Before morning could wake them, Soren was already awake.
His eyes locked with Eve's the moment she opened hers.
For a second she couldn't tell if he was looking at her or through
her. It felt like he was seeing someone who didn't exist in the room with them. Someone only he could perceive.
Then he smiled.
It caught her attention immediately.
What's making you smile, she asked. Her voice was serious. Searching.
It shocked him enough that he fumbled for an answer.
Um. Nothing.
Naomi woke up and joined the conversation like she'd been waiting for permission.
Eve moved closer to Soren. The movement was both threatening and charming a question and a statement simultaneously. She dropped her voice. It came out calm. Soft. Almost sensual.
I want to know something.
Then the tone shifted. Her voice became more aggressive.
What were you looking at.
She seemed dead serious. A version of Eve that Soren hadn't seen since he first met her.
His voice cracked. Nervousness wrapped around him like a second skin.
He took a deep breath.
The air must have had magic because he looked calm instantly even though his heart wasn't.
I don't know, he said. It almost sounded like a smirk.
Eve stepped back. Anger crossed her face. She walked past Soren without another word and gestured to Naomi.
Think about your mistakes, she said as they headed toward the waterfall for a bath.
The door locked behind them.
For four hours Soren was alone.
He counted from one to ten thousand. The numbers meant nothing. He had nothing else to do and nowhere to go. Just the weight of existing by himself in a room that felt smaller the longer he stayed in it.
He had never spent this much time truly alone. Never had a moment where there wasn't a conversation happening even if it was just with ghosts. Even if the conversations were one-sided.
This silence was different. This silence had teeth.
When he heard the locks opening he ran to them.
He fell to his knees in front of Eve.
I'm so sorry. Please don't do that again. This was torture. His voice had an exaggerated tone but the desperation underneath was real. Please.
Eve looked at him with slight annoyance but also something like satisfaction. She understood something now that she hadn't before.
They both sat down on the bed. The room was still full of unanswered questions.
Soren's eyes were fixed on someone who was there to him but invisible to everyone else.
Eve noticed the same intense look he'd been having.
Why is she there again, a few words slipped out of his mouth. Loud enough for Eve to pick up.
His conviction overcame his caution. He spoke out loud without deciding to.
Wait. Eve. Why is there always a woman behind you guys. Behind you both.
What do you mean, Eve replied. Naomi's face filled with curiosity.
I mean there's always a woman next to either of you. Usually when we talk. Since the cabin I thought it was a one time thing but now it feels consistent.
Naomi replied immediately.
We don't see any woman.
Eve went quiet.
Something was finally clicking into place.
And in that moment she understood what his power was.
Before he could say anything she moved closer. Her expression was serious in a way that demanded truth.
You can see the dead.
The room filled with shock. Naomi shocked by what Eve said. Soren shocked by how she guessed his power.
Why didn't you tell us, Eve said. Her voice was loud. Aggressive. Like she'd been betrayed.
I'm sorry, he said. You don't owe us nothing. She caught herself getting harsh and held calm. *But tell me this one thing how does the ghost following us look.
Naomi was still confused, trying to understand how. Trying to understand what this meant.
Soren looked Eve dead in the eye.
Something in Eve just closed. She was already walking away.
But he answered anyway.
She has light green hair. A flower bow. Eyes like you both one grey, one yellow.
The air was taken from the room.
It went quiet. So quiet even tear drops could be heard.
Eve stopped walking.
She turned back slowly.
Did she have a tattoo on her neck, her voice was barely there.
Soren didn't hesitate.
I wouldn't call it a butterfly but it's like two flowers trapping a bat.
Eve fell to her knees on the floor.
It was like Soren had unscrewed something she'd tied down her entire life.
Tears covered her body. Naomi went completely still like they were back in the moment it happened. Like they were living it all again.
The flashback replayed involuntarily. Her mother's last words when dying. The execution by sword. The order to watch. Over and over the same moment played in both their heads.
All Eve could think was: her mother was there. She was *there* the whole time. And Eve never got to talk to her. Never got to see her.
Eve managed to slip the words out.
Can you talk to her. Tell me. Tell me what did she say.
Her voice had turned aggressive but it wasn't aggression anymore. It was desperation. It was exhaustion. Her eyes were red from crying so much it almost hurt. Her sight was blurry with tears.
She moved closer to Soren. Crawling across the rough wooden floor made of stone. The light in the room caught something as she moved maybe it was the sun coming through, maybe it was something else.
She kept coming closer.
All anyone could see was a trail of blood from where she was crawling.
What had sounded aggressive became something much quieter. Much more broken.
Please tell me. Tell me what did she say. Please.
She collapsed on the floor. She had crawled as far as her body would let her.
Soren stood there with sadness or pain or confusion written across his face. He was wondering if he'd made the right choice. All he'd done was watch. All he could do was watch. He didn't know a way to help her or comfort her.
He just watched as Naomi moved to console her sister.
Naomi said it quietly, like a prayer.
At least mom can see us. She's with us. You know she won't like you crying.
Tears dropped from Naomi's eyes as she said it.
Soren stood up with one conviction in his mind.
He needed to make this right.
He didn't say another word. He just left.
There was a trail of blood behind his footsteps as he walked down toward the waterfall.
Eve and Naomi fell asleep together on the floor. Covered in their tears. Covered in the weight of knowing their mother had been there all along.
There was one thing for certain now — someone was there. Someone would always be there.
Hours passed.
Time moved forward in the way time does when nothing else is moving.
By the time daylight returned fully, dried tears stained their cheeks. Their clothes were covered in the evidence of what had happened. Blood stained the floor where they'd been.
Someone could have misunderstood the scene as evidence of a fight.
A knock on the door woke them both.
They weren't sure who it was. Eve pulled herself together as quickly as she could and went to open it. Her jaw dropped the moment she saw who was standing there.
Naomi raised her head to see.
It was Siah.
His arm was gone. Replaced with an octopus hand that moved with its own independent logic.
You're requested, Siah said simply. Both of you. And the other boy too. Come.