Forbidden Knots (Shadow Duet #1)

10. TEN

TEN

Storm

M orning dawned, but I couldn't sleep last night. The bruises on my neck had darkened to new shades of purple and blue, with hints of green. I covered them with a red scarf, pretending nothing had happened. Pretending my grandma hadn't tried to strangle me.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I couldn't recognize myself. My hair was a tangled mess, dark circles hung under my eyes, my lips were dry, and my skin looked pale and burned out. This morning, I decided not to bother pretending, but I still hid my scars.

Just as I stepped out of my room, my phone rang. It was Mom. Seeing her number, I knew she was out of the hospital. I quickly retreated to my bedroom and shut the door.

"Mom," I said excitedly, but I could hear sniffles and tears on the other end. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Hey, honey," she said, her voice trembling. "It’s just so good to hear your voice."

"Is everything okay?" I asked, sitting on the bed.

"Yes, yes," she replied, though her voice didn't match her words. "How is Grandma?"

I was silent for a few seconds, fighting the urge to tell her everything. I didn't want to burden her with my struggles. She didn't need that weight.

"She’s great," I said, but curiosity gnawed at me. "She’s been mentioning someone named Rose lately, but I didn’t want to push her to explain."

"Rose?" Mom's voice was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "Do you know who she is?"

She gasped. "Are you sure she said Rose, not someone else?"

"I’m pretty sure," I replied, my interest piqued. "Mom, is something wrong?"

"No, no, honey, it’s just..." She hesitated. "Rose was my older sister. She was very, very troubled," she said. "We don’t talk about her much because... she... uh..."

"She?" I urged her to continue.

"She drowned," Mom said.

Silence filled the space between us, a heavy, oppressive silence that lasted for a full minute before either of us spoke again.

"Mom?" I whispered. "How?"

"We didn’t talk about it much, but it tore our family apart. Your grandfather died just a year later," she said. "Death has followed this family like a cape, and I don’t want that for you, Thalia." She paused; her voice shaky. "Let’s not talk about it, and please, don’t mention it to Grandma. She can be... overwhelmed."

"Okay," I said softly. "Okay."

"Honey," she said, "I know I haven’t been the mother you needed, but I’m better now."

"You were just fine," I chuckled. "Bye, Mom."

"Love you, honey," she said, and before I could respond, she hung up. I whispered, "Love you too," with a chuckle.

I turned around, my mind heavy with thoughts as I got up. Each step I took felt heavy, as if I shouldn’t leave the bedroom, but I knew I had to get away, to clear my mind. I stopped in the middle of the room and made a rash decision. I turned back and went to the window, sitting on the sill. Seeing that it wasn’t that high, I jumped without thinking. My feet hit the ground, and I stumbled forward, my knees scraping against the rocks and cutting into my skin.

"Are you dumb?" I heard a voice from a nearby balcony. I looked up and saw Tristan standing there.

"I’m just trying new things," I shouted back, slowly getting to my feet.

"How’s that going for you?" he asked, his voice now deeper, as if he was trying to disguise it.

"Very well, actually," I said. "Next time I might try a higher floor."

He chuckled. "Please choose water as your landing spot."

His smile was contagious, the wrinkles by his lips and the way his eyes crinkled making me smile too. Without saying anything, I saluted him with two fingers on my forehead and hurried away from his house.

It was still early in the morning when I reached the cliffs. The sea was calm, with only a few small fishing boats on the horizon. The cliffs were still in shade, and there was no one around, just a few crickets playing their song. I moved down the road, crossed a fence, and jumped down next to a pine tree, then followed the path to the cliffs. I climbed to the top and, as I sat down at the lowest cliff, I noticed a pink bucket hat.

I whispered gently, "Sophie."

I jumped to a lower cliff, reached for a rock, then moved to a bigger rock to reach the lowest cliff. Luckily, the sea was calm and there were no waves. This was the spot they called 'Devil’s Trap.'

Whoever fell could get hurt badly, and I didn’t want to push my luck. I grabbed the hat and climbed back to the top.

I sat at the edge, holding the hat, and realized the mistake I had made. I knew I had to take this as a peace offering to Sophie.

My whole life, I hadn’t had many friends, and Sophie was one I never wanted to lose. We were different, but both broke in the same way and sewn back together along the same lines. We might have wanted different things, but in the end, they led us in the right direction. As much as I was stubborn and always wanted to be right, I knew I had to make things right, to forgive her and have her forgive me.

I stood up and went back to the road, retracing my steps. Halfway there, I started to run. I felt lonely and was exhausted from it. I wanted to see her, to tell her what had happened. Maybe even tell her about the Shadow. Even though that secret was mine to keep, I was ready to share it with her.

Within minutes, I was at her door, banging on it with my fists. I heard footsteps behind it, and the door opened wide. My eyes met Tristan’s, and he was shirtless.

My cheeks immediately flushed, and my gaze dropped to the floor. My feet crossed, and my body shivered in front of him, feeling like a speck of dust.

He chuckled, coming closer. "Are you lost, little...?" But then he stopped, stepping back.

"Sophieee," he shouted, "you have someone here for you."

Her face peeked through the hallway on the next floor, and she shouted back, "Thalia, go away."

I lifted her hat in the air and waved it like a flag, and Sophie’s face immediately lit up. She ran downstairs, grabbed the hat from my hand, and said, "I am still mad at you."

"I found it at the cliffs," I said, trying to start a conversation, noticing Tristan in the background. My cheeks blushed even more. Sophie was silent, so I continued, "I am so sorry. Can we start again?"

"It was my fault anyway," Tristan said from behind, and Sophie rolled her eyes. "What?" he shrugged his shoulders as he climbed up the stairs.

"He explained everything," she said.

"He did?" I questioned, looking at him, afraid to ask what he might have said to her.

"We all make mistakes, and I’m sorry too," Sophie said. "I’ve been in the shadows so much lately that I forgot how much light you bring to me."

I chuckled, thinking about her words. "I may like Shadows too," I said.

As I said it, Tristan turned around. "You two need help."

"Luckily you are always around," Sophie joked, and as he turned back and walked upstairs, she moved closer to me, taking my hand and pulling me inside.

"I have so much to tell you," she chuckled, dragging me to the living room. I smiled at her, relieved that she was acting like we had never even fought the day before. As we sat down, I noticed something different about her. She seemed changed, more radiant.

She wore pink lipstick, her face was fully made up, her hair was curled and brushed back, and she wore a sweet perfume. It was clear she had done all this for someone.

As I was about to comment, she whispered, "I met someone."

I smiled, intrigued. "Tell me everything about it."