Read Silence: Part Two of Echoes & Silence for Free Online

went to the place in my past where I opened my eyes to see the concerned face of Jason, who rescued me after Mike slapped me that day.
    David sat a little taller, his brows pinching over his nose. “Mike hit you?”
    “I told you this, remember?”
    We both went back to a moment by the piano in the Great Hall—shortly after all this happened—where we had one of only a few chats at that time. But we were interrupted and never finished talking about it.
    “I remember now. But… Ara, I know Mike.” He leaned back to look at me. “He would never hit you without a damn good reason. What really happened?”
    “Heeee—” I dragged the e out as long as I could. “He thought I slept with Arthur.”
    The memory cut off with a sudden darkness. David went cold and silent beside me until, in a calculated tone he said, “Why would he think that?”
    I felt myself getting smaller.
    “Ara!” he said firmly. “What would lead Mike to think you had sex with my uncle?”
    “Go back,” I said, and the emotion swelled up in me like rising water in a tube, so consuming I started sobbing. “I can’t tell you. I need you to see.”
    The cold wind broke through his bubble, drawing a small scream from my lips as it stung my skin.
    David shoved both hands into the grass and stood up, a haunted look in his eye. “No.”
    “What do you mean ‘No’?”
    “Look what it’s done to you—” He motioned to my tears. “Don’t visit that memory. Ever. Leave it in the past.”
    “But I have to show you, or else Lilith—”
    “Then deny her help, Ara.” He backed away. “I don’t want to know what happened—I don’t want to see.”
    “Too bad,” I yelled. “No more secrets. I can’t have any more secrets.” I balled my fists and flashed right back to the moment Arthur slid his finger inside me.
    David had no choice. He saw it—felt it, felt everything as if he were me, and it ripped right through him.
    He jolted back and then folded quickly in half just as a pile of vomit hit the grass.
    “Oh God.” I moved my feet back. “David. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have—”
    “Just don’t, okay?” He backed away, covering his mouth with his wrist. “Don’t.”
    “David, I—”
    “Please!” He tripped sideways, holding one hand up as a warning, and without looking at me, stumbled away like a drunkard.
    I made myself small, hugging my knee, and watched until the horizon ate him up, while the guilt and shame consumed me.
    “Are you happy now?” I said, when a blue bird landed in the tree.
    “That’s all I needed to know.” Her voice entered my thoughts. “Come see me at dawn.”
     
    ***
     
    It’s where I would’ve gone, if I were him. I could feel his energy radiating from the lighthouse, but it wasn’t where he’d been all afternoon. As the sun set on a cold night and the scent of smoke thickened the air, I stood on the balcony outside my room, scanning the hillsides for any sign of him—sent my knights out to look under every rock, but no one had reported back yet. It was all okay now, though. I was pretty sure that warm tingle on the lighthouse was him.
    “Ara?”
    I turned my head and looked back at Falcon, leaning on the balcony door, arms folded casually across his chest.
    “Hey,” I said. “I found him.”
    “Have you spoken to him?” he asked.
    “Not yet.” I shook my head. “But I can feel him—he’s on the lighthouse.”
    “I know.”
    “Oh. You do?”
    “Yes.” Falcon lowered his arms and walked over to me, bracing his hands on the marble ledge before continuing. “I spoke to him about ten minutes ago.”
    “Where? What did he say? Did he—”
    “He’s been down at the Training Hall.”
    “I thought you looked there! I thought—”
    “Well, I guess we looked at the wrong time. But I found him, so stop worrying.”
    “So he’s okay?” I toyed with my Tree of Life talisman. “He just went down there and slammed it all out on a punching bag?”
    “Something like