06-27-2014, 05:51 AM
Melanie took a deep breath, preparing for the first. The minute their skin touched, everything rushed through her. She relived every beating he took from his father. Felt the pain of his mother’s death. The fear for his life as a child. She saw the lab, which brought back painful memories of her own. She felt herself kill all those people, seeing the world through his eyes. How could one person’s life be filled with so much pain and sorrow? Despite the pain roaring through her mind and her own aversion to touch, Melanie found herself wanting to hug the man who had just ruthlessly killed two people, and still threatened to kill her and Matthew. She wanted to apologize for all the hurt he experienced and send him some warmth.
Her dark brown eyes had turned golden again, her mind processing everything while protesting the pressure. She saw everything leading up to this moment. She smelled the jasmine that she loved so much in her soap and foods. That was strange. “Rose,” Matthew called. Melanie blinked, irritated by that name. It was her code name on the file—the name she heard when her bad memories came back to haunt her. Her eyes were back to its normal coffee color.
Melanie realized she was gripping the Quiet Man’s hand too hard. No, not the Quiet Man. Eltiask. She forced herself to let go, dropping his hand. Melanie forgot just how weak she actually was from the entire two day ordeal. She staggered back, nearly tripping, but Matthew was quick. He stood behind her and caught her, pulling her a safe distance away from Eltiask. Melanie blinked again, refocusing. She glared up at Matthew. “Don’t ever call me that again.”
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