Adrenaline

Chapter 19

Seth Silver

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All I Ask - Adele

***

The small girl immediately drew the attention of the entire room, the atmosphere becoming still and carrying a small hint of desperation.

And they wonder why I'm so intent on knowing what the fuck is happening.

"Emily." The word is barley a breath, Athena's shoulders slumping in an admittance of defeat, as the child I assume is Emily, looks at the twins with dramatic shock, her tiny jaw dropped, exposing a row of similarly tiny teeth.

The blanket slips from the kids hand as she takes a incredibly small step forward, then another before launching herself forward at an impressively quick pace, missing her planned landing spot and relying on Athena to catch her.

I have no doubt had that been anyone else - literally, anyone - they would have met the floor, however, on instinct Athena reaches forward, no hesitation as her strong hands wrap around Emily's waist, holding her upright.

"Baby, I told you to stay in the back room."

"Ssh, daddy." Not taking her eyes from Athena, the words still apparently deliver the same impact, Draven letting out a small sigh of resignation before sitting back to enjoy the oncoming shitshow.

"Hey, Thena."

Craning my head, I watch as Athena smiles slightly, sadly. Her eyes taking in every inch of the girls face. Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I look up, unsurprised to see Alec giving me a warning glare, trying to tell me to back off, give the two their moment. What he's not taking into consideration, is that I came here to pick up some boxes and get back on the road for another spout of silence due to many suffocating secrets, yet instead here I am, sitting in a club with Athena's con ex-boyfriend whilst a small child looks at Athena as if she's an angel, no boxes in sight.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Sweetheart.

Sweetheart?

Oh, I think I've found Athena Rose's hidden weakness. Her concern for Alec would be hard to exploit, you can't harm what you can't touch. However, a small child sat just three hours away from The Academy, hidden from the world, from the dangers that came with this life, its almost too easy to have the upper hand. There's quite clearly a relationship here, one I can't quite figure out but fuck, it's obvious. A term of endearment from Athena was nothing more than a myth, a sirens call to anyone unlucky enough to fall into her trap but here we are, listening to her speak with complete sincerity.

Yet, instead of figuring out some kind of sinister game plan, a way to have the twins under my thumb, I find myself just watching Athena. The fierce curvatures of her face seeming softer, kinder, her eyes less piercing and numb, the torture replaced with a protective promise. It's like this mask of loathing danger has slipped and all that's left is the young, vulnerable girl underneath, exposed to so much pain, so much anger and hate with no idea what to do next, no idea where to go from here.

I think it's the first time I've seen how truly broken Athena Rose is. The kind of broken there's no coming back from.

It's definitely the first time I look at her and I don't see the devil cloaked in beauty. She's just a girl, shattered beyond recognition.

Emily's eyes water at the sound of Athena's voice, a lone tear falling down her cheek before she throws her chubby arms around Athena's neck, her dark pigtails resting under Athena's chin, their hair merging... matching.