Tangled

158

158

158 Ava: From the Past

"Ava, is that you?"

The familiar rasp has me frozen, my heart lurching into my throat. Slowly, I turn around, coming face-to-face with a ghost from my

past.

Our neighbor. Margot Mitchell.

Her once vibrant auburn hair is streaked with silver, her face a

roadmap of wrinkles and scars. It's her eyes that haunt me. Piercing green eyes that see everything and do nothing.

"Margot," I greet, my voice tight with caution. "What are you doing

here?"

She limps

toward me, her gait uneven from some injury she incurred long before I was born. I remember asking about it once, and my mother slapped the back of my head, admonishing me for my rudeness. "Oh, Ava. I'm

I tense as she reaches out, half-expecting her to grab me, to drag me back to the hellscape I escaped. But she merely places a hand on my arm, her touch feather-light.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry for everything. For not intervening when..." She trails off, her gaze flickering to the ground.

The shame she tries to portray leaves me feeling dirty. Unclean from her mere presence.

Memories flash through my mind, unbidden. Margot's face in the

$2.00

150 As from the Pant

window, watching as I was taunted and beaten, even by her own son. Listening at the front door as my parents berated me, their voices carrying through the window. Her figure rushing inside. when I tried beggi I was thirteen.

He broke my wrist.

my parents, tired of my whining, finally dragged me to the

watching. Never

sorry?" Anger surges through me, hot and bitter, fueling my

understand, none of us could help you. Please." She grabs at my arm again. "We need you to understand us. To speak

Ah. She needs something.

No wonder she's here.

churns. There's a tiny part of me, almost miniscule, that was hopeful her apology was genuine. It's dead now, like so many other little parts of "How did you know I was here?"

hired to clean

Ava From

are separated now. Taken from our mates. Forced to cut

intention of helping you or

contorts, her features twisting into an ugly mask of rage. "You

her off. Selene stalks into the room, her hackles. raised, teeth bared. She positions

think she might

Margot's demeanor changes instantly. She straightens, smoothing her expression into one

again later," she says, her tone clipped. "We can talk when you've

to me, curiosity etched on

racing heart. "An old neighbor," I manage, my voice shaking slightly.

316

From

dawns in Vanessa's eyes, followed by sympathy. She starts to say something, but I don't hear her. I'm already sinking to my knees, burying my

nuzzling against me as I tremble, overwhelmed by the unexpected confrontation

of their blows, both physical and emotional. The sinking realization that no one, not even our neighbors, would help me Breathe, Ava, Selene murmurs

flood of emotions. Fear, anger, betrayal-they

Vanessa's gentle voice breaks through the chaos.

slowing down. Meeting her concerned gaze, I give the faintest smile. "I'm

isn't something to be ashamed of. If you're interested, just talk to me. Everything will be kept

running my

From the

edges of

sorry you had to face that, she says, her voice a gentle caress in my mind. But you handled it with strength and

me. "Strength? I'm shaking like a

it head-on, even when it terrifies