Oh no.
Run, Brother.
Please, for once in your life, don't be a hero.
Who am I kidding? I knew he wouldn't leave.
Logan pulled the dagger from my thigh, and a sharp wave of pain tore through me. My breath caught in my throat. I nearly collapsed right there but somehow managed to stay upright.
He turned toward Brother.
Slowly. Far too calmly. With the dagger still in his hand.
Jackson immediately stepped in front of Brother, trying to block him from view.
Logan barely seemed bothered by him.
He shoved Jackson aside. One push. That was all it took.
Jackson stumbled away, leaving Brother completely exposed.
I can't understand the sheer pressure engulfing me. I couldn't let my nightmare become reality.
I had already seen it once in my sleep.
Brother lying dead.
Jackson dead.
Blood glistening on the marble and... Logan standing over them.
I wasn't going to watch it happen for real. My mind rather not play with my soul.
Before Logan could take another step, I forced myself forward and ran.
My injured legs screamed with every movement, but I didn't stop. I can't, at least not now.
I reached Brother and shoved him out of the way. Then everything happened at once. All at once. I felt a sharp impact.
My entire body went rigid. For a second, I couldn't understand what had happened.
I looked down.
Logan's hands were still gripping the dagger.
My eyes slowly traveled upward.
His hands. The dagger. Then his face.
I stared at him through my mask.
And something inside me simply... broke. I reached up with trembling fingers and pulled the mask away.
It fell from my hand.
Blood filled my mouth. I tried to breathe, but the pain stole whatever air I had left. A warm taste spread across my tongue, and then something red escaped between my lips.
Logan's expression changed.
I couldn't understand why.
I looked at him one last time as my knees gave out.
The floor rushed toward me.
Everything became blurred.
The voices around me faded into something distant and meaningless.
I don't remember falling. I don't remember what happened to the dagger. I don't remember Brother calling my name. I don't remember Jackson. I don't remember Logan.
I remember only one thing.
His eyes.
And then... nothing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What kind of noises are these? Why is everyone talking so loudly? They should know better. When someone is sleeping, people are supposed to keep their mouths shut.
One of the voices sounds familiar.
Very familiar.
Of course it does.
It's Brother.
There are two other voices with him, but I can't place either of them. My brain is working at the speed of a dying snail, so figuring out who they belong to feels like an unnecessary academic exercise.
Right now, I'm at the final level of exhaustion. The kind where I could probably run a marathon because I don't even have enough energy to realize I'm supposed to be tired.
Opening my eyes? Impossible. Moving? Absolutely not. So I'm relying on my ears instead, trying to piece together whatever they're saying.
More accurately...
I'm eavesdropping.
Someone spoke.
"What do you think we should do with the prisoners?"
Brother answered after a brief silence, "I don't know. She didn't tell me anything about them."
"I understand. But she must have had some plan for them."
Sounds like Uncle...no, it is him.
"Then get Logan Hawk out of the prison."
My half-conscious brain immediately screamed.
No.
"I need to talk to him."
"She wouldn't approve of that." Uncle spoke with an exhausted tone.
Yes...Uncle put some sense into him.
"I know." There was a pause. "But I need to meet him. Please, Uncle. Just this once. Take him to the meeting room for me."
NO.
Brother, what part of staying away from him was difficult to understand?
I wanted to shout. I wanted to sit up. I wanted to grab him by the collar and remind him that Logan Hawk had literally stabbed me.
Unfortunately, my body had apparently decided that none of these activities were currently available.
Still, somewhere deep inside my mind, I was screaming.
You know he's after you! So what's the point of meeting him?
I heard footsteps.
One set.
Then another.
They were leaving.
No. Don't go.
I tried to move. Nothing.
I tried to open my eyes. Nothing.
Come on.
Wake up.
I gathered whatever strength I had left and forced myself to fight against whatever had dragged me into this ridiculous sleep.
Nothing happened. Not even a twitch.
What kind of sleep was this? I couldn't even wake myself up. And the worst part was that Brother was about to walk straight into a room with Logan Hawk while I lay here completely helpless.
Brother... Don't you dare.