Chapter 14

     We go through the plan one more time, before we finally agree on what to do. Right now, I am practicing with my fire. The only person in the room is Wyatt. It scared me to think of what would happen when I used the fire again. I don't want anyone in here, but Wyatt said he refused to leave.

     "Okay, Ivy you can stop now," Wyatt says.

     "Fine," I say a little frustrated with him at the moment, "Will you please just tell me what it is that you're keeping such a big secret?"

     "Ivy, we've been over this. I don't think you're ready."

     "I'm more than ready. How do you expect me to trust you if your keeping things from me? How do I even know that you're really my brother? You could have just sent me those dreams, made them up for all I know."

     A hurt expression crosses his face. I know I shouldn't have said anything, but everything I said is true. He could generate images for people to see while they are dreaming, so how do I know that he didn't make up those memories?

     "Look, I know that you haven't seen me in a long time but-"

     "Don't you get it? I've never actually seen you before yesterday, and if I did, I don't remember."

     "I know it has to be hard on you." He opens his mouth to continue talking, but I interrupt him again.

     "You don't know how hard it is for me. Do you remember your childhood? Do you remember what mom looks like? Because I don't, not at all, and I'm not even sure that the image I have of my father is real or not."

     "I'm not lying to you! I've never lied to you, Ella. Why can't you see that everything I've ever done was to protect you!" he says standing up and screaming at me.

     "Really? Leaving me on my own with Ms. Norwood and Tiffany was protecting me? You never actually coming to see me until you need me is protecting me?" Now I was screaming in his face. "And who is Ella?" this time my tone drops down and confusion is in my voice.

     He laughs humorlessly.  "Your Ella. My little sister, who used to follow me around, you used to look up to me, love me. Now, you won't even believe that I am your brother."

     He has tears in his eyes, and I automatically feel guilty. I shouldn't have said those things. I was just so frustrated with him keeping secrets all the time. I want to know everything. He says I can't handle it, but I know I can.

     "I'm sorry, Wyatt. I'm so sorry." I try not to start crying, but I feel horrible.

     He reaches out and grabs me in a hug. I snuggle up to him feeling safe. If anything, I should have trusted myself. I felt safe with him from the beginning, but I guess after Tiffany I began to doubt a lot of things.

     "It's okay. Just stop crying. I really don't like when girls cry. I mean what am I supposed to do? You just cry and cry. I try to make you stop and it just gets worse, and then you're mad at me for like a week because I suck at cheering people up."

     I start to laugh at his nervous babble. He pulls back at me and looks completely surprised, then his face turns to one full with smugness.

     "I really want to know though, Wyatt. I have a right to know."

     He takes a deep breath, and then lets it out. "I'll show you," he says and I can feel my eyelids droop.

****

     I look around, and notice that this time I'm not actually part of the dream. I feel like I'm in a movie. Things are happening around me, but nobody can see me. I'm standing on the top of a hill, overlooking a field. I begin walking and I recognize the place from a previous dream I had.

     This is when my dad was shot. I look down at the field, and can see myself standing there waiting on the little boy. I know what's about to happen, and a feeling of helplessness overwhelms me. I wish I could just go down there and tell her to find her dad and run.

     I hear noise coming from my left, and I see people covered in all black scaling up the side of the hill. There are multiple people, all carrying large sniper rifles. I know what they are here for. One of them is my father's killer. I walk closer to them, wanting to hear their conversation.

     A loud alarm sounds; this is when it all begins. I'm next to the group of people. There are two people that draw me to them. I get closer, and I can't see their faces, but I recognized the little boy's eyes. They were green. That little boy is Wyatt.

     "What are you doing?" Wyatt asks the woman next to him.

     "You know why we came here. We have to eliminate her. She's a danger to the world. She's a monster." The woman's voice is chillingly cold.

     "You didn't tell me who it was! I won't let you do this, you can't do it."

     "I know you're attached to the girl, but you have to get over it. She's not as she seems to be. They have her. She will be the end of us, if we don't stop her now."

     The woman looks down the scope of her rifle, and lines up her target. I look to where she is pointing, and realize that she is the one that will kill my father. What I don't get though, is why she said she was going to kill a little girl. It finally made since, she was trying to kill me.

     Her finger tightened on the trigger, but Wyatt flung his hand out hitting the gun. I saw it raise up a little, making the woman go off target. It's too late though the bullet misses me, and embeds itself into my father's forehead.

     "Why did you do that?! You made me kill him!" the woman screams.

     "I d-didn't mean for you to shoot him. I just didn't want you to kill her."

     "Are you happy now? Huh! You just killed your own father. How does it feel?"

     "He would rather die himself, than have Ella die."

     "Ella," she spat the name out, "You were both always so worried about Ella."

     "You should worry about her too."

     "Why? She's a monster. I wish I never had her."

     Her words make me freeze. This woman is my mother?

     "Mom, you don't mean that. You wouldn't have done it right?"

     "You're stupid if you think I wouldn't have pulled the trigger and happily ended that little demons life."