Burning House

Chapter 5

"Paige! Paige!" A voice called out from one of the sitting room doorways. We had retired to the area after finishing our meal. Ace and Krueger were in a never ending battle of wits over the newest training technique we were learning tomorrow. Noelle and I were lounging on a sofa playing an entertaining game of Never Have I Ever. Noelle thought it was extremely hilarious at my lack of experience in all areas. She would continuously shoot glances between me and Ace. I knew where her thoughts were going but that was never a road of possibility, and for that I was happy. I needed my friend not a warm body in my bed.

"Here," I stood up toward the direction of the voice. A pretty male face was soon in front of me. The light brown hair and deep violet eyes lined in long eyelashes, seriously any woman would kill for those eyelashes, I recognized him as Connor. He swept those amazing eyes over the small group of us in the corner. Inching closer to me he whispered in my ear, "You have to come with me."

"WHAT," I practically shouted at him.

"Is there a problem," Ace had slid up beside me looking at Connor dead on.

"No, I just need Paige to come with me...right now," he said again. For being a slighter man, more toned rather than muscular, he wasn't looking to afraid of Ace. I waited a minute looking between the two guys wondering who was going to blink first.

"Fine, we'll go now," Ace said.

Connor looked like he was about to argue but Ace held up a hand, "I go with or she doesn't go." Ever the macho bodyguard. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, but we have to hurry."

We started following Connor down the hallways until we reached the lower corridor. The area that contained the medical wing. My heart started beating faster, that pit of doom growing larger.

"We pulled them from the river about an hour ago. We had been searching the stream all day after news of the massacre," Connor was talking a mile a minute his stride not breaking. We stopped short outside an exam room door.

"Look, I wasn't supposed to say anything given the fact that the council usually talks to all newly Displaced first, but I had to show you." Connor was looking from me to Ace. Ace stood rigid apparently suspecting something horrible beyond that door.

"You said they were pulled from the river," Ace said.

"Yes," Connor looked at me again, "Which means Rosa must have wanted to save them. You know no one gets here alive without her." I nodded. This was true. I inched forward and placed my hand on the door. Ace moved to go with me.

"No," Connor said, "It's bad enough I brought her here, you can't go too." Ace looked down at Connor's hand on his arm. He stepped back sliding his arms behind his back.

"Go ahead," Connor whispered. I looked at them before taking in a deep breath. I could feel my adrenaline pumping, blocking out all noise except for a low hum in my ears. I wasn't sure I wanted to see what was behind the door, scared my worst dreams were coming true. Slowly I stepped in and let the door close softly behind me.

The room was completely dark except for the soft glow of the exam light nestled between two single hospital beds. Monitors beeped at me in the silence. I could hear even breathing filling the room. Like being stuck in a bad movie I couldn't stop my body from moving forward. As I inched closer to the one bed I saw pale golden blond spikes above the blanket. I moved closer. On the pillow my brother's face came into view. His bottom lip was swollen and an angry red scratch lined the side of his perfectly tanned face. A face I hadn't seen in over three years. A face that the last time I saw was shut down and had called me a liar. Startled by the memory I jumped back away from the bed bumping into the cart behind me. His eyes flew open.

"Padget," his golden eyes lit up with recognition. I had to put a stop to this now.

"No," I said fiercely, keeping my voice calm and steady, when all I wanted to do was break down. "I go by Paige here. You are in the Displaced. This is my home they are my family." I told him keeping my eyes trained on his face as it fell. I saw a look of sadness sweep over his eyes. "When you are able the council will want to talk with you. They decide the rules around here they are in power. Nothing you say has forbearance here," I continued as his adam's apple bobbed in his throat. Tears lined his eyes as he listened. "You will not talk to me, you will not visit me. If the council finds you fit to stay here, you will not pretend to be in my good graces. You made it clear who means more to you. I hope Mom and Dad are ashamed of you. I have no idea why Rosa chose to save you both but I'm sure the reason will be made clear soon enough."

"Padget, I mean...Paige, I'm so--" Tristan started to speak but I cut him off. I had the upper hand for once and I couldn't stand to hear his warm voice right now. The voice that sounded so much like our father's.

"No, Tristan, don't even say it. Nothing can take back what happened. You have no idea what I went through with Rachel," I was dangerously close to losing my shit. "Make sure you make him aware when he wakes up." One glance to the other bed confirmed what I already knew to be true. Killian lay in the other bed. His nose looked swollen and slightly crooked giving his already good looking face an edge. His left eye had bruises underneath. I knew those eyes would be striking ice blue when they were open. I had spent many years studying them and the golden eyelashes that fanned across his cheeks. Unlike my brother Killian's hair was very blonde, longer and held unruly curls. Curls I had once drug my fingers through and used to pull him closer when his mouth devoured mine. He had said we would be together forever he even had intentions of asking me to marry him the night of the Fall Ball. Before Rachel, before the lies he believed and then decided she was the better option. I looked back at my brother, "Remember what I said Tristan. If you see me in the hallway go the opposite direction." With my head held high I walked out of the room. I almost collided with Ace in the hallway he grabbed my shoulders to steady me.

"Paige, what is it? You look like you saw a ghost." He joked.

I laughed, "I think I would rather have seen a ghost." I pulled free of him and took off running. I needed the sanctuary of my room, of my bed, of my heavy comforter. I wanted to disappear. All the pain and angst of the past few years was coming back, threatening to destroy the calm I had surrounded myself with. Killian...Tristan...Killian. We were all Displaced. How the mighty have fallen.

*** Tristan at the top (Toby Hemingway)