The Last Theiro

04

Cassia
•••

"First she has hallucinations and then she passes out from a cut in her head, which bled like she was stabbed. I don't know what's happening to her." I complained to Peter and pressed my fingers to my temples, taking deep, steady breaths. After Tessa passed out, Eden helped me carry her to her room and I cleaned the cut on her head, which kept on bleeding no matter what we did.

I was growing hysterical and called Peter. I needed help.

I looked over at Peter, who's eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, his brown eyes distant.
He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again, pursing his lips, reluctant to utter a word.

Peter leaned in closer to me and spoke in a low whisper. "Do you think maybe, just maybe, the other world is catching up with her."

I gasped and stepped away from him.
"No," I stated adamantly. "It's too early. She's...she's still too young."

"Tessa is nineteen, Cassia!" Peter fired back. "It's time she knows."

I shook my head slowly. I vowed to keep Tessa locked away from the other world, safe from the danger it brought. "I will not tell her anything, neither will you," I warned Peter and he slammed his fist on the kitchen counter.

"You've kept it long enough from her! She needs to know the truth." He began walking up the stairs but I grabbed his arm and spun him around.

"Please..." I pleaded and I pressed my finger to my lips, in thought. "I will tell her, just not know. I need more time."

"How much time, Cassia? Don't you think it's been long enough and Tessa ought to know!" Peter exclaimed as he lowered his eyebrows.

I jabbed my finger in his chest and looked up at him. "This is not your secret to tell! Tessa is my responsibility and I will not let you take her away from me."

Peter let out an exasperated sigh. "Nobody is going to take Tessa away from you. Telling her won't change anything."

I tilted my head and looked at Peter with a furrowed brow. After all that time he still thought that telling Tessa the truth won't change anything. He still thinks life will go on, uninterrupted after she knows. "Do you not understand Peter? Everything will change! Tessa will change! Nothing will be the same after we tell her!" I hissed at him.

Peter crinkled his nose and turned away. "How do you know everything will change?!" He yelled at me.

My eyes began welling up with tears and my lip trembled. "Because everything changed when Thomas found out about the secret everybody tried so hard to keep away from him."

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slowly. "It's time she knows, regardless of what happened in the past. Do you even know what's happening in the other world?"

I bit my lip and turned away from Peter, crossing my arms. "I don't know... I haven't been in contact with the other world."

Peter stomped in front of me and stared at me wide-eyed, his brown eyes filled with disbelief and anger. "You've never even tried to contact them!" He yelled and gripped the edge of the counter tightly, his muscles flexing. He took deep, steady breaths trying to calm himself down. "I care for Tessa like she's one of my own. When she finds out, it's going to break her. You're going to break her."

I scowled at Peter. "No!" I yelled. "You don't get to make statements like that! I will not break her, I'm trying to protect her. The truth will break Tessa and that is why she must never find out."