21. Whisper
After calling the hospital where my mother was admitted, I found out that a man had visited my mother yesterday. He signed in as Hargrave and said he was an old friend. He was only one of two people to visit her that day. The other never gave his name, although he visited several times a month. By the description they’d given me, I knew it was my father, and it warmed my heart to know he was still watching over her. She was still safe, but what the caller had said was true. He had paid my mother a visit and that had chilled me to the bone.
The nurses then let me know that someone had checked my mother out the night before. I was furious and shocked that anyone would be allowed to do that, especially when it wasn’t family.
The nurse explained that the name on the board was Ethan Hudson, her son. And that it had been done some time around shift change in the evening.
After receiving the information, I ran into Ethan in the hallway. “Have you gone to see Mom?”
“Mom? No, why?”
“You didn’t go see her yesterday? You swear it.”
“No, Whisper. I haven’t seen her yet.”
I stared up at him, hurt that he hadn’t seen his mother yet, but more concerned that if what I was thinking was true, the killer had truly taken her.
As Ethan protested, I shoved past him and went to the only other person who could offer me the truth, and I cornered Hoax in his office. “I don”t know what you need Whisper, but I”m not the man to ask. You should go to Powertrain.”
“He”s not telling me shit, and I know you have all the information because he only shares what he knows with you.”
He blinked up at me as he stuffed a bunch of Cheetos into his mouth. I leaned on his desk and narrowed my eyes on him.
“You know I can always go to my father. Tell him you”ve been stalking me in all the wrong ways. I can make him take away all these pretty toys.” I trailed a finger along the edge of a screen and fixed my eyes on him.
Just for fun, I let my power run freely for a few seconds. The current crackling in the air between us. My raven seemed to enjoy the game, and in the reflection on one of the screens, I noticed my eyes get a dark purple glow to them. A very different reaction than the one she gave Lee. It made me look unreal.
Hoax”s eyes widened and he dumped the snack bag off to the side. “Fine. Just don”t look at me that way. Freaks me the fuck out.”
As he pulled up the news stories, articles of Lucy Whitfield”s death filled the screen. I gasped at the sight of her pale body lying on a steel morgue table. Stab wounds to her neck and sides were visible.
I nearly sobbed as Hoax brought up an image of a young Lee. It was a mugshot taken sixteen years ago. I touched the screen, thinking he was so young. News articles suggested that he was at fault but quickly changed their tune blaming another man, Ronald Hargrave, for assault.
I slumped back in the chair, feeling angry at Ethan and Lee for having kept such a secret from me. I stared up at the screen, the image of Ronald Hargrave stared back at me.
He had dark brown hair and wore glasses over deep brown eyes. He had a cynical look in his eye, as if he knew, even back then, what he was capable of.
“Do you recognize him?” Hoax asked softly.
I shook my head. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“If you do, Whisper. Run,” he added as we both looked at his image. I wished I could have told him it was already too late.
I spent the entire day avoiding my brother and Lee. I couldn’t look them in the eyes without bursting into tears. I was desperate to find my mother and I felt anxious as fear settled into my heart. I didn’t have to wait long to find out where she was. A few hours later, I received a text with the location of our meeting. Attached was an image that brought me to tears. Silently, I cried, pressing my hand to my mouth to stifle any sound that might give me away. The image was of my mother in her white nightgown, sitting in an old wooden rocking chair, staring blankly into space.
At that moment, I made my decision. I had to go to her. I couldn”t wait, and I couldn”t bear the thought of her getting hurt. The fear and urgency propelled me into action. I wiped away my tears, trying to steady my breathing. Every second felt like an eternity, but I knew I had to keep it together.
When Lee approached me, I’d lied to him, blaming my emotions on my raven. I then grabbed my jacket and slipped out quietly, hoping Lee wouldn”t notice my absence. My heart pounded as I sneaked down to the main road and waited for the driver, I’d called to pick me up. The instructions were to be dropped off at the corner of Hudson and walk the remaining way. With each step I took towards the meeting place. The image of my mother in that rocking chair haunted me, fueling my resolve. I couldn”t let anything happen to her.
As I made my way through the dark streets, my mind raced with thoughts of what lay ahead. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew one thing for certain—I would do whatever it took to protect my family. The closer I got to the location, the more my fear intensified, but so did my determination.
An old hospital loomed in the darkness; its towering silhouette barely visible. My steps were slow and cautious, as fear tightened around my chest like a vice. Hargrave”s threats echoed in my mind, a sinister reminder of what was at stake.
I moved through the decaying grounds, the air thick with the scent of rot and neglect. Every sound seemed amplified: the crunch of broken glass beneath my shoes, the distant creak of metal swaying in the wind, the faint rustle of leaves that made me jump at shadows. TI had nothing, just my heightened senses and Lee’s gun which I’d found in his bag. The rising sense of dread was the only thing I had to guide me.
As I reached the entrance, a door barely hanging on its hinges, I hesitated. The blackness beyond felt like an abyss, swallowing any light and hope. With my heartbeat practically thumping out of my chest, I pushed the door open with a loud, grating squeal. Inside, the darkness was even more oppressive, the air colder.
I forced myself to take a step inside, then another, the sound of my footsteps echoing down the long, empty corridor. The walls seemed to close in around me, the ceiling pressing down. I couldn”t shake the feeling of being watched, a prickling sensation at the back of my neck. I turned, aiming the gun at the darkness, expecting a monster to reveal itself at any moment.
”Come on, Whisper,” I muttered to myself, trying to summon courage from somewhere deep inside. I kept moving, feeling my way along the damp, crumbling walls. Every so often, I thought I heard something—a whisper, a footstep—but when I turned, there was nothing. Just darkness and silence.
Then, out of nowhere, a hand clamped over my mouth, silencing my scream before it could escape. Another arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me back against a solid chest. The gun went off, and then just as quickly knocked out of my hand, getting lost somewhere in the darkness, Panic exploded inside me, my heart thundering as I struggled against the iron grip.
”Don”t move,” a voice hissed in my ear, low and menacing. ”Or she dies.”
My body went rigid, the terror rooting me to the spot. The killer”s breath was hot against my skin, the smell of cigarettes and something metallic invading my senses. I could hear his breathing, steady and controlled, contrasting sharply with my own frantic gasps.
”Good girl,” he whispered, his grip tightening. ”Now, you”re going to do exactly as I say. Understand?”
I nodded, and he dragged me down the dark recesses of the abandoned building. I tripped on a metal object and tumbled to the ground. He had no mercy and I screamed as he grabbed me by the hair, yanking me harshly over the broken glass and broken wood that lay on the floor around us. I cried out as something sharp jabbed me on the side, and he finally turned back to look at me.
Blood had seeped through my white tank top, and I could feel, more than see, something poking through my skin.
”Goddammit,” he growled, yanking the item from my side. I sobbed from the pain that became a dull throb as I flung my hand over the wound. He flipped the sharp piece of wood in front of my eyes.
”Too soon for stab wounds,” he gave me an eerie smile and out of pure terror, I screamed. I scrambled out of his grasp, digging my fingernails into the molded walls as I tried to get away, screaming at the top of my lungs and praying someone would hear me.
His hands grabbed at my ankles, and he dragged me back toward him. I shielded my stomach, flipping back around and kicking him in the face. He grunted and got down to crouch over me.
I fought him as hard as I could, shoving at his eyes with my nails, biting him where I could. And then something heavy and hard hit my head. I fought to see what it was, and it hit again, forcing me into darkness.
When I awoke,I was lying on the cold tile floor, in the middle of a hospital room. In the far corner sat a chair, and the silhouette of my mother sat staring back at me.
“Mom,” I reached out to her and immediately hissed from the pain on my side. When I looked down, he had taped my side up with duct tape to stop the bleeding. But I was in a lot of pain.
You need to shift, baby.
I stared up at my mother’s form, shocked from the sound of her voice that was filling my head.
The raven’s powers are healing. Shift.
Shift. The raven cawed over her voice, and I closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I focused on the familiar pull inside me. The world around me began to blur as my body contorted, feathers replacing flesh, bones reshaping, shrinking. The pain in my side subsided as the power of the shift healed and closed my wound. In seconds, I was airborne, the rush of wind beneath my wings momentarily liberating.
But the freedom was short-lived. Out of nowhere, darkness came over me, and the raven squawked in panic, its wings beating furiously against the confines of the fabric. I was pulled down to the ground with a harsh thud. My heart raced as I struggled, my beak and claws useless against the heavy confines. His voice echoed in the hollow space, dripping with malice.
“I knew you were special, Whisper, but this... this is beyond my wildest expectations.”
He pulled the fabric away from me, replacing it with a heavy metal object. The raven cawed desperately, fluttering its wings against the confines of the small space.
“A shape-shifting little bird. I’d heard of the strange things that happened within the Royal Bastard, but this is fascinating.”
The raven’s eyes met Hargrave”s cold, calculating gaze. He stepped closer, a cruel smile twisting his lips. With a swift motion, he secured the makeshift cage, trapping me completely. I cawed desperately, the sound echoing through the still night, but there was no one to hear, no one to help.
The raven flapped her wings in a futile attempt to escape, the cage rattling with each movement. Fear coursed through me, sharper than any pain. Hargrave knelt, bringing his face level with mine, his eyes gleaming with a twisted kind of excitement.
”There”s no use struggling, little bird,” he taunted, his voice low and menacing. ”You”re mine now.”
The raven cawed in helpless panic, a sound filled with despair and terror. My worst fears had come true. I was captured, trapped in my most vulnerable form, and at the mercy of a man who had no mercy.