"Mari?"

Mari's lips twitched as she stepped into the room. She opened her mouth, but never got a chance to say anything. Regan saw the occupant of the room from over her shoulder. She pushed past Mari and ran towards Dainan. Mari stumbled, bumping into the wall, ignoring how that only made the pain in her arms sharper.

"Regan? Is that—?" Dainan asked. Regan dropped to her knees and threw an arm around him, clutching the object to her chest with the other.

"Dainan, I hope this isn't a dream," Regan said into his shoulder.

"It's not. It's me. I'm right here," Dainan said, unable to fully return the embrace because of his restraints. He looked over Regan's shoulder and at Mari, who had not moved from where she had fallen into the wall. His voice was soft, and his eyes wide, as if he didn't quite believe Regan was there. "You did this for me?"

Mari pushed herself up. Something in her hesitated at the idea of telling the whole truth. Her heart clenched; the words eluded her. Maybe if it were just her and Dainan she would, but she did not know this Regan. Mari tilted her head, letting her hair fall across her front. "I wanted to know more about this family you talked about."

Dainan laughed as Regan pulled away. It was a beautiful sound. Mari just wished he would do it again. Regan said, "I can't explain how happy I am to see you safe, alive, but I don't understand. That's the woman who—"

"It's complicated," Dainan said. He leaned back and a wailing noise rose up.

Mari winced and covered her ears. She glanced about before realizing it came from the object in Regan's arms. Regan looked at the bundle before bouncing it and shushing it. Dainan didn't bat on eye at the object. Mari waited until the noise stopped to take a step forward. She peered out from under her hair, trying to catch a glimpse at it.

Dainan saw and gave her a nod, gesturing her closer. "I suppose you've never had a chance to see one before. Come look."

Mari sat down beside him, wanting to look, but not wanting to be too close to it. "What is it? Why does it make that sound?"

She watched the object squirm in Regan's arms as she stroked it. Dainan pointed to it, smiling as it reached for his finger. "No, he's not an it. You remember how parents raise children? That's a child, Regan's son, my nephew. He's family."

"That's human?" Mari leaned closer, watching him wiggle underneath the dark cloth wrapped around him. She couldn't help herself; she reached a hand forward.

"Excuse me! Human? What do you mean? Are you saying—" Regan pulled the bundle away from Mari, holding it against her chest.

"Regan, calm down!" Dainan put himself between the women. Mari pushed herself away from Regan and moved so she was further behind him. There was something in Regan's face that caused her to clutch his sleeve. Dainan turned to his sister. "Mari doesn't mean anything bad by saying that. She hasn't had much interaction with other humans, so she's never seen a baby before. That's why she's confused."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Mari couldn't help but glance over Dainan's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the small human's face. Before realizing it, Mari murmured, "I've never seen one so small and squishy."

Regan sat back, still keeping her child away from both her brother and Mari. Her face was harsh and cold, like Bidkar's was most of the time. "Explain."

Dainan turned and seemed to be trying to ask Mari a question with nothing but his expression. Mari, much to her own surprise, thought she understood. She gave Dainan a small nod. She trusted him. Dainan turned back to his sister and started to explain. Mari was content to let him. He was better with words, and while this time it saved her from making a fool of herself, Mari found herself bothered by the fact he understood her situation better than she did. What did that make her? Stupid is the first thought that came to her mind. She had lived with the Seven her entire life, but after a few poorly worded explanations, a man in a cell understood her abnormal existence and explained it better than she could.

Dainan kept his explanation simple, but Mari was only vaguely aware of his voice. He told his sister of the Seven. He called them demons, and while Mari didn't quite grasp the meaning of it, she remembered hearing it several times. It sent shivers down her spine, and she thought it fit the Seven. It gave her an odd, sickly, rising feeling that she had started to associate with the Seven.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Dainan continued. He told Regan how the Seven could take control of her. He paused, and his face contorted. Mari was pulled out of her thoughts as she watched him think. He cleared his throat, saying, "Because they can take control like that, they can do awful things. Things no human can do. That's how they were able to break through the wall, and how they were able to do everything that followed."

Mari sat up; something in the room changed. Something Dainan didn't say hung between the siblings.

"These 'Seven' were the ones responsible for everything that happened that day? You're telling me that this girl was just their tool, and she's somehow not responsible?" Regan's grip on her child tightened, and he cried out. Regan loosened her grip, but her expression remained tight and vicious.

Mari stared at Dainan, waiting for his answer. She held her breath. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Mari wondered if he was in pain. He opened his eyes, and his eyes were as cold and hard as metal. "I don't blame Mari for that day. Not for a single thing."

"I-I," Mari stammered. The unspoken words pushed down on her shoulders. The tension in the room choked her. Her stomach twisted. A weight settled on her heart. She should not be in the room, but she did not understand why. "I, uh, do not understand what you two are talking about."

"Don't you remember?" Regan spat. Her eyes blazed, causing Mari to push away from her out of instinct. She hid her shaking hands in her skirt. Regan moved towards her, ignoring her baby's cries. "You don't remember shredding my husband's heart to pieces? Because I remember, and believe me, I'll be spending the rest of my life trying to forget!"

At her words, a sharp pain exploded in Mari's head. She gasped, clutching her head tightly. The broken and hazy shards of her memories, of her actions when the Seven took over were always in her head. Each time they let go of her, the memories shattered, and she struggled to put herself back together. There were times she remembered a few things. Often, memories only came rushing to her mind because of an expression, an object, a word, or an image, but they were hardly ever useful or a memory she wanted. When it came to trying to recall them on her own, her memories more often than not stayed out of reach.

Regan's words resonated in her head. Mari groaned, scrambling to her feet. Dainan's voice was a faint whisper around her. She stumbled away from it. Her head throbbed as if the jagged pieces of her memories were embedding themselves back into her mind. She couldn't see anything. Her eyes had been closed, but she was reliving the moment anyway. Screams pierced her ears, and the heart pulsed in her hand. Mari choked on air and tried to cover her ears. It did no good. The screams were still in her head. She could feel what Bidkar had done with her hand. Mari scratched at her ears, thinking surely if that didn't stop the noise then maybe the pain would distract her. Surely the pain would be better.

"Mari!"