The Rules of the Red - 2014 Watty Award Winner |✓|

Chapter Thirteen - Part Two

But stubbornly, I gazed out of the window a while longer, to the dark buildings and the peaceful street beyond. The serenity of the scene was such a sharp, awkward contrast to the emotions that dwelled within me. It was calming, pacific, and exactly what I needed.  

"I like it here, on this street." I said finally, a few minutes later, while still gazing, dreamily from the window. Shoppers would pass by every so often, but not enough to support any sort of traffic, which kept this certain patch of Harbor Village quiet. Beautiful, deep green trees dotted every street corner of the shops, swaying gently in the pleasant breeze. And if I closed my eyes and sucked in deep enough, I could smell them enough to imagine their leaves, cold, in my hands. And then there was the salt air of the sea, coming in from the little cove out by the Piney Bluffs. You could smell the sea best, from here.

"Adelle and I pass by this street sometimes, when we go shopping. And something about this place is always so..."

"Relaxing." Ethan replied. "It's relaxing."

"Yeah." I said with a nod, looking at the grey-blue skies of Harbor. As usual, there was barely a hint of the sun. He was tucked away somewhere, hidden behind the clouds, lonely.

"I screwed up again, I know." Ethan was saying. "I try to help you, and somehow I just mess things up... I don't know why."

I said nothing, but I did look at him, wondering why these things couldn't have been different.

"Mimi, why didn't you tell me earlier about the note or how your grandfather is spying on you?"

He was hurt, I knew, but what I would say next would only make it worse.

"After what you did to me? To us? Why would I?"

"Guess you're right." Ethan said in a small voice, looking down at his hands in his lap. "But I swear, I wasn't trying to hurt you. I was being stupid and selfish. All I cared about was securing my future..."

"And making your dad happy, right? This is about him too."

Ethan said nothing this time, but in his silence was his answer. And once again, instead of feeling angry with him and cutting him off for good, I was feeling the tremendous weight of his guilt. In his troubles, I was forgetting my own and losing myself. And in the moment, all I could think of, was how Ethan must have worked his entire life to try and please a father that had constantly lacked in time and affection.

"But you have guilt about something too, Mimi." Ethan said. "I can tell. And I think I know what it's about..."

Eve I thought, panicking just a little as I felt my heart beat quicken. Somehow he knows about Eve...

"This is about you and Tidus." Ethan said.

Slowly, I nodded, feeling immense relief. After all, it was partly true.

"Something happened between you two in New York, didn't it? Something other than just finding that amulet..."

Quickly, I decided to throw Ethan a bone. The guilt of his apology, coupled with the burden of knowing about Eve's secret proposition, prompted me to decide on telling him the truth.

Well, parts of it anyway.

"Yeah, something did happen, but not what you think. Tidus asked me if I could convince the Leadership to collaborate with the Council. He wants to strengthen Vampire-Werewolf relations, just like I do."

"Seriously?" Ethan said, looking doubtful. "And why would a Romaine ever want that?"

"Because that's what the Council wants,"