Crowned in Crimson Cinders

Chapter 43: New Member

"Brylee?" I asked, confusion clouding my features. What was she doing here?

She didn't answer, stepping cautiously inside. Everyone in the room watched her, waiting. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her gaze fixed on the floor, almost as if she were ashamed.

"Bri?" I turned to my friend, and Brylee's head snapped up. "Did you bring her here?"

Bri nodded. "She caught me in the halls. Said she was looking for you."

Intrigued, I looked back at Brylee. "Brylee? Is there something you need from me?"

Slowly, she lifted her head, though her eyes remained on the floor. "Yes," she whispered, her voice so low I could barely hear it. "I want... I want to help you."

A ripple went through the room. Everyone shifted, uneasy. How could Brylee know what we were doing? Did she know about my dungeon break-in? About my powers? No. There was no way.

"Help us?" I asked, my voice cautious.

"Yes," she replied. "I want to help you catch the person behind all these murders."

Her voice was laced with profound sadness, a raw, broken quality that suggested her heart had been shattered into a thousand pieces. Something within me resonated with her pain. But then, yesterday's events rushed back. I'd been so consumed with Darian, with Brock, with my own burgeoning love life, that I'd completely forgotten the immense grief Brylee must be feeling, the weight of her regret.

"How long have you known?" I asked, my voice equally quiet.

"I don't know," she said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Brock interjected from his corner.

"I just... had a feeling. Honestly, I was taking a gamble by coming here. I didn't know about this for sure until now. But I want to help," she finished, a new determination entering her voice.

"How do we know you're not working for the bad guys?" Brock questioned, and I glared at him in disbelief. How could he say that? "How do we know," he continued, "that you're not a spy?"

"Brock," I warned, my voice sharp.

"The only thing I want," she said, finally meeting our gaze, her eyes blazing, "is justice for my sister. For our brothers."

Brock's features softened, a hint of understanding replacing his suspicion.

Brylee continued. "They went back into that fire to save me." She pointed to herself, a gesture of profound guilt. "And now, I don't know what to do with my life. They must have seen something special in me to think I was worthy of being saved. And if I'm being completely honest, I should have tried to track down the murderers the day my sister died."

Brylee wanted revenge. For her sister. For her brothers who had sacrificed everything for her.

A long silence stretched, feeling like years.

"You understand the risk of joining us, right?" I finally broke the stillness. "You can't tell anyone about this. About us," I said, gesturing to everyone in the room.

She nodded. "Of course. I understand."

Then, after a moment, she turned to Darian. "So, you really aren't behind it all?" she asked.

Darian simply shook his head.

"Well, at least now I know that for sure," she said. "So, what were you guys talking about before I came here?"

We all exchanged glances. We hadn't really been talking about anything. In fact, there wasn't much we could do at the moment. We'd exhausted every possible suspect, always coming up empty. And honestly, I wasn't sure if Brylee was ready to hear about our previous theories, or if I was ready to revisit them myself.