this is our legacy now - kam (the legacies series 1)

7

linh was shaken out of her soft teal dreams by the sound of a harsh whisper.

tam! it said. tam! wake up!

as soon as she opened her eyes, she knew what was happening. in the last few weeks, since keefe had started visiting, tam's nightmares had haunted her less. things that seemed too good to be true often were, though. & the shadows crawling up her walls were proof.

tam! the voice said again. there's something i need to do.

the tam-shaped shadow across from her bed groaned, sitting up. glimmer? what-?

don't move, the other voice said, & suddenly she was dangerous. it won't hurt as much if you stay still.

glimmer? what the fuck-?

linh closed her eyes as the tam-shadow screamed, perfectly in sync with real tam's scream in the other room. sometimes if she stayed still the shadows went away. she focused on her breath.

now lady gisela's voice was speaking, as though tam was a small child who would do whatever she said. tam. kill keefe.

i won't, tam's voice snarled.

there's no time for this, tam, she said with a sigh. you know you're going to do it.

i hate you, tam whispered.

but you'll do it, she said. you will. you will.

& then the shadows began fading, splintering & disintegrating. all the while, lady gisela's voice continued, you will. you will. you will.

linh didn't interfering in her brother's dreams, but something about this one felt different. the way the shadows scattered at the end, shattered... linh shuddered. her gut was telling her to go wake tam up, & she suddenly had a feeling of certainty that if she didn't go in, she would regret it.

linh couldn't let her brother shatter.

she stood up with determination she never knew she had. she could feel the moisture in the air, & it soothed her. so she threw open the door that connected the twins' rooms.

tam was tangled in his blankets, sweat-soaked & shivering, still asleep. tam, linh said, & her voice came out commanding.

tam began to flail, kicking & turning. you will, he muttered, his voice in sync with lady gisela's words still echoing in linh's mind. you will, you will.

linh wished for biana. she wished for sophie. she wished for keefe or dex or someone who could stop this. but it was only her.

tam, linh said, her voice clear as the waves that constantly tugged at her. tam, wake up.

tam kept kicking & muttering. linh's sense of dread grew, & she could feel the moisture in the air collecting in front of her. almost without thinking, she thrust the water onto tam's bed, soaking him.

linh would forever be thankful that her instincts threw that water. because as it splashed him, tam blinked open his eyes & mumbled, linh?

tam! linh said, & she could feel her tears. you're okay. you're okay. she began to giggle hysterically, barely able to get the words out. i thought you were... i thought you would...

tam blinked, & linh could see the water resting on his eyelashes. i think i had a nightmare.

you were going to shatter, tam, linh said, & she knew it was true. your mind was going to break. but it didn't. i saved you.

tam squinted, remembering. i dreamed that i was still bound by the ethertine. that lady gisela ordered me to kill keefe, & i had to obey. i dreamed that even though glimmer took it away, i still carried that order in me. i dreamed that i killed keefe. & i felt so guilty. & then the memory feels like it's stabbing a billion pins into my mind. & then the water.

linh could feel water swirling around her. you were going to break, tam, she said again. holy shit. i feel dizzy.

tam grabbed her arm & pulled her onto his bed before she could fall. i'm fine, linh, he said. it's okay now. we're okay.

linh looked at him with wild, fearful eyes. but you might not be! i need to hail biana. no, not biana, sophie! sophie can see if you're still shattering.

as linh stressed & hailed sophie & kept freaking out, tam untangled himself from the blankets & washed the sweat off of his face. his mind was still ringing with lady gisela's words. you will. she had ordered him to kill keefe, her own son! whatever mistakes mai had made, at least she hadn't tried to kill tam. all at once tam felt an insurmountable aching for keefe, & a bitter regret of his past & the way that he had hated him. but this guilt couldn't make him shatter. because there was still a way to redeem himself.

linh, he said softly. she stopped talking immediately, looking at him. linh. can you hail keefe?

a/n: there will be ten chapters of 'this is our legacy now'. if you haven't seen my announcement, i'm making a gay kotlc series called 'the legacies series' beginning with 'this is our legacy now'. please vote & comment. :)