Possessed Soul

Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The day had gone by so fast, and before I knew it, it was night again. "Patrolling again?" Flynn had his hands in his pockets as he walked up to me. His hair was ruffled, and he yawned loudly, signalling his sleep for the day wasn't quite done.

"Patrolling would require me to walk around," I explained. "I'm only guarding one area." It was no point pretending I was doing anything else: the baseball bat said it all. Plus, everyone knew Holden wanted Sage gone, and I was willing to do anything to protect her.

"Area or girl?" Flynn enquired, with a smile playing on his lips. He didn't bother waiting for me to reply. "Either way, I don't think the baseball bat is necessary." I looked down at the bat clutched in my right hand, in the dark it looked like nothing more than a thick tree branch.

I shrugged. "Rather safe than sorry."

"I'll take over," Flynn offered, holding his hand out for the baseball bat.

I shook my head in reply. Even if he did take over I still wouldn't be able to sleep. I would lie awake in bed, wondering how safe Sage was and if she was a reasonable distance away from Holden. I felt safer guarding her. And who needed sleep? I had promised Sage I would sleep, but she wouldn't be able to tell the difference if I took a capsule of Speed before she woke up.

Despite my refusal, Flynn took the wooden bat from me.

"You really like her?" Flynn asked, holding the bat in a more relaxed way than I had.

"Why does everyone think that?" I shook my head and sighed, thinking about how Emma and Aaron had the same thoughts about me and Sage. "I really don't," I said in reply to his question.

"Who are you trying to lie to?" Flynn asked, with amusement clouding his voice. "Me, yourself or Sage?"

I didn't reply. I wasn't sure what the correct answer was. Right now it felt like I was lying to all three of us, but that wouldn't last for long; what I felt for Sage was a teenage crush, nothing more. My feelings for someone had never escalated to the point of me saying I'm in love. Why would this time be any different?

"Flynn?" I enquired, after a heavy silence. "Who's Grace?"

I felt him stiffen next to me, and I knew him well enough to know that this was a topic he had been hoping to avoid. I looked at his expression, and sure enough, it was guarded; he was careful not to let any emotion slip out.

"My wife," he told me. "Ex-wife, actually."

"You were married?" This came as a surprise to me. I had always thought Flynn just hadn't found the right lady.

He nodded. "I loved her more than anything... still do."

"So what happened?" I wasn't usually nosy, but this situation intrigued me. I needn't to know what it was like to love someone like that...I needed to know if what I felt for Sage was anything close to love. I doubted it.

"Two people can love each other unconditionally," he explained. "But the death of a child breaks them up."

"Flynn, I..." I didn't finish what I was saying. I didn't have the correct words to comfort him, so instead I put my hand on his shoulder and hoped it was enough.

"Our daughter might not be dead, but it's easier to believe she is. I only held her in my arms for an hour and then she was stolen from the hospital. I remember the way her tiny finger curled around my thumb, and the way her beautiful brown eyes gazed upon me. Grace blamed me for what happened that night. They were both asleep, Grace and our unnamed baby. I should have been there for her, should have been able to protect her."