The Serpent Within

Chapter Twenty

Previously...
Turning to Zuber with an eerie smile, Hiram gestured towards Jeanette and jeered, "Say goodbye to your elder sister!"

"What!" Zuber and Jeanette shrieked at the same time. Kyrah felt as if she was living a dream. She was quiet as she didn't have a choice. She had to remain in her "sleepy" state. If she appeared to be awake, Hiram would drag her away too. She badly wanted to hug Jeanette and console her.

For her, being with her parents was the source of her happiness. To be away from them was a living nightmare and she missed them terribly. She couldn't imagine how Jeanette would have lived without her parents with her uncle who turned out to be monstrous. Now that Hiram had revealed that Jeanette wasn't an orphan and Zuber was her brother, Kyrah felt too shocked for words.

If I am feeling like this, what must be Jean going through?  she thought solemnly and glanced at Jeanette. She looked pale after hearing the unexpected revelation.

Kyrah felt something cold touch her fingers. She looked down at her hand which was still clasped in Zuber's large one. The keys had been transferred to her ever so noiselessly by him and he got up hurriedly.

Zuber flung at the cell door, his eyes darkening with anger and disgust towards Hiram. He looked at Jeanette and nodded towards her sadly, giving her a weak smile.

"My sister, my sister," he mumbled.

"You never knew that you had a sister, right?" Jeanette asked softly, her voice strained and weak, was barely audible.

"Mom and dad never talked about you, nor did any--" Zuber coughed. "I didn't even know that I had an elder sibling, until today," he finished with a sigh, shaking his head.

"Enough of the family drama," Hiram sneered and dragged Jeanette effortlessly.

"You won't get away with this!" Zuber threatened.

"I already did, my boy."

"Too bad you won't be able to watch your sister's nightmarish end." Hiram cackled sinisterly.

"Nightmare. Oh Lord!" Zuber shook his head vehemently. "You! You were that golden snake."

"What are you blabbering about?" Hiram mocked.

"I have been having a nightmare since I was eleven. All I could see was a little redhead in pigtails screaming and being whisked away by a golden snake..."

"That girl was you Jean... and that golden snake," he spoke and glared at Hiram icily.

Kyrah reminisced the time when she had her second nightmare. Zuber had calmed her down with these words, "If this makes you feel any better, I can understand what you're going through." When she had asked him how he could do so, he had just diverted the topic by introducing the three questions game. Looking back, now she could understand what he had meant by those words. 

"Zuber..." Jeanette began and closed her eyes, a fresh tear making its way out.

"No wonder." Zuber chuckled sadly. "No wonder that I felt related to you. You're my blood after all."

He recalled the time when Jeanette had cooked cinnamon rolls for them. He had complimented her and she had grown pale and spaced out. Later, when he and Kyrah had asked if she was alright, she had just given a fake laugh and brushed the incident off. From there on, he had been able to detect her emotions.

"Enough. Say goodbye to your little brother now, darling."

To which, Jeanette gave a wry smile and chuckled to herself.