Bloodline
Turning away, I climbed into the bed and curled into a tight ball, feeling more lost than ever. My head throbbed with the weight of it all—my mother’s supposed actions, Ethan’s bond possibly overriding Higan’s rejection.
Was it true? Could I afford to believe it?
“No!” I exclaimed out loud, sharper than I’d intended. With a groan, I held my head. Thinking so much was hurting.
Sleep claimed me before I could fight it, dragging me into an inky darkness. I tried not to groan again. I slept so soundly before I thought I was getting a break from the dreams.
Opening my eyes, I figured out where I was immediately. Moonlight spilled through twisted branches, illuminating the familiar dream forest where shadows whispered secrets. The cold air pricked at my skin, and the mud stained my bare feet. I wondered if I could give myself a wardrobe change.
I stood where I was the last time I talked to her and the white wolf so I slowly turned, waiting for either of them to show up.
A figure emerged from the mist. My doppelgänger reached me first. She remained dark and ethereal, her glass eyes gleaming like frozen crystals. She moved with an eerie grace, her lips curling into that secretive, almost mocking smile.
“You’ve been busy,” she purred, circling me like a predator. “Learning so much so quickly.”
I stiffened. She knew somehow. “Is it true then?” I demanded. “What Ethan said... about the bond, about my mother?”
Her expression turned contemplative, almost... amused. “True?” She tilted her head, studying me as though I were an intricate puzzle. “He told you enough to keep you curious, but not enough to make you dangerous.”
I clenched my fists. “Stop speaking in riddles. If you know something, tell me!”
Her smile widened, sharp yet playful. “Pray tell, you don’t believe he’s told you everything right?”
A chill crawled down my spine. “What else could he be hiding?”
She leaned in, her airy breath ghosting over my skin. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I stepped back, heart pounding. “You’re making it hard to rely on you.”
She laughed— a haunting, melodic sound. “True.” Her gaze darkened, turning predatory. “But you should be careful who you rely on so easily, your trust should be hard to get.”
The tension grew ominous for a quick second. I shivered. It was in moments like that I questioned if I should really call it a dream. My doppelganger’s presence seemed even heavier now, her unsettling smile never faltering as she circled me. She seemed excited in some way and that unnerved me.
"You still don't believe it, do you?" Her voice was a low hum, like a dangerous lullaby. "You don't think you're from some special bloodline." She paused, tilting her head. "You don’t think your mother would do something like that."
I swallowed, trying to hold my ground, but her words felt like sharp needles against my skin. "Why would she? Why would anyone do that to me?"
The doppelganger’s eyes gleamed with knowing. "Because you’re dangerous, Harlyn. I’d say she was more worried about the Melbringers than you."
My heart skipped a beat. Why would my mom be worried about Melbringers? "What do you mean?”
Her smile twisted, more wicked now. "Have you been feeling different?” She asked out of the blue, ignoring my question.
I frowned. "I didn’t realize I could be so rude."
“Now you do, so answer me,” she retorted.
“Different? other than the sudden rise in my stress levels? I don’t think so,” I shrugged her with the same level of dismissal she responded with.
“How petty,” she rolled her eyes with a smile but it felt proud in a way.
"And that’s coming from a figment of my mind, aren’t you losing the plot here?" I exhaled dryly looking around. The wolf should be jumping at any moment.
She chuckled darkly. "A figment?" Her tone grew chilling. I turned to face her.
A yelp escaped my mouth as I caught on her face as it was uncomfortably close to mine. Her gaze was harsher, eyes narrowing as she locked onto mine. "I’m a reflection of everything you refuse to face. And you’d better start facing it soon Harlyn. Everything you want to hold together so badly will start slipping through. You’ll hurt yourself or worse hurt someone you shouldn’t."
I recoiled, a shiver crawling down my spine. "That’s a bit e-extreme isn’t it?” I stuttered.
“The more you try to suppress something, the more they’ll come crashing out when you least expect it. One moment of anger, fear, or desperation... and you could tear apart everything around you. You really think pretending every day that you didn’t want to kill those kids at school was doing you any good?” She chuckled darkly.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat, and tears slowly pooled in my eyes. “I’m not a killer.”
“We’ll see soon enough, what you really are, Daughter of Gaiyetre.”
Like a trigger to a gun, everything around us began to dissolve at her utterance. The trees and mist faded like flour slipping through my fingers.
However, her words adamantly lingered, echoing in my ears as I stumbled backward. It was impossible to ignore the fact I’d heard that before, from Ethan nevertheless.
"Daughter of Gaiyetre."