Forest Lake

Chapter 10

She looked back at him and nodded. “I understand.”

“Good.” Mason said as he turned to look at me.

His cold gaze made me shiver. I kept my eyes on his, trying to find that softness I saw earlier.

“You will never leave your room alone.” Mason spoke after a few moments of silence. “Do you understand me?”

I simply nodded. I was unable to say a word. The lump in my throat was too big.

“Words, Emma.” he said coldly.

He said my name!

Oh, my God.

He did! He really did!

My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I took a deep breath and clenched my fists, trying to calm myself down.

“I understand.” I said quietly.

Mason stared at me for a few moments before he nodded. He turned around to look at Hazel again.

“Good night.” he said to her coldly.

“Good night.”  Hazel mumbled, looking shocked.

Mason looked back at me. He clenched his jaw and stepped around me. He left our room, slamming the door shut.

I stared at the closed door in a complete daze.

What was that? Does Mason really care? Is there a chance for us to talk and maybe work through whatever happened? Maybe we could never be as close as we were when we were kids, but maybe we could have a normal relationship. Maybe we could be friends. I would even be happy if he wasn’t glaring coldly at me all the time.

“What the hell was that?” Hazel’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned around to look at her.

She was staring at me wide-eyed with her mouth hanging open.

“Another girl went missing.” I said as I sat down on my bed.

Hazel gasped. “Oh, my God! What? Who?”

“I don’t know her, but she is from our school.” I said quietly, staring down at my hands. “I think her name is Daisy Lee.”

“Holy shit.” Hazel mumbled.

“Do you know her?” I asked, looking back up at her.

“No.” Hazel shook her head. “But I’ve heard her name before. She is in the debate club, and she is amazing. She is a junior, I think.”

I nodded and sighed. “I really hope that they will find her.”

“Do you know how she went missing?” Hazel asked quietly.

“She was taken from the garden.” I answered.

Hazel gasped again. “The school garden?!”

I nodded, and Hazel’s eyes widened again. She was staring at me speechlessly for a few moments. She blinked and furrowed her eyebrows.

“Wait, how do you know all this?” she asked, getting confused again. “And what the hell was Mason doing here?”

“I was walking back to our dorm from the library.” I sighed. “Mason saw me and wanted to know why I was alone. As we were talking, we heard people gasping and whispering. Mason stopped one of the girls, and she told us about it.”

“Well, Mason went full-blown overprotective.” Hazel mumbled.

I groaned and laid down on my bed. “I don’t know what that means, and it is driving me crazy. Does he suddenly care? Does that mean that we could fix whatever is wrong?”

“He cares, Emma.” Hazel said softly. “I’ve noticed the way he has been watching you.”

“But why does he hate me, though?” I whispered quietly. “Why doesn’t he talk to me and tell me what’s wrong if he cares?”

“He seems hurt.” Hazel said after a few moments of silence. “Have you thought about making the first step?”

“A hundred times.” I sighed as I sat back up. “I get cold feet every time I just think about it.”

“Are you scared of him?” Hazel asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “He is your brother. He would never hurt you. If you had any doubts about that, they should be gone after the way he acted right now.”

“I’m not scared of him.” I said, shaking my head. “I’m scared of him pushing me away and rejecting me.”

Hazel remained quiet. I looked at her, and she seemed like she was in deep thought.

“I don’t think he would do that.” she spoke after a while. “He seems hurt. He wouldn’t be hurt if he didn’t love you, Em. And he wouldn’t push away someone he loves.”

“How do you know that?” I asked her. “You don’t know him.”

“You are right.” she nodded. “I don’t know him. But I’ve seen the way he is around you, Em. If what happened right now isn’t proof that he loves and cares about you, I don’t know what is. He wouldn’t be this concerned if he wanted to push you away.”

I bit my lip and looked down at my hands.

“You won’t know until you talk to him.” Hazel said softly.

She is right. I guess it is time for me to talk to my twin.

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Hello, my dear readers! 😄

I hope you are enjoying the story so far.

I'm sorry I haven't posted an update until now. I got sick, and I've spent the day in bed. I will try to update every day, but please forgive me if I miss a day or two. 🤒

Thank you for your understanding. ❤

I hope you are having a wonderful week. 🥰