The Brothers and I

Chapter 32

The early morning sun peeked through the tall trees, colouring the sky with its soft orange hue. Sitting huddled in a blanket on one of the comfortable sofas in the guest house, I watched the beautiful scenery come to life. The birds chirped loudly in their greetings, the leaves rustled against each other and the darkness gave way to the start of another glorious day. Every life form was buzzing with energy – alive and thriving.

All... except for me.

If not for the faint breaths that strained out of my chest and the irregular beats that pumped life through my veins, I would be devoid of everything that constituted a "living being." I felt dead. A hollow shell, expending energy to live, yet not alive. My weary eyes burned from the hours of crying that I had succumbed to last night. The numbness that I felt on the inside rendered my mind and body unresponsive. My world was in turmoil and yet I didn't feel a thing.

"Tommy? Mia?"

The voice annoyed me. Why can't they leave me alone? After the dramatic conclusion to last night's episode, all I wanted was to be left in peace. To cry to my heart's content, to feel everything until I felt nothing, to drown and never come back up again. For resurfacing from the icy depths; where your senses are dulled and your pain is numbed, would mean that I would have to face the truth. Feel the pain all over again. And that was something my fragile mind couldn't deal with right now. Because when it came to the brothers and I, the truth had not set me free. It had trapped me in a world of hurt and pain – my own personal hell.

"Mia? What's going on? Where's Tommy? I tried to link him but he's blocked everyone out."

Somewhere deep within my paralysed brain, the words registered. Even the voice sounded familiar. But nothing seemed to make sense while the conscious side of me remained silent.

"Hey... are you alright?" The gentle touch on my shoulder had me looking up into a pair of worried corn-blue eyes. Beautiful pale skin and striking blond hair. I blinked a few times, my cognitive functions moving at a slow pace as I tried hard to place the person in front of me. Some part of me was certain that this handsome creature and I had crossed paths before.

And after what felt like a lifetime, recognition finally kicked in, bringing along with it the depressing reality of my situation. I winced when the mental wall that I had built to keep the pain at bay cracked, letting the voices of insecurity, mockery and self-deprecation slip through and wreak havoc on my sense of worth.

"L-Liam?"

My voice was hoarse, the words grating like sandpaper against my dry throat.

"Yes. Mia, are you feeling alright? You don't look well." The valley between his brows connected, his eyes taking in my appearance; which I knew was far from presentable. I was still in the same dress as last night. My makeup was probably all over my face, my eyes red from crying and my hair was likely a tangled mess.

Keeping my eyes trained on a spot over his shoulder, I shrugged while trying to hide the true state of my dysfunction. "I'm ok."

"No, you're not. Where's Tommy?"

My breath caught in my throat when a stab of pain hit my chest at the thought of Thomas. Turning away from Liam, I shifted my gaze to the tree line, my eyes narrowing in on the small gap between two old trees where I had last seen the silver wolf slip through and vanish.

"Gone."

Liam shuffled to the front, partially blocking my view of the woods. Kneeling down, he gently tilted my chin towards his crouched form. His eyes roving my face in confusion and worry. "Gone? Where?"

I grit my teeth when I felt the stirrings of the flood within, thrashing and beating against the dam that I had painstakingly constructed to contain it. A small tear slipped through, landing on the arm that was holding my face in a tender grip as the events from last night began to replay in my mind.