• This is the second book of The Collected series •
"Those who bring pain are here to save, and those who bring hope will bring death. A great evil rests on the horizon, eating away at each setting sun. Nothing is as it seems while you beg for salva...
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He had that look about him, like he was somewhere in between the living and the dead. A look of otherness, of uncertainty, of confusion. Eyes that tiptoed a step too far and a mind that allowed him to wander off a cliff.
Although I wanted to be mad at him for not remembering, for making my heart hurt, for making it ache- I just couldn't. He was broken in so many places. The only thing holding him together was that stupid smirk and the things he thought he knew. I could see thorns growing through the cracks in his skin and black holes pooling in his cloudy eyes.
I wanted him to know how much he hurt me. But how could I expect him to when he didn't even remember me. When he'd been torn farther apart then I could imagine.
"So, you just take those shots without knowing what's in them?" I asked Nicholas who sat in the corner of the room, behind the bars of metal that I held together.
"They were very persuasive you know." His voice was rough, causing goosebumps to raise on my arms, "I assumed it was for health or strength or something beneficial."
"I see." I sighed, longing for him to remember.
"Why are you trying so hard?" He looked up and the ceiling, head pressed up against the wall. "Don't you see, I like who I am right now. I don't want to remember, it will just ruin everything."
"You can't possibly be happy." I hoped what I said was true, I needed it to be.
"It's who I am. When I put on that mask they made me I feel a rush, an angry red. I may not be happy, but I like it. If I remember things, I won't know who I am, again." He paused teeth grinding together, "I like the screams of those I hurt. I like to watch the pain pool in their eyes and wonder what it feels like."
"You convinced yourself it was necessary, didn't you?" I pursed my lips together, shaking my head at him.
"What?" I could tell he was only half listening to me.
"This darkness that consumes your heart and soul. You thought it to be the only way to grow stronger and survive. You let it in, let it corrupt your mind and run through every vein. You're scared of it." He finally looked over to me, eyes wide and angry.
"That's not true, I like it."
"Stop lying." I said louder then I'd meant to, my voice bouncing off the walls around us, "Don't tell me that you enjoy the fear of others. You opened your arms for the darkness, and you claimed it felt right, don't tell me you did that willingly. Because in the end, it will never be necessary. You are not who you think you are. I neglected to tell you that once, years ago. I watched as you slowly slip into madness. I swear, if you'll take it, my hand it is waiting here for you and I'll pull you out of this."
"I'm not supposed to" Nicholas griped the sides of his head, "I'm not supposed to care, not supposed to want to. I shouldn't continue to think about you or wonder what we were."
