life might be in danger. Our whole family might be in danger, actually.” I gave her a pleading look, willing her to listen to me.
“Our family?” She scoffed. “There’s not much left of our family, is there? Your brother ruined us, then you, then your father had to go because of you.”
The accusatory look in her eyes hit me like a ton of bricks. “Mom... It’s not my fault that I have the disease.” I didn’t want to explain to my mother that maybe I no longer had the disease because that was beside the point. I wanted her to accept me for who I was, not because the disease might be gone from my system. And I definitely didn’t want to tell her my fire was gone.
“Of course it’s not your fault, honey. It’s his.” She laughed and looked at Adrian.
“Mrs. Milanez, your daughter didn’t contract the disease from me,” Adrian said. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit strange that both of your children have the disease?”
“I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms, but she blinked a little bit too fast and too often.
“Mom, he’s telling the truth. I inherited the disease, just like my brother did.” I slowly stepped closer to the desk. “And we can thank our great-grandfather, Jonathan, for that because he was the one who passed the faulty genes on to us. Why else do you think he’d need to seal a deal to kill off anyone who married someone of a different element? He needed us to maintain the illusion that we had a pure element. He couldn’t have known the disease would show in another generation.”
“That’s impossible.” My mother shook her head. “Your grandma would have inherited the disease. I would too.”
“Not necessarily. The chances of inheriting the disease from one parent are big, but they’re not a hundred percent. Grandma could have easily inherited only a fraction of the bad genes, which got transferred to Oliver and me.” I stopped in front of the desk, facing my mother, who looked pale.
“Your great-grandma would have noticed if her husband had the disease. She would have contracted it.”
“Not if he was careful around her. It was scientifically proven that the disease is contracted only if the disease and elements touch each other or exchange briefly, and if that doesn’t happen, there’s no way a carrier can transmit the disease.” Lily and I had revealed this to the world with some of the other secrets, but it seemed my mother needed a reminder.
“Fine,” she finally said. “But you and your brother are still carriers, even if you did keep your elements. You’re both killers. Murderers.” She must have heard I’d used my element in the fight, so she knew I was an element preserver. I’d had my element when my father found out that I had the disease, but he could have assumed that I’d gotten the disease recently and hadn’t lost the element yet.
The darkness and emptiness inside of me spread their fingers through the rest of my body, squeezing my heart. I stumbled back and Adrian was there to catch me. His wide eyes met mine as I tried to breathe. Was that what my mom thought of me? That I was a murderer? “I didn’t...” Tears stung my eyes. “Mom, I was defending myself...”
“Do you have their elements? The elements of the people whose lives you have taken?” A vein in her neck pulsed with anger.
“Not anymore.” My voice was so low that even I barely heard it. “But I’ve taken the elements of people who died near me. I didn’t kill those people!” I glared at her, my anger surging. “How many people Dad tortured and killed for his experiments? Or it isn’t his fault because he didn’t do it personally? You know what? I don’t care what you think. I never killed someone just to get their element.”
“What do you want?” she said, her eyes glassy. She believed me, or maybe she wanted to. I snatched the phone out of my pocket and showed her the picture of the symbol.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Where did you
“Our family?” She scoffed. “There’s not much left of our family, is there? Your brother ruined us, then you, then your father had to go because of you.”
The accusatory look in her eyes hit me like a ton of bricks. “Mom... It’s not my fault that I have the disease.” I didn’t want to explain to my mother that maybe I no longer had the disease because that was beside the point. I wanted her to accept me for who I was, not because the disease might be gone from my system. And I definitely didn’t want to tell her my fire was gone.
“Of course it’s not your fault, honey. It’s his.” She laughed and looked at Adrian.
“Mrs. Milanez, your daughter didn’t contract the disease from me,” Adrian said. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit strange that both of your children have the disease?”
“I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms, but she blinked a little bit too fast and too often.
“Mom, he’s telling the truth. I inherited the disease, just like my brother did.” I slowly stepped closer to the desk. “And we can thank our great-grandfather, Jonathan, for that because he was the one who passed the faulty genes on to us. Why else do you think he’d need to seal a deal to kill off anyone who married someone of a different element? He needed us to maintain the illusion that we had a pure element. He couldn’t have known the disease would show in another generation.”
“That’s impossible.” My mother shook her head. “Your grandma would have inherited the disease. I would too.”
“Not necessarily. The chances of inheriting the disease from one parent are big, but they’re not a hundred percent. Grandma could have easily inherited only a fraction of the bad genes, which got transferred to Oliver and me.” I stopped in front of the desk, facing my mother, who looked pale.
“Your great-grandma would have noticed if her husband had the disease. She would have contracted it.”
“Not if he was careful around her. It was scientifically proven that the disease is contracted only if the disease and elements touch each other or exchange briefly, and if that doesn’t happen, there’s no way a carrier can transmit the disease.” Lily and I had revealed this to the world with some of the other secrets, but it seemed my mother needed a reminder.
“Fine,” she finally said. “But you and your brother are still carriers, even if you did keep your elements. You’re both killers. Murderers.” She must have heard I’d used my element in the fight, so she knew I was an element preserver. I’d had my element when my father found out that I had the disease, but he could have assumed that I’d gotten the disease recently and hadn’t lost the element yet.
The darkness and emptiness inside of me spread their fingers through the rest of my body, squeezing my heart. I stumbled back and Adrian was there to catch me. His wide eyes met mine as I tried to breathe. Was that what my mom thought of me? That I was a murderer? “I didn’t...” Tears stung my eyes. “Mom, I was defending myself...”
“Do you have their elements? The elements of the people whose lives you have taken?” A vein in her neck pulsed with anger.
“Not anymore.” My voice was so low that even I barely heard it. “But I’ve taken the elements of people who died near me. I didn’t kill those people!” I glared at her, my anger surging. “How many people Dad tortured and killed for his experiments? Or it isn’t his fault because he didn’t do it personally? You know what? I don’t care what you think. I never killed someone just to get their element.”
“What do you want?” she said, her eyes glassy. She believed me, or maybe she wanted to. I snatched the phone out of my pocket and showed her the picture of the symbol.
Her hand flew to her mouth. “Where did you
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