Possessed Soul

Chapter 52

Chapter 52

While Ryan showered, I decided to head downstairs and meet Flynn's ex-wife, but I wasn't prepared for the sight I got. I stared at the woman in front of me for longer than was appropriate. She stared back at me unmoving, and for a moment I thought I was standing in front of a mirror. A mirror that showed an adult version of me.

"Well, I guess it's true what they say: there are seven people in the world who look like you," the woman, Grace, spoke first. "Looks like we each have six people left to find." She laughed quietly, and her laugh was contagious enough to make Flynn laugh as well.

I soon joined them, but chose not to say anything as the first words out of my mouth would have been a lie. How could I tell Grace that I recognised her, considering we had never met before? How could I tell Grace that my mother had cut her picture out of a newspaper and kept it for sixteen years?

"Would you like something to eat?" Grace asked kindly. She wore a pencil skirt, and a matching pink blouse that set off the colour in her face. She seemed like the kind of lady everyone would look to as a motherly figure. Her warm hazel eyes had flecks of darker brown in them, making her eyes look like they were filled to the brim with lots of unseen emotions.

"Please," I replied.

"Finally, someone with manners." She glared at Flynn who held up his hands in surrender and cheekily winked at her. An action that showed all history between them was not yet forgotten, and spending time together in the same house was forcing them both to rekindle their feelings for each other.

"Sage, right?" Grace set down a bowl of steaming soup in front of me. The heavenly aroma of spices wafted through the air and into my nose, tickling my nostril hairs. Grace and I were alone in the kitchen, and it felt nice to escape the levels of testosterone that had surrounded me for much longer than I would have liked. There was something oddly feminine about this kitchen, it was probably the colours. The kitchen was furnished with hues of beige and pink, even the displayed China was white, with pinkish mandalas painted on them.

I nodded my head. "That's me." I picked up the spoon she had supplied and began scooping mouthfuls of the hot liquid into my mouth. The soup scorched my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to care, because this was so much more delicious than the soggy sandwiches we had stolen from the gas station's shop.

"So, what's your story?" She took the chair opposite from me and once she was seated, she placed her chin on her hands and gazed at me with interest. When she saw that I was a bit confused, she gestured towards the living room. "All the other kids have some tragic backstory," she clarified. "That was what convinced me to offer them refuge." She shivered involuntarily, as she was forced to relive everything the others had told her.

"I'm not really one of them," I told her.

"Are you one of their girlfriends then?"

I shook my head vigorously. "It's complicated." It struck me as strange that now that simple sentence had become my explanation for all difficult topics.

"She was mine," Kaden strolled in. "Emphasis on was."

"Oh." Grace twiddled her thumbs and pretended to pick out microscopic dirt from under her fingernails.

Kaden sat down next to me and purposefully brushed his arm against mine.

"Where's Ryan?" he questioned, cocking his head towards me.

"He's..." I wanted to tell him that Ryan was in the bathroom, but my words trailed off, as Kaden placed his hand on my thigh. He drew circles on my thigh with his thumb. Unsurprisingly, his touch shot a wave of warmth into me. I shook his hand away, but he stubbornly put it on my other thigh and continued with the same motions.