Fractured Souls(56)

“Right here.” Alex coughs. He stands up in the grass just a little ways away from us and then hobbles toward us. There are dark circles under his eyes and he, of course, still doesn’t have a shirt on. The holes in his skin are more defined and his Keeper’s Mark is bright against his somewhat pale skin. His brown hair is damp with sweat and he looks like he’s about to hurl.
He spits in the grass and then hunches over, bracing his hands on his knees when he reaches us. “What the hell happened back there? And why was Nicholas with the damn Death Walkers in the City of Crystal?”
I can tell he’s in a lot of pain. I’ve never really understood compassion or giving comfort. I went years and years without being touched, feeling nothing, and then when I finally did, I was too old and all of my emotions left me confused. However I step forward and start rubbing Alex’s back, tracing my fingers up and down his spine. Laylen tries to ignore the fact as much as possible, but I catch him noting it. Alex tenses momentarily, but then his muscles unravel as he embraces and melts into my affection.
“It might have something do to with the fact that Nicholas was playing us.” I sketch a line up and down his spine. “He never even intended to help me get to The Underworld—he’s not even supposed to be there, which means he’s pretty much been lying and will probably continue to lie about everything. He could have been working with the Death Walkers this entire time.”
Alex elevates his head. “What?”
I sigh and the three of us sit in the grass as I begin explaining what has been going on for the last week while he was trapped in the City of Crystal. I tell him about the visions, how I saw us freeing my mom. I tell him about my nightmares and the triangular symbol. He doesn’t know what it is, either, but he doesn’t seem too surprised by the fact that his father’s scar is actually from a mark that’s been cut off. He says he didn’t know, but that he’s sort of glad, at least that way he has something to justify what his father’s doing—going to do. There are a few times where I swear he looks like he’s tearing up, but he shuts it off quickly, a true pro at hiding his emotions. As I watch him battle them, I start to notice just how similar we are. We both fight our emotions and act as if we don’t understand them. While I understand my reason, I can’t help thinking about what could have caused him to want to turn his own emotions off.#p#分页标题#e#
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As soon as I get done telling him about what happened in The Underworld, Alex takes us straight to the hideout. It’s like he can remember it as if we’ve been playing in it only yesterday. When we climb up to the flourishing violet bush on the hill, we climb down the ladder and step into the dark. Memories instantly flood me and I realize that we spent a lot of time down here together.
Alex disappears into the darkness and seconds later I hear a match strike. He blows the dust off a candle and lights the wick. The glow orbs around the room and he places the candle down on top of a table, and then heads over to the trunk in the corner.
“It’s still in the same spot?” I ask, peering over his shoulder.
He lifts the lid up and begins rummaging through it. “That was the last time I ever came down here. You went to live with Marco and Sophia and I just didn’t see the point anymore.” He avoids eye contact with me as he searches for the gem.
There are a lot of silly objects inside it; a rock, a leather bracelet, and what looks like a bouquet of pressed flowers. At one time all of this stuff meant something to us, tied us together along with our friendship.
I lean back and trace my finger down the palm of my hand. “Alex, what does forem mean?”
The muscles in Alex’s back wind up as his entire body stiffens. “What?”
“That’s what we said to each other when we were in here.” I reach around him, take his hand, and then turn it over. I brush my finger along the minor scar in the center of his palm. “You said we were becoming blood brothers and then we said forem.”
I hear Laylen clear his throat fairly loudly. I look over at him and he appears uncomfortable, shifting his weight as he stares at the floor. I open my mouth to say… well, I’m not really sure. And I never do get to find out because he abruptly wanders over to the ladder and climbs up.
“What’s his problem?” I ask Alex as he turns around, clutching something in his hand.
He shakes his head and lowers himself onto the dirt floor, pulling on my arm and steering me to sit with him. “It’s nothing.” He takes a deep breath and then opens his hand, showing me a shimmering blue gem.