Lucid Nightmares - Fated Flowers Saga

Ch 21: Becoming His Mind

Let them hear me. Maybe it'll snap them back to normal.

I can't stand the fact that Maya no longer fears me. She sees me as weak. I'm not a threat anymore. Thanks to Juliette's sweet talking, she's convinced Maya that I'm nothing she needs to worry about. Juliette could be a siren with those words of her's.

Her words convinced me to believe her lies of becoming a good person. To believe I was ever worthy of having her for myself. She made me believe things could be different.

I should hate her for it, but I can't.

"No brother, it's you who gets in the way of your relationship," my brother argues coldly. "If you weren't trying so hard to show her how great of a liar you are, then maybe," he pauses and takes a deep breath, "just maybe she wouldn't run from you." He locks eyes with me, "She's not stupid. Neither of them are. They deserve to be here."

Deep down, I know he's right about that. They're different from all the others.

I huff loudly and break my gaze, annoyed with him. I pace across the room and feel frustration build inside of me again. What if I lose her again? My eyes flick to the tiki statues then to the starry sky of illusions on the ceiling. I wish it could burn under my gaze. I want to destroy everything instead of dealing with this. If I could throw my anger at something, everything would be okay again.

I haven't practiced this much self-control in decades.

I face my brother again to argue further but I notice a sudden vacant look in his eyes. I recognize it immediately. He's talking to somebody. I attempt to invade his mind on impulse but it never works, per usual.

Irritated he's ignoring me, I glare at him and talk louder. "Are you mind-speaking to her right now? Are you telling her about this?" I ask incredulously. "Brother," my voice drips with sarcasm, "I thought we had an alliance. You shouldn't be keeping secrets."

"What secrets?" he explodes, catching me off guard again. "Stars, you're so paranoid! I was talking to her for a few seconds but you need to calm down!"

I stare down at him, refusing to give him a reaction. It would give him the advantage. My emotions fuel my explosive powers but it can be my downfall. I'll forget he is my enemy and I'll show him my cards too early. My brother never forgets and it's why he's a better strategist than I could ever be.

"You act as if everything is your enemy," he continues sternly. "Not only that, you need to get your emotions under control. You'll hurt Juliette if you don't. You have no self-control and that will be your downfall."

A flicker of fear appears in my chest reminding me of my darkest nights. The paranoia drove me insane. My own powers seemed to be possessed by my emotions and only targeted my mind. It's why I need to explode at a target. To scream until I can control it. My lack of self-control comes from lack of control over my own powers, at least it was in the beginning.

I can't allow him to know that. If he knew about this, he'd use it against me. Unfortunately, I believe Juliette understands this, even if she doesn't remember the reasoning behind it.

My mask slipped around her. I couldn't hide this part of me from her and those gorgeous brown eyes. If eyes were windows to the soul, I found myself staring into an endless maze of her wonderous daydreams and ruthless torture of reality. I could see the organized chaos of her mind. So crazy beautiful it's easy to imagine falling for her easily.

"It won't," I answer spitefully, "I won't lose. I've always been in control, you're just waiting for the moment to strike like you always have!"

"I'm waiting for the right moment to reach you," his voice turns pleading. Pathetic. "Do you honestly believe this path is the right one? Do you think you can win like this? That you can win Juliette like this?"