Hollows In Time (✔️) | 'Hollows' Book Ⅱ

Chapter Sixty-Three

"It was then that I realised, not how cruel the world was, but how uncruel I thought it had been. Nothing safe is safe."
—me the author
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H o l l o w s   I n
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Staring at Alexi, I realised that I had just traded out one Guardian for another.

"Where's Jameson?" She asked.

"Inside." I replied, stepping around her whilst she was distracted with that information.

"Why isn't he out with you?" She asked, joining me in two wide strides.

"Because I told him to stay." I stared straight ahead, trying to walk as fast I could. But my attempts were futile, since I was walking with a trained Guardian. My trained Guardian.

"You must have some heavy influence over him; he shouldn't have stayed, even if you got on your knees and begged." I figured that she was trying to lighten the mood, but it wasn't working.

"Well it's lucky I saved my pride and didn't do that." My voice had the venom of an annoyed teenage, though almost adult, girl, who had been betrayed by both Guardians. But the wound with Alexi was still fresh. It felt as if she had broken vows or something.

She didn't say anything else, and it remained that way until I got to the reception of my therapist's room. I didn't hold the door open for Alexi and walked up to the receptionist, who signed me in and called 'Mr Clarke'.

Jace opened his door and smiled when he saw me, then his eyes flickered to a figure behind me. Alexi. He didn't express anything that he was feeling, and instead beckoned me inside.

I sighed once the door was shut and fell onto the couch, swinging my legs over so that I was laying down on the couch.

Jace chuckled. "That bad?" He asked.

I sighed again. "Very bad. I swear my life gets better, then worse, then amazingly good, and then amazingly bad–" I broke my own self off and groaned, shifting so that I was lying on my side, where Jace could see me. He looked amused at my outburst but held a business-like posture.

"Talk to me." Jace prompted. And that was all I needed.

"So my best friend appeared out of thin air, right? I was ecstatic. Until she told me that she was my Guardian and was never actually my friend—more like just an arrangement, or an agreement for my safety." I explained.

"She said that?" He asked.

I closed my eyes. "Not exactly–"

"–well then how do you know that she was never your friend?" He asked.

"Well, because she–" but suddenly I had nothing to say. No reasons, or excuses. And damn did I sound petty.

I huffed hopelessly. I sat up. "Okay, so I'm guessing you have family, right?" I asked him. He seemed to be caught of guard, but nodded nonetheless.

"A family is what I have." I rolled my eyes at the unnecessary comment, but continued despite this.

"So was there anyone in your family that you were perhaps closer with? Maybe like a sibling close in age? Like a brother, or–"

"A brother." He told me, eyes suddenly marred by something that I couldn't decipher. I continued.

"Okay, imagine that he turns around to you suddenly, and tells you that, I don't know, you're adopted and you were never related and this means that you can't be as close—or whatever."