Page 46 of Broken Embers

He stops. Blinks.

“Because I already know,” I say. “I met my psycho Aunt Yelena, my mother’s older sister.” I see him frown. “My dear, sadistic aunt could play a Bond villain.” I cross my arms, suddenly cold.

“Sabrina…” Oleksi says. “Your mother and grandparents are at the palace.”

That stops me dead, and the panic starts to rise, constricting my chest and squeezing my lungs.

“No.” I shake my head, forcing myself to breathe. “Just no.”

He goes still.

“Do you have any idea who those people are?” I look up at him.

“Your mother and grandparents have filled me in,” Oleksi tells me, and I’m pretty sure they’ve only told him what they wanted him to know.

“Every day while I was in the RMSAD, it was me against them. Against an enemy I didn’t even know I had, but strangely enough had been preparing to fight my entire life,” I say bitterly, knowing I’m not making sense. But he’s popped the lid off, and now I can’t stop, and I snort. “Keep your heads down, Sabrina and Tara. Remember, you can still be remarkable as a normal person. My parents drilled that into Tara and me, nearly every day, while we were growing up.” I clear my throat trying desperately to hold back the tears—fuck these hormones. “While every other parent was teaching their kids to read and write, we were being taught not to show anyone just how well we could read and write.”

“That’s fucked up,” Oleksi comments.

“Fucked up!” I splutter. “We innocently thought it was because our parents wanted us to have a normal life. They frightened us with tales of having to go to a special school for the gifted, and we wouldn’t want that as all our friends and family were in Vegas.”

“I’ve wanted to ask why you stayed at an ordinary school,” he admits. “Especially since you are extraordinary.”

“Like that fucking freak Mikhail!” I blurt out, and I see Oleksi’s look of shock. “See, they didn’t tell you everything, did they?”

“I don’t understand,” Oleksi says. “Are you saying that you’re…”

“I don’t know!” I shrug. “But my sister is. That’s why my parents fled Russia. Because the day after I was born, I was going to be taken to be an RMSAD test subject.”

He flinches and his face pales. “Tara is like Mikhail?”

“I think she might have been an improved model,” I sneer. “Because I know my sister and she’s never exhibited what that fucker did. Tara is super smart, but…” I swallow and look down.

“She’s not as smart as you.” He takes my other hand. “Surely your aunt would’ve let you know if you’d been genetically altered.”

“At first, I think she did.” A few tears escape my lids, and Oleksi wipes them away. “But thanks to my father’s relentless training on how to fail all the tests kids are given to test their intelligence, I knew how to make myself seem average.” I sniff. “And according to Yelena, being average is akin to having leprosy in my family.”

“Your mother is not your aunt,” Oleksi tries to placate me. “She may have kept your roots from you, but she did that to protect you.”

“No.” I shake my head. “She did that to protect herself.” I point towards the palace. “Because you know that monster that attacked me and abused his sister and his mother for years?” He nods. “Yelena didn’t make him. She’s not the architect of that treatment.” My voice drops, and my throat now feels raw. “My mother was.”

“You don’t know that for sure. You heard that from a woman you call a psychopath.” His grip tightens. “I know what a shock it must have been for you to find out about your parents.” His jaw clenches. “If you remember, two years ago I found out exactly who my father and uncle were. So I get it.” Before I can speak, he continues. “It may not have been as explosive and realizing your whole life was a lie…” He shakes his head. “But I get it. The person you thought your parents were was all a smoke screen. They may as well be actors playing a part.”

I look at him and blink. That’s exactly how it feels.

“So, I understand how you feel,” His voice drops. “At least you get to confront your mother.” His eyes narrow dangerously. “I never got the chance to do that to mine.” He takes a breath. “And I know one thing, your mother wasn’t faking being worried sick about you.”

“More like worried sick I was finally going to find out the truth,” I sneer.

“Sabrina—”

“No.” I step back. “That monster who attacked me? Mikhail? He was one of her experiments. He exists because of her.”

He’s silent. Doesn’t deny it.

“I need a minute,” I whisper.

“Take your time,” he says gently.

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