Chapter 4

1940 (New York): Maiza

"Lalette, don't! You'll regret eating him. We can take care of him in other ways. This is not a good idea, he—" Oh no. This cannot be. Kayla, I can't stop her. No, I have to stop her. Kayla. It's over. She's in my arms now, but it's over. She's crying. I'm responsible for this; I've made my sweet Kayla cry. The sight of her weeping crushes me. I had no idea she had this influence over me. It's all because of my mistake to summon that demon that she is crying. If it weren't for me, Warren wouldn't have been hurting that girl in that alley, and Kayla wouldn't be crying in my arms right now. So much pain that I have caused.

"Stop it. Stop it all! Please!" Kayla's cries tears me apart. I don't know what to do. She's starting to rip at her hair, and all I can do is hold her tighter. And just like that her body has gone limp in my arms.

"What is wrong with her?" Lalette is crying and stroking Kayla's hair as she asks this.

"She's having trouble seeing his memories I think. You just need to give her time to separate everything." Firo would know; he's done this before. I nod at him and scoop Kayla into my arms to take inside. She's so light in my arms as I carry her and place her on my bed.

About five hours have passed, one of which Lalette left to sleep. I can't remember which one. All my focus has been on Kayla. Watching her sleep is not as serene as I imagined. Warren's memories must be surfacing in her dreams. I don't know if I should wake her or not. Would reality really be favorable over her nightmares? Now she's starting to cry in her sleep again—at least she's stopped screaming. That is the worst. I wonder if she minds that I am holding her hand right now. It's starting to get hard to stay awake…

A loud bang sounds as I land on the ground; somehow I fell out of my chair. The sound woke Kayla up. She jerks her head to look in my direction and throws herself onto the floor next to me.

"Maiza, please. I can't take this. His memories are so foul. All the things that he's done. If I had only spoken up that day! But I was stupid, too stupid. I thought that he would really stay with Fiore. I thought that I'd be the only one. I'm so stupid. I can't take this anymore. End this! I don't want to close my eyes and be able to see the bodies of all those mangled girls. I don't want to be able to close my eyes and hear their screams for mercy anymore. Please. Please. I'm begging you, eat me." She cannot be serious. But this time, I know that she is not joking. She has taken my hands into hers. She has such a strong grip even though my hands are nearly twice the size of her's. I shake my head. How could I possibly end her existence? That wasn't an appropriate answer for her, however, because she's taking out her knife.

"Kayla, do you really think you could torture me into eating you?"

"Yes." That was all she said before she made the first stab, but the stab was into her own heart. Her eyes slowly close as she bleeds out and lies limp on the floor. I know that she will get up again and be fine, but that doesn't stop my heart from screaming. Within three minutes, she pushes herself back up. This time, she stabs her heart and brutally turns the blade over and over again until her screams stop and she falls back limp on the floor. Before she gets back up again, I scramble to take the knife and throw it across the room. Before her eyes completely open again, I already have her straddled under me.

"Kayla, stop this madness! You can't keep doing that. I'll keep anything that can hurt you away from you. I'll protect you from dying ever again!"

"You really think you can do that? You really think you can watch me all day? You don't think I'll be able to find a razor in the bathroom? A wire in my fucking bra? END IT! NOW!"

"Kayla…you know I won't."

"Why are you so cruel, Maiza? So selfish? You let this happen, now take responsibility for it!" She knew exactly where to hit. I put my hand on her head, and she closes her eyes. But I can't do it. Instead, I run my fingers in a soft caress down her cheek and kiss her. But of course she pushes me off and tries to crawl away.

"Kayla, don't go…" She's stopped crawling at my words. I slowly take her hand into mine to brush my lips against. "Kayla, stay with me. I'll help you through this. I won't leave you, I promise. These memories, they're not yours. You know that. It's not your fault, whatever he's done. You've ended it all now. He won't hurt anyone else anymore. I'm just as responsible as you are. We can make up for it together. There's nothing else we can do. What's done is done. Okay? All we can do is strive to be better people and make those around us happier…" She blinks at those last words, and I can tell that I've gotten through to her. Before I could say more, the door opens. Lalette walks in with Firo. Both of their mouths are hanging open, and I can see why—I'm somehow straddling Kayla again on the floor. Firo is whistling, but Lalette looks angry.

"Are you feeling better now, Kayla?" Lalette asks through clenched teeth.

"Lalette! I am. Thank you for asking. My head is still swimming, but I don't quite feel like I'm…drowning anymore. I just had some good reasoning drilled in. Thank you, Maiza." I can tell that she's embarrassed as she's trying to stand back up; her face has turned the color of strawberries. I can't help but smile at that.

"Why don't we leave these two love birds alone, Lalette?" Firo winks at me and opens the door for Lalette.

"Don't be stupid, Firo. Those two aren't 'love birds.'" Lalette looks at Kayla when she says this. Have they talked about me before? Is there some sort of woman channeling happening at the moment? I decide to intervene and take Kayla's hand again. I won't let Kayla decide against me until she's talked to me.

"Kayla? Be a bird with me. I'll promise to forever keep our nest filled with strawberries and double-fudge cake. I hope you don't mind the cheese." I tag along my widest smile, and with that comment she smiles—I've finally won her heart.

1946 (New York): Fiore

"Bye! Have fun grocery shopping! We'll see you for dinner tonight!" I am still laughing from listening to Isaac and Miria's story. "That was a fantastic breakfast; don't you think so, Lalette?"

"Yeah, it was." Lalette says this with downcast eyes. I wrap my arm around hers and nudge her.

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. It can't be something. Definitely not. There's no way."

"I'm going to punch you. Tell me. What is it?"

"Okay, but promise not to do anything stupid, okay? I'm not completely sure."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now tell me."

"Well…" Lalette steals a quick glance at me and shuffles her feet. She is definitely conflicted at the moment. I wonder if I'll actually be able to squeeze this out of her. We reach our house, and she still hasn't continued. I take her arm and drag her to the kitchen table to talk.

"I know we have a lot of time to talk, but I'd appreciate it if you'd just tell me now. I feel my white hairs sprouting already."

"Alright. Remember, I'm not sure about this, alright?"

"I know. C'mon, just come out with it already."

"I'm worried for you, Fiore. But I think I'm just being paranoid." She has me hooked. What could possibly have her so worried? Nothing bad could really happen to me. "It's just that, well, it's Kayla."

"What's wrong with Kayla? Is she not well? She looks so happy with Maiza; I can't imagine anything being wrong with her…" After hearing this, Lalette's eyes start pulsing. Something is definitely bothering her.

"Of course you can't tell. You could never tell. I mean, look at that thing with Warren, she—" Suddenly Lalette stops talking and puts her hand over her mouth in horror.

"What. Thing. With. Warren?"

"You mean she really didn't tell you?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"It's just that, well. Ugh. Just pretend you didn't hear that."

"This isn't funny anymore, Lalette. Tell me!" I can't control the rage pulsing inside of me. Within seconds, I've already shattered the wooden chair that I was sitting on into a thousand pieces on the ground.

"Fiore! Calm down. I take it back. I take it back!"

"Fucking tell me what you have to say. We're not supposed to lie to each other! Remember? We all made a pact! A goddamn oath! Fucking tell me already!"

"Stop yelling at me! I'm not the one adamantly keeping the truth from you! Kayla is! She ate Warren, okay?" I didn't expect that. My lungs seize, and I stop breathing. Kayla lied to me? She ate Warren?

"You're lying."

"I wish I were." Lalette's words pierce my heart. It hurts. It all makes so much more sense now; I don't know why I was so blind to the truth before.

"But why? Why would she do that?"

"You really can't figure that out? She was insanely jealous of you and Warren. But she loved you more than herself, so she never took action against him. After you guys broke up, she took the chance to expel her wrath onto him. I thought that that was all over so I never mentioned anything about it before. But lately, she gets that same violent gleam in her eye when you laugh too hard at other people's jokes. But this time, this time… her glare is directed at you. That is why I'm worried."

"I don't believe you. I've never noticed this before."

"Because you love her. We never see the things that we don't want to see. She's gotten so obsessed with you, that…that I'm afraid that she'll try to eat you so that you'll be one with her."

"No. That can't be. That's ridiculous. She has Maiza. They're so freaking happy and sappy together."

"Kayla's always been clever. You know that. It's a façade in my opinion. If they were so happy together, why would she always insist that you join them for dinner? Why would she always insist to pull you along to everything?" I can't stop shaking my head at these outrageous statements. "Fiore, I know this is hard to believe, that's why I never mentioned anything to you before. But it's true. Remember that night we all drank the elixir? Kayla was really upset that night; remember how I followed her to talk to her? All she would tell me was how she wanted to eliminate Warren…she was so frightful." I do remember that night. Kayla did stare very fiercely at Warren. I collapse to the floor; this is all so overwhelming.

"Lalette, please tell me you're not serious?" But she won't. She just kneels and tries to wipe my tears.

"I think you should call Kayla and ask to talk to her tonight. She'll definitely talk to you; she never turns you down. You should tell her to leave you alone. Then we can move away together, away from this place. Okay?" Her voice is so soothing right now. At least I still have one person that I can trust. Lalette helps me stand up and takes me to the phone. On the fourth ring, Kayla picks up.

"Hello hello."

"Kayla."

"Fiore? Fiore, what's wrong? Why do you sound like you've been crying?"

"You got back pretty quickly from your grocery shopping."

"Yeah, we finished early. But quit changing the subject! Tell me what's wrong…" The sincerity in her voice breaks my heart. I can't stay on the phone for long or I'll start crying again. I'm getting so confused. She's always been really concerned about me. But that's because we're really close, isn't it? She's not really violently obsessed with me, is she? That's not like Kayla. At that thought, Lalette puts a hand on my shoulder and urges me on.

"Kayla, will you meet with me tonight? I want to talk to you."

"Of course, you know I will, Fiore. When? Where?"

"Let's meet after dinner. Lalette and I won't be showing up for dinner though, we've made other plans." I test her. How will she react to this rejection?

"Other plans? That was rather quick since we already had plans together from this morning…are you sure you don't want to tell me now what is wrong? Fiore? Is it me?" Her pleading voice has always had an effect on me. Perhaps Lalette can see my face changing; she shakes her head at me. She's right. I'm letting my emotions get the best of me; I'm usually more rational than that.

"No, I don't feel like discussing this. Meet me tonight at 10 at the corner of Hull and Westley Street."

"Alright…are you sure you want to wait that long?"

"Yes. Goodbye." With that, I hang up the phone. I'm weeping now. I hate losing control. How pathetic.

"That was for the best, Fiore. You still have me. Don't feel so bad. Kayla, she still has…Maiza." I nod very quickly. I hate being lied to. Why did Kayla have to lie to me… and about something so big! Why?