Ready Or Not

Everyone Hates Us For The Previous Chapter

**Theo**

We were about a hundred yards from the library, approaching at a speed that wasn't necessarily normal when I asked Daniel, for the fourth time, if this Forsythe guy was good enough. It wasn't because I didn't trust his judgement. It was because I didn't want to think about telling Anna what was happening.

“Baby, he's the best. The best. I promise you.”

I slowed, and Daniel did the same, staring up the steps leading to the library. The place I'd have to tell my sister that one of the people that she cherished above everyone else had been taken from her. Again.

Daniel's fingers laced through mine. He was being strong for me, but I could tell he was shaken. I squeezed, silently expressing my gratitude. Still…

Fuck. Why hadn't she run? I'd have dropped everything and found her. I'd have found her! Hannah was special. I understood that. Lydia was falling; I could tell. She was as good as gone over the woman already. But dammit, that could have been worked out. We could always fix anything. Always had fixed anything. I couldn't decide if my heart was breaking or if I was fucking furious with my dearest friend.

My wrist brushed Daniel's and I felt her necklace there. And then I knew. I was broken-hearted. Whatever else Lyds is- stubborn as hell, a hopeless romantic, a flat-out idiot- she's one of the reasons I get out of bed in the morning. I knew Anna felt the same, and as much as I hated having to tell her, she deserved to know what was going on.

I took a deep breath and heard Daniel do the same beside me as we made our way up the massive steps towards the front door. The sun was shining, and that didn't feel right. How could there be sunshine?

It took us longer than I would have liked to find my little sister, and when we did finally spot her behind a counter that came up nearly to her armpits, I genuinely thought I might vomit. That was something I hadn't done in over a century, but knowing what I had to tell her… My stomach soured.

Daniel was the strong one then. He pulled me across the room and softly called Anna's name. He was trying to go all no-nonsense on me, and I sort of appreciated it, but I knew he wasn't looking forward to the conversation any more than I was.

Anna heard him and turned to us, smiling, but holding up a finger in a “just a sec" sort of motion. She started to turn away again but stopped suddenly and turned back to us, eyes narrow, and perfect brow furrowed.

I stopped breathing and bit one of the rings through my lip as we moved even closer to her, watching the way her eyes swept over us and her nose raised just slightly into the air.

It was when her nose raised and her eyes took us in from head to toe for the second time that her face went from slightly concerned and curious to genuinely anxious. The slightest scent of fear rose in a cloud around her.

“Where is she?” she asked.

Neither my beau nor myself had even gotten the chance to speak. She just knew. That's my Anna. So in tune with us. Sometimes it was a real blessing, but just then I cursed it. She deserved to have it broken to her softly, and odds were she had picked up on the scent of our negative emotions and our body language.

That isn't having it broken to you gently. That's having somebody run in screaming “Terrible news!”

Fuck.

Daniel was able to find his voice first, and it cracked. The sound was one of the saddest things I've ever heard. He really did love our girls.

“How..?” he asked.