‘I see,’ she says, falling quiet. Releasing a shaky breath, she wipes the rain from her face, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear. With a slow defeated amble, she silently returns to the house. Droplets slide down my face, a stillness quietly encompassing me. Mine or Siara’s feelings are no longer relevant. Feelings of guilt have momentarily been placed to the side. There where she stood frozen in place is the jagged block of ice, cracked and broken. The inside is dark and eroding. She corroded my ice without so much as garnering my attention.
The portal I create is nothing short of shoddy, so much so that I’m surprised when I manage to appear in front of the Goddess. Laying her pen down, she peers up, ignoring the small puddle my drenched coat is creating on the floor.
‘William, I don’t mean to be crass but you look like sh–’
‘It’s time. You were right.’
Her gaze softens as she looks at me, an expression I’ve never received from the Goddess before. ‘Yes, I know.’
The door swings open violently and I pray that my glamour holds up this time.
A tall, thin woman stands in front of me, arm draped along the side of the open door. It’s immediately easy to identify the resemblance between her and her younger brother, but for a moment, with the warmth of her smile, something familiar within me stirs. She resembles someone, not sure who, but someone I once knew.
Her blonde hair slides like silk off her shoulder as she tilts her head, hazel eyes shining. ‘Hello.’
I clear my throat, attempting my best non-threatening human voice. ‘Good morning, Miss. I wish to speak with your brother. Is he currently at home?’
There’s a few moments of silence as she looks me up and down, followed by a slight twitch in her brow. Turning, she calls through the house for her brother. Perhaps I misspoke.
‘Are you a friend from school? I didn’t know he had guy friends – he’s always hanging around with that group of girls.’
I swallow hard.
‘Yes,’ I say slowly, my insides very possibly turning to stone. ‘Something like that.’
‘Rye,’ she calls. ‘Ryden!’
The young woman smiles facetiously before a muted ‘what? What do you want?’ calls from another room as footsteps find their way closer.
‘Ah, Rye, you have a friend here to see you.’ With haste, she scurries out of view. It’s possible I may have made her nervous, though I can’t imagine how. Demons may have an unsettling feeling, even with the illusions.
Rye almost launches himself to the door. I meet him with a knowing smirk. As our eyes meet, I can see it in his face: disappointment, realisation and fear. In that exact order.
‘Surprise.’
The boy falters. ‘You’re… What are you… Why are you at my house?’
I raise my brows. ‘What? Am I not who you expected?’ The boy’s expression becomes stern, glancing back inside. I sigh. ‘I’m not here to kill you,’ I say bluntly. ‘At least not this time, anyway.’
Rye frowns, stepping outside to join me and closing the door behind him. Confusion slowly rescinds back to fear. ‘Is Siara–’
‘She’s fine,’ I interject. His face relaxes. ‘Well, mostly.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Mostly means most of. For instance, most of the questions you ask are stupid, or you mostly like to waste my time.’
Rye stares back blankly. ‘It’s clear you spend too much time with Siara. What are you actually here for?’
I look away. ‘We require some assistance.’
Rye blinks slowly. ‘From me? Why me?’
‘Because Siara trusts you,’ I say, my voice taking on a serious tone. ‘There have been some… events as of late that have concerned us. We need to complete an extraction and it’s more than likely that Siara will not go along with this voluntarily. This is where you come in.’ Rye looks at me, sceptical. I don’t blame him – why should he believe me? I kidnapped his friend and threatened to kill him.
Rye releases an annoyed tisk. ‘Mostly makes sense now. Whenever she is with you people, she always gets hurt.’ He’s right. The thought of Siara bleeding out clings at the edges of my mind. Hollowness aches.
‘I know.’
Rye nods, a smug expression taking hold as he inspects my face. ‘What do you need me to do?’
34
Siara
Will never came back after that. Xander either. Rye, though, was persistent enough in the following days to eventually persuade me to open the front door.
Rye had always been there for me, even when I thought he hadn’t. It took me a while to be able to face him properly; he had given me everything and I had returned the favour with rejection. Even now when I look at him, I am reminded of my flaws – the very same things he continues to forgive or at the very least, ignore.
The knocks against the hardwood cause a small anxious jump. My eyes glide over to the front door, my tired body slow in taking action off the worn two-seater. It opens, a warm, familiar face peering around the corner. ‘Hey. It’s me.’
I sigh. ‘Why bother knocking if you’re going to enter anyway?’
‘It teaches you not to leave your front door unlocked.’
I look away from his gaze. Rye’s expression darkens. ‘You’re waiting for them.’
