Page 168 of Crystal Iris
“From who?”
“From my father.”
“What? How do you know that? How do you even know she knew your father?”
“Because my father is her brother.”
I let the information sink in.
“You’re saying… you’re my…”
“Cousin. Now, tell me, Iris, how did you do it?” I look at his red hair. Could he be telling the truth?
I’m still lost, trying to process what he said, when he yells, “Fuck! You really don’t know, do you?”
I shake my head.
“You had to fuse yourself with it, otherwise it would’ve been a… dead diamond.”
“I didn’t do anything. I just put it on.”
“Right. You think I’m stupid?” He pulls out a gun and brings it to my head.
“I swear Darion. I’ll help you. Okay? Just put the gun away.”
I don’t have to fake it. I really am terrified.
I try to take the necklace off. I try to give it to him. But I can’t—it’s too painful. He sees it.
“You need to… disconnect first, defuse.”
“How?”
“Fuck, Iris, you should know. Now, stop fucking around.”
“I swear, Darion, I don’t know.”
“When you first put it on, what happened? Where were you?”
“I was in…” Awena’s voice comes to mind.You spilled blood. You spilled blood. You spilled blood.When I cut my finger on the broken glass, that’s when I saw the light. Maybe… that’s what Darion wants to know. I can’t tell him. But I have to give him something.
“I was in the bathtub, when… I felt something for the first time.”
He grabs a bottle of water and throws it at me. The prism glows.
“Try to take it off now,” he tells me, pointing the gun.
I really try. An intense jolt of pain hits me.
“What else, Iris? I know your brain, think.”
“There was nothing else…”
“You know what? I’m tired of this. Bring the girl,” he orders the man.
Frantically, I glance toward the door.Please don’t, please don’t.
I see Akira’s bloody face and I want to kill him. “Let her go!” I yell.
