"EATING THE DEAD''
The sound of the flickering tube light suddenly feels too loud. I can't focus on what he's saying right now. Everything around me feels distant, unreal, like I'm standing inside a memory.
What?
Then I look at his face again and suddenly I see Eugene's face in his. The resemblance is there- clear now that I'm looking for it just without the curly hair.
Curly hair.
Blonde.
Anny.
"So… oh fuck. Lemme—just process this. What the fuck." I run a hand down my face and step slightly off the footpath, my thoughts spiraling faster than I can control them.
He is Eugene's son.
Uncle Ethan's brother.
He is part of my family.
Why didn't he tell me before? What does he want now after telling me this? Was this a plan? Do Aunt Serena and Ethan know? Why didn't they take him in if he was part of the family?
I turn back toward him and the concern on his face slows my thoughts.
"Look, I know this is a lot to take in," he says quickly, his voice unsteady. "But… I just didn't know how—how to tell you. This is so twisted. I'm sorry. Please just look at me. I can explain."
I stare at him properly then and notice he's holding back tears.
What kind of situation am I in right now?
"Fine," I say quietly. "Explain."
"Look, things just didn't go the way they were supposed to," he says cautiously. "And now I have to tell you this, but… I always knew someday I would have to."
I nod slightly.
He sighs and looks at me for a moment, and I realize I can't read his expression. It sits somewhere between concern and fear.
"They died in a car accident" he says slowly. "That's what everyone knows. I told you my mother died when I was a baby… but that wasn't true."
"And your mother was Anny?" I ask.
"Yes. My father married her after graduating. I have good memories of them… especially my mother." His voice softens slightly. "She was so… pure."
He takes a step forward and I match his pace as we begin walking again.
"I used to hear him arguing with Grandpa and Ethan a lot," he continues. "On phone calls, during dinners… I didn't understand much back then, but it was about inheritance, I guess. And about my mother."
Inheritance.
Come to think of it, Ethan lives in the house inherited from his father.
"What exactly happened?" I ask.
"Well… they didn't accept her as his wife," Cade says quietly. "So they basically cut off ties with him."
"What? How could they?"
"I don't know," he says, shaking his head slightly. "I wasn't told much. But I saw things… and then one day…"
He stops talking.
His hands clench tightly at his sides.
"It's alright," I say softly. "Take your time. I'm here."
His voice cracks when he continues.
"It's just… talking about it makes me feel like I'm six again. Standing there and looking at my parent's bodies on the side of the road while they bashed their heads…"
My chest tightens painfully. He looks like it's happening right now.
"They could've killed me too," he whispers. "But they didn't. They just left me there."
"What?" I step closer. "Who did? Look at me."
"Some thugs," he says, shuddering slightly. "I feel like they were hired by Ethan to kill my parents. They left me there."
The words settle into the quiet street like something poisonous.
"Soon I fainted," he continued weakly. "A truck driver found me later and called an ambulance. Then the police came."
Tears spill down his cheeks now, and he starts hiccuping between breaths.
The sight breaks my heart.
"Then I ended up here," he says quietly. "I got to know that nobody from my family wanted to be my guardian."
He looks up through wet lashes.
"But then I heard about you… I saw you. For a moment I—I hated you for being there when I wasn't even accepted.
So him passing by that day wasn't a coincidence.
"Then why did you…?" I ask softly, leaving the question unfinished.
"Because I'm not like them," he says. "I knew they must've done something to you too. So I watched you for a while… and I lied to you."
"Oh."
Cade is just like me.
His parents were killed in front of him.
Before I even realize what I'm doing, I step forward and pull him into a hug.
He freezes for a second, surprised. Then his arms slowly wrap around me and he starts sobbing,hard, like it's the first time he has allowed himself to cry about it.
"Please don't hate me for that," he begs into my shoulder, his voice muffled. "I love you, Odessa. Please."
The street is silent. Not a single soul in sight. The moon slips behind the clouds every few seconds, like even it doesn't want to watch,like it can see the dead and like it's disgusted by the world.
Cade buries his face in the crook of my neck, his tears soaking into my sweater. He holds me tightly, like I might disappear if he lets go.
We stand there for a moment,still and then he pulls back.
His face is flushed, his lashes wet, his eyes slightly swollen and red from crying. He sniffles softly.
He is just a helpless kid.
"Fuck you."
Before he can react, I grab his collar and pull him down toward me. My lips crash against his, hard, like all the frustration inside me might disappear if I kiss him hard enough.
My hand tangles in his hair as he responds almost instantly. His tongue slips into my mouth and his hand moves around my waist, hesitant at first before holding me closer.
When we finally pull away, I'm breathless,its like my flesh is being torned and eaten,but as they say "A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism.''
"I could never hate you," I say quietly, looking up at him.