He knew. She told him before me. He knew all this time. All this time, she'd been going through this and I hadn't known. He had.

I wasn't even mad at Sophie for not telling me. But she told Keefe. Not her cousin, her best friend, the person who had always been there for her. No, the guy she just met not too long ago and "loved."

Superpowers. It was superpowers. My cousin has superpowers. Some creepy psychos ran experiments on her and gave her superpowers. And she didn't tell me.

It was so major, such a big secret to keep. And to tell someone she hasn't known for that long over her family, over her closest friend. She even told him she was Moonlark when they hadn't even been dating that long! I liked Keefe well enough, he was a good guy, but when did she get so trusting? When did she decide that he was loyal enough to tell her biggest secrets to? I've never done that to her, never blabbed a secret like that to someone without her permission. Without talking with her about it first. I trust her judgment of character, but it felt like betraying my trust when I found out she told him and didn't even think to tell me about it.

Betrayal and hurt raced through my body, clouding my mind as I walked through the halls of the Vackers' house, trying to find my way out. I told Sophie everything, and anything I didn't tell her, I made it so obvious for her to figure out herself. I thought it was the same for her, but I guess not. I guess she just didn't trust me as much as she trusted the guy she's only known as long as she's lived here.

And he gave up on her! When she was just missing, he could've done so much more to find her. He has all this power and he didn't even try to use it. Then when she was "dead," he completely gave up. He didn't try to find out what truly happened. He just let it go and cried about it, then he acted like he didn't even care about her. I always show that I care about her.

She was supposed to be my person, the one who picked me over everyone else and I picked her. I still choose her, but she hasn't chosen me. It hurts to consider someone that way but not have them think the same, feel the same. I just wanted everything to go back to normal, back when we were in America. Everything was so much simpler and easier. There was less pressure in school, Sophie hadn't been kidnapped, and we only had each other.

We were all we had after Jolie died. Grady and Edaline were devastated, the triplets were too young to understand, my parents didn't get how it felt for me. They lost a niece, I lost my sister who had taken care of me all my life. It felt like no one understood. But Sophie did. We had become infinitely closer after, but it was like all that was disappearing. Like she was forgetting about me in favor of her new friends, people I introduced her to. People who she hadn't even cried in front of until now, but she cried in front of me more times than I could count.

I wasn't dumb enough to believe it was the trauma of the kidnapping that caused the rift. It had been happening before, when she had started hiding things from me. Noah. Threats. Now unnatural superpowers caused by her two month long kidnapping?

I just wanted my cousin back, the one who put me before everything else. I don't care if it's insensitive to feel that way after everything she's gone through. It's how I feel and I'm not going to hide it.

"Dex! Please slow down!" I sped up, not wanting to talk to her. I could hear her panting, and I knew she was getting dizzy. I felt bad, she was injured and her lungs were weak, and I was walking away. I couldn't face her though, not after all she hid from me.

"Dex, please talk to me!"

"Not right now, Sophie. I need space from you. Just leave me be." I heard her steps falter, and heard her stumble in shock. I had never been so harsh with her, and I regretted it immediately. I was being selfish, making her think her cousin hated her right after she got back.

"Please. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Please just let me explain." I stopped and turned around suddenly, causing her to fumble to a stop so she didn't run into me.

"Explain what? Why you didn't trust me enough to tell me you have powers, but you trusted Keefe? A guy you've known all of six months, minus two because you weren't even here." Hurt flashed in her eyes, and I hated to admit that I was glad to see it, just a little bit. Glad to see that I could cause her the same pain she gave me.

"It's not like that. I-"

"What's it like then? Keefe just found out, but even though one person already knew, you still didn't want to tell the person who tells you all of his secrets?"

"Well, kind of... but I did want to tell you, Dex. But I hate myself right now, and back there you saw why. These aren't good powers. They hurt people, the only good they did was get me home. Even then, I don't think I should've. You saw what happened, how I can't control it. I didn't want you to think of me how I think of myself. Like some monster, some lab rat who isn't natural anymore." She looked down, wrapping her arms around her small, frail frame. I had forgotten how much skinnier she was now. I could see all her bones peaking through, her sunken cheeks, her protruding collar bones. She's not the monster, no matter what she did. I'm the monster for trying to cause more pain to someone who's already gone through so much. For thinking hurting her was better than showing my emotions.

"You're still you, Sophie. No matter what, you're still you and you're still human. You're still my cousin, and I'll love you even if you have two heads and hooves for hands. Nothing anyone does to you can change that. I should be the one apologizing. You did nothing wrong besides worrying about what I would think of you. I'm the one who hurt you, I'm the one who got mad at you for a bad reason." We both walked those extra few steps between each other, and I wrapped her tight in my arms. Her face was smushed in my chest in a way I knew had to be uncomfortable, but she just squeezed me tighter.

"I still shouldn't have kept this from you, especially when Keefe already knew. It's a big thing, and I should've known that you wouldn't have cared. That you've would've been able to help me, make this whole situation better."

"It doesn't matter now. Can you tell me what happened? From the beginning?" So she did, explaining her kidnapping, all the torture they put her through, and how Alvar was there with her. I was shocked when she explained his involvement in the Neverseen, and especially so when she explained his threats and why she hasn't outed him yet. She described her escape, the thoughts she heard, and how Keefe just noticed, she didn't even tell him. She also told me how they tested her abilities and found new ones.

By the end, I was holding her tight, still shocked at the full story of every horror my cousin went through. And the fact that her parents might have given her the powers to begin with, the Neverseen were just trying to trigger them, that's what really got me. What parent would experiment on their kid? And to trigger the powers, having to put her through all of that?

Part of me was almost glad they died, glad that Sophie was with us. She deserved a loving, caring family. One who wouldn't treat her like a science project. One that is always there for her, through all the good and bad.

"I can't deal with this anymore, Dex. It's too much." She cried into my shirt.

"I can't believe you had to go through all that. And, I'm sorry that you felt like you couldn't tell me. You can always tell me anything and I'll never judge you. I care about you, Soph, and I'm right here for you. You're my best friend, I don't want to see you suffering, especially not alone. I'm always right here for you, no matter what."

"I just want them to be gone. I want to be done. It feels like I suffer and suffer and suffer, just for it to keep getting worse." Her cracking voice broke my heart. "When does it get better?"

"I don't know." Was all I could tell her. "I've never known anyone who went through as much as you have. But it has to get better."

"It can't get better until I get rid of these powers." She spat the word out with such disgust. I understood what she was feeling about them. All the movies and shows and books we've known with some kind of magic powers, they were always wielded for good, always able to help. But Sophie didn't think hers could be used for anything but harm. I knew she'd be able to find some way to do it, but she didn't think there was any way to accomplish that.

I didn't care about anything more than I cared about my family. And these powers were hurting her, so I was going to do everything in my power to get rid of them for her.

"Is there anything you can think of that would tell us more about it? Or someone besides Alvar that knows, that might've had a part in it?" She thought for a second before her eyes widened.

She looked wary, either skeptical of the person or how I would react. I ran through a list of people in my head, who we both knew and could've had a part in this big mess.

However, I was not at all prepared for the name that came out of her mouth.

This one's also a short one but hopefully the next will be longer. alsooooo the friends now know about her powers! yippee! anyways i hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Avery, out ->

🫳

🎤