15. Alex

15 ALEX

TWELVE YEARS OLD…

“Alex!” my father shouts, his voice echoing across the property that surrounds our house.

Birds scatter from the trees, and I envy their ability to fly away. I wish I had wings so I could escape this hell that I’ve been living in every day since I can remember.

“Get out here—now!” His voice is growing louder, closer. “We need to finish the lesson.”

I keep crouched behind a tree and hold my breath. My hand that’s gripping the handle of the dagger I’m holding is trembling. I don’t want to finish his lesson. It’s why I ran. I can’t do what he’s telling me to do.

The sky is growing darker as night begins to arrive. If I can make it until it gets completely dark, then I can take off and leave, never?—

Fingers wrap around the back of my neck, gripping tightly, and then I’m jerked back.

“You’re such a coward.” My father drags me with him as he storms across the field and toward our house. “Hiding behind a tree, like that’ll stop me from making you do this.”

I keep tripping as I struggle to keep up with him. “Dad,” I croak, “you’re hurting me.”

“Good.” He shoves me to the ground. My knee hits a rock as I land, and tears burn my eyes from the pain.

“Get up,” he growls, looming over me. “Now.”

I scramble to my feet, the dagger still gripped in my hand. “I won’t do it,” I tell him as I hold up the dagger.

The fading pale pink sunlight casts across his face, revealing his sinister grin. “You think you have a choice in this? You’re my son; therefore, you belong to me. And nothing you do will be your own choice. You will obey me—always.”

“I won’t!” I shout as I back away from him. “You can’t make me.”

“Want to bet?” He matches my move, stepping toward me. “If you don’t, I’ll ruin your sister’s life. I’ll make her pay for your disobedience.”

I smash my lips together, breathing fiercely through my nose. “You won’t.” But my voice lacks confidence.

“I will,” he assures me. “And you know that.”

He’s right. I know I’m trapped.

Controlled.

Normally, I can take it, but this … this will ruin me. And he can see it.

He smiles as he grabs my arm and drags me back toward the trees from where I ran away from him. Located in the heart of the woods is a bare area where he keeps a set of chains that are bound to the ground with some sort of magic. When I’m bad, he’ll lock me up here. This time, though, I’m not the one in chains.

A girl is.

She looks around eighteen or so, with short purple hair and alarmingly red eyes, a feature that reveals she’s a pixie. She’s crying tears of shimmering blue glitter as she kneels in the dirt with the chains secured around her wrists.

“Please, don’t,” she whimpers as we enter the bare space. “Please.”

My father shoves me toward her. “Do it,” he demands.

My hand is shaking so badly I can barely hold onto the dagger. “Why?” I ask him, searching for some sort of explanation.

I want him to tell me this has to be done. That this pixie is bad. That I’m helping the world by ending her life.

“Because she’s a creature, and as a keeper, you need to learn to kill all paranormal creatures.” My father stands in the moonlight with his arms crossed. “If you don’t, you’ll let the world get destroyed.”

I swallow a shaky breath then return my attention to the pixie.

She locks eyes with me. “Please, don’t do this. I’ve never hurt anyone.”

I lift the knife but don’t swing it down.

“Please,” she sobs, her shoulders quivering.

“Do it!” my father yells. “Do it, or I’ll ruin your sister’s life. I’ll destroy her. I’ll lock her up and never let her see the sunlight again?—”

I swing the dagger down.

The last thing I hear is the slicing of flesh and a scream before I black out.