Reapers - Thirteen Brothers

XI - Denial (2 of 2)

--XIII--

The next few days passed for normal.

School. Home. Homework. Chores.

Nothing strange. Or at least I wanted to think so.

But there were still nights when I would wake up screaming. And on those nights, Dad would give me one of his sleeping pills to calm me down. It was as though every time I fell deeply asleep, I would plunge straight into the swimming pool in Mira Webber's house. And every time, I would end up being clawed by several spiny hands pulling me deeper and deeper into the water until I was out of air.

On some nights, I would stay awake just so I wouldn't have to suffer the excruciating feeling of being unable to breathe, the raw scorch of water in my lungs. Sometimes, I would hear gentle taps on my window. Whenever I was brave enough to look through the dark outside, I would see Vincent Sinclair in front of the house, standing still like a statue.

If he wanted, I was sure he could just get into my room, seeing as he had managed to pull off a disappearing act when he last visited me in the hospital. But he never did. He never even tried to talk to me.

One night, I decided to stop hiding under my sheets and face him. But that was after I drew out the sharp pair of shears I had been hiding under my pillow. Taking a deep breath, I opened the window and looked out.

The yard was empty but for some reason, I could feel his presence.

"I know you're there." My voice was thin and trembling.

Some part of me hoped I was wrong—that he wasn't really there. It wasn't long before I saw a pair of silver eyes blazing in the dark. He went closer to the slivers of light coming from the lamppost across the street. When he looked up at me, I became more afraid for my life.

"Go home, Vincent," I told him. "It's late."

"Come with me then." His face was unreadable in the shadows.

"I... I can't. Okay?" I gripped tightly onto the ledge to keep my knees from collapsing. "Just... leave me alone. If you don't, I'll call the police."

A hint of disappointment ruined his expressionless mask. "But you need me. You need me to live, Aramis. If you keep this up, you'll use up all your life-force and you'll die."

"I don't need you!" I hissed, my knuckles paling as panic swelled inside my chest. "I don't need anyone!"

Letting out a muffled curse, Vincent tensed and bounded off the ground. He landed on the eaves in front of my window with barely a sound. He took a step toward me, eyeing at the frame of the window. Considering his recent display of inhuman abilities, he could've easily jumped into my room and took me wherever he wanted but he didn't, thankfully.

"You do! Stop being so hard-headed!" he just about snarled. "If there's anyone you need right now, it's me. Me! Why do you think I wasted my time sitting outside your house like a complete lunatic? You think I'd just let you perish after all I'd been through to save your ass? If you're scared now, think twice. Worse things are coming, Aramis. And you don't want to be here—alone—when that happens."

I finally let go of the ledge. My hands shook uncontrollably as I closed the window on Vincent's face. I pulled the curtains and turned around, pressing my back on the wall. Closing my eyes, I slumped down the floor and covered my ears. Whatever Vincent had to say, I couldn't take it anymore. Although, he was right about one thing—I was scared.

At school, Vincent Sinclair seemed harmless—just like any other normal student. He kept sleeping in Miss Cruz' class and the teacher still ignored his inattention. For some reason, Miss Cruz avoided me. I tried talking to her a few times but she kept making alibis.