Vicious Minds: Part 3 (Children of Vice 6)

“And to be happy is?”

“To protect your family and be believed in by your family.”

“Good girl, now, go to your grandfather so he can help you train. I want to see you happy, too. No matter how many times he or anyone else knocks you down, remember why you are doing this and get back up. Always get back up.”

CALLIOPE—PRESENT

When I opened my eyes, the room was dark with only the moonlight to cast a glow.

Not just the room but the world outside of the room from what I could see through the windows. The day had passed so quickly. I barely remembered it, either. Feeling cold feet, I turned down the covers only to see my daughter, dressed as Tinkerbell, lying in bed beside me fast asleep, her favorite dolphin tucked between us both.

“You’re awake?”

I glanced at the door as Helen stepped out of the bathroom, a towel in her hands. She reached for a switch and light flooded the room. “Yes, I am awake and feeling much better.”

“I’m glad to hear it. We were all worried about you. Especially this little one,” she said, coming to take a seat on the bed. She motioned to Gigi next to me. “Ethan had us all go to her play to make up for you not being there. Gigi did well. She had the crowd laughing at her expressions. The moment we came back, she wanted to see you. And she hasn’t left since. To little girls, their moms are their whole world. And to their moms, they are the most precious treasures.”

“Not all moms, sadly,” I said, brushing Gigi’s dark hair for a moment before looking back at her brown face. “Thank you for visiting me. With your father so ill, it must be hard.”

Twitch.

It was slight.

Barely noticeable.

But there was a twitch in her eyebrow that I caught.

“Of course, what is family for if not this?” she asked.

I nodded, looking around the room again. “Where is Ethan?”

“He’s gone ahead to the governor’s ball.”

“And Wyatt?” I asked, kicking my feet out of bed.

“He’s gone with him.”

“Hmm…so it’s just us girls tonight?”

“Seems so.”

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Helen replied, moving to leave.

I watched her get all the way to the door before calling out her name. “Helen.”

She froze, and slowly, she turned to me. I smiled. “It’s good to have a family. Thank you for being mine and welcoming me.”

Twitch.

“Of course, how could I not welcome you,” she said, and with that, she left as quickly as possible. The door didn’t slam behind her, but it didn’t exactly close gently, either.

“You are a very bad actress, Helen,” I whispered, moving to toward the edge of the bed, lifting the ottoman bench—what I likened to my Pandora’s box. I had remembered something from before drifting off to sleep.

“Animals pushed into a corner strike back.”

That was true. But it was also true that if you shock an animal enough times for trying to leave, they learn to stay in the corner. I pulled out a vial, tilting it the side to see the air bubble in it.

I shouldn’t. Not yet. It wasn’t the time. I had been poisoned, and there was nothing I could do about it, just yet, but I would not forget it. Not ever.