Page 67 of Pet: Torment

“That planet used to house life. It had an entire civilization on it. But Remus lost his temper one day, and…well, you can do the math,” she says.

My eyes widen, and a fresh set of chills appears on my arms. It’s like the more I find out about him, the more capable of destruction he turns out to be. I knew he could destroy mountains at worst. But entire planets? It only adds more questions as to why his mother would go to such lengths if this is what’s possible, should he find out.

Sky continues.

“If Remus suspects or maybe discovers what happened between you, there’s a chanceXyranniscould pay for it,” she says.

“And Ezra told you this?” I ask.

She nods.

“Is this why he won’t look at me? Why he’s acting so weird?” I ask.

Sky looks away. “He’s just in shock, is all. He looks up to Remus. And to see what he’s done to you…it’s hard for him to come to terms with,” she murmurs.

I can’t help but feel her explanation has more meaning than what she’s telling me. Ezra has been a sadistic being from the moment I met him. But now he can’t stomach my treatment because it taints his perfect image of his sibling?

It doesn’t make sense.

I flinch as pain washes over me, and my legs buckle. I stumble to the ground, and Sky comes up next to me.

“Maybe we should go back. You shouldn’t be walking in your condition—”

“No. I’m going crazy lying in bed all the time. I’m just weak right now,” I say.

Sky is quiet for a moment. I can tell she wants me to go back but also understands how difficult it is to be there—being so close to Remus and not being able to tell him who I am.

“Why do you think getting rid of the rings will help?” Sky asks, breaking the silence as she helps me up.

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility,” I say. “There’s obviously a purpose for them. No other planet has them, and she created them for a specific reason, we just don’t know what. But Remus’s essence reacting inside of me when we passed through the rings makes me think they’re connected. If it affected me that way, what’s stopping it from controlling Remus? Or keeping all of them hidden, or even making sure whatever manipulations she’s done stay intact?” I ask.

Sky doesn’t respond, so I continue.

“Think about when we were on Earth. Remus couldn’t find Ezra. He couldn’t trace or sense him or whatever it is they do when they know someone is coming and going. The only difference is the rings,” I say.

Sky’s expression is focused as she contemplates my theory. It feels good being able to say it out loud to someone who won’t shoot it down for fear of what could happen if it’s true. Unfortunately, there is no way to confirm it past being a theory. If any of them were to ask, she would more than likely wipe their minds and do God knows what else.

Our best bet is to get Remus back before she shows up again. At this point, Ezra and Xion have no idea where she is. According to them, the dimension she existed in has been wiped from existence, and they can’t locate her which makes me weary of Xion’s theory; that she is running from someone.

Which begs the more terrifying question that none of us have asked yet.

Who is Remus’s mother so desperate to remain hidden from?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Iris

For the past few hours, I’ve been content to stare at the trees beyond the bedroom I’ve occupied since Remus’s memory was taken by his mother. The sun has set, and this side ofXyrannishas been plunged into darkness. My attention remains on the faint glow at the edge of the sky.

The rings.

From here, they look like streaks over the sky and are bright enough to stand out from the stars. The longer I focus on them, the more my despair deepens. They are a physical reminder of what being on this planet means—that we are at the mercy of another, unknowingly held prisoner because she is terrified of someone who poses a bigger threat than both her and Remus. Each pass in and out only adds to the monitoring she does to keep everything under her control. She has meticulously planned for any and all contingencies. We were at her mercy before we could even recognize it.

Passing through the rings the first time must have notified her that Remus’s essence was in me. But Remus is powerful enough that she couldn’t just come in headfirst to kill me. She had to be patient and sure. She needed to catch him off guard.

I shudder as I think of the emotions that ran through me in that moment—the emotions that belonged to him. They haunt me more than my own thoughts. They were so visceral and raw. And it only grows more devastating when I recall the betrayal he felt.

Seeing him now, so empty and emotionless, thanks to her, is both terrifying and enraging. He proved this afternoon that he has no recollection of me in the slightest. Speaking with him is out of the question, and Xion’s warning to me now feels even deadlier.