me; I wanted to let go, but I was afraid my legs would stop working, and I'd collapse on the floor. Somehow, I knew the answers I was seeking were behind those closed doors.
"Are you ready?" Will asked, as though reading my thoughts.
"Sure," I replied, my fingers twitching.
Will released me and moved to grab the door handle. I managed to focus on remembering how to stand, and so far it was working.
"This will be interesting," he said and pushed the doors open.
At first, the room looked like any of the others I'd passed upstairs. It was a sitting room, I was sure of that. There were several blue satin couches surrounding a coffee table, a pot of tea steaming on its surface, and a fire crackling in the hearth on the back wall. A woman with golden eyes looked up at me from the couch, her hair a dark brown bun with streaks of grey intertwined. She smiled at me like I was the best thing she could have laid her eyes on. It made me uncomfortable, for someone I didn't know to look at me like that, and I averted my eyes.
By the fireplace stood a man who was taller than me and Will. His face was stern and his nose slightly turned up, like he smelled something really bad.
"These are the Greenwoods," Will said.
"Oh, Kyra!" the woman sang as she rose from the couch and glided over to me. She wore a stunning blue dress with a large bow tied around the back. She embraced me in a hug, but I stood like a pole, awkwardly.
"Oh, darling, it's so good to have you here," the woman said, and squeezed me tighter.
I glanced at Will who stood straight and tall, like a soldier at attention. He didn't say a word.
Uncomfortable with this woman, I pushed her back, wriggling out of her grasp. She looked hurt by my action and hugged her shoulders like I'd given her the biggest rejection but, seriously, who hugs a stranger?
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked. How rude of me," the woman rambled, returning to her seat.
"She doesn't know who you are, Isabelle," the man sighed, pinching his brow.
"Sure I do," I replied. "You're the people who had me kidnapped."
Isabelle stifled a gasp with her hand, and the man in the corner remained silent, with that turned up look again. Still, I wasn't done. These were the people who had my dad beaten, had me knocked out and taken away.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted. "You chased after me and my dad our entire lives. Made it so we have to be on the run, all the time. Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" My hands trembled as I tried to fight back tears I didn't want to come. "You hired teenagers to attack me and beat my dad. Not to mention all the weird stuff they seem to be able to do. I mean, why? Why come after me for sixteen years? What could Dad have done to you people that you'd waste your lives chasing us?"
"What he did …" Isabelle said in a tiny voice. "What he did was steal you away sixteen years ago. Kyra, we're your real parents."
That shut me up. I stood there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
"I …" I stammered, looking to Will for answers.
"It's true," he confirmed with a swift nod, and returned to his soldier stance.
I stared at Isabelle and saw my golden eyes and chocolate hair, the same cheekbone structure; but what did that mean? I'd just met a handful of people who shared my eye colour, and seen portraits of dozens of others. And the man didn't look like me at all, except again for the distinctive eye colour. This was just another trick.
"I don't believe you," I spoke slowly.
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's true," the man snapped.
"Ivan," Isabelle scolded. "Don't talk to your daughter like that."
"Ivan?" I stared at the snooty man. "You're Ivan? You're the one who ordered them to kidnap me? Ordered Will to knock me out!"
"Necessary precautions," Ivan said, as if that justified everything.
"Oh, Ivan," Isabelle sighed. She turned to me and smiled. "Kyra, it doesn't matter what happened before. What matters is that you've come back to us and we can be
"Are you ready?" Will asked, as though reading my thoughts.
"Sure," I replied, my fingers twitching.
Will released me and moved to grab the door handle. I managed to focus on remembering how to stand, and so far it was working.
"This will be interesting," he said and pushed the doors open.
At first, the room looked like any of the others I'd passed upstairs. It was a sitting room, I was sure of that. There were several blue satin couches surrounding a coffee table, a pot of tea steaming on its surface, and a fire crackling in the hearth on the back wall. A woman with golden eyes looked up at me from the couch, her hair a dark brown bun with streaks of grey intertwined. She smiled at me like I was the best thing she could have laid her eyes on. It made me uncomfortable, for someone I didn't know to look at me like that, and I averted my eyes.
By the fireplace stood a man who was taller than me and Will. His face was stern and his nose slightly turned up, like he smelled something really bad.
"These are the Greenwoods," Will said.
"Oh, Kyra!" the woman sang as she rose from the couch and glided over to me. She wore a stunning blue dress with a large bow tied around the back. She embraced me in a hug, but I stood like a pole, awkwardly.
"Oh, darling, it's so good to have you here," the woman said, and squeezed me tighter.
I glanced at Will who stood straight and tall, like a soldier at attention. He didn't say a word.
Uncomfortable with this woman, I pushed her back, wriggling out of her grasp. She looked hurt by my action and hugged her shoulders like I'd given her the biggest rejection but, seriously, who hugs a stranger?
"Oh, I'm sorry. I should have asked. How rude of me," the woman rambled, returning to her seat.
"She doesn't know who you are, Isabelle," the man sighed, pinching his brow.
"Sure I do," I replied. "You're the people who had me kidnapped."
Isabelle stifled a gasp with her hand, and the man in the corner remained silent, with that turned up look again. Still, I wasn't done. These were the people who had my dad beaten, had me knocked out and taken away.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" I shouted. "You chased after me and my dad our entire lives. Made it so we have to be on the run, all the time. Why couldn't you just leave us alone?" My hands trembled as I tried to fight back tears I didn't want to come. "You hired teenagers to attack me and beat my dad. Not to mention all the weird stuff they seem to be able to do. I mean, why? Why come after me for sixteen years? What could Dad have done to you people that you'd waste your lives chasing us?"
"What he did …" Isabelle said in a tiny voice. "What he did was steal you away sixteen years ago. Kyra, we're your real parents."
That shut me up. I stood there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed.
"I …" I stammered, looking to Will for answers.
"It's true," he confirmed with a swift nod, and returned to his soldier stance.
I stared at Isabelle and saw my golden eyes and chocolate hair, the same cheekbone structure; but what did that mean? I'd just met a handful of people who shared my eye colour, and seen portraits of dozens of others. And the man didn't look like me at all, except again for the distinctive eye colour. This was just another trick.
"I don't believe you," I spoke slowly.
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's true," the man snapped.
"Ivan," Isabelle scolded. "Don't talk to your daughter like that."
"Ivan?" I stared at the snooty man. "You're Ivan? You're the one who ordered them to kidnap me? Ordered Will to knock me out!"
"Necessary precautions," Ivan said, as if that justified everything.
"Oh, Ivan," Isabelle sighed. She turned to me and smiled. "Kyra, it doesn't matter what happened before. What matters is that you've come back to us and we can be
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