Chapter 7: What Are You?

Liam’s P.O.V

“What the hell is that?” I whisper, my voice shaking as I stare at Elijah’s form. My chest tightens, the sight in front of me making my stomach twist. “No…no, no, no. That’s not real.”

I fumble for the door handle, but it doesn’t budge. I pull again, harder this time, yanking it like my life depends on it.

“Open! Goddammit, open!” I slam my shoulder against the door, the car rocking slightly, but it stays locked.

“Elijah!” I yell, turning on him. “Unlock the fucking door!”

He doesn’t even flinch. His hands stay on the wheel, eyes fixed straight ahead, expression unreadable.

“I said let me out!” I shout again, pounding my fists against the window now. “You can’t keep me here! What the hell is wrong with you?”

There’s a click. Then, suddenly, Elijah isn’t in the driver’s seat anymore. I blink, and he’s right in front of me. In the passenger seat. Like he just appeared out of thin air.

I jerk back, my spine slamming into the door. “What…how…”

Elijah’s eyes gleam faintly in the dim light, something ancient and cold flickering in them. “What you saw,” he says softly, almost like he’s trying to calm a child, “is the truth that’s been hidden from you. From all of humanity.”

“Truth?” I bark out a shaky laugh. “That thing out there…those people, it’s not truth, it’s a fucking nightmare!”

He tilts his head, watching me with something between pity and amusement. “The sooner you accept it,” he says, voice low and measured, “the easier it will be. This is your new truth now, Liam. Stop fighting it.”

“Go to hell,” I spit out, my voice trembling but loud. “You hear me? Go to fucking hell!”

Something dark flashes across his face then. His jaw tightens, his calm cracking like glass. “You still don’t understand who you’re talking to,” he says quietly.

“Yeah? Then maybe explain it without sounding like some lunatic cult leader,” I snap.

Before I can blink, his hand shoots out, gripping my arm with inhuman strength. His fingers dig into my skin like iron clamps. I wince, trying to pull away, but he doesn’t let go.

“Elijah…let go!”

His pupils dilate, and I swear I see his teeth…no, fangs lengthen as he leans closer. “Maybe this will help you understand,” he says, his breath brushing my neck.

Panic floods my chest. My heart’s slamming against my ribs like it’s trying to break free. “Don’t…you can’t…” I gasp, struggling to breathe. My hands push against his chest, useless. “Stop, please…”

Something shifts in his face. His grip loosens. He looks down at me, sees the way my chest heaves, the tears stinging my eyes.

“You’re hyperventilating,” he mutters, almost to himself.

“No shit,” I choke out.

For a long moment, he just stares at me. Then, with a sound like a growl caught between frustration and regret, he lets go completely, slamming his hand against the dashboard. “Damn it,” he hisses.

He turns the ignition, and the car roars to life. The tires screech as he drives off, faster this time, the world blurring past the window. I press a trembling hand against my chest, trying to steady my breathing.

Neither of us says a word the whole drive back. When the mansion comes into view, he brakes hard and gets out in one sharp motion. My door unlocks with a sharp click.

“Get out,” he says without looking at me.

I hesitate for a second, still catching my breath, still shaking. Then I push the door open and stumble out, legs weak beneath me as I rush towards the mansion as fast as I can.

“Mom!” I shouted, stumbling through the front door so fast I almost tripped over the mat. My chest was burning, breath hitching, heart pounding like I’d run a marathon. “Mom, you need to…”

She was there. Sitting on the couch. Waiting.

Her eyes met mine the moment I burst in, calm and wet and knowing. She stood before I could finish, and for a second, I froze. Something in her face…soft, sad, already broken…made the words in my throat crumble.

“Liam,” she whispered, stepping closer. “Sweetheart.”

I blinked hard. “You…how….Mom, you can’t just…” I stammered, shaking my head. “You don’t understand what’s happening out there. You need to…”

“I know.” Her voice cracked, gentle but final as she stretches her hand towards me. “I already know.”

The world tilted. I stared at her, my mouth half open, waiting for her to take it back. Waiting for her to say she didn’t mean it, that she didn’t know what I meant.

But she did. She knew. It was that look in her eyes, that look she always gave me when she thought I was too young, too naïve to understand something. But this wasn’t just something I was throwing a tantrum about…this was different, this was real.

“What do you mean you know?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended. “How could you know? I just saw…Mom, they…”

“I didn’t want you to find out like this,” she whispered again, tears spilling before she could stop them. “I wanted to tell you myself. I thought I had more time.”

My heart stopped for a beat. “You…” I swallowed hard. “You knew this whole time?”

She reached for me, but I stepped back. “Liam, please…”

“You knew?” I repeated, louder this time. “You knew what they were…those…things, and you didn’t say anything?”

Her lips trembled. “I was trying to protect you.”

“Protect me?” I laughed, but it came out broken. “By lying to me? By pretending nothing was wrong?”

“Liam, listen…”

“No!” My voice cracked. “You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to tell me you were trying to protect me when everything’s falling apart out there! When they’re…” I stopped, pressing a shaking hand to my mouth.

She took another step closer, her arms half-raised like she wanted to hold me but wasn’t sure if she was allowed to anymore. “I thought it would be for the best to keep you unaware of the world we live in, Liam. It was all I could do to protect you. That’s all I wanted.”

I looked at her…really looked and I couldn’t decide what hurt more: that she’d lied, or that she looked like she’d been living with that lie for far too long.

My knees gave out before I even realized it. The floor came up hard against me, but I didn’t care. I just sat there, staring at nothing, hearing her voice tremble as she knelt beside me.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she whispered, brushing my hair from my face like she used to when I was little. “I didn’t want it to happen like this. I swear I didn’t.”

I shook my head, my voice barely a breath. “You should’ve told me.”

“I know,” she said softly, her fingers trembling as they rested against my cheek. “I know.”

At that moment, I couldn’t tell which of us was breaking more…her for what she’d done, or me for realizing I’d never really known her at all.