Silver Lining

CHAPTER THREE

Abe's POV

"Abe you can't just leave!"

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

"You're being selfish you're leaving the rest of us here defenseless!"

I rounded on Emma, unable to listen to her objections any longer. "I'm doing this for you, for all of you." I quickly corrected, turning away from her before she could catch sight of my cheeks burning. "I can protect you all better from out there."

I started packing some shirts into my suitcase but every time I reached for another, Emma had already taken the one before out. It was a vicious cycle and she wasn't going to give up any time soon. "Real mature."

"I don't care about what's mature!" Emma stomped her foot, ironically quite like a child. "You're not making sense. You can protect us better if you stay, what if a hollow attacks when you're gone?"

"I'll have taken any hollows down before they get here, that's exactly why I'm going. I thought out of everyone at least you would have understood."

Emma sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear. It always surprised me that such a small action could make my stomach flip. "I do understand, but I also want you to stay. We all want you to stay. What's Agnes going to do without you here?"

I sat down on my bed, pushing the suitcase out of the way so that she could sit down too. "She hasn't left her room in days. Nothing I say will be able to get her to come out. She just needs time."

"And you don't want to be here to help her regardless? To see her out the other side of it? She needs her brother."

"She needs her family, all of which you are. I should have left when I turned eighteen, but I'm still here because of Agnes. If I had left, maybe Victor would-"

Emma placed her hand over mine on the bed and squeezed. "There's no point on playing with the hypothetical. He's gone." Her voice broke for a moment but she continued. "He's gone and he's not coming back. But if you stay you can prevent that from happening again."

"I couldn't prevent it from happening in the first place, who's to say I'll be even more prepared next time?" I shook my head, standing from my bed as I returned to my packing. "No. I'm going to stop them before they even get here."

I pretended that I couldn't hear Emma crying on the other side of the door as she closed it behind her.

Agnes' POV

"You have to eat something."

I pushed the tray that Enoch had brought with him away from me without saying a word. My stomach grumbled at the sight of food but I wouldn't give in. I was empty. Food would satisfy my hunger but I would still feel empty. What was the point?

"You can't starve yourself."

I rolled my eyes. As if that was my intention. I just didn't see the point.

I hadn't left my room in days, despite Enoch begging at my door every morning, bringing food and drink after every mealtime when he could. Sometimes he brought Emma or Olive, but with too many people I just felt overwhelmed. I didn't want to see anybody. I didn't want to speak to anybody. I just wanted to be left alone.

To think, the shoe had once been on the other foot. I would have had to sacrifice my firstborn to get Enoch out of his room.

"Please talk to me."

"About what?"

Enoch floundered for a minute, sitting down on the edge of my bed with his tray of food behind him. "About anything? How are you feeling?"