Two Forces
Aviana
Past
Age 17
I had never seen Ryan that furious before. He and Liam had never truly gotten along—at least not since I arrived—but this was something else entirely.
The way he lunged at Liam, it was pure, unfiltered rage, like a predator going in for the kill. My pulse raced, not out of fear for myself, but for Ryan. If Liam decided to fight back, if he unleashed whatever darkness simmered beneath the surface—I didn’t know who would come out on top. But I knew one thing for sure.
I couldn’t look away.
It’s been a week since Ryan found Liam in my bedroom. Since then, I haven’t seen Liam at all.
Mason has been asking Ryan about it, pressing him with questions like if he’s seen Liam, but Ryan just brushes it off, shrugging like it’s no big deal. The cool indifference in his voice makes me wonder if he’s hiding something. I can feel it, that nagging suspicion that Ryan’s involved, but what exactly did he do? I can’t shake the thought. What’s he hiding, and where is Liam? Why should I care about Liam? After everything he’s done to me, I should be relieved he’s gone.
I follow Ryan out to the barn, my heart racing, hoping for some kind of answer. But the moment he sees me, he stiffens, like my presence is a weight he can’t shake off. “What is it, Avi? I’m extremely busy with everything now that Liam’s gone.”
I swallow hard, trying to push back the knot in my throat. “Speaking of Liam… where did he go? ”
Ryan’s gaze flickers, something tight in his jaw. “I don’t know, Avi. Why does it matter?”
It’s like a slap to the face. He’s never been distant, but this feels different—cold, dismissive. He doesn’t even try to hide it. “It doesn’t… but it doesn’t seem like him to just up and leave, especially without taking any of his stuff.”
Ryan sighs, exasperated, the sound grating against my nerves. “Avi, do you need something?” His voice is sharp, annoyed.
I flinch, the hurt creeping into my chest before I can stop it. “No… I guess not,” I mutter, my voice barely above a whisper. Maybe I just wanted to be close to you. Maybe I just wanted to be with the one that makes me feel safe, to feel like I matter to someone. But I don’t say any of it out loud.
I turn to leave, the weight of his indifference sinking in, but then he calls out, his voice softer now, “Avi…”
I don’t stop. I can’t. I keep walking, my feet carrying me toward the woods—toward the place where Ryan and I used to walk together, before that fateful night.
I keep walking, my feet moving without thinking, as if the deeper I go into the woods, the further I can escape the weight of his coldness. Every step feels heavier, like it’s dragging me farther away from him—and from everything I thought we might have.
Finally, I reach a familiar oak tree, its gnarled roots sprawling like arms ready to catch me. I sink to the ground, hugging my knees to my chest, trying to hold myself together. But it’s no use. The tears come anyway, falling silently down my face, each drop a sting.
Ryan’s words echo in my mind—his dismissive tone, that look of indifference he gave me. I thought maybe, just maybe, he still cared. That the moments we shared, the way he used to pull me close, meant something to him. But now… I feel so small, so insignificant.
I let myself cry, the sobs escaping before I can hold them back, each one more heartbreaking than the last. The coldness from him cuts deeper than any of the things Liam ever did to me. At least with Liam, I always knew where I stood. But Ryan? He was supposed to be the one who understood me, the one who made me feel like I wasn’t alone. But now he’s gone, too, in a way I can’t explain.
I just want to feel like I matter to someone.
***
“She is still asleep but I know she is in there.” Nightshade’s voice echos throughout the quiet room.
“She isn’t responding to anything.” Cade sounds so guilty. He should, he didn’t catch me. Should he really be punished this hard though. He has done everything to get me to trust him. I need to snap out of this. I need to open my eyes.
“Avi.” Cade’s voice softens, but there’s a tremor beneath it. His hands are on me now, gentle, desperate, as though he’s holding on to what little he has left. “I’m sorry for what happened. I need to see those smoky eyes of yours. Show me there’s still light in them. Please.”
The pain in his voice pulls at something inside of me, but I can’t move. Can’t react. I just want to hide, to stay in this void where nothing hurts, where everything feels out of reach.
“Come on. Fight me, Avi.” His voice cracks as he pleads, his hands tightening around me, like he’s trying to pull me from the dark. “Open your eyes and yell at me. I deserve every bit of it. Please.”
I can feel the weight of his words pressing down on me, the guilt he carries heavier than I could ever understand. What if I open my eyes? What will he see then? What will I see?
“Move.” Nightshade’s voice is low, edged with fury, and my hand jerks like Cade just got shoved. The tension in the room is suffocating—thick, heavy, like the air itself is shaking. I can almost feel the anger crackling between them.
“Little Bird, my sweet, sweet Avi!” Nightshade’s voice cracks, raw and desperate. I hear it in the way he says my name, like he’s on the edge of something he can’t control. “I need you. I need you like I need air to breathe. I promise you, if you wake up, the mask will be off. I’ll show you who I truly am. Just like Cade… I expect a fight from you. I’m ready for it. I’ve been ready for the fight. I deserve it, just like he does. ”
The words hit me, but they don’t quite reach me—like they’re a whisper in a storm, something I can’t grasp. His pain, his plea, cuts through me, but I’m still trapped, locked away in the dark.
“He’s lucky you like him.” The words come out in a dark, bitter laugh, and I can feel the shift in his energy. It’s almost dangerous. “Otherwise, I’d have fed him his hands like I promised to do.”
The fear that races through me isn’t about Cade anymore. It’s about the man standing over me, the one who knows me, who claims to need me in a way that shakes me to my core. My breath catches in my throat as I wonder if I’m strong enough to face him, strong enough to open my eyes and see what’s behind the mask.
“Come on, baby girl, open those eyes for me.”
And then, a single tear falls. It lands on the back of my hand, warm and soft, and for a moment, I can almost feel his presence more than I hear it. He wipes it away gently, his touch lingering on my hand, like he’s afraid to let go.
God, what has he done to me?
Why do I feel this magnetic pull to him, this connection that feels both like a comfort and a curse?
What am I to him?
Something in his words keeps me tethered to him. Even with his voice muffled and distorted under the mask, the raw need in his tone seeps through, making me feel as though I know him—understand him.
The warmth of his touch still lingers on my skin, where his tear fell. Slowly, almost unwillingly, I begin to open my eyes. I feel the tension in the room shift as the world comes back into focus, blurry at first and then clearer with every second that passes.
And there he is — Nightshade, not the man behind the mask.
His eyes land on mine, and for a moment, everything goes still. I feel his breath hitch, the air thick with something unspoken. Then, without warning, his hands are on me, pulling me to him, clutching me like I’m the only thing keeping him from falling apart.
“God dammit, Little Bird, don’t ever leave me again. Do you hear me? You are mine from here on out, and I say you aren’t allowed to ever leave.” His voice trembles with raw intensity, the words heavy with something deeper than anger—something desperate, something that feels like a promise, a command.
I’m breathless, caught in the storm of his emotions, and it leaves me feeling both terrified and strangely safe at the same time.
“Nightshade,” Cade’s voice cuts through the tension, low and careful, laced with concern and an unfamiliar curiosity. “What happened?”
I try to speak, but my throat is dry, unused. My voice comes out barely a whisper. “Nightshade…” I don’t even know if he hears me, but the way his arms tighten around me tells me that he does.
“I am here, Little Bird. You are safe.” His voice is soft, but the desperation in it is undeniable. He’s trying to convince both me and himself that it’s true, and for a moment, I almost believe him.
But then, the weight of the room shifts. I turn toward Cade, still caught between them, still unable to fully comprehend what’s happening. “C-C-Cade,” I manage to rasp, my voice trembling.
“He is here too,” Nightshade says quietly, his words carrying a strange weight. But there’s something else in his tone, something different. The jealousy that once simmered in his voice, that sharp edge between him and Cade, is gone. In its place is something I can’t quite define. And it leaves me wondering if I’m the one who has changed—or if they have.
But for now, all I can focus on is the two of them, the two forces pulling me in opposite directions, and the whirlwind of emotions inside me that I can’t seem to make sense of.