“What did you do with Jessie?” Skylar asked, unable to help himself. He needed a distraction. His mind wasn’t ready to process what had just taken place inside that bedroom. And Jessie was perfect — she deserved to be taken care of even after death.
A deep frown came to Venus’ lips when Skylar immediately asked about Jessie. She had just told him that she wasn’t sure how much time they had, and this was how he wanted to spend that time?! “I made it look like an accident,” she answered simply, showing no emotion. “How is Tyler?”
An accident? If only it had been that simple. “Um…I-I don’t know,” he answered with a small shake of his head. “Fine, I guess. I did what you said. I gave him whatever he wanted. And he was okay. Until you showed up.”
Although she had been there to witness what happened when she made her presence known, she needed to know if Skylar had understood the severity of the situation. “What happened when I showed up?” she asked, watching Skylar closely to see if he was finally starting to understand.
His brows knit in confusion at the question. “What do you mean?” he asked, shaking his head. “You were there. You saw what happened. He was pissed! He probably thought you were going to try to stop us, or something. I-I don’t know what’s going through his head anymore.”
Venus studied him for a few long seconds. Her expression was unreadable. Not that she was really an open book any other time either. “That’s exactly the problem, Skylar Briggs,” she explained. “You still think this is about what he wants.”
Now, it was Skylar’s turn to stare. “What?” he asked, more confused than he had been just a second ago. He was exhausted. He didn’t have the mental capacity to do this with her right now. “Of course it’s about what he wants,” he argued. “That’s what you told me to do. You told me to give him whatever he asked for.”
Of course that’s what Skylar had interpretted from her words. Slowly, she shook her head. “I told you to keep him calm,” she corrected. “I meant for you to keep him from becoming angry enough to hurt you.” Because at that moment, when Tyler had snapped Jessie’s neck, Venus had felt it. Something shifted with the ritual, and she knew this had been the point of no return.
And she needed Skylar to understand what this meant. Because this was the moment he would need to make the choice. He’d been dancing around it for so long, but there was no time left. Tyler didn’t have any more time.
Swallowing thickly, Skylar’s eyes darted from one of his feet to the other as he tried to remember their conversation at the main building. He had been so sure Venus told him to do whatever Tyler asked him to. Had she not said that? Had he misinterpretted it? Had he just made that up?! “You told me he needed me,” Skylar muttered, his mind an absolute wreck.
It was painful to watch Skylar fall apart in front of her. This was the man who had been so strong for months while he was trying to navigate the unknown waters of resurrection. “He does need you,” Venus assured him. Her eyes ticked to the cabin, watching intently for any signs of change. There were none. “But the problem is that Tyler doesn’t just need you anymore, Skylar Briggs.”
Again, Skylar couldn’t help but swallow, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “What the hell does that even mean?” he asked, his face a mixture of confusion and fear. “If he doesn’t need me, then what? What’s after need?”
“He’s completely dependent on you, Skylar Briggs,” Venus explained. She had read about it, but she’d never actually seen it unfold. Usually, one of the parties tapped out by now. Whether that be suicide or being murdered by the person they brought back, it didn’t matter. No one had ever lasted long enough for this sort of attachment to take hold. “Remember when I told you that you were Tyler’s anchor?”
Slowly, Skylar nodded. It seemed like forever ago at this point, but he remembered it well. It had been the same night Venus warned him to pull back. And he hadn’t listened. If he had, would they be here right now? Or had Tyler already been too far gone by that point? Had he already been conditioned to rely on Skylar for every little thing he needed in life?
Her bright, glowing green eyes softened. Gently, she reached up to cup the side of Skylar’s face. “You’re not just his emotional anchor anymore, Skylar Briggs,” she whispered, her tone a mixture of sadness and fascination. “Tyler’s ability to remain human is tied to you now.”
For another long moment, Skylar was frozen in place. He was only able to stare at Venus as his mind processed the words that had just left her mouth. Human. How was that even in question? But here they were. And it made sense. Tyler had died. His heart barely beat. He barely breathed. He didn’t sleep. He didn’t feel pain. Was he even human anymore?
But clearly he was. And that humanity was tied to Skylar. Whatever the hell that meant. Would Venus even tell him if he asked. It was worth a shot, he supposed. “What does that mean?” he asked, biting the bullet and hoping that the woman answered him.
Venus lowered her hand from his cheek. “It means that the part of Tyler that still makes him Tyler is tied to you, Skylar Briggs,” she explained, her voice soft. Almost apologetic. “His emotions. His ability to reason. His ability to control himself.”
“Control himself?” Skylar asked, unable to contain the scoff that left his throat. “Is that what he does? Because I don’t see it! As a matter of fact, I see a distinct lack of control! He loses himself more often than not and when everything is over and he’s finally lucid again, all he can do is apologize!” The kiss, trapping him against the basement wall, biting him — how was that being in control?!
Once again, Venus felt a flood of emotions washing over her for these two boys. She knew how painful this was. She’d lived it. She hadn’t been able to save her wife — save herself. But maybe she could still save Tyler and Skylar. “You are the only thing keeping him grounded,” she tried to explain once more.
He shook his head. “No, that’s not—” he started, his voice cracking. Skylar forced himself to swallow. “You told me that he was becoming dependent on me. You never said anything about me being the only thing keeping him human! That’s impossible!”
Again, Venus hesitated. She knew this was a lot to take in. But she also knew that Sylar needed the full picture before he could make the next decision. One that was undoubtedly going to be the hardest of his life. “He is. He’s both. The difference is that dependency can be broken.”
Skylar didn’t like where this was going. “And this can’t?” he asked, already knowing the answer but needing Venus to tell him anyway. What the hell was he going to do? What the hell did he create?!
“Not anymore, Skylar Briggs,” Venus answered. Had he listened when she first warned him that his actions were going to get them in trouble, maybe they could have prevented this. Maybe he could have been another one of the stories in her binder of research. But now, things were already set in motion, and there was no going back.
Without thinking, Skylar’s eyes darted toward the cabin. Tyler was inside sleeping. Or unconscious. Honestly, Skylar didn’t even know anymore. “Then what happens if I leave?” Skylar asked, his voice shaking. Venus didn’t answer right away. That was answer enough, though. “What happens?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Venus, what happens if I leave him?”
That wasn’t an option he wanted to explore. But how could she ignore him when he was standing right in front of her, his blue eyes pleading in the dim glow of the moonlight. “He will start to deteriorate,” she finally answered, her eyes dropping to the ground.
But that answer wasn’t good enough for Skylar. He kept pushing. Asking her how. “First emotionally,” she answered, calling on all of the memories she had from the research she’d conducted over the years. “His thoughts will become more disorganized. His ability to regulate himself with disappear. The longer you’re away, the more unstable he’ll become.”
This was a separate binder that she hadn’t handed over to Skylar because it had been unfinished. Nothing like this had ever happened before. The ritual hadn’t had a chance to manifest in this way. Her expressions softened. “Eventually, there won’t be enough of the human part of him left to hold the rest together.”
A shudder moved through Skylar’s body. The thought of Tyler suffering alone like that was enough to bring him to his knees. “You mean he’ll become a monster,” he whispered, needing clarification.
Monster was such a harsh word. And not accurate in the least. People could still hold their humanity and be monsters. This was something completely different. “No, Skylar Briggs,” Venus answered with a sad shake of her head. “I mean he’ll become whatever is left when Tyler Briggs no longer exists.”
And maybe that was more terrifying than being a monster. Skylar didn’t know at this point. All he knew was that his brother was suffering, and it was his fault. His eyes burned with tears, his skin hot as a single drop slid down his cheek. “And that’s my fault.”
Her response came quickly, the word biting as it came out of her mouth. “No.” Of course, Skylar wasn’t having any of it, arguing that he’d done this. “You brought him back. But you had no idea what the ritual would do.” There had been no way to know. It affected everyone differently. And there were outside sources that also affected the outcome.
Another tear slid down Skylar’s cheek, threatening to break him. How had it come to this? A few months ago, he was making Tyler grilled cheese and joking about him being a zombie. Now, he was going to lose the one thing he couldn’t live without. “I should have listened to you,” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
“Yes,” she answered, her voice holding an authoratative tone, though there was no blame underneath. “You should have.” But it was too late for that. They couldn’t turn back time. This is the reality they had to deal with now.
The bluntness of the answer hit harder than anything else could have. Again, Skylar’s eyes ticked to the cabin. He felt so lost. “Then what am I supposed to do?” he asked, his gaze landing on Venus once more. She seemed like she had all of the answers now. Maybe she could help him with this one too.
Venus followed his gaze. “That’s the choice I told you about,” she explained. “You’ve spent months choosing Tyler. Choosing his needs. Choosing his happiness. Choosing to protect him from the consequences of what you’d done.” Her eyes met Skylar’s once more. “But now you have to decide if you’re willing to choose yourself.”
She thought he had a choice? That was laughable. “What choice?” he asked, his tone flat. “I can’t live without him. He’s my brother. My twin. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him. If I thought for even a second that I could just let him go, I wouldn’t be here right now.” He swallowed back more tears when they threatened to fall. He didn’t get to cry. He’d done this to them. “I don’t have a choice. That luxury ended the night I decided to get behind the wheel after drinking. The night I killed my brother.”
Suddenly, a branch snapped behind them, dragging Skylar’s attention away from Venus. It was too dark to see anything, but he knew without having to see that Tyler was awake. He could feel it.
Everything happened so fast. One minute, he and Venus were talking, and the next, Tyler lunged out of nowhere and tackled Venus to the ground. “Tyler!” Skylar yelled, his body moving before his brain had a chance to catch up. “What the hell, Ty?! Get off of her!”
Tyler’s bright blue eyes shone dangerously in the moonlight. His face was set in a snarl, his pale, bony fingers wrapped around Venus’ throat. Venus had her hand up, a bright green ball of firey magic ready to strike Tyler. “She’s trying to take you away from me!” Tyler spat, his voice completely devoid of human emotion.
“Venus, don’t! Please?!” Skylar begged, holding his hands up in a motion of surrended. “Ty, she isn’t trying to take me away from you. We were just talking.” Slowly, he took a step forward, his eyes never leaving his brother’s. “Let her go. You can’t just attack people for talking to me. That’s crazy!”
His hands loosened their grip around her throat just as the ball of magic died. “She makes you hate me,” Tyler explained. “She told you to pull away from me! She wanted you to leave me!” Finally, his hands released her completely, though he did not let her up. “She doesn’t want me to have you. She doesn’t want me to be happy because she can never be happy. Not when she forced her wife to commit suicide.”
Before Skylar could say anything else, Venus shoved Tyler off of her – hard. She knew that Tyler wasn’t in his right mind, but his words stung. When Tyler got off the ground and stalked toward her once more, Skylar stepped between them. “Skylar Briggs,” she sing songed, her tone carrying a warning.
When he stepped between them, Tyler stopped. “I know,” he bit out when Venus spoke. “Tyler, stop. Listen to me. I’m right here.” Without thinking, he reached for Tyler, his fingers circling his wrist as he forced his hand against his chest. “Do you feel that? I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, okay? Calm down. Please?”
Watching the way the brothers interacted in real time was something to be admired. She had never seen anyone so capable of de-escalating a situation like this before with just a few words. I’m right here. She wished that her wife had been able to handle their relationship the same way this young boy handled theirs. It was astonishing.
Immediately, Tyler relaxed. His shoulders slumped and he frowned softly, blinking as if he was seeing the world for the first time since he’d woken up. “Sky?” he whispered, his fingers twitching against Skylar’s shirt where he had the fabric bunched between his fists. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, shaking his head. “I-I don’t know what’s happening to me. Please…help me?”
Skylar felt something inside him break as Tyler begged for help. “I know,” he assured him, pulling Tyler against his chest. “It’s okay. We’re gonna be okay.” His eyes darted to Venus, hoping that he was able to convey his thank you with just a look. “C’mon, let’s get back inside. You’re not even wearing shoes.”
With that, Skylar led Tyler back into the cabin, leaving Venus behind to watch the interaction. A slow, pleased smile pulled at her lips as she watched the door close behind the boys, locking them away from the outside world. Just where Tyler wanted them.
**~~**
The sound of his phone ringing pulled Skylar out of his own head, causing him to jerk slightly. He hadn’t been sleeping, but he hadn’t exactly been awake either. He was just..drifting. His arm ached where Tyler laid on it, the sensation reminding him of the many nights Jessie had fallen asleep in his arms.
One glance at the screen told him he wasn’t ready for what was coming. “It’s Mom,” Skylar mumbled as he pushed himself to a seated position. “I have to answer it.” So, he did. “Hello?” he muttered, his voice thick with emotion.
“Oh my God, Skylar!” Jennifer’s voice came through the phone, her relief so thick Skylar could cut it with a knife. “Are you okay?! I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours! They…found Jessie’s car at the bottom of the embankment off of Ironwood Road. Skylar, baby, I’m so sorry. She didn’t make it. God, I was so scared you were in the car with her!”
Listening to his mother reveal that his girlfriend had just died in a car accident cut deep. Not because his mother had been worried he was in the car with her, but because he knew it was all a lie. He knew the truth about her death. “I’m fine, Mom,” he whispered, his eyes sliding closed. “Jessie? She…she didn’t make it?”
There was a long pause. “No, Sky, I’m so sorry,” Jennifer finally answered. She hated that she had to tell him over the phone that the love of his life was no longer on this Earth. And so quickly after he’d just lost his brother. It was tragic. “Where are you? I can come pick you up. You shouldn’t be alone.”
He fought back the tears that wanted to fall. He’d already done this part. He’d cried. He’d screamed. He’d cursed everyone and everything he could think of. And then he’d accepted the blame himself. He’d done this. He didn’t have a right to cry. “Uh…yeah, I’m not…around right now,” he answered, shaking his head although he knew she couldn’t see him. “Jessie and I…we were having problems since losing Tyler and I just…told her I needed some space. I’m about three states over.”
Again, there was a pause. Jennifer had no right to judge Skylar for leaving. She’d done the same thing after Tyler’s death. “Oh,” she mumbled, not really sure what else to say. “Are you…coming back? School starts in less than a month. And…I mean, there’s going to be the funeral.”
The funeral. Skylar couldn’t possibly handle that. Not that Tyler would even allow him to go. “I can’t,” he choked out, shaking his head again. His body jerked when he felt Tyler’s lips press against his left shoulder, then drag over to the right. “I just…I need some time. I need to figure some things out. I’ll be taking a break from school. And Jessie…she wouldn’t want me at the funeral anyway.”
He realized his mistake as soon as he’d uttered the words. Before he allowed Jennifer time to process his words though, he bit out, “Hey, I gotta go. Um…thanks for checking in on me. I’ll call you when I know where I land and we can talk more. I’m sorry. I love you. Bye.”
With that, Skylar hung up the phone, tossing it onto the nightstand. Sighing, he leaned back, his eyes slipping closed when his back pressed flush against Tyler’s front. “We need to leave,” he explained. “We can’t stay in this cabin. We’re too close to home.”
Tyler’s lips trailed over Skylar’s shoulder to his collarbone, sucking gently on the skin there. “Where are we going?” he asked, his fingers carding through his brother’s hair. “Three states over?” Another kiss to Skylar’s neck. “Or further? So they can’t find us even if they start looking?”
“I don’t know yet,” Skylar answered honestly. “I just know we can’t stay here.” His head fell to the side, offering up more of his neck to his brother. And Tyler took advantage, kissing a path up his throat to suck at his earlobe. “Pack your things. We’re leaving as soon as possible. And make sure you get everything. No one can know we were here.”
He didn’t wait for Tyler’s answer before he pushed himself to his feet. His bag was in the closet, already half packed from the night they got here. At the time, this hadn’t been a permanent solution, so there had been no reason to fully unpack. Thankfully, Tyler took the hint and started packing his own bag as well. He needed to leave — now.
About thirty minutes later, Skylar was shoving the last of the bags into the trunk of the JEEP. His eyes suddenly caught movement in the trees, his body bracing for danger. However, when he realized it was Venus, he relaxed. “What are you doing here?” he asked, eyeing her cautiously just as Tyler stepped up behind him. He didn’t miss the way his brother put a possessive hand on his lower back.
And neither did Venus, her lips curling into an amused smile. “I just wanted to see you off, Skylar Briggs,” she explained, circling around the brothers like she had done countless times during their conversations. “After all, this is my cabin. I just came back to collect what’s mine.”
Not giving it much thought, Tyler handed Venus the key to the cabin. He had been planning on leaving it under the mat, but this was probably a better scenario. “Thanks for letting us stay here,” he smiled politely. “We really appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
Her smile widened as she took the key and pocketed it. “You’re welcome, Tyler,” she smiled, her eyes leisurley moving away from one twin to the other. “And now you, Skylar Briggs. I’ve come for my belongings.”
“I don’t have anything of yours,” Skylar answered, a confused frown knitting his brows. However, when Venus merely cocked her head to the side and stared at him with those glowing green eyes, he realized what she was talking about. “The Codex?” he asked, almost unable to believe she had the nerve to ask.
But there was no denying it when her face lit up at the mention of the book. He couldn’t help but scoff at the idea. “Are you fucking serious right now?” he asked. “That book is the reason all of this happened in the first place. You’re even more psychotic than I thought if you actually expect me to give that damn thing to you so you can go experiment with someone else’s life!”
Venus almost couldn’t believe that Skylar had the audacity to keep the book from her. It was her book! But given the way things had turned out, it wasn’t completely out of the realm of belivable that he would blame anything he could. After all, he was probably trying to hold on to some semblance of control. His life was out of control these days.
Slowly, she moved toward the trunk, her eyes never leaving Skylar. “The Codex didn’t make you do the ritual, Skylar Briggs, and neither did I,” she explained, hitting him with a hard stare. “Just because you won’t give it back doesn’t mean it won’t find its way back to me. It always does.”
The smile on her lips made Skylar feel uneasy. “I don’t care,” he argued. “I’m not handing it back over.” He couldn’t allow that thing to see the light of day again. People weren’t meant to come back from the dead. He understood that now. Only now, it was too late for him. Pushing past Venus, Skylar slammed the trunk closed, glaring at the woman. “We’re leaving. Don’t look for us.”
Another wide smile came to Venus’ lips when Skylar warned her not to look for them. “I wouldn’t dream of it, Skylar Briggs,” she assured him, giving him a playful wave. She didn’t miss the way Skylar helped Tyler into the car, or the way his eyes seemed to watch every movement the other man made. And Tyler’s eyes did the same with Skylar. They were so in tune. It was a shame they were leaving. She would have loved to study them.
As she watched the JEEP pull onto the small dirt road that would lead them to the highway, she smiled softly once more. They were so fascinating. Two brothers who had basically burned the world down for each other — it wasn’t something you saw every day.
Once the JEEP was out of sight, Venus turned on her heels and headed into the woods once more. As soon as she was deep in the trees, she reached into her pocket, her hand curling around the familiar binding of the Codex as another wide smile came to her lips.