Devils Roses 05 - Death

cackles. "Okay, so there was a woman in the room with us when we were being born. She was apparently mom's sister. Not sure what that means, but like I think it means sister in witchy stuff. Not that it matters. So, this witch sister birthed us but apparently only I was supposed to come out. They didn’t see you in any of the ultrasounds. You were using your wee baby magic to cloak yourself, so Jonathan couldn’t see you and kill you. That woman got you out. She found your fake mom and dad and gave you to them and made them believe you were theirs." He almost gasps for air and then smirks. "Seriously though, she has some bad ass skills for reals. Then she put a guard on the house, she died doing it."
    I don’t know what to say. I look down at the water. The story makes me sick. I can't imagine ever loving something or someone enough to guard them. I look at my brother and smirk. "So you think this whole plan is going to work?"
    His face grows grave. "No. I think Jonathan is going to win. He always does. Him and Lorri used to be together. That’s why she chose him to fall with her. She didn’t realize that it was the fact she loved him that made her trust him. Love and trust sometimes need to be separate things."
    "Him and Lorri?"
    He nods once with a hopeless look on his face. "He raped humans and made monsters and let them all hurt god's creations and when Lorri found out she couldn’t kill him. Her heart was broken."
    I frown. "You sure it was Lorri?"
    He nods. "She didn’t want to fall O. God asked her to. He needed her to fall. The angels were making it hell on earth."
    Again, I look down at the water unsure of what to say.
    "Me and Phillip just want a normal life. I know it's never going to be normal but we want whatever is closest."
    My heart hurts. I nod. I would do anything to be back home and dating Jake and feeling like the world was so no bigger than the town I lived in. "There was a boy, before. I liked him so much but he didn’t really like me and then one day he did. He liked me and everyone liked me and they invited me to parties and they wanted to be my friend."
    "Magic."
    I looked up at him hurt. "Is that the only way you think that would happen for me?"
    He shakes his head and looks down. "I know how it feels for things to work out when you wish it."
    "Phillip?" My voice is small and shaky.
    He shakes his head. "There was another boy. I didn’t love him. I hated him. He was a shifter. He was so mean to me so I just wished he loved me and wanted me and couldn’t have me. I wished it out of spite. It was horrid. Phillip hated me. He was so angry but I didn’t understand how I had cast it. The boy suffered and Phillip thought I loved someone else, until Oliver broke it. Well made Lillith break it. Oliver explained it to me. He said that when a witch's magic is coming into them they cast when they wish for things really hard and don’t know it. Now my body can feel the difference between magic and just a daydream, but back then it couldn’t. Oliver was really nice to me."
    I nod. "I did the same. I cast on a whole town of people. My whole high school. I just wish it was real and I was back there and none of the rest of this was happening."
    Tristan puts his hand over mine and frowns. "Kind of an assy thing to say to your only brother."
    I snort. "I still want you to be there for me but I wish everything else would just fix."
    He leans in and kisses my cheek, which feels super weird since I'm naked in the tub. "If I die you have to swear you'll wipe Phillip's mind and let him start fresh."
    My eyes dart at him. He nods. I search his beautiful eyes for some kind of joke in it all. He smiles as if he is at peace with it.
    I shake my head. "No. Don’t talk like that. Please don’t talk like that."
    My brother smiles. "I have fallen in love with him so hard. It is enough for a lifetime. When he pursued me, oh it was amazing. It was such a feeling to be sought after by a man like that. His love has been more than anyone deserves. If I die you will save him O. You will make him whole again and let him have a normal life and you will swear it to me."
    My eyes have filled with tears but I don’t know why. It's all hypothetical. I nod. "I swear." My voice breaks. He stands. "Alright. I will go make you some pancakes and sausages."
    I laugh. "Tell Annabelle I want some scrambled eggs to go with it."
    He turns and laughs. "I will."
    He closes the door and I don’t know what to say or do but I miss