The Mark of a Death Eater : Sequel

Chapter Twenty

I woke up aching. My side hurt, my wrist was on fire and my head nearly exploded with pain when I lifted it.

But I also woke up to something I knew. Zayn was sitting in a chair to my left, reading a book. How many times had I woken to that exact image; the person I knew best, reading a book, hair tousled and eyes red from being up all night. The five o' clock shadow on his face was new.

"Zayn?" I croaked. Goodness, my voice needed to be fixed, first of all.
"You're awake," he breathed, immediately jumping out of his chair. He slowed when he got to the bed and sat gingerly on the corner. "How do you feel?"
I had no bravado to be sarcastic. "Better," I answered honestly.

Long, awkward pause.
A strange, unfamiliar awkward pause.

I had so many questions. So, apparently, did he.
"How -," We both began talking at the same time. We both stopped to let the other go first, then smiled nervously. This was not how I imagined seeing him again would be. Though, I hadn't imagined seeing him at all; he wasn't supposed to be alive.

"You go first," I said. I leaned to the side to reach for the glass of water I'd seen there but Zayn was there first, handing it to me carefully, helping me sit up so I could drink. His hands were warm against my cold skin and I shivered. He must've taken my shiver to mean something else, because he immediately let go of me, walking over to the other side of the room.

I wished he hadn't.

I took a long sip of the water, my hands shaking. "You deserve to know," I said finally. "So ask."

He stared at me from across the room. "Where are the girl and her mother?" he asked finally.

I took another long sip of water, mostly to disguise my nervousness and give me time to formulate a response. My hands were shaking. I wished he'd asked something else, something to show he didn't completely hate me yet but I understood the urgency.
"Safe," I said hoarsely. "They're with my brother at the Evergreen mansion. I sent them there and went back to the fight."

"Why were you there?" he asked.
"You know why," I whispered.

He wouldn't make me say anything I didn't want to, always the gentleman, so he didn't ask. But I knew he wanted me to say it and he deserved to know the truth about me.
"He... He told me, commanded me, to kill her. The little girl. Her family." My voice dropped to a whisper. "But I couldn't. I couldn't kill her. I tried to get them all out but I didn't know where the father was. He and Caspar had disappeared. I assumed he was dead."

I though you were dead.

"Who's Caspar?" Zayn asked, pacing the room.
"Death Eater," I coughed, following him with my eyes. "White hair. He... he's been watching me. Making sure I was loyal. He came with me to to the village. He saw me taking the woman and the girl and grabbed on to me when I disapparated. I was splinched and I lost him."

Something else I associated with both Caspar and Zayn was Arianne. I needed to know what really happened to her. Maybe if Zayn was alive, she was too.

"So you didn't kill them?" Zayn asked.
"No," I said indignantly.

He tried not to show it, but I knew him too well to not be able to see the relief on his face. Zayn seemed to deliberate, then he waked over to the bed and sat down next to me.

"How could you think I'd do that?" I demanded.
"I didn't," Zayn lied. "I just want to be certain."
He paused. I counted one heartbeat, two, three, four. "No one knows what happened to you, Emma," he said.
I looked away. I barely knew what happened.

"Not to be cliche, but it is a long story."
Zayn and I sighed at the same time, and exchanged awkward smiles. Again.

I had so many questions. How was he alive? How was his family alive? Did he know what happened to Arianne and her father? Where was my brother? Had he not contacted him yet? Was the wedding still on, did the Osman's still trust the Evergreen's after what had transpired? Where were my parents; did Zayn know?