We laughed for a bit, but after, we fell into an uneasy silence.
"So, Sylvie," I said, softly, after a moment, "what happened? Why were you in the forest alone, being chased by a minotaur?"
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" I continued, nervously
She stiffened a little at the question, her gaze moving back to the window. She looked as if she wasn't sure she wanted to confide in me.
I let her have the silence, letting her make her choice.
For a long moment we were silent. Then she finally spoke.
"I was running away."
My brows furrowed. "From the minotaur."
"No, from humans," she replied
The words hung in the air like a heavy fog.
Her tone wasn't just bitter, it was angry.
I didn't need to ask what she felt. By that tone, I knew. She wanted revenge.
And sitting here, watching her tremble, I couldn't even blame her for it.
"They said Beastkin are monsters. That we don't belong near the cities. That we are game that is meant to be hunted" Her voice trembled. "They killed my parents. They killed everyone in our village. Crumbled it to the ground."
"My parents told me to run. That they would protect me."
"They were strong people too. But it didn't matter. They were both killed."
"So I ran…as fast as I could into the forest."
"Then they brought the minotaur. Released it into the forest to catch us, while they drank and laughed around the fireplace."
"I was the last one alive. I made it the furthest. But eventually, it caught up."
Her hands clenched at her sides; the faint scars across her chest caught the light.
"I was prepared to die. Then you showed up."
We sat in silence for a while, neither of us sure what to say.
It must have taken a lot out of her to tell me that. To relive the nightmare that she just survived.
I moved over toward the bed, taking a seat next to Sylvie, looking her in the eyes. I moved my hand down to her, softly grabbing it.
This felt slightly weird, as someone who is like 25 internally, but at this point, my body had been basically consumed by Ryn's. So despite actually living for 25 years, and having those memories I was internally an eight-year old.
She grabbed my hand back, intertwining her fingers with mine. She squeezed my hand, taking in my warmth, almost as a shield.
Finally, I spoke. "Sylvie… Thank you, truly, thank you for letting me into that nightmare. You don't bear the weight of their ghosts alone anymore. We are in this together."
She looked up, eyes still rimmed red from holding back tears.
"Thank you, Ryn" she replied, eyes starting to water once again. "This… this is the first time someone's said something like that to me."
But there was one question I was curious about.
"Don't you…" I hesitated. "Don't you hate me? If you hate humans?"
She scoffed, despite the tears. "You're less of a human than I am."
"What do you mean?" I asked, tilting my head. "Last time I checked, I was definitely human."
"I don't let humans hold my hand," she replied, squeezing my hand once again, blushing slightly.
I grinned, squeezing her hand back.
We sat in silence. Not an awkward silence, but a knowing silence. Enjoying each other's comfort.
"So, what's next?" I asked softly. "What do you want to do with your life now?"
"My village was destroyed. I don't have anywhere to go." she said softly, then continued her smile turning into a sharp glare, "But I want revenge. And for that, I need more power."
"You and me both," I replied cooly
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Since she felt that she trusted me enough to confide in me, I felt the same way about her.
So I told her. I told her about my mother, my siblings, Victor, about how they tormented me for being talentless, how I was whipped in broad daylight. I dove deeper into Ryn's memories, surfacing moments that were buried deep, that were never meant to see daylight.
She listened through it all, and never said a word. She just listened, taking in all of my miseries, my pain, my failures.
When I started to cry, she just waited, squeezed my hand like I had hers, giving me time to process, before I continued my story.
And at the end of it all, she took her hand out from my fingers, and pulled me into her arms.
No words. No empty promises. Just the quiet strength of someone who understood. As I cried into her shoulder I felt warmth, true compassion, for the first time since my mother died.
Sadie was always there for me and holds a special place in my heart. She cried for me, cared for me, but was always an arms reach away like Sylvie and my mother never were.
Honestly, looking back on it, it felt slightly wrong talking about Ryn's memories like they were my own, but it doesn't feel that way. It feels like I've been Ryn for my entire life, and I can feel. Physically feel. Everything that happened to him, despite, technically not being in his body.
I stayed there, head buried into her shoulder for what seemed like forever.
Finally, I pulled back, throat sore, eyes red.
We sat in silence for a moment, before I said
"I mean… you could stay here. We could figure it out. Both get our revenge together."
She didn't answer right away. Her hands clenched the sheets, her face turning aside, cheeks slightly pink.
"I… I would like that," Sylvie said after a couple of moments, her voice low, tinged with hesitation but soft around the edges. Her hand moved toward mine.
"Alright," I said, placing my hand on top of hers, smiling. "Happy to have you."
"If you're going to stay here, we're going to need Sadie's help because if someone other than her finds out, Victor will most likely find out and try to kill me."
"I don't think I'll be able to handle being around a human without going berserk." Sylvie replied, "I know she's special to you, but all humans have a scent that drives me crazy with anger."
"We could also just run? Go get stronger somewhere else?" I asked,
"You know how beastkin are treated." she replied with a cold look on her face "We wouldn't make it a mile before we got attacked. Everyone thinks beastkin are game to be hunted or made slaves."
"Yeah, but that's stupid. We both know it."
"Doesn't matter what we know, just how people react."
"Yeah… damn it, you're right," I sighed, my grip on her hand softening, "we need to be stronger."
I felt ashamed for suggesting it.
"Then what?" I asked, "if we can't run or stay, what do we do?"
"I mean… I could try."
"What do you mean?"
"I could… I could try being around Sadie. Maybe since I know you care for her, I'll be able to put up with it, without letting my instincts get the better of me."
"Are you sure? If you don't want to, we could figure something else out."
"No. I'm going to need to get over this eventually. Might as well do it now."
"Then I guess we need an excuse for Sadie," I say, a smile on my face
"How about… you say you picked up a stray and decided to keep her" she replies, a teasing grin on her face.
My cheeks flush, "that's… that's not what happened."
"Really?" she asks, tilting her head and smiling "Last time I checked, you picked me up off the road and brought me to your house."
"That's pretty close if you ask me," she continued laughing.
"Well…" I started but realized I didn't really have an answer for her.
Her laughter continued, and before I knew it I was laughing too.
And for the first time in a long time the tension eased. No more pain, no more weight to bear alone. Just genuine care.