Cube.

Chapter Three.

Nova's P.O.V:

'Nicasia Annora De Leòn.' My fingers typed into the computer once I was convinced that he wouldn't show up for today's session leaving me free for the day.

The results loaded too quickly for my liking, pictures and articles, links to them filled the screen. A house engulfed in flames, everyone safe but a sister. My sister. We had gone camping, taking a break from the lifestyle on the upper east side of Manhattan filled with people with helicopters on their call. I was one of them but I never really did like it, the games for inheritance, the talks about power, the way they made everyone feel.

"I see you're looking up yourself" A voice spoke next to me, I flinched. Evander. "I'm sorry, I forgot to knock."

"I did not even hear you come in" I leaned in, my heart calming down as my eyes met his honey ones.

"Old habits die hard, I guess" He shrugged sitting down and rubbed his palms together. "So...how is the survivor's guilt treating you? or is it killer's guilt? I can't be sure."

He was watching me closely, waiting for a reaction that I didn't give him because suddenly it was obvious, what he was trying to do. Rattle me.

Instead, I sipped the warm hot chocolate in my cup as I stared at him. Something was wrong. Something that wasn't on his records. I didn't know what but I was going to figure it out. I had to help him.

"Maybe you just wanted the inheritance but now can't even think about touching it, hoping that taking me on kills you, is that true?" I didn't say a word, all thoughts in my brain churning as I tried to figure out the reason for the obvious patterns. Why did the other 3 give in, especially since this was obvious? There has to be more to the story, his story, more to theirs and maybe more to mine. "Maybe you wanted to kill her for being the prettier one, smarter too"

'Issy, you're so pretty, I wanna be like you!'
'You can try'

I didn't let anything instead of me show. Not so soon, not so fast. I wouldn't let him get to me.

"Why did you kill her?"

"I didn't" I answered looking at him, my gaze steady as I looked into his. "Why do you think I did?"

"Because that's what you do, isn't it?" He asked bitterly, leaning back. "You take money from people suffering mentally and they die anyway because you can't help them."

"You think that...we kill people?"

"Yeah, pretty much, Nova. You kill so many, pretend to care just for money and walk through life as though it's nothing."

"Why are you suddenly telling me this?"

"It's just our third session, suddenly? See what I fucking mean? I walked out yesterday, what if I was suicidal? What if I killed myself? You do not care. You kill. Just like you killed your sister, just like Juliet died."

My heart stopped. My face gave it away. He got me.

But not where he wanted.

"I didn't identify Juliet's needs" I admitted because as much as it hurt to say those words aloud, it was necessary. "I couldn't tell on time, so I'm not going to ask you how you know about her but...could you give me just two minutes to explain what do we do?"

"You want to lie to me or explain how you just steal from suffering people?"

"No, Evan, I just want you to listen" I cleared my throat when he didn't reply and started. "As therapists, we try to save things, marriages, people, relationships, lives, sleep even but we can't save everyone, it doesn't mean we kill. What you think and you are feeling are valid, there's a reason, I'm sure, there is but rather than being your thoughts and emotions, you need to be the awareness behind them, see through the fog of them. It'll get easier."