Violet Eyes

31: Nothing Ever After

"Rhys, I'm not strong. All it took was...the sound of Danny screaming like that-" Nerissa was interrupted when Rhys leaned back suddenly.

"You heard Danny screaming?" Rhys was trying to speak quietly but his shock betrayed him.

Nerissa nodded, "It was faint, but I heard it. They used it to taunt me. Told me what a sweet sound it was, and then he told me something... disturbing." Rhys stared at her in response, waiting for her to continue.

"They told me that Danny is my brother..." Nerissa whispered, as if she was trying to avoid anyone listening in.

"What? How is that even possible?" Rhys asked her after a look of violent confusion.

"Well, you have to admit that we look rather similar. He's two years older than me so our folks probably gave him away when he was an infant...and honestly, I think I prefer it that way." Nerissa said as she wiped away her tears.

"Why would you prefer that?" Rhys sounded confused.

Nerissa hesitated, she contemplated telling him everything, baring her soul, but she couldn't. "I don't know...things could've ended differently, they could've ended badly."

The two sat in silence for a while after that, taking in the tranquil view of the lake. The fireflies dancing across the water and into the woods helped to distract Nerissa enough for her to calm almost completely.

"Come on, you need some sleep. It's been a long night." Rhys said quietly as he gently rubbed her arm again. The two got up and went back inside for bed, by the time they got upstairs, Danny had already finished his shower and returned to his bed for the night.

"You have permission to wake me up if you can't sleep." Rhys said quietly when they got to Nerissa's room. She nodded with a small smile, Rhys returned the smile before he leaned forward and planted a small kiss on Nerissa's forehead. He backed away a bit with a small smile before he turned around and went into his own room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Nyx was in the kitchen making coffee, although anyone could tell that Nyx had struggled to sleep the night before. She was having a bit of mental turmoil regarding the previous night. Nyx had truly thought that she was over the night of...the festival, but after seeing Danny in the state he was in. It hurt her, but of course it would hurt her, they're friends. A friend that...she had slept with.

"Hey, Nyx." Nyx jumped slightly and saw Nate walking into the kitchen, he approached her and lightly kissed her cheek before he passed her to get himself a cup of coffee. Nyx watched the back of his head as he did so, massive guilt bubbling under the surface. "You okay?" Nate said after he turned around and leaned against the counter, taking a sip of his coffee. His hair was still messy from rolling out of bed.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Nyx responded after she broke herself out of the trance he held on her.

Nate raised one eyebrow as he looked into her eyes, before looking down into his coffee, "Nyx, you seem to forget how long I've known you." He eyed her intently, locking her in place. "Tell me what's wrong."

Nyx held his gaze before she sighed, "Fine, I'm just a little shaken up from yesterday, that's all."

"That's to be expected, it was...a long night, to say the least." Nate looked off into the distance for a few seconds before he stood up straight and motioned for Nyx to sit down at the table. She sat down and Nate sat next to her. "You want to talk about it?"