Chapter 15: We Can't Tell Her

Author's Note: This chapter is not mainly set during the current events of the plot. It centers around the relationship of Aunt Mallory and Uncle Luke, and jumps around on the timeline. Though this is technically a bonus chapter, it will be the last chapter for this week. Thanks for reading! Be on the look out for new short stories coming soon!

10 Years Ago:

A young Mallory and Luke are sitting in a modern looking apartment, looking out at the big bustling city. "I am so excited to be here!" Mallory exclaimed. "I'm glad, we have places to go and people to see!" Luke said happily. "And, I have a surprise for you dearie." He finished. "Yay! I'm excited, I feel like a teenager. We finally got away from Jax, I am so annoyed with him. How could he treat my sister like that? It's her baby, not just his. She carried Sarah, she gave birth to her, he's just...…such an incompetent husband." Mallory finished. "I know, she'll be okay. She's a strong one, she just needs to keep Sarah out of their business before she gets hurt. Anyway, we don't need to think about that now. We came here to make time for each other, not for their bickering." Luke said, grabbing the car keys from the cup by the hotel room's front door. "Right, where are we going?" Mallory asked curiously. "Dinner, we are going to go have a fancy dinner." Luke answered as they got to the car.

Later in the evening:

The couple were at a fancy restaurant with red carpet, shiny walls with large mirrors, and waiters with suits. They had a nice evening, and the night was wrapping up when all of a sudden Luke dropped to the floor. Mallory looked down to see him on one knee, holding a box with a ring. He asked if she would marry him, and she agreed. Everything was peachy, until she started seeing what seemed to be "minor" red flags. "Hun, who are you on the phone with?" She would ask. "No one, not important. Oh, why don't you go shopping? I have work to get done", he would respond. One day, Mallory came to a revelation. She decided to call her sister. "Amelia, I need help. I think Luke is cheating.....or maybe worse." She reasoned with her sister, and they came to the conclusion that Mallory and Luke needed to have a legitimate conversation about the matter at hand. "Luke, we need to talk." Mallory brought up. He didn't answer, so she went in a search. This talk was incredibly important, for her at least. Mallory searched the entire house, but he was nowhere to be found. So she ran outside, that's where she heard him. Mallory followed the voice into the forest behind their estate. That's when she knew...that wasn't her husband. It was a godforsaken demon. "What are you?" Mallory yelled. "What did you do to Luke?" She asked worriedly. "Oh, he's fine. I would know, I'm your husband. Do your research on someone before you decide to marry them. Now that you've seen me like this...…" he responded, while pointing to the small horns atop his head. "I guess there's no going back. Well Mal, how��s it feel being married to a demon?" Luke responded with a chuckle. "You are not Luke, you are a godforsaken being." Mallory said. I'm your husband, but I'm not Luke. My name is Loki, the demon. Do you know how annoying it is to reason with a snobby rich woman who doesn't care much about herself? God, most of you only care about yourselves, but you barely do. It's a change of pace, an annoying one at that." He said, frustrated with his mistake of timing. "I cannot be married to something outside of our god Luke!" Mallory said anxiously. "Divorce then?" He asked maliciously. About a week after this incident, and Loki's constant rituals, Mallory was sick of it. She filed for divorce, but he always watched her. Haunted her, in a sense.

3 Weeks Ago:

I need to call him, but I don't want to be near him. We never got to intertwine, but he can still feel my emotional state. Damn it, it's not supposed to work like this! Mallory thought. "I might as well call him, for Sarah��s sake at the least." She said quietly as she picked up the phone. She turned around, looking everywhere in the house, checking for Amelia or Sarah. She couldn't see either of them, so she dialed his number. "Oh, hello dear. How can I be of assistance?" Loki asked mockingly. "I don't want to play games with you right now, you godforsaken monster. We need to talk about Sarah. It's happening." Mallory answered. "It? Already? They swore nothing would be visible until she became an adult and it's already starting? Is it controlling her yet?" He asked doubtfully. "I have no idea, she goes to that new school tomorrow, and I'm a bit worried. She seems distant, like she is trying to find someone. But then, disassociate herself from everyone else. She...…..I just don't want her to be stuck like that because of Amelia's final decision. The girl doesn't listen either! I tell her to do so many things, and she can't accomplish one without crying or going back into her shell!" Mallory said, annoyed at her failure. "Maybe because you break her Mallory. You don't give her a chance to succeed because you can't get over her mistakes. Why are you expecting so much out of her?" He asked accusingly. "She was modified in the brain, Loki! She should be able to do so much, what do we do about her now?" Mallory asked. "Bring her here, I could use her help anyway. Might as well use her for our own purposes at this point." Loki said. "You're cruel, but she'll be better off away from the big city for a bit. We'll be there in 2 weeks, be ready."

Present time:

Mallory and Loki are sitting in Loki's study, discussing their future for Sarah. 'We have to figure out what to do, she is changing quickly." Mallory said. "Yes, we do. The Herestrians still have some hold on her, she wouldn't be having those pains, especially for something as simple as quick memory loss. She thinks it's from an accident, so it should be as simple as that for her. But it's not. You mentioned earlier intertwines, correct?" He asked. "Yes, Sarah mentioned multiple people that it could have been with, though. So I'm not sure what the traits are with her intertwined people. But the pain, it's not like they can just flip a switch and put her in excruciating pain." Mallory said, coming to conclusions of her own. "No, no they can't. We can't tell her, but this all has to be caused by her...Modification Illusion."