Tears began to moisten my eyes.
Gavin heaved a deep sigh as he once again looked in the direction Anna ran to. “Sometimes, I think it’s better to die at a culling than to live like this. You should’ve known Anna before she went insane. She was a lot like you. We were actually convinced for a time that Felix truly loved her…he definitely had us fooled. Eventually, he gave in to his nature—blacked out—and turned on her. When he returned her here, the vibrant, kind and beautiful Anna we all knew was gone. All that’s left is what you see now—a shell.”
I hated to ask, but the words came out before I could stop it. “Do you think Derek could do the same thing to me?”
“I would’ve said yes if I hadn’t seen what happened earlier today, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe you and Derek really are different. For your sake, I hope that’s true.” He stared at me for a couple of seconds, and turned toward the staircase that would lead to the topmost level where my quarters were. He then shook his head before grabbing my hand and pulling me toward another direction. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s time you find out what’s really happening here in The Catacombs.” He then stopped and faced me intently. “I can trust you, can’t I?”
“Of course.” I nodded.
“Good, because if you tell a soul—especially Derek—about what I’m about to show you, make no mistake about it, Sofia…I’ll kill you myself.”
CHAPTER 23: DEREK
I would’ve gone to the Lighthouse, but considering all the times I spent there with Sofia, it hardly seemed much of a refuge when what I wanted to escape from were thoughts of her. Thus, I ended up at Vivienne’s greenhouse instead, busying myself with tending to the plants and trying to recall lost, but precious, memories I had of my sister.
If gardening was some sort of therapy for Vivienne, it certainly wasn’t doing the same thing for me. Everything just reminded me of Sofia and what had just occurred at the outskirts of the Vale.
At some point, I just got frustrated with trying to get Sofia off my mind and miserably failing at it. I returned to the penthouse, head hung low, afraid of what I was capable of doing to Sofia. The darkness had never taken over me while she was here. I thought, and I assumed even Vivienne thought the same thing, that her presence kept the darkness at bay.
That was the first time I realized that Sofia was always going to be in danger while she was with me. I could snap any time and destroy her. How on earth was I going to live after that?#p#分页标题#e#
I stepped into my penthouse, riddled with conflicting thoughts, and found Claudia conveniently sprawled on one of my living room couches, waiting for me.
“It took you long enough…” She smiled.
“Claudia? What are you doing here? What do you want?”
“Well, I’ve been wondering how you were coping after your lovely pet left…” She stood to her feet and slunk her way toward me.
“Don’t call her that.”
“Always so defensive when it comes to pretty little Sofia…that’s what everyone calls her, Derek.”
“Go away, Claudia.” I turned toward the direction of my room, but Claudia wasn’t done.
“You’re turning the island upside down on her behalf. What do you plan to do when she leaves you?”
“She’s not going to do that.”
“She’s human, Derek. What exactly do you think is going to happen? Would she really want to stay here forever? Age into an old lady, wrinkled and decrepit, still pining for you? Do you really think that little firebrand of yours won’t want to accomplish something for herself? Doesn’t she have any dreams and ambitions of her own to fulfill? She may be an immature teenager obsessed with you and ready to give in to your wanton needs, but she’s going to grow up eventually. You know it. I know it.”
I had no idea why I just stood there, allowing Claudia to mess with my mind using her winding spiel, but I did. Claudia was voicing out my own fears and I didn’t have an answer to any of the questions she was throwing my way.
“If she wanted to be with you, Derek, she would’ve allowed you to turn her.”
“If she didn’t want to be with me, she wouldn’t have given up her whole life outside of the island just to come back here to me.”
“Oh come on…that doesn’t prove anything. For all we know, the only reason she might be here is because she wants to be some sort of hero to her fellow humans.”
“She could’ve done that outside The Shade, Claudia.” I felt a spark of triumph as I realized once again just how much Sofia had given up to be with me. “She knows where The Shade is. Vivienne gave her the exact location, the exact coordinates. She could’ve destroyed us all, but she didn’t.” Because she loves me. I smiled.