Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Iwalked from the bathroom with tears still streaming down my face.
I didn’t care who saw me. I didn’t care about anything, except getting home.
I needed to be home. I left my heavy books in my backpack and walked to the gate.
I slipped through and avoided the parking lot in an attempt to avoid getting caught ditching.
I didn't need more trouble. I would ask Mary to write me an excuse note.
Right then, I just needed to get out of there.
As I walked down the sidewalk, I felt a little better, knowing that I was free, and that I was away from everyone, and that I would not have to see Shad kiss Karen again; it brought a small vestige of peace.
However, as soon as I pictured Karen and Shad together, I felt sick, just thinking about her touching him, kissing him.
I brushed my fingers against my lips, and I cried out for a moment, nearly tumbling down to the sidewalk.
Was that really him for those short minutes?
I could swear that it was him. Is this all in my mind?
I thought on and on about it as I walked.
But he had called me darling, hadn't he? I closed my eyes as I balanced myself. What is wrong with me? What is wrong with everything? As I asked myself, I knew the answer; I knew that it was Cade. Cade is what is wrong with me. Cade did this to me; it is all Cade’s fault.
I pictured Cade’s face in my mind, and the sadness disappeared.
Hatred took over, and my melody hid inside of me, transforming my heartache, using it to make me stronger.
Is this becoming corrupt? Am I corrupt now?
I didn’t know, and I didn’t care because feeling hate was so much more tolerable than the previous feelings of misery and sadness.
One year earlier, I lost my parents. They died right in front of me.
At that time, I thought that I had known the most sorrow that I would ever feel in my life, but I was coming to realize that sorrow could grow; it could mutate and multiply, and I felt its sticky residue on my skin.
Sorrow was like a spider, leaving its trails of grime all over me.
It didn't stop there, because there was something else lurking inside.
She used that sorrow; she let it fester and grow.
Sorrow mutated to hate, into her: the monster.
She growled within me, lying in wait, waiting just there, to remind me that, yes, I was in pain, but I would get revenge, even if it was bloody.
Those thoughts and feelings terrified me.
I didn't want to be alone with them. I couldn't be left alone with them.
I was afraid of myself, so sure that corruption had taken me completely.
I didn't want to see Shad or Ryker, and I most definitely did not want to run into Cade again. Still, I knew that anyone, any living being that could help me and would not dwell on the corruption inside of me was welcome at that moment. I shuttered. Even Cade, if he could have distracted me from the horror inside of myself. I walked as fast as I could down the street. A car pulled up beside me. It was an expensive, silver car, some kind of sports model, and behind the driver’s wheel, of course, sat Cade.
Grateful for a distraction, and yet knowing he was the least helpful distraction because he only flamed the fire within the me—
“Fancy meeting you here, sweetheart.”
I faced forward, ignoring him again. I didn’t really know what else to do.
“Come on, I will give you a ride home,” he coaxed, and I shuttered, just thinking about being in a closed car with him.
That was way too close for comfort—and for my melody.
I walked for a while and noticed that his car had gone.
I smiled, happy to be rid of him, and then someone jogged up beside me, put a camera in my face, and flashed.
I ducked my head away and stopped walking.
“What the heck is wrong with you?” I asked as I blinked, seeing spots of light in my vision, making me go temporarily blind.
“You know, I have a hunch that you didn’t make it so difficult for my brother to woo you or to get your attention,” Cade said, standing beside me. I knew it was him; I could sense Shad’s soul. I stopped, still blinking, looking in his direction.
“Yeah, well, Shad didn't stalk me, or try to make me go blind.”
He laughed, and he flashed, taking another picture in my face.
“You do that again, and I swear—” I said, reaching for his camera, barely able to contain the monster who wanted his blood.
“Want to wrestle for it?” He winked at me, and I realized that I was slightly pressed against his body, reaching my hand up next to his where he held his camera above our heads.
I pulled away, wondering why he had a camera at all. What a creep. He is taking pictures of me, now? “What do you want?” I snapped, stopping abruptly. He let his hand drop and wrapped the camera strap over his shoulder.
“You,” he smiled, his teeth looking like fangs.
I wanted to throw up—only after I strangled the life out of him, though.
You cannot kill him, Emma, or else Shad will never be able to get his melody back, I told myself, making sure my melody was shielded.
The monster was clawing and foaming at the mouth inside of me.
“Let me explain something to you.” I held up my fingers, counting for emphasis.
“You killed my parents, you kidnapped and tortured my best friend, and you stole the melody from the boy I love. I do not like you; in fact, I hate you. You have done nothing good with respect to me, or to your brother, or to anyone. You are a bad person, and no melody inside of you, stolen or otherwise, will ever change that.” I was panting.
Breathing hard, I was so upset. I hoped that I would not pass out from the intensity of my feelings and emotions.
“Are you done?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“Are you? Leave me alone.”
“No, I am not done,” he said, following me down the street as I began to walk again.
“Well, nothing is ever going to happen between us, so just go away.” I paused. “I thought you wanted to go back to Terra. If you really cared about me at all, you would make this right. Give Shad back his soul and leave.”
“It is not his soul; it is mine.”
I turned around to face him.
“You stole his soul. Sorry to inform you, but when you steal something, it doesn’t automatically become rightfully yours.”
“No, you don’t understand—”
I held up a hand to him. “Hey, guess what? I don’t want to understand. I don’t want to understand anything about you.” He moved in closer to me, and I was surprised by the sudden movement. I didn’t step away. His lips were an inch away from mine.
“Yes, you do. Your melody wants to know, wants to understand me. Let it come out to play, little monster.” His fingers were touching my side, and I wanted to break each and every single one of them and then hit him in the head with his camera.
“You cannot hear my melody.”
“Not now,” he agreed, moving away. “Not when that monster of corruption is there. But I heard it before, and you were curious. I make you feel whole.”
“I think you have gone insane.” I shoved his chest hard, wishing I had the strength to knock him onto the ground. He barely moved.
“Emma, I just want to help you—so you are not just alone with your thoughts. That monster seems to be getting stronger and stronger.” How had he known that I needed someone?
Needed a distraction from the thoughts? Suddenly, and before I could ask, a car pulled up beside us, and Ryker jumped out.
I ran over to him, and he motioned for me to get into the car.
Only, I didn’t listen, and I wasn’t going anywhere.
“Stay away from her. You should be on Terra right now, not here bothering Emma.”
“I have unfinished business,” he said, looking at his hands as he spoke, seeming to be unconcerned about Ryker in the slightest.
“I don’t care about what you think you have to do here. Get out of Roseville.”
“It seems that I have a song, and I cannot leave, not without it. I am sure you understand, knight, when love is involved, eh?”
Instead of continuing home, I got into the car with Ryker, and he took us to Shad’s house. I burst through Shad’s front door to see Keil standing in the living room on the phone. I threw my backpack to the ground and walked to him, taking the phone and hanging it up.
“Emma, that was an important call.” He looked at me, his eyes scanning. “Emma? You have darkness around you. Are you letting the corruption inside?” He walked over to me and looked into my eyes
“I am fine, just upset.”
“Once it reaches your eyes, I am not sure it can be undone.”
“What are you talking about?” Worry drained the hate out of me for a time, and I heard my melody expand and then flow out from me, warming me, and calming me. I felt like an idiot for only a few moments before giving in to the hateful monster.
“Emma, I told you, emotions are very powerful.”
“Yes, I know that. I was just talking to Cade, and I had to keep my melody away from him.” And I kissed Shad. But Keil didn't need to know about that.
“That is—” He put his face in his hands, and I could see worry lines around his eyes. He slumped into the brown leather couch and groaned.
“What is wrong?” I asked, walking over to him, almost tripping on a pile of books on the floor near the coffee table and couch. Someone really should clean this place up. It was a mess, which was unusual. Both Keil and Shad were very organized and clean people.
“I have no way to save him, Emma.'' His voice was strained, and I could feel it inside of me: his pain, his despair, and his loss of hope.
“Keil, what is happening? I feel weird, like the emotions I am feeling are not my own emotions?” I questioned, touching my heart. He looked up, first at where my hand was, then up to my eyes.
“You can feel my emotions?”