Chapter 2
Ringing forms in my ears as those words bounce around in my head. Avira is the witch? No, that’s not possible.
She’s my sister.
There are so many memories with her growing up, and mother talked about giving birth to her and the pain she went through.
“No,” I whisper and shake my head.
“Everything was a lie.” A smile spreads across her face. “Do you know how much enjoyment I got out of fooling everyone?”
I choke on air as I try to fill my lungs.
Adeline, what’s wrong? Kieran asks.
Numb.
Everything is going numb as Avira continues to talk. She has to be lying.
“Do you know why I got so much enjoyment out of it?” she asks.
Adeline, where are you? I can’t see you standing out in front of your house like you were before. What is going on? Kieran asks again.
I don’t know where I am, I whisper.
What do you mean? Adeline, what happened?
“It’s because I got to see people suffer. The thought of seeing their world crumble when I told them that I wasn’t related to them. It brings me joy to see other people suffering,” Avira chuckles.
“You’re lying,” I choke out.
Avira grips my face, her fingernails digging into my cheeks, bringing a little clarity to everything.
Adeline. Tell me where you are right now and I will come and get you, Kieran’s voice rings in my head. I’m worried about you. I can feel your fear.
“Your mother never gave birth to me. I cast a spell on everyone in town so they thought I was part of your family,” she explains. “I fabricated that she went through childbirth and helped me grow up. I made sure she felt every single emotion that a mother would go through.”
“But—”
“They are all fake memories for everyone. It never happened,” she chuckles. “Whenever I lift the spell no one will remember me, not even you. It will be like I was never there.”
“Why?” I whisper. “Why would you do something like that?”
Part of me still doesn’t believe that she’s the witch. Nothing is making any sense.
“I needed to see what the humans were doing. The real thing and not some report that could be made up. So I cast a spell to make everyone think that I was part of your family so I could get a first hand account and see for myself,” she explains.
“But everyone knew you worked for the king,” I say.
She shrugs. “People got over it once I showed that I was for the people.”
“You weren’t.” My eyebrows scrunch up.
When was she ever for the people? Every single time I heard her talk to anyone it only made me think that she was with the king and no one else. How did other people believe that she was with the people?
“To you I wasn’t. For some reason the spell never quite worked on you,” she says. “I was never able to figure out why it didn’t but you saw part of the truth. That’s why I had to keep an eye on you, pretending that I really wanted to get to know you.”
Tears cloud my vision. I thought she really wanted to become closer and be sisters. How could I have been so foolish and actually believe the lie? Why couldn’t I have gone with my gut and realized that everything was a lie?
“I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” she says as she exits the room.
“Avira, please don’t leave me here!” I beg her. “I don’t deserve to be here. Please come back!”
I suck in a deep breath as she walks out of my line of sight, everything sinking in. She’s really gone and I’m stuck in this room tied to a chair.
“Avira!” I scream.
Hanging my head, I let the tears fall from my eyes as the cold seeps into my body.
Adeline. Kieran’s soft voice fills my head. Talk to me. Tell me what is going on and what is around you.
Avira knows I took the book even if I try to deny it, I whisper, even more tears falling down my face.
Where are you? he asks, his voice hard.
I’m in some sort of concrete cell. I think I’m in the dungeon, I reply. Kieran, she is the witch. My sister, I mean, Avira is the witch and always has been.
My mind is whirling with each interaction I had with her. All the bad feelings I had around her, the same ones I had when I walked into the witch’s room.
How did I not notice it was her sooner?
She has always given me a bad feeling and I never saw it. I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt since she was my sister.
No.
She was never my sister. It was all a ploy to spy on the people.
How could I have been so stupid? I ask Kieran. How could I have not known? How did we not figure it out sooner? You told me so many times that you smelt her on me and yet I didn’t want to believe that it was my sister.
Adeline, it’s going to be okay, he replies.
I don’t know if I’m going to make it out alive. If I don’t, please continue on with trying to figure out the curse, I tell him. And tell my mom that I love her. She knows about you and is happy that I found someone.
Adeline, don’t talk like this. Nothing is going to happen. Everything is going to be alright. We are going to get you out of the dungeon and back home to your mother. We are going to find out how to break the curse, Kieran says fiercely.
Promise me that if anything happens to me that you will look after my mother. That you will tell her everything.
Adeline.
Kieran, please. Just promise me that you will. I don’t want her to second guess everything for the rest of her life if I die. I want her to know that I love her. I want her to know how proud I was to have her as a mother, I ramble. Just promise me that you will tell her if anything happens to me.
Nothing is going to happen to you and you can tell her yourself when you get out of the dungeon, Kieran replies.
Tears roll down my face as I take a heaving breath.
Kieran.
He sighs. I promise that if anything happens I will tell your mother. Don’t worry. But I also want to hear you say that you are going to make it out alive and get to tell her yourself.
I don’t know if I can do that, I whisper.
Avira was looking at me the whole time she explained everything with hatred. She hates me as much as she hates the Fae. I don’t think I’m going to make it out alive.
Adeline, I promised that I would tell your mother and now you have to repeat those words to me. Nothing is going to happen to you and you are going to make it out alive. Say those words. That you are going to make it out alive and be by my side.
I’m going to make it out alive and be by your side, I manage to get out.
But dread fills me after I say those words. What if I can’t keep the promise and I actually die in this cell?
Do not think like that, Kieran growls. Be positive. Be strong. You can make it through anything if you tell yourself that you can. I just need you to be strong and brave for me right now. Can you do that?
I slowly let out a breath as I think over his words. Will I actually be able to do that for him? I’m scared out of my mind, and I don’t know if I can find an ounce of strength right now.
Adeline, can you be strong and brave for me right now? You need to be strong for me, Kieran says.
Okay, I whisper.
I want you to believe it. I’m going to talk to Henry and we are going to get you out of there, Kieran promises. Just hang in there until we can.
Tell Henry to talk to my mom. Tell her that everything is okay.
I don’t want her to worry about me. Tell him to come up with some type of lie so that she doesn’t worry.
And Elias still needs to help out there once a week.
My mother is going to be swamped with everything and the baby.
She is going to need help, I rush to tell him.
I don’t know if we are going to have another situation where we won’t be able to talk to each other. I need him to know so that she can continue on with her life and not worry.
I’ll let him know. Don’t worry, we will take care of your mother the best we can. She is part of our family, Kieran replies.
I exhale and lean my head back, looking up at the concrete ceiling. I need to believe that I am going to get out of here alive like Kieran says.
I’m scared, I whisper, letting myself be vulnerable right now.
She said she’s going to be back in a couple of hours and I don’t know what she has planned.
What if she tells the prince and he calls off the deal and kills you?
What if she goes after my family and decides to make them suffer because of what I did?
I don’t think she would risk telling the prince anything. That would put her in a compromising situation since you said no one but the king knows who she is, Kieran replies.
I promise I didn’t tell her anything about the book that would lead to you.
I told her that I didn’t take it today and had found a random book on the ground several weeks ago before I went to Hellhollow and it fell out of my bag when hunting.
I had to come up with a lie and I knew that this wouldn’t bring it back to you, I rush to explain.
I made a mistake when I spoke and said that I had taken nothing today and she caught on. I’m sorry.
Everything is going to be okay. Stick to your story and everything is going to work out. Whenever you need strength, contact me and I will help you. You are not alone, Kieran whispers.
“Did you miss me?” Avira pops up right in front of me.