Page 18 of A Silence So Divine
With my arms trapped, I can’t respond.
“Hmm. Good.” With that, he releases me and brings the hood back up over my head. I’m aware that my lips have parted and I’m gawking at the man, but I can’t get myself to stop. This bizarre gentleness is more intimidating than the disdain.
The moment Cecil’s inside, Creed is asking if I’m alright, worrying over me like a mother hen.
“I’m fine,”I reassure him, not able to take my eyes off the window that Cecil passes by.
Creed shakes his head and starts climbing the steps.
“What the hell was that?”He asks no one in particular.
I was wondering the same thing.
Eight
Eden
After facing my fears, Creed and I make a habit of walking the grounds. Some days we venture into the edge of the trees (never straying too far, per Cecil’s orders), others we sit by the pond and toss rocks to watch the ice splinter into spiderwebs. Creed suggested ice skating, but after his shoe broke through the surface, he wrote that idea off.
It’s been a couple of weeks since my run in with Cecil, and other than our dinner duties, we haven’t had any more interactions. Until now, that is.
Creed and I are at the kitchen island, engrossed in a heated game of Slap Jack, when Cecil stumbles in. The clock reads 12:07 p.m., and he usually doesn’t get home until after 5:30.
His complexion is ashen, face twisted up in agony. Before he can take another step, Creed rushes to his side. When he attempts to wrap an arm around his brother’s waist, Cecil yells out in agony. It’s then that I note the way his black t-shirt clings to the side of his body. It’s wet.
All the moisture is sucked from my mouth and I gulp repeatedly, the familiar thrum of panic flooding my nerves. Creed is absolutely frantic as he questions his brother.
“What happened? Where are you hurt? Did someone do this?”
I stare helplessly, gripping the edge of the table like a lifeline. The anxiety that has ebbed these last few weeks slams back into my chest with full force. Now is not the time to lose control.
“Eden.” The sound of my name has me jumping out of my seat. It knocks to the ground with a clatter.
“Tell Creed to get the first aid kit from the big bathroom upstairs,” Cecil gasps out between pained grunts, his eyes screwed shut. Sweat slicks my palms and I grow nauseous. Whatever happened, it’s serious. Maybe life threatening. He and I aren’t the best of friends, but if something happens to him… I can’t bear to finish the thought.
Despite the tremor of my hands, I relay the message and take Creed’s place at his brother’s side. Carefully, I lift Cecil’s arm on his uninjured side and drape it across my shoulders, helping him to a chair. He’s so heavy that I drop him ungracefully, eliciting another pained grunt.
“Sorry!”I rub at my chest furiously.
“Yeah, right. This is probably karma, huh?” He scoffs with a trace of humor, opening one eye to peek up at me. I frown in response, unable to find anything funny about this situation. The blood loss is making him delusional.
Without taking a moment to reconsider, I reach for the hem of his t-shirt.
He may be weak, but he’s quick to snatch my wrists.
“No,” he says sternly. Typically, I would shy away from his gruff demeanor, but he’s in no state to be making demands. Eyes narrowing, I nod once.
“I said no,” he repeats, the last word bordering on a whimper. The pain must be unbearable.
I pull from his hold and respond,“I’m not asking.”
We stare at one another, neither willing to back down. The only instance we’ve had something in common.
I cock my hip and cross my arms, prepared to wait him out.I’mnot the one bleeding all over my clothes. And the stool. And the floor.
His face is getting impossibly paler, and my heart rate is going up, up, up. If whatever he’s hiding doesn’t kill him, it might be the death ofme.
I go for his shirt again, and when he reaches for my hand, I smack his away. Hard. His eyebrows shoot up, but I don’t bother meeting his glower. He can be angry all he wants—afterhe’s not on the brink of bleeding out. I’d very much not like to bury his body in my yard.
