Page 18 of The Monsters Within

I nodded as a tear slipped down my cheek. I swiped it away angrily. Why wouldn’t they stop?

“Why do you need to go home?”

“I don’t belong here.”

“And you belong at home?”

I shook my head absently. “I don’t belong anywhere,” I whispered.

“Kytten, let’s talk about the day Mimic went to get food.”

“Why is he called that?” I asked. It was a strange name. What did it mean?

“I don’t know,” she answered. “You should ask him. Where were you living the day he went to get food?”

I didn’t want to think about that day. That was the day my whole life changed. Most people would think it was the day our mom left. But it was the day Thorne left.

“You need to stay here. I won’t be gone long.”

“I can come with you. I can get into places you can’t.” I begged him to take me. I didn’t want to stay alone. I hated being alone. It was scary here. I wanted to go back to the room in the closet. It was safe there. Where no one knew who we were.

“You can’t go where I’m going. It’s not safe for girls.”

“But it’s safe for boys?”

“I’ll be safe,” he said. “I’ll be back soon.”

“How long did you stay?”

“For two days.”

“Then Valhalla found you?” I nodded, my eyes on Cash. “Can you tell me about the two days you were alone?”

“What do you want to know?” I asked, glaring at her. “How I felt? I was fucking scared. I was eleven years old and had already lost my mom. Then my brother left. Did I feel abandoned? Yes. Did I feel unwanted? Yes. I was a fucking kid. Kids don’t know any better. All they know is they have someone one day and the next day they’re gone.”

I pulled my legs up on the chair and wrapped my arms around my knees. “Cash will leave too. He’ll realize I’m not worth the trouble. Then the monsters will come back.”

“When was the first time you heard the monsters? Was it when Mimic left?” I shook my head. “Was it when you wereafraid under the dumpster?” I shook my head again, but I didn’t look at her. She was getting too close.

“After you were living with the Nyght Nymphs?”

When I didn’t answer, Dr. Jefferson asked, “Can you tell me what happened?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter why. Your job is to help me get rid of them.”

“Kytten, if I don’t know why they’re here, I can’t help you. It isn’t just about getting rid of the monsters. It’s about making sure they don’t come back.”

“They don’t wake up when I’m with Cash.”

“What happens when you leave? If you go back to Nevada, the monsters go with you. Unless we get rid of them.”

She was right. If I left Cash, then they would wake up. That meant I couldn’t leave. I had to find a way to make sure he kept me.

“Then I won’t leave.”

Dr. Jefferson sighed. “I think that’s enough for today.”

I didn’t hesitate to jump up and rush over to Cash. “Everything ok?”