Black Sea: A Hades and Persephone Reimagining by Melissa Cassera

Author:Melissa Cassera [Cassera, Melissa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-07T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

HAYDEN

I’ve been watching her for hours.

Effie, resting on the single bed in this cabin, me in the chair across from her, studying the rise and fall of her chest. It’s my only relief, knowing she’s alive, that she’s safe here with me. At least for now. Until someone finds us. Which I hope they never do.

I’m not sure I can begin to process the descent into madness that happened tonight. I went to confront my brother, and of course, Effie didn’t stay put like I asked. Not that I ever thought she would. It’s clear Effie’s got a mind of her own, makes her own decisions, even if that leads to more danger. It’s one of the things that draws me to her, a constant urge to protect her, to swallow her whole and make sure my brother or anyone else never touches her again.

The only person who should touch her is me.

Shaking off my twisted thoughts, a flood of memories from the last few hours assaults my mind. Punching my brother, my fist somehow searing into his skin, burning him. A flame that seemed to have erupted from my fist and lit the entire dorm on fire.

It’s like my limbs are matches and when they strike, everything burns.

There was no time to figure out what the hell happened. Effie was nearly trampled to death, and I carried her unconscious body off campus, ducking through the frenzy of students. No one cast a second glance at us, consumed with their own survival.

It wasn’t easy, but I navigated us through the secret opening of the Lockwood gates. When I first arrived at school, I noticed a canoe tucked at the base of a trail. I don’t know who owns it, likely someone in the Lockwood administration. Luckily, it was still in the same spot so I could take refuge with Effie here… in the cabin where Mom and I would escape when I was young. When she was still alive.

The weathered stone cabin is off the beaten path, completely wrapped in ancient pines and ferns, not visible from the ocean. I carried Effie up the worn steps, past the wooden swing that Mom and I used to sit on for hours. The place is filled with non-perishable food that could last months, and in a stroke of luck, I found some dry firewood. The thought of keeping Effie here in this cabin with me alone, for months on end, awakens even darker parts of myself. Parts I need to shove away.

Effie’s eyes flutter awake and she recoils, huddling her battered knees into her chest.

“You’re okay.” I attempt to reassure her.

She surveys the cabin in shock. “Where the hell are we?”

“At a cabin. No one else knows about this place.”

Her eyes flicker around, processing, before she cuts her gaze to mine. “You just took me here? While I was unconscious?”

“I wanted to get you off school property. You’re safe here.”

Effie climbs out of bed, clutching her head.

“You should rest, you took a pretty hard spill,” I say.

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