-Previously in DiT-
After the school ended, I complied on Jon's statement and walked straight towards home. I didn't want to take a bus. It was better to watch people walking than sitting. The whole day at school had gone like that, with kids sitting with faces that screamed 'Spare us please'. I wanted to walk.
"Karen." I heard a whisper in the air as I crossed the traffic.
Whatâ
I turned my head sideways and saw the tall figure on the other side of the road. The vehicles were passing fast but I saw him clearly. He had his hands in the pocket of his jeans. His calm face somehow told me that he wasn't as calm as he looked from the outside. I waited for the traffic to come to halt.
Nate was staring at me intently.
***
"No one can lie, no one can hide anything, when he looks directly into someone's eyes."-Paulo Coelho
Chapter-25
-Karen-
I had to cross the road and reach him because he didn't move an inch from the place where he stood. He just kept staring at me, as if he had seen me for the first timeâor he was seeing me for the last time. I couldn't decide.
"Nate, are you stalking me?" I smiled.
He didn't smile back. He had that stern look on his face which scared me. His green eyes didn't have their usual shine. I noticed that he was paler, and the bags under his eyes were more visible than ever.
He wasn't hypnotized again, was he?
"Are you alright?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "Where is Victor?"
"We need to talk, Karen." He said silently. His eyes wandered on people around us.
"You need to prove that you aren't hypnotized."
"Karen, I don't have time for this." He hesitated.
"Tell me; what did you say to me when we first met?" I asked.
"Do we really need to do this?" He sighed. "If I were hypnotized, I wouldn't be talking to you. Remember what happened that day?"
How could I forget?
"Just tell me," I said nervously. I had to call Jon.
My hand automatically started reaching out for the phone in my pocket.
"Which century is this?" He quoted. And that's when I saw a thin smile appear on his lips. "Are we done?"
I took a deep breath and relaxed.
"I thought you said 'Why do you scream, lady?', but now I think you're right." I nodded.
"That came afterâ" He stopped. His smile was all gone now. "We need to talk about a lot of things."
"Yeah, sure. We can go to the park or somewhere," I jerked my thumb over my shoulder. "I'm pretty sure that I can stay for the talk until the darkness swallows the area. My parents would start worrying if I stayed out too long."
"I can't talk here." He looked around us again.
"Whoa! You're scaring me, Nate. What's going on?" I asked. "Is someone after you?"
My own question spooked me out.
"I don't know." He shook his head slowly. "Can we go to your house?"
"We can. But momâmy mother will be at home, and I don't want her to hear our voices." I stated. Then, I thought about the same old lie. "I can tell her that I'm working on some project, and I need privacy."
"I don't want you to get into any trouble," A frown creased his forehead. "Are you sure your mother won't hear us?"
He was the same caring Nate I had met some weeks ago.
"She seldom comes upstairs to check on me," I said. "I don't think she would hear voices downstairs. My room becomes kind of soundproof when I close the door."
"Okay," He nodded instantly. "Go to your house. I'll be there."
"You won't walk with me?" I had to admit that I was disappointed.
"No," He said. "You're too slow."
I was surprised. At first, I thought he was trying to make a joke like his dumb brother, but then I didn't see any sign of humor on his face. He looked so young, yet so old. It was hard to describe him right now. Something was seriously off.
"We'll take a bus." I tried to sound cool and not offended.
"Karen, just go home. I'll meet you there." He asserted. I saw his jaw being clenched. "I need to talk to you about Victor."
Oh! Did Victor tell him that we kissed? No, who would do that? It was such a personal thing. There was no chance Victor told Nate about that.
Well, on second thought, Victor Devries could do anything.
"Okay, I'll take the bus and reach home as soon as I can," I shrugged.
"That'll be nice." Nate said.
I crossed the road as the pedestrian signal lit up and reached the other side hurriedly. When I looked back, Nate wasn't there. He was gone. Such a vampire-ish thing for him to do.
I waited for the bus. I swear the bus was late.
If he really wanted to talk about the kiss, I was going to remain silent. I decided. It wasn't like Nate had any feelings for me. Kaitlin was back and I knew they still loved each other. So, what conversation was waiting for me?
I reached home after ten minutes of ride. I checked around if Nate was behind me or not. He wasn't. Ha! I wanted him to be late. Or was he already sitting in my room?
Mom opened the door for me. I frowned. She was wearing light makeup and had her purse clutched in her hand. She was ready to go somewhere. That could be good news for me.
"How was the day?" She asked, walking behind me. Her heels clicked on the floor.
"It was alright, I guess." I replied, remembering all those stares and rumors. I threw the backpack on the kitchen counter.
"Did you go to Beth's house?" A look of sympathy crossed her face. "How is she?"
"Actually, she came to school today, and she seemed fine." I took out a bottle of water from the fridge. "She isn't completely fine but I think she is coping nicely with all the stress. She is brave."
"I'm going to her house now." Mom said and I did a happy dance in my head. "Your dad is already there."
"Why didn't you go together?" I asked.
"You forgot to take the spare keys, Karen." She looked at me accusingly. "If you're hungry, you can eat the leftovers or make yourself anything. Just keep in mind not to burn down the house."
"Uhâleftovers will be best for me." I gave her a sweet smile. C'mon! I didn't want to cook while talking to Nate.
"I've to go. Your dad has taken the car." Mom quickly made it to the front door. "We won't be back until the dinner."
I waved at her.
And watched her walk away to the bus stop.
When mom disappeared from my sight, I placed the bottle on the counter and grabbed my backpack as fast as I could. I ran up the stairs and opened the door to my room. Nate was standing there. He was busy in checking my study table which was totally messed up with books of all kinds.
"What do you wanna talk about?" I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
He turned around; his face sombre.
"Did Victor tell you anything?" He asked.
"Anything? Like what?" I asked back.
"Did he talk about his past or his secrets?"
"Well, he told me a little about his past." I forced my voice to be nonchalant. Couldn't he just get to the point? "What's going on, Nate?"
"Did he tell you that Kaitlin is alive?" He asked. The desperation in his voice wasn't healthy.
"Yeah, he did." I nodded.
"Did he tell you why heâ"
"Why are you asking me these questions?"
"I need to know!" He yelled. His eyes burned with fury. "That bastard has been planning this for years. He is the one who we should be careful of."
"You are not making any sense." I took a step back.
The last thing I wanted was for Nate to be angry and lose his control.
"Do you know why he kept Kaitlin alive?" He asked. "Did he tell you?"
"He said he can't tell me."
"Are you a fool?" Nate screamed at me. I blinked. "He said he can't tell you, and you listened to him? How can you be so pathetic?"
"What the hell is wrong with you, Nate?" I met his tone. "I know you're furious after knowing about Kaitlin but that doesn't give you the right to scream at me. I listened to him because I wanted to. He isn't a big cry-baby like you are. We can solve this matter without arguing."
Balling his hands into tight fists, Nate moved quickly in front of me.
"I always told you not to believe him," He gritted his teeth. "He is playing games with us. We are nothing but a part of his sick game."
"Really? Then you tell me what sick game we are in!" I shot back.
"Do you know how you landed up in that portal?" He asked. "The portal had to be opened by will of a witch. I don't think you were planning to open up some portal in the mansion, were you?"
Yes, that's what I was told.
"Even if Victor was involved in this; he did that for you. You were the one who was supposed to wake up from the sleep." I replied. Then I changed the subject. "You should be happy that Kaitlin is alive. Why are you angry instead of being happy? Is it because she doesn't remember you?"
"You don't get it, do you?" He let out a sarcastic laugh. "This is not about you or me or Kaitlin!"
"Then make me understand, Nate! You can't go on like this," I held my hands up. "You both are choking my brain. When one brother tries to be nice, the other one begins to have seizures. I'm so tired of you both."
I saw Nate's expressions change. He sighed.
"Karen, you don't know Victor more than I do. I've seen the worst of him," He silently. "He is using all of us, and we're not even aware of it. He took away Kaitlin's memories and kept her alive; not because he is a great person with sympathy but he wanted to use her in the future."
"How do you know that?" I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts.
"He told me everything."
I looked him in the eyes, hoping he was lying because he was angry. But Nate was calm now.
"He wanted to kill me, Karen." Nate's voice wavered. "All the time I thought he was getting closer to us, he was planning to kill me."
Don't believe him. He is lying. I kept thinking.
But why?
"I don't believe you," I declared.
"He and the woman I used to call my mother were planning to get us killed. Oh! Of course, I'm not her real son but Victor is. Everything you know is a lie," He said. "Who goes to a feared mansion on their birthday?"
"I went there because Jon asked me to." I reasoned.
"Victor had met Jon before you two got into that portal. He had hypnotized your friend to go there that night," His voice was sharp. "Jon doesn't remember him because Victor supposedly erased that memory. He is the one who made your friend drag you there."
"No," I didn't know what to say. I walked away from him and sat down on my bed. "Why are you lying?"
"When you opened the door, you wished you could escape the place. That opened the portal for you. Victor had it all planned but Jon came along with you to the other dimension," Nate continued, ignoring my comment. "How do you think the rogue vampires were able to kidnap you and bring you to the human dimension?"
"He saved our lives," I screamed, holding my head between my hands. "He nearly died that day."
"Mother gave you the permission to go outside only because she knew the trap had already being laid out there. Victor saved us, I know that. I was the one who was brought there by vampires. But how did he know where we were kept? Simple," He said, "He already knew where we were."
"Why would he risk his own life to save us?" I asked. This was still not making sense to me. Either my mind was blank or I was going mad.
"He didn't come there for the savior thing. He came there to make sure that your witch powers would manifest," Nate walked over and leaned his back on my desk. "He took away Kaitlin's memories, making her forget me. He wanted me to be hurt and use her against me."
"I still don't understand. Nate, what would he get? He could have killed you in the sleep. He didn't do that," I said. "If he wanted to hurt you, he could have killed her. He wouldn't have kept her alive this whole damn time."
"Kill me in the sleep? He is already accused of killing our father. Do you think he will do anything to lose all the hopes of becoming the next king? He was about to get banished from the dimension when he killed our father. There is a vampire elder society that works for the welfare of vampires," Nate explained. "They won't choose a vampire king who can't be trusted by his own family."
Who would've believed me? I was always the infamous brother.
Victor's words rang in my head.
Everything he said was a lie?
"He didn't kill your father," I whispered instead.
"And who told you that? Victor?" He asked. "He knows our weaknesses. He knows you enough to make you believe whatever he says."
"Why would he tell you everything if the plan was going perfect?" I asked, getting up from the bed. I could no longer think straight. It seemed like everything I knew was a lie. Was I even in the real world?
Nate sighed heavily and lifted up his shirt to reveal his stomach. I gasped as I saw cracks on the left side of his stomach. I could clearly see the black cracks spreading like roots of a tree. Although they covered a small area, it looked like they were spreading, rotting his skin.
"What is this?" I frowned, walking closer.
"He injected me with Holy Basil. Luckily it was in a small amount," He let his shirt drop. "But the effect is still very visible, isn't it?"
That was it.
Tears burned in my eyes. All I had to do was let go.
Why did I trust Victor? How could I ever fall for his lies? Why didn't I see his true face? Was I that blind? He was a monster. A demon. He cared for no one. All I knew about him until now was a lie. His smile. His talks. His care. Our conversations. Our kiss.
I bit my bottom lip hard to keep myself from crying.
Suddenly, green light washed over the room. I felt someone appear behind me from the portal, and I saw him move swiftly in my peripheral vision.
In just a few seconds Nate was lifted off the floor. He was pinned against the wall by Victor.
"What did you tell her?" Victor growled.
I tried to talk but nothing came out.
"What the hell did you tell her, Nathan?" He asked again. I had never heard him so angry.
A ghost of a smile appeared on Nate's face.
"Everything she deserves to know."
A/N So, I revealed everything (not). Most of the readers are probably thinking: "ooh she revealed everything! We don't need a third book anymore. Yay!"
Me: I'm very cruel. I'll still give you another book XD
What do you think about this edit :-
P.S. This is not the last chapter so, stop worrying.