Clentine:
With my heavy mind, I saw Troy co in with none other than my stepsister, Leysa.
Seeing her again brought back mories. Even though I did not rember much, the mont I looked at her, I recalled our issues.
This ti, she did not seem to carry any hostility toward . When she looked at , there was deep sadness in her eyes, and I could not look away.
Then she began pushing through the crowd toward .
At the sa ti, Troy jumped in, saying sothing. His voice sounded heavy because he was farther away from . I noticed that when soone stood very close, I could hear them clearly. Otherwise, their voices sounded distant and dull.
Troy reached Yorick, and the two of them started fighting off the warriors and Yorick’s father while his mother stayed close to my bed.
When Leysa reached , she leaned in and gently touched my cheek.
"Let’s go," she said.
Her voice did not sound as high as usual. Everything I heard sounded heavy, almost slow and chanical.
As soon as she tried to pull up, Yorick’s mother stepped in.
"Step away from her," she shouted as she grabbed Leysa’s arm to pull her away from .
Leysa turned and hit her with the back of her hand, sending Yorick’s mother to the floor.
"Let’s go, Clentine. We don’t have ti," Leysa said as she wrapped her arm around and pulled off the bed.
I leaned heavily against her as she helped move forward. My feet dragged, and I could barely lift them.
The mont we stepped into the hallway, I felt a force push against us again, and I knew what had happened.
Lady Rimi had arrived and was blocking us from leaving.
Warriors filled the stairs, making it hard for us to pass, while Lady Rimi stood with her arms spread and a smirk on her face.
"You seriously think you can take her away from us?" Lady Rimi yelled at Leysa.
I saw Leysa glance around until her eyes landed on the locked door next to Yorick’s bedroom, where the fight was still going on.
Those were the last two bedrooms.
I saw concern spread across Lady Rimi’s face when she noticed Leysa looking at that door.
Before Lady Rimi could reach us, Leysa turned and grabbed the doorknob. The keys were still in the lock.
It looked like this was the room of the brother Lady Rimi had ntioned when she accused . She must have co in such a hurry that she forgot to take the keys.
The door flew open. Leysa and I slowly turned toward the figure inside.
It was soone I had seen many years ago.
As soon as he lifted his head from the floor, my heart felt like it stopped.
It was him. The man who ca to when I was just a child, asking about my brother.
How could it be?
He looked exactly the sa, like he had just stepped back into my life. The sa clothes. The sa face.
How was that possible?
"Let’s go," Leysa said, giving a firm shake while I kept staring into the man’s eyes.
"No. Step away from that door!" Lady Rimi scread as she shoved us aside and tried to shut it.
Shackles hung from the wall inside, but they were unchained. It looked like she had ant to co back to this room.
Whatever was in there, the one she called Yorick’s brother, had been passed out but was waking up now.
He was covered in blood, like soone had beaten him with sothing heavy, the sa way my mother had once used a log.
My head started to spin. Nothing made sense. I already felt like I was not even myself, like I did not belong in my own body.
As Lady Rimi rushed to close the door, the man rose from the floor and snarled.
The next second, he lunged at the door.
Lady Rimi had barely pushed it halfway closed when the force of his body slamd into it. The impact threw her back against the wall as he burst out.
The warriors who had been blocking us began to panic.
"Co on! Stop him! Push him back inside!" Lady Rimi scread at them.
They shoved Leysa and aside so they could grab him and force him back into the room. That told it was more important to them to contain him than to stop us.
Leysa pulled down the hall toward the stairs.
"Troy! Co outside!" Leysa shouted.
I saw Troy and Yorick co out of the room, but when they saw the brother fighting the warriors, they both froze.
Troy stared in shock, but Yorick snapped him out of it by grabbing his arm and pushing him aside.
The warriors clung to the man as he fought back, clawing and striking anyone who got close. Even so, they managed to force him back into the room, the sa room where Yorick’s father was.
His mother rushed in after them, another needle already in her hand. Several more were strapped to the belt around her waist.
They tried to subdue him, but the sounds that ca from him were wild and full of rage. I could not forget the way he moved, desperate and violent, attacking anyone who stepped in front of him.
"Co on, let’s go," Leysa said to Troy as he ran toward us.
I noticed Yorick stayed where he was, watching us for a few seconds before he slowly began stepping backward.
Even Troy stopped and turned to look at him.
"What are you doing? Let’s go!" Troy yelled, reaching for him.
Yorick pulled his arm free and kept stepping back, moving toward the room where his brother and the rest of his family were.
"You guys go ahead. I have to stay and help them. They will not be able to control him," Yorick yelled, and there was so much sadness in his voice.
I felt strange. As he started to walk away, I felt a pull toward him that told I did not want to leave without him.
"No, no!" I scread.
Yorick stopped in his tracks and looked at .
"I’m not leaving with them," I yelled as loudly as I could.
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