The Mouse and The Wolf - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

-Oliver-
Was it possible for the brain to explode from too much information?
"He... he's my uncle?" I whispered.
Natalie stood up and gave me a hug, but her hold of me felt weak. She was out of breath and her hands were shaking. I had never seen her afraid before. I, on the other hand, felt completely numb.
"I didn't know how to tell this to you when I found out you're Attwood," she said.
"And he... killed my father?" I muttered. "His own brother?"
"That's fucked up," Jaden muttered angrily.
"Yeah... Anthony was Kevin's older brother," Natalie spoke, pulling back to look at me. "I'm so sorry..."
"I'm..." I didn't know how to continue. This was too much... I couldn't handle it. I felt like the string that had been holding me together finally snapped upon hearing this.
She let go of me and turned her attention to Arch, who didn't look any better. "Henry is his minion. He's somewhere close by, so Anthony must be here as well."
"Minion..." I repeated.
"Guardian Shadow, I suppose, but they're not loyal to their masters. The only thing they care about is power. Henry has possessed someone..." Natalie turned to look at Jaden. "That boy... Jack... He had a powerful shadow in him."
"Hell no," Jaden snorted loudly. "There is no way Jack is Arch's mate. That's just ridiculous!"
"Weirder things have happened," Natalie said.
"No," Tilly said sternly. "You don't get it – Jack hates us. He would never consider Arch as his mate. To him, we're lower than maggots."
"I must admit, I would be extremely surprised if it was Jack," Aurora spoke quietly.
"Okay, okay, I believe you. Anthony has several strong shadows by his side," Natalie said with a sigh.
I stared at Arch, his pale, sweaty face. He was lying on the bed, not moving at all. His eyes were rapidly moving behind the lids, but otherwise he looked dead. I shivered when I thought about the screams I just heard... The person... whoever he was, he was in great pain. I could almost hear his howl...
"I can't do this," I whispered. I was suddenly having trouble breathing. "I didn't want this..."
"It's okay, Ollie," Jaden said soothingly, placing his hand on my shoulder.
"No... No, it's not..." I muttered, starting to feel dizzy. "This is not okay!"
Jaden pulled me into a hug. "I got you. Everything will be all right."
I shook my head. "I can't do this..."
"You should take him to get some rest," Aurora spoke next to me. "We'll take care of Arch. You take care of Oliver."
Jaden nodded and led me out of the room. I was almost hyperventilating as we stepped into our bedroom. My mind was not working. I was afraid and unable to breathe, and the thought of my father was making things worse.
I hardly noticed sitting down on the edge of the bed, Jaden holding his arm tightly around my shoulders. He spoke soothingly in my ear, but I wasn't listening.
It was just too much. I didn't want to hear more. I didn't want to understand. I couldn't keep up.
"I didn't ask for this..." I coughed, and realized I was crying. "It's too much..."
"I know..." Jaden muttered, gently rubbing my shoulder. "I'm sorry you were dragged into this."
I didn't reply to him. It wasn't his fault, but... If he hadn't looked at me on my sixteenth birthday...
"Is Arch going to be okay?" I asked, trying to push all the negative thoughts out of my head.
"I'll go check up on him in a minute, but first, I need to make sure you're all right."
I nodded, but his words didn't make me feel any better. I didn't even know where to focus my attention! To Arch, or his possible mate who was in a lot of pain, or my father who was murdered by his own brother?
My breathing grew shorter again, and I had to stand up. I couldn't sit still. I wanted to run away. Far away. I did not want any of this! I could almost see the ugly, shadowy figures all around me, suffocating me, pulling into a tight, deathly grip...
Now I understood why I couldn't remember any of this; why I had pushed all those memories out of my head when I was a kid.
"This is too much..."
"I know..." Jaden muttered, standing up and stepping right in front of me. "You are safe here, Ollie. I will not let anyone hurt you."
"You can't stop the shadows. You can't even see them," I muttered.
Jaden didn't reply to me. I could feel his anxiety and fear. I was right, and he knew that. I could feel how useless he felt... It made me regret my words.
"I know you'd fight them if you could. But you can't... That's supposed to be my job," I spoke quietly.
"We are not alone," Jaden said. "You are not alone in this."
"It doesn't change the fact that I can't deal with any of this right now," I said, the anxiety rising its head inside me.
"Then we don't," Jaden said soothingly, and he was bout to continue, but then he looked over my shoulder, squinting his eyes.
I turned around and saw Natalie stepping out of Arch's room, speaking on the phone. She was talking about what happened just now, so I assumed it was her husband at the other end. She ended the call soon and turned to look at me. She hesitated a moment, before walking to our door.
"I'm so sorry, Oliver," she spoke, looking like she was about to cry because of how sorry she was. "This is not how this was supposed to happen. I was supposed to tell you everything when the time was right. Not like this..."
I shook my head and turned my back on her. I couldn't say anything at that moment. I saw Jaden giving me a worried look before he turned his gaze towards Natalie.
"How's Arch?" he asked.
"He is resting now. We blocked the bond so he can't feel Henry or the poor boy he has possessed. It's not permanent, so I'll have to block it again in a few days. It was tearing his soul apart, so I had no choice."
"Good – keep it blocked," Jaden said almost angrily.
"We have to help him," I said quietly, wrapping arms around myself – I felt cold all of a sudden. "There was almost nothing left..."
"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.
"The spirit Henry was lodged onto," Natalie murmured. "It was so incredibly weak... I don't think we can save him anymore. Even if we were strong enough to cast Henry out, it would tear the spirit apart. When we got rid of the spy in Oliver, it left deep scars and bruises, and it wasn't even half as strong as Henry is."
"So, he'll die," Jaden said, shaking his head. "This is so fucked up..."
"That man... Anthony?" I said, turning around. "He's the reason that spirit is dying?"
"Yes. He must've ordered Henry to possess him," Natalie nodded.
"Is there any way we can find him? Can we use the bond to track him down?" I asked, feeling stronger all of a sudden.
"Maybe," Natalie said without looking straight at me.
"So, there is a way?" I guessed.
"It's too dangerous," Natalie said with a pleading voice.
"Someone is about to die. We can't just hide here while the rest of him fades away," I said sternly.
"Oliver..."
"Did you hear him? Because I did. He was in pain, but he was still fighting. He was still holding on because he has someone he needs to protect," I told her, in case she hadn't heard it. "His mate."
"Arch..." Jaden muttered. "He never said anything about even having a clue who his mate could be."
"I knew the spirit. Somehow... I just can't remember where I've met him," I sighed, torturing my brain, trying to remember.
"Well, he has to be someone around here since he's still feeding the bond," Jaden explained.
"Maybe someone at school?" I suggested.
"Has to be if you've met him," Jaden nodded.
"That doesn't help us though..." I sighed, and turned to look at Natalie again. "We need to find him before it's too late."
Natalie bit her lower lip, and carefully stepped closer to me. "We can't save him anymore. He's too far gone."
"There has to be a way," I said, refusing to believe her words, even though I knew she was right.
"Honey..."
I stared at her for a second or two, before the tears in my eyes started burning, and I looked away.
None of us said anything in a few moments. I wasn't even trying to stop crying – I felt so awful for not being able to do anything for that spirit. I could still feel his desperation, his need to protect his mate...
"And Arch doesn't even know..." Jaden said, and hugged me all of a sudden. I could tell he was about to cry too. "This is so fucked up..."
I saw Natalie over his shoulder. She had hidden her eyes behind her hand, and I could hear a silent sniff. Then, she lowered her hand, looked up, and took a few deep breaths before she turned to look at Arch again.
"You would try to save him if you knew how, right?" she asked quietly, turning to look at me.
"I would," I said without hesitation, and she nodded.
"You are definitely Kevin's son," she smiled. "Annabelle?"
'Please, don't tell me...' the guardian spoke when she appeared in the room.
"It's the only way," Natalie muttered, and walked to me. "There is a way, yes, but I can't promise it's going to work. It's extremely dangerous, and he might die anyway, but it's the only chance we have."
"What is it?" I asked hastily.
"I need to find his body, but I think I can use the bond like you suggested," Natalie said and fell silent for a moment, like she was building up the courage to continue. "I'll go steal the spirit and bring it to us."
'If he catches us, we're all dead,' Annabelle said gloomily.
"Please," Natalie said to her, and she lifted her hands up in the air before she vanished.
"He can kill you?" I asked in horror.
"I need to enter the body they are in. If Henry realizes we're there, he will try to lock us up, or kill us right away. Annabelle is coming with me, and we'll act fast – it's only going to take a minute or two. He won't even notice us before it's too late."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"No – but I have to do it," she said, giving me a shaky smile. "I heard him too," she added in a whisper.
I nodded hesitantly. I didn't want her to go, but... If it was the only way to save a life... But what if she died? I would never be able to get over it...
"I'll be careful," she said and hugged me. "Henry won't see us coming before it's too late."
"What if you're wrong? What if he's expecting you?" I asked, trying not to let my fear strangle me.
"We Spirit Walkers are cowards. He will never see us coming," Natalie chuckled, letting go of me. "If my husband gets here before I do... Tell him where to find me."
I nodded, but it took me a moment to realize what she meant. She was supposed to be back before her husband... If she didn't come back in a few minutes...
"Be careful," I told her quietly. "You have to come back."
"I will," she smiled, and hugged me again. "We have to act quickly."
She let go of me and walked into Arch's room. I couldn't follow her right away. My fear was too great. Somehow, I eventually managed to get myself to follow her.
"I'm going to get the spirit," Natalie told Aurora and Tilly. "He'll need a body to stay in until we can get his own back."
"I'll take him," Aurora said without a blink of an eye.
"Thank you – he will need a safe place to stay in order to heal," Natalie said, before turning to look at Arch. "I'll get him to safety."
"You're risking your life for someone you don't even know," Aurora spoke quietly with a respectful look in her eyes.
"The spirit is young. He can't be much older than your daughter," Natalie told her.
Aurora looked at Tilly, grinding her teeth together. "Bring him back. And stay safe," she said.
"I will," Natalie said, and turned to look at me. "I suppose this is the first time you'll see me phasing. I'll teach you how to do that soon," she said with a nervous smile.
And without giving me any time to even open my mouth, she started fading right in front of my eyes, the air around her glimmering and rippling for a short moment. And then, she was gone. I had to blink a few times while my head was struggling to understand what my eyes were telling it.
After that, I turned to look at Arch, who was radiating warm, dim light for a moment before it vanished as well.
"This is horrible..." Aurora breathed out. "I want to help her... I feel so useless. What kind of Huntress am I if all I can do is wait?"
"She'll come back in a minute," I said sternly. "This is over soon."
I had to believe so, but the seconds felt like days as we waited in silence, watching Arch. He still wasn't moving at all, but now he seemed calmer and a bit livelier. I wished it was a good sign... The seconds turned into a minute, then another... and another...
"It's taking too long," Aurora whispered. "She's in trouble."
I nearly started crying again after hearing that. Four minutes passed, and Natalie hadn't come back. My stomach was twisting and turning, and I started to feel sick. Was she all right? Was she even alive? If something happened to her, it was my fault. I basically begged her to do it!
But she had to come back... She had to! She wouldn't abandon me like that! She wouldn't do that to me. I just had to be patient... And wait.
"Come on..." Jaden muttered, staring at his best friend without blinking an eye. Aurora was pacing around without taking her eyes off Arch, and Tilly didn't even seem to breathe. I was counting seconds, and every single one felt like a dagger in my soul. What if she didn't return to me...?
Suddenly, the air just above the bed started rippling again, and a second later, Natalie fell through thin air, almost crashing down onto the floor if Jaden hadn't caught her. She was coughing and gasping for air, and she was pale.
"Natalie?!" Aurora hurried to help her up.
Natalie didn't look well. Not at all. She was covered in sweat, and she was shaking from head to toe, unable to keep herself upright without support. Her eyes were darting from face to face in panic, and I feared something bad had happened to her.
"Natalie!" Aurora's voice was more demanding this time. "What happened?"
"He's too strong... He found us..." she muttered, trying to take deep breaths. "But he couldn't stop us..."
"Where's the spirit?" Jaden asked, while Natalie leaned back against the bed, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "Natalie?"
"Annabelle has him," she muttered, pointing behind us.
We all turned around, and saw her guardian standing there, holding something purple in her arms like a newborn baby. We all fell silent at the sight of that... thing.
"That's a spirit?" Aurora whispered with wide eyes.
"Looks more like a shadow," I said, standing up to see the spirit better.
It was hard to see the spirit next to Annabelle's radiating light. It was nothing like the other spirits I had seen. It was the size of a football, covered in black bruises and red ulcers, and it looked like someone had taken big chunks off it.
"Oh no," Natalie breathed out, and tried to get up. "How is he?"
'I don't think he'll make it,' Annabelle said softly. 'We caused a lot of damage...'
We helped Natalie up from the floor so she could go to the spirit. Her expression turned miserable at the sight of the spirit. "He's so small... Henry couldn't get a good grip of him, but look at these wounds..." she muttered, pointing at the deep holes.
'He needs a body,' Annabelle said, looking up at Aurora. 'If we can't save him, at least he can feel safe for one last time.'
Aurora nodded and stepped closer to them. Her eyes were gleaming with tears as she took the small spirit in her arms.
"Here..." Natalie said, placing her hand gently on the spirit, and slowly, he vanished inside Aurora. "Now you can rest."
"Do you know who he is?" Aurora asked with a muffled voice, but Natalie shook her head.
"He's too weak. He's been unconscious the whole time," she said quietly.
I was getting overwhelmed. Did we just make things worse...?
"I'll keep him safe," Aurora sniffed. "Whoever he may be."
I turned to hide my face in Jaden's shoulder, and he wrapped his arms tightly around me.
"I'll keep him safe."