Secrets Intertwined

Chapter 18: Part 1

"He knows," whispered Aislyn, frozen to the floor by the look on her brother's eyes.

"Knows what?"

"Everything. Look at Serilda. She just told him."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"To get back at me, Raven. To punish me."

Even from across the room, Aislyn could see the glee that emanated off of Serilda at having told her most hidden secret. Although she had planned on telling them all tonight, she felt sick to her stomach knowing that they now knew all of the things she had done. They knew that she had tortured and murdered, that she was malicious and unforgiving.

But, under that pit in the stomach, was also a relief. Relief that she didn't have to lie anymore and that her second life had just become infinitely easier.

Slowly, hesitantly, she began to walk towards her brother.

Almost as slowly and hesitantly, he began to walk to her too, Tamani a few steps behind him.

"Take the mask off," Jackson told her, as soon as they were close enough to hear each other.

"Jackson, please n-"

"Take...it...off," he said, "Tell me that you aren't my little sister who has been running around lying to me for all of these months. Tell me that you aren't Aislyn."

Aislyn just stood there. She couldn't take her mask off in front of all these people. She didn't want to be recognised and then used against her brother as a weapon.

Jackson suddenly went to grab her mask, desperate to be proven wrong.

Out of instinct, Aislyn ducked from his grasped and pushed him hard enough on the chest to knock him to his feet and sending him skidding a few paces across the floor.

"I didn't mean it," she started, already lunging forward to try to help him up, "I'm sorry-"

"Azure, Azure, Azure."

Too focused on her brother and her own current situation, Aislyn hadn't realised that Elijah and the rest of the Councilmen had been introduced and walked into the room.

"It always has to be so... theatrical with you doesn't it? Always have to be the one making a scene."

"Elijah," ground out Aislyn, pressing her locked fists to her sides.

The rest of the room was silent. No music. No dancing.

One by one, the councilmen and Elijah began to form around herself and Jackson, who still sat motionless on the floor.

Ever the one to keep her enemy in sight, Aislyn kept her vision trained on Elijah, pivoting on the spot as to keep him in her sight at all time. From the corner of her eye, she saw Galen deliberately backing into the shadows, hand reaching under his shirt for the concealed knife Aislyn had sewn into the waistband.

"But lucky for you, my dear, tonight that's exactly where I want you to be."

A quiet hum of murmurs was gradually getting louder and the room began to buzz.

"Wasn't she meant to be in prison?" She heard a voice shout out, "Yeah! She's dangerous."

"She is exactly where I want her to be," replied Elijah, calm and composed, "Don't worry, she won't try anything with her brother next to her."

That's started it. The murmurs turned to full voices and from all around her, she heard people saying Jackson's name and the name of her Community.