Chapter 12
CORA
Bella, I messed up, big time! Call me ASAP.
Itype, hands shaking.
My phone rings not even thirty seconds later.
“What on earth could have happened? You’ve been in Birmingham for one day and already?—”
“Bella, I need you to listen to me.” The emergency is too catastrophic to waste any time. My heart pounds in my ears as my friend goes silent. “Frankie knows…”
“Knows what? That you’re head over heels for him?”
I wrinkle my nose in frustration. “No, something far worse… I told him about the Grenvilles.” Bella’s silence is all I need to affirm that I’ve royally fucked up. I slump over the kitchen counter, the cold marble nips at my elbow as I rest it down.
“Why on earth would you do something so bloody stupid?!” She yells.
I pull the phone away from my ear and put her on speaker phone. “It’s not what you think.” I say quickly, holding the phone up to my mouth. “Last night… They… My god, Bella, it’s so much worse than all of the stories we've ever been told.”
Her breath hitching fills the flat. “What do you mean?”
“They… revealed themselves… last night to Frankie and… Their faces… it was like… Fuck! I don’t know how to—” I push away from the counter and begin to pace as I try to find the words to explain something totally unexplainable!
“Wait. Stop. They revealed themselves? As in, showed you who they really are?”
I want to laugh at how ridiculous this all sounds. Too afraid that if I don’t, I’ll cry from the horrible realisation that nothing in this world has ever been how it seems.
“Have you ever watched a true crime documentary?” I ask as I come to a stop in front of the TV.
“It was like, one minute they were normal, like you and I. And then the next, it was like they were decaying in front of our eyes. They’re strong too, unbelievably so.
And fast; I blinked, and Ben grabbed Frankie and shoved him against the wall.
” Bella stays silent, so I keep on letting it spill out of my mouth.
“All that talk our parents gave us… about immortality… The truth of it is far more horrifying than anything we ever thought it could be.”
“And Frankie saw it too? Please tell me you gaslit him into thinking it was all a dream?” She pleads. I let out a sigh and let myself collapse onto the sofa.
“No. Of course not. He asked me to tell him the truth, so I did. About the stories we grew up hearing anyway.”
“This is bad, Cora! Is he going to keep his mouth shut about it? Please tell me you at least explained the rules alongside blowing his mind?”
I close my eyes, suddenly fearing the worst. “No, I didn’t get that far. He stormed out, muttering something about needing air.” Bella sighs in response. “I tried to stop him, but he went so pale?—”
“I don’t care if he dropped dead on the spot, Cora! You shouldn’t have let him leave without explaining that he cannot tell a bloody soul about this!” I sit up straight.
God she’s right.
I hate it when she’s right.
“He’s not like that. Besides, the Grenvilles already threatened him yesterday. I doubt he’s going to go running around shouting about how his sister is engaged to some weird entity that nobody can explain!”
“I hope for your sake that you’re right.” Bella’s tone is sharp, but her concern is genuine and I can’t help but smile. If only she knew how deep in the shit I really am…
“I feel like I’ve made a mess of everything Bella. Coming here feels like a huge mistake.” I admit.
“It’s not a mistake. Regardless of everything, it’s a damn sight better than an arranged marriage. Wouldn't you agree?”
“I guess so.”
“Just focus on what you went there to do. Try and find out if the Grenvilles are behind Lou’s disappearance. I have my ear to the ground here, not that it’s proving fruitful…”
My head throbs from it all.
“Besides the whole… immortal thing… how have things been between you two?” She asks.
I fight back a sigh. “He’s a mess, Bella. It’s hard to watch.”
“Well, if anyone can get him out of a hole. It’s you!”
My smile is faint, but real. The only tiny bit of goodness in this mess is my feelings for him, and his for me, even if he won’t admit it.
“I have to go, but text me if you need anything.”
“Okay, thank you Bella.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Be careful Cora. The Grenville brothers may have shown you their true form, but I fear that they’re capable of things far worse than decaying on the spot.” I nod, not that she can see me.
The line goes dead and, once again, I’m left alone with my thoughts and guilt.