Black and White

Chapter Twenty Two.

[[Black and White]]

Chapter Twenty Two.

-----[o0o]-----

‘Everyone has their weak spot.  The one thing that, despite your best efforts, will always bring you to your knees, regardless of how strong you are otherwise.’ [Sarah Dessen—Lock and Key]

-----[o0o]-----

[Hannah’s POV]

                I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at him, despite the fact he knew I was doing it.  Alexandre and I had managed to calm Ellie down on the way home, in addition to convincing her not to try and go after James in the dead of night.  My heart still gave a painful twinge whenever I blinked and, just for a split second, saw that poor boy’s face when Ellie said she loved Riley.  In all my existence, I can still say that pure level of heartbreak is so very rare.

                Alexandre smoothed back Ellie’s tumbling hair, dropping a kiss on her forehead before stepping away from the bed.  She mumbled something, frowning in her sleep.  As I watched him watch her, the rising sense of tension returned.  Every time I looked at him in fact, it got just a little bit worse.  I knew I’d have to tell him what I knew—it was unavoidable, really—but that didn’t mean I would enjoy it.

                He finally looked away, his eyes meeting mine, and the soft expression he wore shifted subtly to one of curiosity.  I led the way down the hall and the stairs.  Silence reigned until we stepped into the kitchen.  I suppose that was far enough away from her room that we wouldn’t wake her.  I went straight for stove to boil some water; I’d need about a gallon of tea to get through this conversation. 

                I heard him open the door to the refrigerator, and then close it abruptly.  “Who are you?”

                I deliberately ignored the question, turning on the stove and pulling out a mug and tea bag before looking at him.  He just waited.  That I could understand.  The one good thing about living so long:  It gives a great deal of patience.

                “You already know who I am.” I absorbed his look of disapproval, smiling slightly.  “I’m Hannah.”

                “The thing is, Hannah, you seem to know quite a bit about things you shouldn’t.  That kind of information can be dangerous.”

                I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. “Does that usually work for you?”

                “Does what work for me?” He looked so genuinely perplexed, that I had a hard time answering through all the laughter.

                “That smoldering, mysterious danger bullshit you’re trying to feed me?”  I smirked.  “I’ve been around a lot longer than you, honey.  There’s not a lot that scares me anymore.”

                “Except your sister.”

                His quiet reply wiped the smirk from my face as a trickle of fear ran down my spine.  “Yes. Except her.”

                The last time I’d seen my sister, Rhiannon, she’d been drenched in blood, grinning at the carnage surrounding her.  No one had paid her any mind, more intent on their battle than anything else.  Uniformed boys in grey and blue littered the ground, providing uneven territory as the fighting raged on.  I was there to heal, to mend, in the guise of a nurse.  I did what I could to ease the pain as thousands of soldiers lay dying.