Consumed By Fate

Chapter 8: Ryan Is

Remi's POV

I flipped through a few more pages of the book before glancing up toward Ryan. He'd been awfully quiet since I'd started reading.

"This is insane. How come nobody else knows that-" my mouth kept moving, but no words were coming out.

I placed my fingertips on my mouth and looked in Ryan's direction. I heard him laugh heartily.

"What happened to my voice?" I said clearly and my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"The book is charmed."

I stared at him- confusion still in my eyes.

"There is a charm on the book that keeps it's contents from being discussed to anyone who isn't immediate family. Since there is a monitor listening in for keywords in our conversation at this very moment the book wont allow you to discuss its contents."

I looked around although I wasn't sure what I was looking for.

Ryan continued, "Only people who are family can read the book. Those who aren't only see blank pages. That's also the reason the Red X disappears when its in the hands of a family member."

It took me a second before I comprehended what exactly it was that he was saying. I closed the book and looked at the cover then slowly looked in Ryan's direction. I could feel him smiling.

"Wait." I said.

He waited.

"Wait, wait wait." I said again.

He still said nothing.

"Hold on a second-"

"Remi, I can't wait any more than I am waiting now." he said in a monotone.

"We're related?" I asked, though it came out more as a suggestion. I tried again "We're related?"

"Yes." he said simply.

"Us?" I asked.

"Yes. he responded.

"Me and you."

"Yep."

"You and I?" I said again, and I could tell he was getting bored.

"I'm starting to wish we weren't." he said.

I held my head in my hands and mumbled. "How many secret siblings do I have?"

"WHOA!" Ryan said theatrically. "I never said I was your brother."

I held my head up and raised an eyebrow.

"We're cousins, dummy." he laughed. "I couldn't be your brother. I hear you kill your siblings with hammers." he cleared his throat after saying those words. They were followed by a hasty apology.

"How do you know about that?" I said while staring at the ground.

"We were told everything about you upon your arrival." he said hesitantly.

It still hurt me whenever I thought about Katelyn. It also hurt to think about how I was actually relieved that she was dead. That sounds awful doesn't it? How could someone be happy that their psychotic, blood-thirsty, boyfriend stealing sister is dead by their own hand? You understand now, don't you?

But the fact of the matter was that I did kill my sister, and even though I thought no one knew - apparently everyone knew. Well, everyone that doesn't matter in any sense.

"Hey!" Ryan interjected, "I matter."

I nodded, "You are matter." Gosh, I'm such a nerd.

Ryan leaned back against my cage. His eyes seemed lost for a second as he sighed quietly. His arms hung above his head - hands gripping onto the cage. The freshly pressed, blue collared shirt wrinkled against his body, now pressed up against the cage door. He didn't speak for a long time.

"Do you remember me at all?" He finally said.

I thought for a second. My childhood was as fuzzy Velma's eyesight. Jenkies. I don't remember even having cousins growing up. I didn't even know my mom had relatives. Though that didn't mean much; I just found that my mom is my aunt after all. I shook my head. Ryan kept quiet.

"Ryan?" I said in a small voice.

"Hm?"

"Why am I in this cage?"

Ryan sighed a heavy breath for an extended period of time. He must have been holding it in for about ten years. He turned around and let his back press up against the cage as he slid down onto the floor. His left hand still gripped the cage. He spoke out into the darkness.

"They're hoping you can find your dad."

"I don't even know what the guy looks like!" I yelled. He shushed me.

"I know that," he said, releasing the cage from his grip and letting his hand fall to the floor, "and they know that, too."

"Then, why.." I trailed off, not knowing exactly what  to ask.

"Your dad. He's.."

Suddenly the lights came on, and all of the computers booted up at once. My hands shielded my abruptly dialated eyes, and Ryan winced.

"Have you ever been wearing night vision goggles, and then someone cuts the lights on?" He said, standing up while rubbing his eyes.

I uncovered my eyes and saw that his face was stained with tears. Had he been crying earlier? Or was he crying from the pain of his eyes? A guy wearing a black, button-up shirt and cargo pants walked in. He stood with his chest poked out, as if it had to be the first thing that entered the room. He held a cup, filled with what I presumed to be coffee, in his hand and his head turned slowly toward Ryan and I. When his eyes fell upon Ryan his head cocked to the side.

Ryan hurriedly approached the guy and grabbed the cup from his hand. After nodding once at me, and once at the guy, Ryan left the room. I sat up.

"Hey! Where's he going?" I said louder than I meant to.

The guy slowly strutted over to me. Upon reaching my cage he looked me up and down and smiled.

"Why? Do you have a crush on him, young one?"

I scoffed, "Ew, no! That'd be gross. He's my-"

The guy's eyebrow raised.

I cleared my throat, "not my type."