DEVIANT [H.S.]

45 - The Truth

I can't help but let out a shriek of laughter. Malachi? My father? That can't be true.

"You're lying. You're making up stories- you have to be," I reply, crossing my arms.

Malachi stands up from behind the desk, clutching his gashed side with one hand. "I'm not lying, Serena. If you let me explain everything will be clear and you will remember why you're truly here."

"I'm trying to figure out why you're even here in the first place," I say, my voice cold. "Why is your name is on a door at the Protector Core headquarters?"

"Jeriah enjoys theatrics. It's fake, to throw you off course," Malachi commands, his eyes darkening. "Please, Serena. Sit."

I zip up my mouth and round the chair, sitting down hesitantly. I don't understand what is happening. All that I can comprehend is that Malachi is a traitor, especially with that name plate on his door.

Malachi faintly smiles and walks over to the other plush chair, hovering over the seat for a moment before letting all his weight onto the surface. He then parts his lips.

"Back before the Core was even a thought, Jeriah Vaughn and I went to university together. Masters to Ph.D. He was my friend. That is, until a woman came around that caught our interest. Jeriah shared some classes with her, whereas I saw her time to time sitting by herself on campus," He explains, continuing the story.

"Her name was Macayla. I was floored by her. I brought her coffee to her favorite bench spot. Sat a distance away, knowing that Jeriah thought about asking her on a date. I figured I'd be a friend to her, respecting his wishes. This went on day after day, bringing her coffee, sitting a bit closer."

Malachi pauses, looking over at me for a second before speaking again.

I know the bomb that is Jeriah Vaughn will drop in a few seconds.

"One morning, I walked to the bench and noticed she wasn't sitting there as usual. I sat down with the coffee in my hand and waited, scanning campus for the sight of her blonde hair. My heart sank when she passed right in front of me, her hand being yanked by Jeriah's. That's when I put all the pieces together. We were like brothers. We hung out, studied together every other night, and both had guaranteed positions to work at the government's STEM division. More treacherously, we wanted the same woman. And we didn't even realize it."

Malachi closes his eyes and sucks in a breath, a pained expression on his face. "It was hard those next few weeks, not seeing her. But I would always buy a cup of coffee and sit on our bench. One morning, I thought that she wasn't going to show up so I began to leave. A hand on my wrist stopped me. She came back. But it wasn't her. Her face was discolored with bruises and dark circles had formed under her eyes. She looked like she had been crying for days. It was then that she told me everything."

"She explained how Jeriah courted her politely at first, then would became more possessive and angry whenever she wanted to leave early in the morning to be alone. But she did it behind his back anyway, spending time alone with herself. Her routine was halted by a boy with a cup of coffee in his hands. She said how day after day she began to fall in something that could be love with the boy with the coffee, and began to fall out of what she thought was love with Jeriah."

My breath hitches in my throat. Was Jeriah the one who hurt Macayla? How would things end up? I want to hear more but then again, is it the truth?

Is all of this really because of one woman?

"Serena, you can say something," Malachi speaks up.

My eyes shift to the floor. "I don't know what to say," I answer.