Sixty-seven

" We should go. We have another day and a half before we reach Morston if we stop and rest along the way," Gerald pushes off the car and slides back into the passenger seat, while I take a moment to gather myself before I get back behind the wheel.

Dragging a shaky breath in, I slide back into the seat and start the car. Stealing a quick glance at Gerald to see how he is faring, I find him lounging in his seat with his eyes closed, so I'm assuming he is trying to catch a wink of sleep while I drive.

His method of analysing the situation has set off the cogs in my brain. At this point, I cannot trust any of the information that has been fed to me throughout this journey. But even the biggest lie contains a grain of truth. Unearthing the truth amongst all the carefully constructed lies is difficult.

Mason was right, if you ask the wrong question, then you'll never get the right answers.

So far, I'm inclined to believe that along the way my kind has committed atrocities in the name of claiming the power. Namely one, my mother.

If that is so, then there is a good chance that she didn't choose Ifrim out of love. She was handed to him in retaliation for her crimes.

No good or bad deed goes unpunished.

They could have taken her life, but they wanted her to suffer. It begs the question, who is powerful enough to beat my mother into submission?

The answer is startling, and sobering. Another ephemerae. One powerful, and seasoned enough to confront Alizee.

The man in the grey suit. Shay's rogue streak. Another one like me who knows how to control them. I've been a fool and now the ones that I love are paying for it.

It was never Micah. He was nothing but a pawn.

Why the cat and mouse game?

To punish me? To see me suffer? To watch me squirm? And scramble for answers.

But why?

The driving force behind any living thing is emotions.

We are related somehow, I feel that in my gut.

Father? No. Maybe.

By the time dawn creeps in I've worked myself into a frenzy and my mind begins to spin out of control.

Slowly, I coast onto the side of the road to rest my eyes and take a breather from the mental gymnastics I've been doing all night.

Gerald starless awake, rubs his eyes and looks around at the field we've stopped next to.

" This is not Morston, " He notes, and takes a deep breath. We've passed a few towns on the way down but considering it was the middle of the night I didn't bother to stop and search for food.

" No, it's not," I say with a sigh," We need to switch so I can get some sleep," I look at the drip bag hooked next to the seat belt, and notice that it's almost empty.

" We need food and water," I say as he opens the passenger door and walks over to a bush. Averting my eyes, I focus on the opposite side of the field to give the man some privacy while he does his business.

I've seen Mason do it a hundred times, but it feels weird watching another man water the lawn, sort of speak.

Once he is finished he walks over to the driver's side and I take my drip bag and slide over the console into the passenger seat, determined to get some shut-eye.

" I'll wake you up once I find somewhere for us to eat," Gerald says as he starts the car, and puts it in drive. I drop my head against the window and close my eyes ignoring the stinging pain that comes along with the simple motion of closing my eyelids.

Thankfully, I doze off, lulled by the hum of the engine, and the rocking motion.

It's not peaceful or restful but it helps restore some of the energy I've wasted while trying to put this puzzle together.

One of my own. A resounding thought, that tumbles inside my head, every single time I try to push it away. I've held Anika and Hector with great respect and admiration over the years, and now I've come to realise that I've offered unconditional love and loyalty to a murderer, abductor, torturer and worse.

My stomach revolts and coils on itself at those thoughts. I can't believe I'm related to one of them. I can't believe I'm one of them.

The car coasts to a stop and I groggily pry my eyes open, and I'm greeted with the bright light of the morning sun.

" We need to fill up the tank and get some food. Wanna come in?" Gerald asks before he slides out of the car, and I find myself forced to step out of the car because I have to use the bathroom.

Slowly I pull the needle out of my arm and place it on the side before, I step out of the car.

" I need to use the bathroom," I say absently eyeing the little shop attached to the tiny petrol station.

Gerald looks around the lot for a second before pointing into the far corner of the lot," That is the bathroom. I'll meet you inside," He takes me towards the little shop while I head in the opposite direction, practically crossing my legs so I don't pee myself.

When I step into the little shop, Gerald is sitting at a table in the far corner nursing a cup of coffee bigger than his head, while eyeing the plate that is lying in the middle of the table.

" You look like someone who relies on coffee to survive," He slides a cup of coffee under my nose and begins to pile pancakes onto a side plate.

" You're not wrong, " I take a sip of the hot coffee, relishing the bitter taste and the trail of fire that leaves behind as it travels down my throat.

" I feel alive," I say with a sigh, and take a pancake out of the stack.

" I second that," Gerald says between mouthfuls and chases his pancakes with another big gulp of coffee.