Invisible

Invisible Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Last Conscious Thought

(Olivia)

The door knob twists slowly. My shoulders tense, waiting for him to see me. He’s halfway across the room before his eyes are drawn to me sitting cross-legged in the center of his bed. Jumping back, Mason bumps into his dresser.

“What are you doing in my room?” Mason gasps.

“What are you doing not in your room?” I ask. My mouth turns down in a frown. “You told me you were coming up here to read, that you needed some time alone.”

His mouth opens. I can see the excuses running through his mind. None of them make it past his lips. His shoulders fall.

The corner of my mouth twitches. “You were out with Robin, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” Mason says quietly.

“Getting answers, or just hanging out?” I ask, though I have to force the words out of my mouth.

I don’t know which one is worse. Would I feel better about him spending time with Robin if it were only to find more information, even though that meant going behind my back? Does the lie hurt less if he just needed a break and turned to Robin instead of me? Tricking me, cutting me out should be the worse option, but it’s the one I can bear more than the other.

“We went to ask her grandma some questions,” Mason admits. He sits lightly on the edge of the bed.

Despite the relief that washes through me, I hold onto my stern expression. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You know why.”

Frustration tears at me. I look over at him with a scowl. “So you went behind my back instead? If you didn’t agree with me, you could have just said so. We could have talked about it.”

“You were done talking,” Mason argues.

“I’m just trying to keep you safe!” How could he risk himself like that? Robin said the Caretakers would try to take him back. Doesn’t that matter to him?

Mason looks down at his hands. The passive posture doesn’t match the clench of his jaw and I am more confused than ever. “Safe, or to yourself?”

“What?”

“Which one are you more angry about, that I lied to you, or that I was with Robin?” When his eyes come up to meet mine, the mixture of pain and anger behind them hits me like a physical blow.

Stunned, confused, I slide off the bed and take a step back. What is going on with him? Why is he treating me like this? We’ve always been careful. He’s my main concern no matter what, yet now he’s acting like all the times I’ve looked out for him were out of some selfish desire to keep him from experiencing some bigger, magical life. My head starts shaking, hurt and angry myself now.

I turn away. I have no intention of standing here and being treated like some cruel captor, but before I can take a step Mason is towering over me. “You’re not going to answer?” he demands.

Shaking my head angrily, I try to push past him. He moves again, blocking me. Never, in the twelve years I have known him have I been so angry with him! My hands push against his chest. “Get out of my way, Mason!”

“Answer the question,” he growls back.

Knowing I have no chance of escaping him, my frustration boils over. “Fine! You want to know?” I shove him once more, bouncing back rather than moving him, which only makes me angrier. “I can’t believe you would lie to me! You want to hang out with Robin, fine. Go ahead. I was actually kinda glad you and her were becoming friends because I know being around her made you feel more normal, happy.