Iris:
"She kicked you out?" he asked, not because he did not believe , but because he seed to be trying to process the news.
"Yeah. It was humiliating," I paused as I swallowed hard.
"You’re telling that Zoe flipped on you in a matter of seconds?" he asked.
"Those two used to be good to you, correct?" he added.
Of course he asked that. He did not know the details of our relationship. I gave him a silent look.
"What?" he asked.
"I don’t know what you’re trying to tell ," he added.
I rembered that in the past he used to be around when Kash was around. And Kash’s family was overly sweet to in public.
"They were brutal to ," As soon as I said that, his words got caught in his throat. He started to cough.
"Do you need water?" I asked, pointing to the glass on the bedside table.
"Iris," he muttered, clearing his throat as he accepted the glass, took a sip, and set it back down.
"That is not how I rember things," he replied.
I did not judge Kash or him for saying that. It was all on . I knew that much.
"I’m not judging you for not believing , trust ," I told him.
"But I must tell you that it is my truth, and I was a huge sucker in the past," I mumbled as I shifted in my seat.
"What do you an?" he asked.
I smiled to myself and lowered my head.
"They were playing gas with ," I said.
"Zoe used to say that she has this condition where she gets panicky, and in panic—"
I paused and laughed quietly to myself at how stupid I was to believe her excuse. Or maybe I did not believe it. I believed it because it was easier for to live that way.
"She used to say that in panic, she just hits , or she burns my hand," I continued.
My words must have had a strong effect on him because I watched his eyes stare at blankly, like there was no soul in them.
"Walkin, did it never occur to you that whenever they said I got bruised because they were helping train in the woods, none of the warriors ever confird whether I had trained or not?" I asked.
I understand that Kash was surrounded by people who were lying because his mother would tell them not to say anything. They did not know the details, but I knew the truth. And it is all my fault that I hid their actions and protected them.
"I an, of course it was my fault, because now it seems like I’m the one lying," I concluded, rubbing my hands over my face.
"When I sat outside alone and hopeless, I texted Kash. I told him he had a choice. What he said to is engraved in my mory."
I paused, closed my eyes, and repeated the words to Walkin, who kept watching my face in shock.
"After that, I left."
When I finished, Walkin shook his head.
"No, he did not say all that. I rember when you left. He was devastated. He showed the last conversation you two had, and no, he did not say those things," Walkin replied, refusing to believe .
"Of course you will not believe . And of course Kash must have deleted his responses."
As I continued speaking, Walkin stood up from the bed.
"You know what? I think you should rest. I will go check on a few things because if I don’t, my head will burst trying to figure out the truth."
His harsh response did not co from him trying to silence . It seed like he was finally opening his eyes and planning to find the truth himself.
I do not know why it took so long to see it.
I guess now I realize that Kash has finally chosen Lara over , and they will only grow stronger from here.
I decided to speak my truth so I could be at peace once I leave, or once Kash throws aside.
At this point, running away did not even seem like an option either.
"Sure, take your ti," I told Walkin, watching him walk away.
He had only reached the door when I started coughing, and he stopped.
"Are you alright?" he asked from across the room.
"Yeah, yeah, I’m fine," I replied, giving him a small hand gesture.
But I began to cough even harder.
Suddenly, my skin started to itch.
I scratched my arms and then my neck.
"What is going on? You don’t seem okay," Walkin said as he took a few steps toward .
I noticed my vision was starting to blur.
I blinked several tis, but he still looked unclear to .
"What is going on?" I muttered to myself, reaching out for support.
Even though I was sitting, it felt like I was falling.
My skin burned like it was on fire.
I scratched harder, then rubbed my back and dragged my hands over my face.
"Ah! Take it off!" I scread, digging my nails into my skin as I scratched hard.
Until I felt sothing wet.
"Stop! You’re bleeding!" Walkin’s voice ca out in a strained whisper.
I felt his hands grab my wrists to stop from scratching, but he cried out and pulled away.
"Ah!" I heard him groan.
I lifted my head again, and all I could see was blood.
If I had to describe it exactly, it was as if soone had put a red filter over everything.
Red covered my vision.
I could see Walkin and his face, even his expressions, but everything was tinted red.
I blinked hard again and again, but my focus kept shifting back to my skin.
My heart started to burn.
I heard my children screaming in fear as they watched .
"Kids, calm down. Co here. Your mother is okay. I will take her to the hospital. She will be fine," Walkin called out.
That was all I heard before I pushed myself up from the bed.
At that mont, sothing told I needed to get away from them, that I needed to protect my children from .
But the second I stood, my knees gave out, and I collapsed to the floor.
I was screaming, or at least I thought I was screaming in my head.
The sound was so loud that I could not think.
Then I realized I could hear my own voice out loud.
I was screaming so much that I frightened my children.
"What is going on?" soone else shouted as I scrambled across the floor toward the door, searching for anything that was not red.
"Take the children away. They are getting scared," Walkin urged her while I crawled past them toward the window.
"No! I want to stay with Mommy and Daddy!" Colin cried, but no one could co close to .
Anyone who touched cried out in pain, saying their hands were burning.
Even Zoe cried out when she tried.
Amy touched gently, but she also let out a small cry.
Zoe quickly pulled both children into her arms and moved them away from .
When I finally reached the window, my body started to shut down.
I turned my head and saw Walkin behind holding an injection.
I could only assu he had given silver and wolfsbane.
"It is okay. I promise you, you will be fine," Walkin said, trying to reach as I began to get up again.
Zoe had left with my children. It was just Walkin in the room.
I saw his eyes widen in surprise when he realized the wolfsbane and silver no longer worked on . The fear on his face said it all. He was probably realizing I was immune to wolfsbane.
"Iris, are you... are you shifting?" he asked hesitantly, his hand rising toward .
I started to growl. I could hear it. Even when I tried to speak, it ca out as a growl.
My eyes dropped to my hands. My skin had started to burn and harden as it changed. My claws pushed through.
"Oh no Iris, it is happening?" he whispered, his eyes widening.
"Give iron." That was all I could say in my head, but when the sound ca out, it was another howl.
"What is going on?" I heard Zoe trying to enter the room to see what was going on when Walkin locked the door.
"Everything is fine," he yelled to her.
"But let co inside," she cried from the other side, worried for him and probably wanting gossip.
I did not want it to hurt. Poor Walkin. But it seed like it was true. I was having my first transition in a locked room with what I feared would be my first victim.
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