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Chapter Twenty Four

Meredith Tanner

A week after admitting to myself that I liked Lukas, I was helping Ryan move into his new house. Recently, his mother had been moved into the hospital because of a heart attack (which she miraculously survived) during their big move, but Ryan took the responsibility of continuing. I was lucky enough to meet his little sister, a beautiful high school junior named Stephanie. She was a raven-haired girl with pretty blue eyes, and I had to admit that she almost looked like an angel.

Holding a box in my arms, I walked into the small and cozy house that Ryan was moving into, putting it down beside a few other boxes. Stephanie was sitting at the dining table, looking through the stacks of her homework with a phone in hand. She wasn't one of the brightest, but she was holding on well to her grades.

Walking past the dining room and into the kitchen, I smiled and asked, "Do you need any help with that?"

Stephanie looked up from the papers, shaking her head. "U-Um, no thank you, Meredith. I'm just reviewing my last math test and homework from the past week." She turned back down at her phone. "I have another math test on Friday, so I'm trying to figure out my mistakes."

The poor girl was still a little scared of being my friend, mainly because I had multiple attributes and was the daughter to two heroes. As well as this, Stephanie was a part of the 2.6% population that didn't have attributes. It made her seem weaker, but she still held onto the high tier title her family was given. She surprisingly looked up to me, almost like a heroine of some sort, because I spent most of my life forbidden from using my attributes, and yet I was stronger than those who were free.

Sipping on a glass of water, I sighed with a small smirk on my face. "You sure you aren't just stalking some eye candy?"

Stephanie was a pure soul, but she had an undying crush on one of Ryan's friends, Lin. He was a German exchange student adopted by two Asian mothers, and he was fairly popular among crush statuses. I heard from Ryan that the two crushed on each other hard, unaware, and it had been going on ever since we were in sophomore year. The only reason he didn't interfere was because they both had low self-confidence, and Ryan wanted them to learn from each other.

"N-No!" Stephanie exclaimed, stuttering with a bright blush on her face. "I-I'm using the calculator!"

I laughed lightly, and a hand appeared on my head. Ryan smiled down at the two of us. "That's enough teasing my sister for today." I gave him a pout, but before I could protest, he grinned and added, "You can annoy her later. We need to start up some lunch."

Ryan took the liberty of cooking some lunch as I sat at the island in the middle. Stephanie had wandered into the living room, still flustered. It was silent until Ryan sat down in a seat in front of me, waiting for the pasta to become soft in the boiling pot. I gave him a questioning look when he opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

"What's up?" I asked.

Ryan looked toward me, an uncomfortable look in his eyes. "You know how.. Dexter harassed you?" Even though the situation happened just a few months ago, I could still hear the bloodlust in Ryan's voice whenever he said Dexter's name. I nodded, a little bewildered. "Do you remember when I freaked out in the hallway, trying to stop you from going?"

I nodded once again. "Yeah, of course I do. You called him a cunt, and that's exactly what he is."

"I never got to tell you why I flipped out, and I got permission from Stephanie to tell you."

I raised an eyebrow at him. I always assumed Ryan just hated Dexter. Like just pure hate without a reason. It seems as if there really is an actual reason. I sunk in my chair, a little worried about what I was going to hear. He says it as if it's been a secret kept hidden. If it's important, that'd be a reason to tell me.

Ryan inhaled shakily, and my eyes widened when I saw tears. "I said Dexter had sins. And I'm right. I'll never take back what I said, and after what he did to you, my hatred for him only grew." He gulped visibly, and I felt numb from the tears in his eyes. "But you're probably curious about why I hated him in the first place."

I leaned over, wiping his tears away with the back of my hand. "Yeah.." I whispered quietly. "I am curious. Seeing you cry must mean it affected you a lot. Does it include Stephanie?"

He mentioned Stephanie earlier. She had given him permission. That means the two are tied with Dexter deeper than I am.

Giving Ryan some time to clear his mind and eyes, he mumbled, "You.. weren't Dexter's first victim." My eyes widened suddenly at his words. Dexter hurt.. someone else? He controlled someone else? I felt Ryan's hand hold mine tightly. "Hell, I don't even know if she was either... All I know is that Dexter touched my little sister." I suddenly froze, my hands numb. That bastard.. touched Stephanie? An innocent soul in this living hell was touched by a fucking demon. I almost squeaked when Ryan's grip tightened, and his eyes glowed intensely as he stared at the marble countertop. "He touched you two."

My throat was dry, and my reaction was the same as Ryan's. A taste for violence. I let go of his hand and stood up, my heart pounding furiously at what he was telling me.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

"Unlike you, she wasn't just sexually assaulted," Ryan muttered under his breath. I heard a small whimper from behind me, ignoring the fact that Stephanie had come down to watch how the scene would play out. "She became pregnant."

My heart stopped immediately, and I paused. She.. what? Clutching my hands into fists, I clenched my jaw tightly, my eyes glowing. For a minute, my arms began swarming with red and orange light, and the thought of Dexter's face made my heart pound. That little.. The image of Stephanie left undressed with blood between her legs flashed in my mind, and my fingers dug into my palms. Who knows who else he hurt? Those he tainted can remain silent, and yet, I'll never know where they are. Ryan walked up towards me, realizing what I was thinking.

Is that another reason why she looked up to me?

Because I spoke out?

Arms wrapped around me as Ryan hugged my small figure, but the touch only made me feel hands everywhere. The hands that touched me. The hands that touched Miss Lynn. The hands that touched the once innocent Stephanie.

Hands once touched the millions of others in this world.

Victims of all ages, of all eras, of all genders.

My hand gripped Ryan's arm tightly, and he understood how I felt, embracing me just a bit tighter.

"I'm going to fucking kill him..." I spat coldly, clutching his arm. "Give me permission to crack his head open like an eggshell."

"Permission granted," Ryan responded.