goodbye, hate | hullo, love sequel | ✔️

2

Would you like me to tell her?

In the darkness and scattering of deep thoughts, layered thickly in their minds emerged those few words, ringing like a small bell. David breathed out slightly.

I think... I... please?

Of course. But I can only start. I'll tell her the first bit, and you can describe it more decently.

Um.

It was a shudder. A small word, minuscule compared to the endless expanse of thought that followed it. He was frightened. Very, very frightened. He took Lora's hand in his.

"Shall we sit down, Lana?" Lora's voice wasn't quavering.

Lana smiled warmly, her beautiful deep brown eyes playing tricks on them in the soft light of the moon that flowed through the windows of the apartment. They sat on the sofa and chairs in the sitting room, and Svetlana's smile morphed into a look of empathy, one that rarely showed up on her face as David looked down and sniffed, clutching Lora's hand, and leaning against her as she did with him.

Tell me what you want me to say in my mind and I'll translate into speech.

David nodded against her shoulder, and she squeezed his hand. Lana raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to speak what he tells me, and I won't change a word, I can assure you." Lora's eyes were serious, and anyone could tell she wasn't lying. Svetlana's face didn't give anything away except for slight sympathy--still the same sympathy that rarely showed up.

David's eyes brimmed with tears that trickled down his face steadily, but his internal voice was the same as it always was--smooth, gentle.

When I was in that little cell for a month, Jamie asked me questions I didn't know the answers to. She has a way for knowing if you're telling the truth--or not--when you say something, but it's not with everything. For example, you have to be speaking for her to determine whether you're lying or telling the truth. And she can't definitely tell if you're leaving things out. She just takes things literally, or I guess used to. She used to take things literally. Now that you guys...er...killed her, she can't really do anything anymore.

Lora translated everything into words, then, David took a deep, shuddery breath and continued. Even Lora was learning a little. Most of it, she had heard when she would hold him and play with his hair and he would be in her arms, on their bed. Two forms, hugging, and feeling like one.

She threatened me, she beat up, she even burnt me a little to get information out of me. I'm so grateful that she could tell when I was telling the truth about not knowing something. But it got in the way when I did lie, which at first, was often. James had explained a lot to me about the mechanics of how systems worked and who we were allies with. Of course she already knew that we were allies with you, and the Indigo 5s.

He paused to choke out a sob so Lora told Svetlana what he'd said that time, using the shortening of the Indigo 5s name: the In 5s.

Svetlana nodded to go on, but David was already speaking into Lora's mind rapidly.

Here's where I feel incredibly guilty. She asked me who our outside allies were and I told her he truth: I only knew of the Scarlett coven. Then she asked me how the RS's communication system works, and how the rubies are connected, and of course... well... she knew that I was lying when I said I didn't know, and she burnt me on my face, instead of my arms. When I said I didn't know again, she burnt me twice. It hurt so bad, I was in tears. The agony of the pain was so blinding that I just couldn't...I couldn't help but tell her, I'm so sorry!

At this, he wept into Lora's shoulder, and she felt like there was a knot being tied in her throat. She gulped it down, wiped her eyes and translated. She described he feeling that David had mentally shown her, and the Russian woman listening, winced.

"I'm so sorry, David. This should not have happened to you. And before you start to blame yourself, Lora, my darling, think about the impossibility of your knowledge of this ever happening. You mustn't be so harsh on yourself, Loraine, dear."

Lora nodded. Lana always said smart things like this. She decided that she might be right, there was no reason to put the blame on herself. They were just doing the same thing that they always did. Hunting, then meeting back up.

Lora felt David's hand tighten on hers. He still had more.

Then, when she said that you and James were here, I got really depressed because I didn't know what sort of deal you two were going to make. I knew you were going to make one, though, because she loved deals. She asked me if you were telling the truth about burning the head that belonged to Charles, and of course, you weren't. So that's what I told her. Then, a while later, I think a day or so, she told me that you were here to take me away because you had burnt Charles's head in front of her.

I almost couldn't stop myself from laughing and I hid it in a sob. I'm sure Jamie was convinced, because she smirked and started to walk back out. Telling me that she'd bring you back. I sniffled something like, your name and then Charles's, and she was convinced in all of her excitement that I was upset with you, but knowing you, I'd already suspected that you'd used the fake head. Then you came in, got me out, James killed Jamie, and we finished off the rest of her loyal followers. Except, I guess our plan wasn't foolproof against everyone, because Jamie's second in command wasn't there. So obviously, we didn't get a chance to kill him. Now, all because he wasn't there, he's angry about killing Jamie and has information to tune into our system of internal communication except for ours, and it's all my fault.

Tears were flowing more rapidly as he said this. Lora took a deep breath and translated the passage that he'd presented her with. Svetlana smiled and reached out of hold Lora's hand in hers. "You did well, young one."

"I just have one question."

Lana raised an eyebrow. David looked at her with red eyes and tear stained cheeks. Yes, my love?

"How could her second, Oliver have known about our communication system?"

Lana's face grew tired and she held her head in her hands, her thin fingers occasionally caressing her forehead.

"That's what scares me."