Take Courage, My Heart

Chapter Forty-Two

"I am not coming with," I said just as Adam started to retreat towards the door. He stuttered to a stop and tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowed and calculating. I glanced at Leander, who still stood at the foot of the bed, closest to me. "Why would I come with? There's nothing for me in Maine."

"What do you mean– your family is in Maine!" he said with a shake of his head, his gaze turning sharper and angrier.

I scoffed and at last got out of bed, standing up and going up to the dresser. Ezra was the one making the pancakes and they smelled delicious. As all of my siblings were downstairs and everyone was saying they would leave after breakfast I wanted to at least spend a little more time with them, now while I still could.

"Family? You mean the parents who shipped me off to a behavior modification facility and then just a few weeks ago told me I wasn't welcomed back home?" I snapped back, opening a drawer and pulling out a pair of black jeans. Adam huffed out annoyed from behind me, but I didn't turn to look at him. Instead, I opened another drawer and took out a velvet button-up shirt.

"I mean your siblings. And yes, our parents fucking suck but believe me they miss you too," Adam said as I put on the jeans.

"I don't believe you," I mumbled and took off my shirt.

"Jesse can–" Leander started to say but he was immediately cut off by Adam.

"Did I fucking address you? This is between me and Jesse, so can you leave?"

"Adam, what the fuck?!" I yelled while turning around. Adam gaped his mouth in response, no words coming out, and I barreled on. "I don't know what I missed exactly. Fi mentioned you two have been fighting–" Adam's eyes drifted away from mine and his face went slack, his fight visibly bleeding out of him– "what?" I snapped and folded my arms before my bare chest.

"What happened to you?" Adam asked breathlessly, looking down at my body, horrified.

My arms slowly fell to my sides, and I glanced down, though I was aware of what Adam was asking about. Most of the bite scars I had were located on my neck and thighs, but there were quite a few on my abdomen. As my arms went down though, Adam's eyes went wide and with two large strides, he came and grabbed my arm that had the razor-wire scar.

"I caused this one... everything else came from the vampires from the nest," I told him. I wasn't sure which ones were from Vincent, Jonathan, Seraphina, and Duke specifically. Most were overlapping bumps of scar tissue, while some had healed better and were just barely noticeable discolorations.

"You caused– did you try to kill yourself?" Adam asked, his voice coming out thick with emotion.

"No," I replied, freeing my hand, and grabbing the shirt I had taken out. "I had to climb over razor wire in order to escape that facility Mom and Dad sent me to. I had to jump out of the fourth-story window."

"What the fuck– are you insane?!" Adam exclaimed but I didn't lift my eyes, continuing to button up the shirt.

"I had to get out," was all I said.

"Falling from that high can kill you! Climbing over razor wire can kill you. Jesse–"

"I had to get out," I repeated more sternly, lifting my gaze, and scowling at him. "They locked me naked in a room with no food for days. Adam, I had to get out, even if it killed me."

"And it did," Adam muttered, his face pale and slack.

I turned my gaze to Leander and smiled at him apologetically. No words had to come out of my mouth, he simply smiled back and slipped out of the room, closing the door with a soft click. It was feigned privacy, he as well as the rest of the vampires in the cabin would still be able to hear some of what Adam and I said if they really focused, but it would have to do.