“You remember when you said you saw the woman in town that day?” I nodded. “I believed you right away.”
“I know.”
“There was a reason why I believed you so quickly, but I was too worried to tell you that day.” She paused. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, but I also started seeing a man that no one else can. I saw him the day you saw the woman. I was in the yard doing chores, and he was suddenly there, watching me. He looked terrified when I asked him what he was staring at,” Remy laughed.
I stood still at her confession.
“What do you mean?”
“The day you told me about the woman, I started seeing a man with star-colored eyes. I realized quickly that I was the only one who seemed to see him.” Her eyes shifted to the woods. “He’s here now. I’ve been spending time with him. His name is Mikel. I like him; he makes me believe that my life can be better.” She squeezed my hand tightly and smiled. “Have you talked to the woman?”
“She was talking to me, kind of, before you got here. Honestly, she seems terrified of me.”
Remy chuckled softly.
“He used to be scared of me, too. It takes them a bit to warm up to us.”
“Why do we see them, Rem?”
“Maybe it’s because we are twins. I’m glad I met him. He is kind.” She peered toward the woods like she was reliving fond memories. But then I realized that she was staring at the man, even though I did not see him.
What was wrong with us? Had our father beaten us so hard when we were younger that it fucked up our minds?
My sister looked happy as she stared at the invisible man. It wasn’t a look I was used to seeing from her. We were both barely holding on to the will to live. Life had not been kind to us. We were bitter and filled with hatred, but something about seeing my sister look engrossed with this man she saw made me happy too.
However, jealousy also bloomed in my chest at my sister’s happiness. Why did Della keep running from me and not stay?
“How did you get him to spend time with you?” I asked.
“I told him he better start staying longer or I would never look at him again. He didn’t like that much, so he started talking to me, just very slowly at first. Now he doesn’t shut up.” Shelaughed, and I smiled at her. “I’m going to go say hi. Are you going to get away from the ledge?”
“Yes,” I promised. She gave me a big hug before hurrying over to the tree line. I watched my sister smiling, cheeks flushed and her eyes wild with some emotion I had never felt.
Feeling as if I was interrupting something special, I turned to head away from them. My mind raced with what Remiah had told me. Why could the two of us see them when no one else could? Were they even real, or were my twin and I equally as fucked in the head? Slowly, I walked through the woods. Nothing in particular caught my attention, but I knew I was being watched. My gaze flickered around the tall, leafy trees.
“I know you’re watching me,” I called out. She didn’t say anything, but she also didn’t show herself. “You know you can stay longer next time. You don’t have to hide from me, Della. You’ve already seen my monster, and I’m just starting to catch a glimpse of yours.”
I waited, and for some reason, my heart pounded wildly with anticipation. She was watching me from somewhere; I could sense her close by. She stayed hidden, though.
“The next time I see you, I expect you to stay for longer than a minute. If you don’t, then I will stop acknowledging you altogether.” It was an empty threat. I could not stop thinking about her. There was no way I could walk away.
Maybe I had lost my fucking mind. Everyone in town already called me a freak. They might be right. Sighing heavily, I headed toward my house. As I passed through town, it felt like everyone was staring at me more than normal. I kept my face down because I didn’t want to see their disgust toward me.
“Haden.” I froze at Kira’s voice. When I turned, she was standing with a few fae I didn’t know well, mostly guys.
“Kira.” I looked over her face, confused. She glared at me with a burning hatred that I had not expected. I realized she wasmore pissed off about me not reciprocating her feelings than I thought.
“Is it true?” One of the guys chuckled. “That you’re still seeing things that others don’t?”
My eyes drifted to Kira, and I glared at her because she had told them. I ignored their jabs and started walking toward my house again.
“Stay away from Kira, you freak!” the same guy yelled. Anger filled me because she was the one always chasing after me. So, I turned around and glared at Kira.
“Oh, Kira, did you not tell your friends that you were trying to sleep with me in the woods today?” I spat at her. Kira’s pretty face turned bright red. “Stay the fuck away from me, Kira.” I tossed that out there just to be a dick. They all shut the fuck up and turned toward her.
“You have a thing for the town freak?” The guy laughed.
“Fuck you, Haden!”