knew from the moment I’d seen Dad that it was. I’d never seen him so shaken up. Not that I could blame him. I knew how much he loved my mother. She was his everything, just like me, and he was probably scared at the thought of losing her like this.

I shook my head, pulling my knees up to wrap my arms around them and bury my face. This whole thing was messed up in so many ways, especially when I thought of why they hadn’t woken me up.

The horrible truth was that after the paramedics got to the house, my father had tried to find me, and began to panic when he couldn’t. He was torn between searching for me and going to the hospital with Mom, so Sara and Gabrielle had ended up telling him to go while they looked for me instead. According to what Sara told me, they’d been looking for nearly an hour before she found me back in my room. No one had any idea of where I’d been before that, and neither did I. I had to admit that one to her too.

But strangely, Sara didn’t say anything more to it when I did. She’d only let that subject drop and took me inside to be with my father.

A sickening feeling knotted in my stomach as I sat there and let all of this sink in. Even through all of this shock, I was keenly aware that something horrible had happened when I blacked out, and what it probably was.

My chair was near the door, and as I wallowed in these thoughts, I realized that I could hear my grandfather and uncle speaking quietly just outside of it. Their tones sounded urgent and hushed. Raphael actually sounded concerned. That was unusual and had me listening.

“Something’s very wrong here. We all know that Anna’s never been suicidal. She’s never even had issues with being depressed or anything like that, and she was perfectly fine when Raziel left them to head to the garage. She’d been upbeat all day from what I had seen earlier.” he was saying.

“We can’t keep denying this. We both know what Seraphina told us. She couldn’t read Noah right after he came back, and when he grabbed her hand, she swore she saw memories from someone else. It was like they were being forced on her, even if she couldn’t understand them for how jumbled they were.” Michael responded.

I knew they probably thought they wouldn’t be overheard with the hustle and bustle of the hospital, but I did have incredibly good ears. I’d always joked that I should’ve been born a Fox too with that trait. I sat very still as I listened to them continue, resigning that they were probably only verifying what I already knew deep inside.

Raphael didn’t sound like he wanted to believe it though, “It is strange. No one has ever been able to block Seraphina since she awoke, and she certainly has never talked about having any kind of memories forced on her. But if they weren’t Noah’s, then whose was she seeing?”

“You know who it was, especially if they truly were distorted that much. Besides, everything that’s happened points to it. On top of that, the Dregs have sworn that they can find no trace of her. That leaves only one possibility in this.” Michael told him.

“Come on Michael. You know we would’ve been alerted about that, and they would’ve sensed it too with as close as they’ve been to our homes. An invasion like that would warrant them to take action right away, especially considering what we are.” Raphael reasoned.

“Maybe, but we also don’t know how this works with us. Even Ryo admitted that Noel was being held after her death because of our grandfather.” Michael reasoned.

“I just don’t see how such a thing is possible, not under our noses like this,” Raphael argued, though it came out much weaker than I was used to hearing him be.

“Then prove it to me!” Michael challenged, his voice a little sterner, “Prove to me that this isn’t her! I know damn well that all of this is no coincidence! It’s too much like what happened to our mom!”

Raphael still wasn’t willing to back down, “It’s not like that. Just because she had power over some of us before does not mean that she could extend it from beyond the grave, even if she did escape Purgatory; and I sure as hell do not believe that she could have gotten to Anna within their home without Raziel noticing something wasn’t right!”

“Not normally, but think about it. Strange things have been happening ever since Noah came home. You said it yourself and so did he. Don’t you think all of that points to another way she could be using him now, maybe what she hoped for all along?” Michael reasoned.

They were right. I knew for certain now that my worst fear was real. Noel Renaldi had managed to invade my body, and now she was possessing me at times. Everything made perfect sense when I put all of the pieces together. The light I thought I saw in the woods that first night, the blackouts I’d started having, the voice and strange threatening note, and the strange image I had seen from the corner of my eye in my mirror.

I was also putting together the nightmare and the hanging woman that I’d thought I’d seen. It must have stemmed from Noel’s memories of when her mother died. Did she do something to kill her? Was it the same thing she’d tried to do to my mother?

They were still debating about this, so obviously they weren’t that sure yet either. But I knew it all fit, and it hurt as much as what was happening at that moment. What had Noel done? Or, more precisely, what had I done?

“Michael,” I heard Raphael say, “I don’t want to jump to any conclusions here. There’s already too much trauma right now. Besides, if this is the case, which I don’t want to say for sure yet, then we have to handle it very delicately. We can’t let any more damage be done to him or Raziel.”

“While I’m sure I’m right, I do get what you’re saying. I doubt Raziel could handle it right now if we came out and told him that the thing responsible for his wife’s condition is hiding inside of his son.” Michael agreed.

The two became quiet, and I remained sitting still, staring at nothing with my chin resting on my arms. I was trying to figure out how I could test myself to see if Noel was possessing my body at times. Yeah, it sounded like a stupid, risky thing, but it was all I could think of. I needed to be sure for myself, even though everything within me was telling me that it was true. I just couldn’t stand the thought of her hurting anyone else. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

I was pulled back to reality as I felt a hand on my head, and glanced over to see that my Dad had done it. I looked down, not knowing what to say other than ask about Mom.

“Is she… going to be okay?” I whispered.

“She’ll be fine. Your mom’s already been a very strong woman, and I know she’ll get through this. She wouldn’t leave us like this.” Dad softly reassured me.

“I’m sorry,” I continued, “I feel like this is my fault.”

“Don’t blame yourself. We all know that you had nothing to do with it.” Dad responded as he patted my back.

That one hurt, but I still couldn’t tell him what I believed was really going on. I just curled up a little tighter.

“I just want her to be okay. I want her to come home and be with us, smiling like she always does. It always feels better when she smiles at me.” I continued.

“I get it. I feel that too.” Dad admitted.

But before he could continue, both of us suddenly heard the sound of loud voices coming from the nearby hallway. They came closer, and I looked to see an older woman with dark blonde hair and wearing a navy blue business dress coming into the waiting room. She was busy arguing with a nurse and didn’t notice us. I watched her closely, not knowing who she was, but still feeling like there was something familiar about her.

“I told you, that woman is my daughter! I want to see her!” she was demanding.

“I’m sorry ma’am, but no one can see her until she’s fully stabilized. Her husband and son are already waiting here.” the nurse responded as she glanced at us.

Dad’s expression turned more neutral as he met the older woman’s gaze, and he laid a hand on my shoulder.

“This is the grandmother that you’ve never gotten to meet,” he quietly told me, “The one who disowned your mother after she insisted on staying with me and said that she was pregnant with you.”

That was right. I remembered him telling me a few years ago that my mother’s mother had disowned her after she’d gotten pregnant with me. She’d never really liked the Renaldis, especially after her husband went insane and ended up dying. In fact, he was the one who had originally despised them. I could only imagine what she must have thought when Mom decided to marry my dad and announced she was having me.

But why was Mrs. Smith here now? She hadn’t had anything to do with us since that time. Who had told her about what happened to Mom?

“You can’t be serious! I am her mother!” she declared, choosing to ignore us.

“Ma’am, please have a seat and wait. We will let you see her as soon as we’re able.” the nurse insisted. She then turned and walked away.

Mrs. Smith let out a ragged sigh, then finally turned her attention back to us. She recognized my dad right away, but that could’ve also been because he hadn’t changed much since before I was born.

“So, you’re here after all. I would’ve thought that the Renaldis would stay in hiding for such a shameful thing,” she commented.

“Anna is my wife, and you know that I’d never leave her side, especially when she needs me the most,” Dad responded, doing his best to keep his voice even.

“She’s in here because of you. Don’t think I don’t know about the Renaldis. Your father as good as killed your mother when she had you.” Mrs. Smith informed him.

“My mother got sick after she had me, and she’d had a heart condition since she was born. My father didn’t kill her and neither did I.” Dad countered.

I’d already heard enough. I put my legs down and faced her.

“Why are you even here? You were the one who disowned Mom, and that was only because you didn’t like that she was marrying my dad.” I pointed out.

Mrs. Smith stopped and stared at me as I slowly stood. She looked dumbfounded. But I didn’t feel that surprised by the reaction. I did get that a lot. I called our looks the Renaldi curse at times. They usually did catch everybody’s attention easily.

“Who are you supposed to be?” she asked me.

Dad stood with me, “You didn’t hear him? This is our son. Anna was pregnant with him the last time you bothered to talk to her. His name is Noah.” he told her as he kept a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re the baby? My God, you barely look like you should be human. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with eyes like yours.” the woman commented.

If only she knew. I wasn’t human. I was a Nephilim, just like my dad and the rest of his family. But far be it for me to blow the family secret to her.

Dad scowled at her, “It’s been nearly twenty years since you bothered to see Anna or even talk to her. Why are you here now? Is it just because she’s in the hospital?”

“I’m here because she’s my daughter, and they said she tried to kill herself.” Mrs. Smith responded.

“How the hell do you know about this anyway? You’ve been living up in Buffalo, and none of us even knew how to contact you.” Dad went on.

“One of you did. I wouldn’t have gotten that phone call if you didn’t.” Mrs. Smith retorted.

“You don’t care about my mother. You only came here because you wanted to see what she’d married into.” I accused.

Mrs. Smith scowled at me, “I came here because she’s my daughter, and I still care about her. That’s more than the two of you have done. If it wasn’t for your messed-up family, then she wouldn’t be in here because of trying to take her own life!”

“You’re wrong.” I stated, “She loves our messed-up family. That’s why she didn’t go with you and stayed and married my dad. Someone else made her do this, and I will find out who they are.”

I admit that I was very angry inside now. I didn’t want this woman to see my mother again. I didn’t want anyone to hurt her anymore. Even if I had to protect her from myself, I would.

Mrs. Smith looked startled as I stared her down, actually taking a few steps back, “What are you? You can’t be human with eyes like that.”

Raphael immediately stepped between us when she said this.

“That’s enough. Listen, Beverly, if you want to argue about things, it can wait until better times. Surely you realize how they feel right now.” he reasoned with her.

It’s funny, but she did back down to him. I guess she was wise enough to know that you shouldn’t go against Raphael on stuff like this. Instead, she just turned and left the room.

Dad look at me once she was gone, “What’s done is done, Noah. Just leave it in the past.” he told me.

“Understood.” I agreed.

Raphael turned his attention to us, “Raziel, it may be better if I took Noah home for now. There are things we need to talk to him about.” he continued.

“Like what?” Dad asked, sounding as suspicious as he looked.

“You know that there have been a lot of unsettling things going on lately. I’m not sure that there isn’t a connection here.” Raphael admitted.

My father immediately became defensive, “Dad, come on. You don’t think that Noah’s had anything to do with this, do you?”

“We’re hoping not, but it wouldn’t be his doing either. We just want to play it safe for now.” Raphael insisted.

“Oh no. You’re not doing anything with my son without me being there.” Dad declared.

“Raziel, please don’t be difficult about this…” Raphael started.

“I’m not being difficult!” Dad interrupted, “I’m not letting you do anything with Noah without me just because you’re suspicious about something!”

My father and grandfather stared each other down for a few long minutes. I was feeling torn now. I knew that it would be better if I went with my grandfather and stayed away from my parents and others I loved, but I didn’t want to leave my dad all alone. I couldn’t find the right answer here, although I was desperately soul-searching at this point.

Raphael finally relented a little, “Raziel, I understand your feelings in all of this. If need be, he can stay with you for now. But please be careful with all of this. I think you understand why I’m telling you that.” he warned him.

“I will. Just let us make sure that Anna will be okay, then I’ll bring him home. We’ll sort everything out then. Right now, just give us some time to breathe.” Dad requested.

“Alright. Then I’ll be staying as well. I trust that will be okay with you, Michael?” Raphael said as he looked over at him. Only then did I realize that he’d been standing in the doorway the whole time.

Michael nodded, “I’ll agree to that. I’d feel better with it being that way anyway, considering Raziel’s point.”

I was still a little nervous about staying, but with Raphael there, things felt a little more secure.

Several more hours ended up passing before we heard the news that my mother was finally completely stable and could be seen. But that was incredibly hard too. I’d imagine that it would’ve been for any boy to see his mother hooked up to all of those machines, and it was all the worse when I thought that I’d had something to do with it.

I wasn’t a fool. I was the one who had listened to Noel and set her free. If she was indeed inside of me, then it was my fault that this had happened. I should’ve paid more attention to the signs and spoken up, not tried to hide it and deal with it on my own.

We ended up heading home at about six in the morning. I was so tired at that point that I really couldn’t see straight. I could barely remember getting home. Dad stayed with me when we went to sleep, and he was sleeping on the couch near me when I finally awoke later that afternoon.

Waking up was pretty hard. I lay there for several minutes blinking my eyes so that they would focus. I was on the opposite couch from my head, and I sat up slowly, rubbing my aching head. I had been hoping that the night before had been some horrible nightmare, but waking up like this proved otherwise. My mother had almost died, and it was my fault.

“Noah?”

I looked up to see my dad sitting up, “Are you okay?” I asked, although it felt like a stupid question.

“I’m worn down, but I think I’ll be alright. How about you?” he groaned as he stretched.

“I don’t know. I can’t even think straight right now.” I confessed.

Dad stood up and glanced at the nearby window. It was very bright outside. I wondered how long we’d been asleep.

“Wonder if your grandfather’s up.” he yawned.

“Probably. I don’t ever remember a time where he’s slept in.” I responded as I rubbed my eyes.

“No kidding. Neither do I. But we’ve also never had a night like that before.” Dad admitted.

I looked at the floor, remembering what I’d heard. I had to tell him. He deserved to know.

“Hey Dad,” I said softly.

Dad looked over at me, “Yeah?”

“What if… what if I somehow caused Mom to do that?”

I couldn’t look at him as I said this. I felt so guilty, especially picturing Mom in that hospital bed with those bandages on her wrists and that tube down her throat.

Dad walked over in front of me, “I know what you’re thinking,” he said, “But even if they are right and she’s inside of you now, it still wasn’t your fault. You had no control over what she did.”

“You already knew, didn’t you?” I guessed.

“Not at first,” Dad admitted, “I took a guess when I overheard them talking last night, and I’d heard them a few days ago too. Your grandfather doesn’t know it, but I did. I have a bad habit of eavesdropping on him every once in a while, especially when I’m concerned that he’s keeping something from me.”

This was news to me. I didn’t know my father did stuff like that.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?” I asked him.

“I guess I didn’t want to believe it. But I was going to after you fainted the other night. Your mom didn’t want me to right away because she was scared, and she thought that if I did then Noel might do something else to you, or that you might be taken away from us for a while.” Dad explained as he sat down beside me.

“That sounds like Mom, but I do think that she already knew that something was seriously wrong with me. I wasn’t exactly nice to her when all of this started.” I confessed.

“Did something else happen between you two?” Dad probed. He probably saw how regretful I was.

I suddenly felt the star cut into my thigh burning. It wasn’t extremely painful, but enough to catch my attention. I sat still as I heard a female voice whisper in my head.

“Don’t you dare say anything!”

I shook my head, doing my best to act normal, “Not exactly. She just saw how I wasn’t acting like myself and got worried.” I lied.

Dad was studying me now. I prayed that he would get why I was being so secretive about all of this. I didn’t want to end up controlled again and have something happen to him. I was sure she was going to follow through with her threats if I didn’t obey her.

“Noah,” he finally spoke, “I know that you’re probably not able to tell me the whole truth, especially if it is what we’ve been thinking, but at least tell me this; do you remember anything about last night before your mother left your room?”

“Lie.” the voice ordered.

“Not really,” I answered.

It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either.

I think my father was looking for a way around all of this. He took a moment to think about his next question.

“Let me rephrase that. Do you remember your mother leaving your room at all last night?”

I shook my head, “No, but I was very tired. I think I fell asleep before she did.”

“I was wondering about that. The thing is, there were some bloody towels in the laundry room last night. I saw them right before I found your Mom, and I’m sure they weren’t from her because they had been shoved in a corner behind the laundry basket, and there wasn’t enough on them to be from her. Did you end up hurting yourself last night?” Dad continued.

Good angle. Bringing facts into the picture of last night wouldn’t allow me that many outs.

“Yeah. I broke something open and Mom was trying to help me with it. But I don’t know why she would’ve hidden the towels she used.” I answered.

“Really? What was bleeding?” Dad pressed.

“Don’t you dare show him!” the voice hissed.

“I can’t tell you,” I whispered.

“Why?”

“I just can’t!”

Cold fear was welling up inside of me now as the feeling of my consciousness slipping grew stronger. Noel was getting ready to take hold of me. He wasn’t about to allow him to know anymore.

“Noah?” I heard my dad say as my head went down.

That was all I heard before everything went dark.

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