Page 202

Rae blinked a few times before she looked up at me with glossy smoke-colored eyes. “Zeke?”

“I’m here. I’m going to get you away from this.”

“You can’t,” she whispered.

“Yes, I can. I’ll make you wake up.”

“No. I need to hear this.”

“What?” I shook my head. “No. You don’t need to stay here and listen to her lies.”

Patricia laughed. “Lies? The only liars here are you sinners. She knows what she’s done.”

Rae pressed her face against my chest. “It’s true,” she mumbled. “I deserve this. I let them die. I ruined everything.”

“It’s the curse talking,” I said, shaking my head.

This wasn’t Rae.

The Rae I knew was strong. She stood up to Cyn. She’d lived through things I’d always believed would break other people. The things she said and did made me want to be a better person—to push back against the abuse I still suffered.

“I’m not cursed.”

“Oh, you are,” Patricia said, crossing her arms. “You deserve to be here where you can’t curse anyone like you.”

I looked at the woman and glared. “Shut up.”

I wanted to make her go away, but I couldn’t. It had to be Rae.

Patricia turned her nose up, staring down at me with hatred burning in her eyes, but she said nothing.

I looked back down at Rae. “You don’t belong here. The curse is making you think like this.”

She shook her head.

“I felt it. You brought it home with you.”

“Always felt this way,” she mumbled.

“What?”

She pulled back and looked up at me. “I’ve always felt it, but I…” She looked at her aunt.

“Lied.”

Rae cringed.

“You hate liars, but you are the worst of them all.”

“How?” I looked between them, not understanding.

“Pretending you’re fine when you’re not is a lie,” Rae said, eyes downcast. “I kept saying it over and over until everyone believed me. That makes me a liar too.”

“No. That’s not a lie. That’s surviving.”

“You can survive without being dishonest.”

“I don’t believe that. I don’t believe you meant to lie.”