"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you needed me," he said, taking my hands in his as we sat on the steps by the gate.
"I want to know everything," I said, unable to hide the rush of anticipation.
I'd been trusting people ever since I moved to this side of the school, because I had no other choice. But this time, I wanted to trust him. Fully. With my heart and mind.
"What I'm about to tell you isn't easy," he said. "But I need to say it. Maybe then, the weight will lift."
The sparkle in his eyes had faded. All that remained was the ache of something long buried.
"We were growing up happy—me, you, our family. You knew I was your brother, and I knew it too. We studied, played, and ate together. Watched cartoons. Fell asleep side by side.
But then we turned seven. Our seventh birthday… that's when the horrors began. I still remember how excited we were. You wore that blue frock—your favorite color. You looked like a little doll.
We were on our way to meet a mage, the same one who had blessed phoenixes for generations. For us, the seventh birthday is when our powers begin to awaken. With her blessing, it becomes easier to survive the storm that follows.
We held hands, just like always, and got in the car with our family. The road was beautiful, the skies clear, and everything felt perfect.
You were eight minutes younger, so I let you go first.
The mage—her name was Avery. She adored children. Her smile was soft, and she took your hands so gently. If you saw her with your own eyes now, she'd still look young, beautiful even.
Avery could blend into any era. Her energy was timeless. We both liked her right away. You weren't even scared… You were smiling.
She promised us both chocolates once the ritual was over. But when the ritual began. You both closed your eyes. Moments later, you were staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open.
The lights began to flicker. The house trembled. I saw the tension in Uncle James's face and asked if this had ever happened before. He said no.
We tried to reach you, but as we ran forward, we hit a barrier—a powerful circle of energy surrounding you and Avery. We couldn't get through.
We called your name. You were shaking. Avery began to hum, and it was terrifying.
Your hands slipped from hers, and you collapsed. Avery, on the other hand, started floating, arms stretched wide, hair whipping as if caught in a storm, though there was no wind.
She spoke in Latin—words I didn't understand. But later, my dad told me it meant something like:
"A shadow is coming to consume from the youngest to the eldest, to suck the light from all existence, to rule the dead and those meant to live."
Then, just like that, she dropped, landing perfectly on her feet, fully alert. But you remained unconscious.
She ordered us not to tell you about your destiny until you were old enough to handle it. She said something about an orb—something only you could find. A burden far too heavy for a child.
Then she made another decision. She told me I couldn't stay with you. She said our enemies were looking for you, but they didn't know about me. That being apart was the only way to keep you safe.
For a moment, he paused.
He looked at me, nervous. "There's a blood spell they could use to trace us. And they could use the blood of The Lady of the River—"
Before he could finish, I cut in. "She thought if they traced us by blood, it would lead them to you. You'd die… so I could live."
Guilt twisted in my chest. He had risked everything for me.
"Well, it was the smart move. If they'd caught you back then, who knows what they would've done," he said quickly, trying to steer me away from the thought.
"But what is this orb? Can you explain that again?" I pressed.
"There's an orb. I don't know much, but she said that in the wrong hands, it would bring disaster. In the right ones, endless blessings. That's why she forbade me from seeing you until the time was right." His voice cracked, tears rising in his eyes.
"I begged her. I said I'd never been apart from my sister, but she asked me something I couldn't forget: 'Would you rather stay apart from her for a few years… or spend fewer years together and live the rest alone?' I was just a kid, but somehow I convinced myself it was worth it—for you."
He looked away, swallowing hard.
"Then she erased both your memory and her own. She said she was the only one who could trace us without blood. So after removing me from your and Brian's memories, she drank a potion."
"Right after that, she changed. Started acting like a lunatic—flying around her room, breathing fire at anyone who came close. That's why they call her the Mad Dragon now. The woman whose curtains are always burning."
He gave a soft laugh, but his eyes blinked rapidly—too rapidly. I knew the signs—he was holding back tears, just like I did. Without thinking, I threw my arms around him and held him tight.
"The day I met you… It wasn't just the day Uncle James died," he said quietly. "It was the day my dad died, too. He took his last breath in my arms."
I heard the small gasps in his chest, the way his heart pounded.
"I was there, yelling at him. Angry, he never told me about those crows visiting him. I had a gun—I was ready to fight, to convince him to take me along. I didn't know… I didn't know the crows had already visited him."
His voice cracked, and he paused. "I've been through hell, Zinnia. I lost my dad. And my childhood."
His voice was heavy now, shaking with the weight of it. I could tell he was struggling to keep it together.
He returned the hug without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Liam. I misjudged you," I whispered.
"You don't need to apologize," he said gently. "None of this was your fault. Our family's been suffering for generations—we were bound to share the pain. But… we're still here, aren't we?"
He smiled as he wiped the tears from my cheeks.