Eclipse

22.

Explain

I woke up in a small grey cell. No shackles. No extra bruises. No bruises, period. The broken ribs, the cuts and the bruises, gone, leaving only an ache that spread throughout my body and a bitter taste in my mouth. I was sprawled on my back on a small metal bedstead on which a thin mattress was placed. I was no longer wearing the bloodied and tattered remains of the dress, but instead an oversized black shirt and a pair of matching drawstring pants.The cell was minute, long enough to accommodate the full length of the bed and only wide enough for the span of my arms. I stared at the ceiling for several blank moments before suddenly sitting up in confusion. Where am I?

I hauled myself up to my feet and made for the door, which looked about as solid as marble.

"Hello?" I shouted, banging my fist against the door and splitting my knuckles in the process. I swore violently under my breath and sucked on the bloodied skin while waiting for a response that never came. I sighed in resignation, leaning against the wall. Who's side was Kieran on, really? I had no idea. Good job, Megs. Always picking the wrong side, aren't you?

I flinched automatically and donned Jessica's skin for what meagre protection it could offer against me. Then I heard a ring of keys jangling outside. I adjusted my stance as the door creaked open a fraction, and Kieran warily peered inside without stepping in.

"Don't try and kill me," he said carefully as he let the door open fully once he knew that I wouldn't try and claw his face off, lifting his hands as a white flag.

"Give me one reason not to," I retorted. "I get locked up in that torture chamber, and then you go and lock me up here, and I find that you've been hiding God knows how many secrets from me... why shouldn't I just kill you now?"

"Because you wouldn't get to hear my side of this mess?" Kieran offered weakly.

I scowled furiously at him but dropped my arms limply to my sides. "Go on."

Kieran shook his head. "You need to eat first. We got you patched up, but it leaves the taste of barf in your mouth. That and you look like your hangry."

"Hangry?"

"Hungry and angry. Hangry."

"Hilarious," I replied dryly as he led me out of the tiny cell. I soon realised that the cells were located in Emory's house, in that one portion that he'd refused to tell me about, which was forbidden to all except Emory.

In the kitchen was a plate stacked with pancakes and syrup, igniting the hunger that I didn't even realised that I possessed.

Kieran watched in amusement as I scoffed down the entire pile before leaning back in my seat, licking the last of the syrup from my fingers.

"Are you going to keep looking at me like that, or are you going confess and tell me that you didn't make this and bought from McDonald's?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at his odd expression.

"Dammit, what gave it away?"

"Let's face it, nobody can see you flipping pancakes for anybody."
"Ha."

"Alright, you want to explain... well, how about everything? Because I'll gladly listen."

"I never knew that Jackson was with Moore, and Jace never knew that I was spying on Moore's people either."

"Wait, stop there," I interrupted. "That doesn't make sense. A large part of the time you were with me. How could you keep up your cover?"

"I don't live in the manor itself. As far as they were concerned, I was their spy. I fed them unimportant bits of information, so they couldn't have a reason to suspect me. I always kept a vial of Celare on hand. You know, for return trips back here to Emory's place. I couldn't afford—Emory couldn't afford—to wreck this place with Fallen blood controlling me.