PAINFUL REMINDER

~{FRANCES' POV}~

*

"Are you lying?" he finally asked and arched a knowing brow at me.

"Yes," I responded truthfully to my dismay.

At my response, he arched a brow at me as everywhere went chillingly quiet.

I thought I was getting a hang of it so why then did I agree to the fact that I was lying?

"So you do practice forbidden things?" He inquired and squinted his brows at me. Officer Greene on the other hand was dangerously calm and the annoying thing was that you wouldn't know what went through his mind.

"No," I successfully lied and it got me by surprise.

Was it because I hadn't gotten a hang of it yet? Is that why I'm fluctuating with my responses?

"Is my skill not working on you?"

"Partially," I truthfully responded and his eyes widened slightly before he faced Officer Greene.

"She's fighting it."

"How is she able to do so?" Mr Greene inquired without looking perturbed.

"I'm not sure. Could it be that she has another cell we don't know of?" Joe asked and I couldn't help but agree because it surprised me as well.

A thick silence settled in our midst as we waited for Mr Greene's final verdict.

When he parted his lips to speak, I inhaled deeply as my heart raced in fear.

"Has Logan contacted you?"

"No," I answered him.

"Call him," he instructed me and my eyes widened in shock.

Why was he asking me to do such a thing?

"I…I can't do…"

"Aren't you both connected? Mariah told me, so there's no need to pretend," he straightforwardly said and I frowned slightly.

"Go on, call him." He urged me.

"He won't come." I stalled.

"If you don't do it, I'll lock you up for another five days or more if I have to," he threatened in a low but calm tone.

The more I stared at him, the more I felt uneasy and terrified for my life.

He has always been a tough man even when Logan was alive but after his death, he became tougher.

"Lo…Logan," I stuttered.

When Mr Greene gave me an intense look, I quickly cleared my throat and called his name more forcefully.

"Logan."

But nothing happened.

"Call him like you mean it. Like you really want to see him," Mr Greene instructed and I gulped in fear due to the way he stressed his words.

"Logan." I called again and when nothing happened, Mr Greene stood up and said a single line.

"Lock her up."

"No! I'll try…. please let me try again," I pleaded.

I couldn't imagine going back to that room again. It drained and frustrated the hell out of me.

When Mr Greene stood without moving, I decided to take that opportunity and call Logan again.

"Logan! Logan, where are you?" I pleaded and looked around like I was going to see him but nothing happened.

"LOGAN!" I screamed his name in frustration and still, nothing happened.

Did he decide to abandon me?

At that realization, I slowly returned my gaze back to his father who blinked at me in a dull manner before walking to the door of the room.

"If you wanted to see me you should've just called me, instead of using her," someone spoke and all heads turned to Zillah whose eyes were grey in color, meaning he was using her to communicate.

Joe slowly got up from his chair with eyes wide open in shock.

Mr Greene on the other hand remained standing with his hand holding the door handle.

"You should let Frances go. Keeping her only makes things worse." Logan went on to say, using Zillah as his mouthpiece.

"For who?" Mr Greene inquired.

"Everyone in this town," he answered.

"Logan?" Joe softly called his name and Zillah calmly faced him.

"You look well, Joe. But I'm disappointed that you had to join hands with the industry of all places." Zillah said and it made Joe gasp in disbelief.

Didn't he believe me when I said Logan was alive? Upon he possessed white cell he still didn't believe me.

"You're not meant to be alive, Logan. You should be inside the grave." Mr Greene stated grimly without turning around like he didn't want to face him.

In silence Zillah faced me and when our eyes locked, I felt breathless and unsure of what to do.

Strangely, I could clearly remember the kiss we shared and the way it felt but at the same time I didn't want to repeat it because I hadn't fully digested the fact that he was alive. A walking corpse.

"Unfortunately, I'm alive," Zillah said and the moment she blinked, her eye color returned back to normal, causing her to look at me in confusion before looking at the others.

"He's really alive?" Joe asked as he shifted his baffled expression to me for confirmation but I remained silent and let everything sink in on its own.

Without saying another word, Officer Greene opened the door and marched out of the room.

Was he affected by encountering Logan?

I just couldn't predict what he was thinking and it felt so frustrating.

"Frances." Zillah called my name.

"Your mother will be here to see you," she informed me and I nodded and sighed in relief.

"Thank you for your time, Joe," Zillah appreciated him and he nodded before saying, "Can I have a moment with Miss Frances?"

At his request, Zillah gave it a thought but nodded in the end and stepped out of the room.

"I never imagined you have it in you to bring someone back to life." He said in fascination but all I did was stare at him.

"I'm not going to apologize for what I said in the past, Frances," he let me know.

"Then why waste your breath on me?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? You brought my best friend back to life," he stated the fact.

"And what if he's not the friend you used to know?" I curiously asked.

"A friend always remembers little things and keeps to their promises. Why do you think he said he is disappointed in me?" He asked back.

"He's not the Logan you used to know," I bluntly said.

"Is it because he's a vampire and a walking corpse? Or should I say a living nightmare?"

At his questions, I remained silent while quietly observing him.

"Whether he's changed physically, emotionally, psychologically and otherwise, I'll always still regard him as my friend, unlike you who moved on quickly."

"Shut up!" I snapped at him in anger.

"Because I'm telling the truth?" He kept talking and it infuriated me.

"I used to look up to you Joe but now I hate you." I let him know.

"The feeling is mutual, Frances."

After that, a heavy silence settled between us for almost a minute before he broke it by asking a question.

"Why did you bring him back to life when you have no plans of being with him?"

When I didn't give a reply he asked another one.

"What's the point in him being alive when you're with someone else? Couldn't you at least save him that torture? Wasn't it enough that he died for you? Why then should he come to witness your moving on to someone else?"

The way he phrased it cut through my chest and pierced my heart to a point I began to feel guilty when I shouldn't because it wasn't my fault. Everyone kept blaming me when in truth it wasn't really my fault and it hurt.