Worlds Apart

Chapter 17

C H O I C E S

Sep. 09 2020 15:35 CET

13, Fjellveien Street / Room #104, The Port Inn

Daisha stared at her phone, but she couldn't see it. All she saw in startling detail was a crumpled figure with familiar dreadlocks and a man standing over him, only a maniacal grin and raised glinting knife visible in the dark.

"I need to leave," she murmured.

"What?" Owen sputtered in perplexion. "What do you mean 'leave'?"

"I need to go back."

He seemed to sense her distress. Kneeling next to her, he gently nudged her knee. "Go back home, you mean? Why?"

"I don't have time." Her eyes widened and she scrambled to her feet. "Shit, I don't have time!" Daisha headed straight for the door.

Owen grabbed her hand. "Daisha! I don't understand, what happened?"

"My brother! He's gonna kill him." Her voice sounded weak and pleading to her ears. "He's gonna kill him," she repeated. She turned, ready to leave but she felt unsteady, dizzy. The rational part of her mind told her she was in shock and overwhelmed. Knowing didn't make her feel any more stable.

"Wha—? Who's gonna kill him? Why? You're not making sense—"

"Who cares if I'm not?!" she spat. "His life is in danger and I'm going! Now!" She knew that wouldn't clarify anything for him, and her frantic, hysterical cries wouldn't put him at ease either. She couldn't remember the last time she had lost her composure like this.

"Okay...okay." His voice was calming, palms out in a placating gesture. "But...what about Elin? We don't have much time for this either, right?"

Something sparked in her veins. Daisha glared at him. "My brother, my family is in danger. I am NOT giving him up for a stranger."

Owen hands clenched, brows furrowed in frustration. She already knew she wasn't going to like what came out of his mouth. "You're the one who told me to put work before personal matters, Daisha."

That was worse than anything she had steeled herself for. Was he trying to get on her nerves on purpose? "Our situations are not even close to similar! There's a time to put work before personal matters and this is not it." She turned her back to him. "I'm going."

"So you can just decide when to ditch a case to protect someone's life whenever is convenient for you, is that it?"

Her hand was already on the doorknob. She could leave, right now, and leave him and his nonsense behind. But... "What?" she asked, stumped, over her shoulder.

"You—you're really narrow-minded, you know? Especially when you've set your sights on what you're going to do. And it's good, no, no, it was good—" Now it was his voice that rose in pitch, but she was too irked to be concerned— "until you decided you can just sacrifice these people's lives for what you want! You're selfish as fuck, Daisha. Elin needs us."

"My brother needs me."

"Why don't you ever listen to me?!" he screeched hysterically. "You never value my opinions or listen to what I have to say—or anyone has to say, actually—why did you even accept me as an apprentice if you won't trust me and respect my judgments? To make yourself feel better? You've got more pride than brains and you just can't see past what's good for yourself and only yourself."

Daisha was at a loss for words. He could be a bit reckless with words but this didn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment thing. "Jesus, Owen. Where's all this coming from?"