Liam smiled at me, and it made my heart clench. He patted my head and stood up.

“It’s pretty late, and it’s almost time for dinner. I don’t think you want to leave bed just yet, so how about I bring the food up here, and we’ll eat here? Just the two of us,” Liam smiled at me, and I nodded.

“I’d like that- just no peanuts,” I said, and Liam smiled.

“You got it!” Liam shot me some finger guns and left the room. I laughed silently to myself and looked at the window. The yellow hues turned orange, and the room got a bit darker. The room seemed a little bit stuffy with the memory, but it turned phantom. I sighed and looked at my hands.

Some things were running through my head like I was hosting a track and field event. I put a hand on my chest, and it felt warm despite my body being colder than snowflakes on ice.

What were those orbs? What do they mean? Why couldn’t I remember what happened to me?

What’s a harpy? Where is my kin? Why was I separated? Where did I come from? Why did I land here? Why do-

Suddenly it felt like my mind was turned to a different channel.

My hand lifted up without me mindlessly telling it to. My other hand lifted and then was put out to marvel along with the other. The purple bracelets were gone entirely, and it looked as if I never got the injury.

I was insanely confused.

It felt like something was controlling my body.

The hands snatched the covers off, and my feet were shifted to the floor. My toes wiggled with freedom and clutched the ground in happiness. My body got off the bed and fell forward a bit but caught itself on the desk. My legs wobbled to the bathroom door and turned the light on.

I looked in the mirror, and I didn’t see myself. My emerald eyes were now a dull grey, and my face had the life sucked out of it. My hair was loosely contained in the braid, and my skin looked paler than before.

My face stayed glued to the mirror as my hands hastily robbed the drawers of its contents. Even though I couldn’t see whatever I was looking for, a bunch of little items ran into my fingers and made me cringe from the real pain.

Suddenly, my hand stopped, and my head looked down to see a razor.

My left forearm rested in front of me, and the razor was pressed lightly on it.

I didn’t want this. I tried putting the brakes on whatever it was controlling me, but it felt like they’d ignore my simple kicks and punches. If I could cry, then I would, but I doubt it would’ve made a difference. Everything was starting to look up. I felt like I was taking two steps forward, but this was putting me three steps back.

The razor pressed deep in my skin and-

“Kye? I brought you some food!” Liam’s voice rang out and broke the trance my body was in.

I wasn’t ready for the immediate control, and I collapsed to the ground. It felt like I could finally breathe again. I was gulping in air like a fish out of water.

My cut arm landed near my head, and I saw it heal right before my eyes. The orphan blood fell on the ground, and I heard Liam come to the door.

“Kye! What happened!” He kneeled to the ground and put me in his arms. He looked at my eyes and stopped what he was doing. He was frantic before he made eye contact, and I stared back at his black eyes. My breathing turned quiet as he stared intensely back at my eyes.

A drop of something sharp hit the ground and knocked him out of his trance. He looked over and frowned. His face fell to a place I never thought it could, and I looked over to see the razor dropped from my hands.

Liam said nothing as he picked me up and brought me to the bed. He sat down and kept me in his lap and just held me. I felt his heartbeat and felt his hands rub my back. His breathing was coming in short breaths, and I felt him shudder when he touched a still-sore spot on my back. He stopped before laying a hand on my back and held me as close as possible.

“When I was younger, I had a really good friend” Liam spoke with a hint of sadness. “She was kind and had a big heart. Her demons got the best of her, and she started cutting herself with razors. As shapeshifters, we can heal from almost anything, but our bodies can only go through so much before giving up. Her wolf was weak from the start, and her demons took advantage of that because when she hurt herself, it took her days to heal. She told me she would quit, but one day, I walked into her room to see her dangling from the ceiling.”

His voice croaked, and I looked up at him to see him looking away from me. He looked at me and ran his hand down the outline of my face.

“Please, if you have anything bothering you- please come to me, and I’ll help you with it. I lost her, and it took me years to cope with it. I-I don’t think I could lose you too” I bit my lip and nodded.

“L-Liam,” I stuttered. “It wasn’t me that tried to use it. Something took control, and I couldn’t control my actions. I tried to stop but I couldn’t” My right hand bunched in his shirt, and he placed a hand on top of mine.

Liam took a deep breath. “I believe you.”

I was surprised. “Y-you, do?”

Liam nodded his head. “At the end of the trial, your eyes went from a vibrant green to a soulless grey. I told Xavier to look, and he saw them too. When I saw you in the bathroom just now, your eyes were grey before turning back into the green.”

Liam kept talking as his revelation kept me silent. “I know it was hard, but I’m glad you told me about this. It means a lot,” He chuckled. “I’m just glad you didn’t try cutting yourself.”

I smiled tiredly. “I don’t think I could seem like too much work.”

“At least I know you won’t try it,” Liam said. He stood up, and I gripped his shirt as he laid me back down on the bed. He went to the bathroom, and I heard the water running for a second before it stopped. He came back out with a towel and grabbed my left forearm to wipe. The blood was long gone, but there were still smudges of blood pushed around on my skin.

Liam put the towel on the desk and looked at the untouched food for both him and I. I couldn’t see what was on his plate, but I saw a bed of rice and some pork on top. A cup containing something orange was off to the side, and some silverware and bread were also on the tray.

“Are you hungry?”

Just the thought of food made my stomach growl in disgust. Instead of answering, I yawned and blinked slowly.

Liam smiled and came to my bedside. He tucked me in and caressed cheek with his thumb. “I’ll let you sleep then, and I’ll take my food somewhere else.”

He turned to leave, but I shot my arm out and grabbed his shirt. He turned around to me and looked at my hand on his shirt.

“Could you stay with me for the night?” Liam took my hand off his shirt and held my hand.

“Of course, I’ll stay with you. Just let me get some blankets” He let go and walked out the door. I sighed in relief. Somewhere in my gut, it told me that this night would be a long one and I didn’t want to be alone.

33. At least Liam will be with me.