The Brotherhood

27

To say that Finley was terrified would be an understatement. Every part of her body ached as she made her way to the Supreme's office. Kane had offered to let Finley lean against him and use his body for support. Finley had refused his offer but regretted it immediately. She wasn't sure if she was going to make it to the Supreme's study with the way she was moving right now. She was close to passing out from the pain. 

When she wasn't quite sure that she could make it another step, Kane reached back and grabbed her hand. His hand was so large that it completely enveloped Finley's. Finley tried not to stare at where their hands were linked together. She also tried not to think about the way that her heart skipped a beat in her chest when his hand grasped hers. Without her having to ask, Kane used their connection to allow her to lean some of her weight onto him. She gave him a brief, grateful smile. His lips quirked up slightly in return. 

They finally made it to the Supreme's office. The wooden door looked just as intimidating as it always had. Now, Finley knew exactly what she had to be afraid of. She wanted nothing to do with the Mother. And yet she had to go to see the Mother. There wasn't another option. There was no way out of this. Finley's heart started racing. She couldn't get a steady breath down. It was all too much. 

Kane squeezed her hand gently, looking back at her once before throwing the door to the study open. He acted as if he owned the place now. Finley supposed that he did since one day this office would be his. And it made sense that he'd gotten comfortable being here considering the fact that he probably spent a lot of time here. The look on his face was anything but comfortable though. He looked like he was ready to burn the office down. 

"Why is she here?" Kane demanded. No pleasantries, no use of the word hello. Just a demand. That was so like Kane that it almost brought a smile to Finley's lips despite the circumstances. 

Abel sighed heavily. He looked terrible. His hair was disheveled and there were big dark blue bags under his eyes. His shoulders drooped and he was standing hunched over on himself. Finley wondered if he'd been sleeping at all. It didn't look like it. 

"She's here because the Mother requested her to be," Abel explained tiredly, "It's the same reason why you're here." 

Kane pulled his lips back in an evil sneer, "She should be resting. It's too soon for this." 

"Believe me, I wish that it could wait. I've put off the Mother's request to see her for too long. It's bad enough that she's still alive," Abel said with another heavy sigh. 

"Excuse me?" Finley gasped, choking on her shock. "What was that about me being dead?" 

Abel ran his hand down his face, "The Mother would rather your head be rolling in the snow at her feet than attached to your body." 

"And no one thought to tell me this information before I went to see her?" Finley cried incredulously. 

"Well considering the fact that you're not dead, we didn't think it would be an issue," Abel said with another sigh. 

"She has a right to be upset," Kane said, his voice shockingly calm. He must've known about the fact that the Mother wanted her to be dead. 

Abel snapped, "It doesn't matter whether or not she's upset. This is the situation. Now, we have to deal with it. If we don't then we'll all die. So, if the Mother asks to see us, we have to go. End of discussion." 

Finley started to move away from Kane, feeling like she wanted to retreat inside of herself. Kane clutched her hand tighter, moving her imperceptibly closer to him. Finley let him. She figured that she would likely need his steady presence beside her to get through this encounter with the Mother.