Invincible | ˢᵃᵇʳⁱⁿᵃ ᵐᵃˡᶠᵒʸ

24- Knocks and Risks

Chapter 24: Knocks and Risks

*edited*

I ignored the knock on my bedroom door and continued staring out the window. When the person on the other side of the door continued to knock, I groaned before peeling my eyes away from the window and turning towards the door.

Lifting my hand up, I pointed it towards the lock and with a loud click it unlocked. "Come in."

The door creaked open and Astrid stepped inside, a soft smile on her lips. "Hey."

I tried to smile back, but it came out more forced than I thought it would be. I didn't care to get up from where I was sitting on the bed and watched as she looked around the room.

"I wanted to ask if you needed anything. Anything to drink or eat?" She said, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. I stared at her for a few seconds, noticing her nervous actions before shaking my head slowly.

"No." I said, keeping my voice void of emotions and turning my head to look out the window once again.

I hated that she was trying to help me, over and over again. The last thing I wanted was to be saved by a complete stranger. I didn't want to be saved at all. I could save myself on my own.

"I'm not trying to save you, Sabrina." Astrid said softly and my wide eyes snapped in her direction. "Neither am I doubting your ability to help yourself."

My frown deepened but I didn't say anything. She saw my confused expression and walked over, sitting opposite to me and shrugging slightly.

"I can kind of read minds." She whispered and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. She looked down at her lap as I stared at her before finally speaking up.

"Then what are you trying to do, Astrid?" She looked up and I continued, not giving her a chance to speak until I finished. "If you and your sister aren't trying to save me, what are you doing?"

She sighed, looking down once again. "Cassie thinks she can save you. Cassie thinks that she can help you get rid of these shadows of yours. Cassie even believes that they're some sort of a gift, and I know you hate the sound of that. I despise it too."

Finally she looked up. "Cas and I are sisters and we grew up together, working on the same things all our life but both of us have completely different mindsets." She chuckled lightly. "Cassie can get really weird and intrusive and tries to see the good in everything— even things which just don't have a beautiful side. She thinks these shadows are going to help you and to an extent I believe so too."

"How do they help me?" I asked. Although I knew the answer, I wanted to hear it from her.

Astrid's brown eyes searched my face for a moment, focusing on my silver eyes for a second too long."They made you someone who you needed to survive, didn't they?"

I didn't reply to that and absentmindedly reached up to claw at my left wrist, where the silver veins were spreading, bringing a horrible stinging along.

She paused, avoiding my gaze and picking at the skin on her fingers. "But then, I also think that they destroyed you with the pain they brought along. And I think we both believe that they're more of a curse than a gift for you. Cas believes that these shadows have a beautiful side but I don't think they do."

Her voice had become an even softer whisper and more sympathetic and I looked down at my lap, closing my eyes. My heart was pounding furiously and my head was spinning because everything Astrid was saying was true. And I hated that.