CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
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Iris Everton
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Decepter, 926 PC
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She’d covered the corpse with a blanket but the shape was unmistakable. She rolled over on the cot and tried to think of anything other than the possibility of Mister Welch rising from the dead. How many times had she joked that she could live in a laboratory? Now that she did, she’d rather be sleeping anywhere but here. Unfortunately, she knew quite well that being killed by the undead was far less likely than dying in a fiery explosion when Apple Core was involved. She’d spent hours with the Purist that had approached her that day to give Jameson enough time to not let her down. She’d even gone as far as to beg The Creator to encourage Jameson to come through for her. Just once. But the crates were still there when she returned home. Any composure she’d regained while spending the day away lasted mere seconds before she barged through the apartment, gathered her essentials, and left Jameson standing at the door, calling her name.
Master Rellin had taken her in without a single question. Open arms and a warm hug. He let her sleep in his study at first, making every effort to accommodate her. She told him a week at most. She was sure Jameson wasn’t foolish enough to keep the alchemicals in his apartment for that long. But a week had turned into two. Then three. Eventually, Master Rellin had suggested she move into his lab. He’d claimed it was for her own privacy, too sweet to say otherwise. Sadly, Mister Welch hadn’t gotten the message.
She lay on her side, staring at the ovens standing proudly against the wall and thinking about her life, her goal, her sister. “This is what it takes to change the world.” she whispered. There was always so much vigor and fight in the words when she said them in her head. Now, they sounded weak and foolish. Like something a child dreams up when they’re excited. Destined to fade away when the next great idea pops up. I’m sorry, Can-can. I just can’t do this anymore. The early mornings. The long nights. I’m exhausted. And making terrible decisions. Father wouldn’t even recognize me. A tear ran the length of her nose. She didn’t even bother wiping it away, just sniffled quietly and let her lip pout.
The image of Brunson’s lifeless body appeared when she closed her eyes. Just like Ceralline’s had for weeks. No months. She opened them wide. Frustration swelled in her throat. She wanted so badly to fall asleep. A few hours would be fine. She’d functioned on less plenty of times, but between Jameson’s murders and Master Rellin’s corpses, her memory was like a wall of morbid hieroglyphics. Candice was the horribly magnificent centerpiece, face hidden behind a wilting lotus, tears falling from her sunken eyes. I can’t do this anymore. I’ll tell Master Rellin tomorrow. Leave for home by the end of the week. More tears. Lots more. Change the world. Change it for the better. I’m not even strong enough to keep my own life on course, let alone help others.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
A tap, tap, tap stopped her blubbering. She sat up in frantic haste, exhaled in relief when Master Rellin appeared. A candle and saucer just below his concerned face. He often visited at night to show her things he’d found about various things he thought she should know. More like to check up on her, but neither would ever say it.
“Master Rellin…” She couldn't say any other words without making it entirely obvious her voice was weaker than a faint breeze.
He walked across the lab with his typical slow saunter, carrying a large tome under his arm. “Iris, I’ve found some-” There was no way to hide the aftermath of her crying. Not before the candlelight reached her. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Nothing but silence.
Then an avalanche of frustration was released upon him. “Everything,” she said, burying her face in both hands. “Everything is wrong. Terribly wrong.” She sounded like the teenager she was, not the intelligent adult she always tried to be.
Darkness surrounded her face. Her sniffling and choppy breathing were the only sounds for quite some time.
Then his voice, calm and wise. “I dare say, everything should be wrong, Iris.” She swallowed a small fraction of her sadness. “What good are problem solvers like us if everything is right?”
It took every ounce of her strength to say, “I can’t solve these problems. No one can.” She slid her hands down her face. “I can’t do this anymore, Master Rellin. I have to go home. I have to see my father.”
He sat the saucer down on the workbench and walked to the brink of its reach. A warm glow surrounded his head and shoulders but his face was stern. “Don’t you ever say that again. You are the greatest mind I’ve ever encountered, Iris Everton. A mind like yours, aided by your drive and determination… you’re capable of anything.”
She wanted to feel inspired but her negativity had too strong a grip. She shook her head. “I’ve made nothing but mistakes since I got here.”
“Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Not these mistakes.” There was an unstoppable desire to get the weight of her secrets off her chest. “They’re terrible mistakes, Master Rellin. Horrible. Just horrible.”
“We wouldn’t be humans if we didn’t do a few terrible things in our lives.” He let his words resonate with her then said, “But you can’t always deal with what you’ve done alone, Iris. You must lean on others. Share the burden.”
The confident way he spoke made his words feel like a powerful force shattering a dam. “I helped kill Ceralline!” She exhaled. Her chest filled and emptied with force. “I didn’t push her. But I know who did. I watched him do it… and I enjoyed it. I wanted to see her suffer for what he did to my sister!” She spat the last words angrily. “I’m a criminal and I love a devil of a man.” She paused, still panting heavily. “There’s no hope for me. And I can’t solve these problems. They’re dead. Ceralline. Brunson. Can-” She couldn’t finish her sister’s name. She clenched her teeth, disappeared into the darkness of her palms again. “I deserve to die.”
Silence. Oddly peaceful silence.
Then a hand on her shoulder. Then arms around her body. Her face against a chest. She wept as a hand cradled the back of her head. “It’ll be alright,” he whispered. “I’ll protect you.”