Revelation - Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Three Days Until the Conversion

Iris

Remus has given me freedom. Not that it matters because I'm still a prisoner to him, but still he lets me roam wherever I so choose. I’ve been exploring the same parts of the castle daily, too afraid to leave this wing and run into Remus’ father. I never want to feel that way again then when he had that strange hold on me.

And with the freedom comes the thoughts that have been plaguing me. Everything from moments on Earth to our moments together on the beach. Remus’ actions and reactions have been confusing. Especially with his confession the other day. But I can see more clearly now that he’s confused, and needs some form of guidance.

“Iris?” I pause when I hear a familiar voice, turning to see Ezra. He’s coming towards me with a small smile on his face. He’s dressed in all white like Remus usually is, and his shoulder-length hair falls messily around his face giving him a boyish charm. I don’t know how to react to him being here, seeing as the last time I saw him I tried to attack him. So, I just wait for him to catch up to where I’m standing. I look around for a moment.

“Where’s Sky?” I ask. His smile immediately drops.

“She hasn’t been up for a walk lately.” He says. I nod my head, not wanting to pry. I look around for Remus but see that he’s nowhere in tow. Meaning Ezra and he must not be on good terms.

“I never thought I’d be excited to see you.” He jokes. I give him a half smile. I know what he means. At this point, his face is the only one I’m relieved to see. He gives me some form of reassurance. Even though I know what he’s capable of physically, I still recall how he took care of me on Leviathar in Remus’ absence.

“Where are you going?” He asks. I shrug.

“I just walk around this wing to get out of the room,” I say. He nods his head. A silence falls over us so I decide to flip his question around.

“Where are you going?” I ask. He holds up the papers in his hands.

“Last minute arrangements before the conversion.” He says.

“The conversion?” I ask. He nods and looks at me in confusion.

“Remus hasn’t mentioned the conversion to you?” He asks. I shake my head. We continue to walk in silence. At this point, I don’t know where I’m headed. I think about Remus’ words the other day about Ezra and Sky. I really added fuel to the fire with my actions. Ezra didn’t do what he did out of hatred or spite, but out of love. Because like me he would rather her live than dying. Death shouldn’t be the scapegoat.

“I’m sorry… for attacking you the other day. I was blinded by rage.” I say. He shakes his head.

“I understand. You and Sky are a few of the only humans left. You naturally stick together.” He says. I eye him in confusion and open my mouth to ask him to clarify but he keeps talking.

“Besides, you’ve always been protective of humanity.” He laughs. “I never wanted to force the bond on her… but she would have died otherwise. I couldn’t let that happen.” He says. I nod my head.

“I understand.” I murmur.

“Do you?” He asks. I look at him and he’s looking at me with curiosity in his gaze. I nod my head slowly.

“When Remus and I were on Leviathar, he was changing. He was kind, and attentive, and patient. He was different. “ I say. I can’t help but smile at the memories.

“I had fallen for him. And when he left, I felt empty…” I look at Ezra and he’s watching me with a serious expression. Tears well up in my eyes and spill over as I express my emotions to Ezra.

“I miss him,” I say. “I miss who he was before your mother took him away from me.”

“I miss who he was becoming.” I look out over the hall.

“Now that’s gone. Any chance of him regaining any emotional tie is gone. He’s… different.” I say. Ezra is watching me with a grim expression. He gives me a bitter smile.

“You’re right.” He says.

“He’s changed. And I don’t think he’s ever coming back.” He laughs bitterly.

“She did ruin him.” He says. He takes a deep breath.

“Any trace of who my brother used to be died along with my home planet.” He says. I recall what Remus said the other day in the room about his siblings, and since Ezra seems to be in a decent mood decide to ask questions.

“Are you afraid of him?” I ask. Ezra looks up but answers.

“Yeah.” He says. “I’ve never feared my brother before. I only ever feared that I couldn’t live up to his expectations. But now… He’s a whole other animal now.” He says. I nod my head.

“I think he hasn’t been lost completely,” I say.

“He’s confused. He knows what he’s done is wrong, but doesn’t feel remorse for it and that confuses him.” I say.

“How would you know?”

“He spoke to me about it,” I say. I see an opening balcony coming up and decide to walk out to it. It overlooks a river that passes through the kingdom. The usual sun is hiding behind clouds, and I can hear the sound of thunder in the distance.

I take a seat in the chair and look up to see Ezra following me. He takes a seat as well eyeing me cautiously.

“You’re right. Remus has changed. But somewhere inside of him is the same brother you both know. He’s just… fighting to get out. To understand where he stands in life. Your mother manipulated him for most of it, and he doesn’t know what’s real and what’s fake. He’s just confused.” I say. Ezra shakes his head.

“He’s not confused. He’s used my love for Sky against me more times than I can count and locked our sister away to ensure her loyalty. He’s just as manipulative as our mother.” He says. I shake my head.

“That’s all he knows,” I say. I can’t believe I’m defending him, but ever since our conversations and his random moments of wanting to open up, I feel like I understand him more and more.

“When I was on Earth, Remus always spoke of you and Xion. You two were his world.” I say. I laugh softly.

“He was so angry when you went missing,” I say. Even though his anger was directed at me, I understand it now that I understand his family more.

“Remus’ sole purpose was to keep you safe,” I say.

“You’re defending him? After what he’s done to you?” He asks. I nod my head.

“It has to stop. Somewhere it just has to stop.” I look up at Ezra. “You can’t take people that are already hurt and hurt them more…” I smile softly as I find myself quoting Sky. “That’s how you breed more evil in the world.” I finish. Ezra doesn’t speak.

“You don’t hate him? For what he did to your planet?” He asks.

“I won’t forgive him… but I can’t help my people now… All I can do is move on.” I say. Ezra looks confused now.

“People as in… people of Earth?” He asks. I nod my head.

“Yes…” I say. He sits back in his seat silently and stands.

“It’s been refreshing, Iris.” He says. He walks away from me.

“Ezra,” I call out to him and he pauses looking back at me.

“She knows… You just have to give her time.” I say referring to Sky. He nods his head and walks away.

~

I return to the room once darkness starts setting in. The wall is open, so I step through the archway wanting nothing more than to lay down. My thoughts have been running a mile a minute, and I’m exhausted from thinking and being confused.

I know how I should feel, but at this point, everything I’ve taken in from the past few weeks have been colliding with each other. I pause when I see the balcony door is slightly opened. It’s raining. It’s a heavy downpour with thunder rumbling through the floors every few seconds.

I pause when I see Remus. He’s sitting on the balcony looking out over the world. He’s wearing his usual white. My eyes widen in fascination. Even though he’s sitting out in the rain, not a drop is touching him. He’s somehow repelling the raindrops with his power. I make my way to the balcony pushing the door open. The rain immediately pelts me, the water soaking up in the fabric of my dress. But I keep walking towards Remus. He’s lost in thought. Deep in thought. He has a frown on his face, and his gaze is unfocused. He’s sitting with his legs dangling over the railing.

I slowly reach out, pressing my hand lightly against his back. He straightens and turns to look at me. He has an irritated expression on his face and it immediately morphs to surprise, followed by a gentle smile.

“Iris.” His voice cuts clearly through the rain. And still, no water touches him, but it soaks me. He immediately takes notice and waves his hand. Suddenly, the droplets refuse to touch my skin. His gaze falls back to me, and he watches me cautiously.

“What are you doing out here?” I ask. He takes a deep breath.

“Thinking.” He murmurs. He turns back towards the railing.

“About what?” I ask. He looks at me in confusion.

“Why the sudden interest, Iris?” He asks. “We’ve already had this discussion on your beliefs.” He says. I nod my head.

“I know,” I say. I look around at the world Remus came from. I move next to Remus, hauling myself up and dangling my legs over the railing like him. I don’t say anything. And we just sit in silence, watching the rain. Remus looks at me.

“Somethings bothering you?” He asks. I don’t respond immediately. But I finally look at him.

“Somethings bothering you,” I say. He narrows his gaze at me but says nothing.

“It’s ok Remus…” I find myself shaking with nerves because I have no idea how he’ll react. But I have no idea how to elicit a reaction from him other than this. He’ll either shut me out and walk away like he usually does, or maybe we’ll have a different reaction this time. I reach a shaky hand up, and I touch him. I press my hand against his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin. He watches me with a scary expression, but he doesn’t move.

“It’s ok to feel Remus… It’s ok to let go.” I say. I offer him a smile and wait. Wait for him to show me something. Suddenly, I can feel the rain again. And I can see it falling on him. He’s letting it touch us. The rain quickly soaks his clothing and his hair, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care. He focuses on me. There’s confusion in his gaze, but he keeps it focused on me.

Water trickles down his face sticking to his lashes and running over his lips. It’s mesmerizing. The droplets seem to light up faintly from touching his skin.

I let out a soft laugh of relief. He’s feeling something. He’s letting himself feel it, instead of running from it and shutting me out.

“Just feel,” I say. He takes a deep breath.

“So this is what it’s like.” He murmurs. He brings his hand up over mine closing his eyes.

“To feel human.”