Breaking Me Slowly

Twenty Two

A couple days had passed with no trouble. Isabel had stuck to her word and left me alone, only saying the casual hello in passing. I couldn’t be more relieved; it was one less thing to worry about.

In the morning, I quickly showered and got dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. Vern’s laugh echoed through the hall from the kitchen.

I walk into the room to find Isabel and Vern sitting at the table with a plate of untouched food in front of them. Instantly, my stomach growls.

“You’re lying,” Vern says to Isabel with a playful smile.

Isabel shakes her head. “I swear.”

Vern shakes her head in disbelief. “Do you know how lucky you are? I mean, you met Daniel Peters. The Daniel Peters.” Vern leans back in her chair. “He’s an amazing actor! What I would give to be able to meet him.”

The girls finally notice me standing in the room, their eyes flicking in my direction.

“Morning, sunshine,” Vern greets me, the playful smile still on her face.

“Morning,” I reply. My gaze lands on Isabel who is sitting quietly in her chair now. “Morning,” I tell her.

The corners of her lips slightly lift up. “Good morning, Juliette.”

Vern’s eyes flicker back and forth between the two of us. She clears her throat, then settles her gaze on me. “Have you talked to Grayson yet?”  

I shake my head. “No, I haven’t. Is everything alright?”

One shoulder lifts up in a shrug. “He didn’t give specifics. He only asked if we had seen you around.”

Again, I shake my head. “I haven’t seen him at all this morning.”

Seconds later, Grayson strides into the room, as if on cue. His eyes immediately fall on me, a troubled look on his face.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asks me.

I nod, following him to the backdoor.

“Morning to you too, cousin,” Vern says, as he holds open the door for me.

He ignores her, leading us down the path towards the garden. An awkward silence settles over us as we walk down the cobblestone path.

“Is something wrong?” I ask him.

He sighs and stops walking when we’re far enough from the house. “Sydney is leaving today.”

My heart sinks. “Today?”

“Today,” he confirms. He looks down at the ground for a second. “I thought maybe you’d want to go say goodbye.”

Words fail to come out and all I can do is nod. The two of us walk in complete silence to the back house.

When we get there, Jensen is already there. He’s leaning against the wall next to the front door, a grim look on his face.

“You’ve come to say your goodbye?” he asks, as I walk up the steps.

I nod. “And you?”

“I’ve already said it.”

I feel Grayson’s hand against my back. “I’ll be inside,” he says before disappearing into the house.

My gaze falls back on Jensen. “So that’s it? You’re going to let her go? Just like that?”

He tugs at a dark strand of hair. “What else am I supposed to do?”

“Tell her the truth or that you don’t want to see her go.”

“Doing that will only make things harder and she doesn’t need that right now.”

I want to cry out in frustration. Instead, I bite the inside of my cheek until I taste a bit of blood.

Jensen sighs, shoving his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. “She’s packing right now. You should probably go say goodbye.”

“Right.”

Inside, Grayson sits on the couch waiting patiently. He stands to his feet as soon as Jensen and I walk into the room.

The boys share a look that I can’t decipher. From the looks of it, they’re having an entire conversation without uttering a single word.

Ignoring the two of them, I head straight for the bedroom door. I knock on it twice.

“Come in,” she says.

I step inside the room, shutting the door behind me. Sydney is walking back and forth between the closet and her bed, throwing clothes into the open suitcase.

She pauses to look at me. “Hey,” she says.

“Hey.” I clear my throat, unsure of what to say next. “So…”

“So…”

“You’re really going home?”

“I’m going home.”

A few more seconds of silence pass between us.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I begin.

Sydney’s smile falls. “There’s nothing for me here.”

“Sure, there is! Jensen—”

“Jensen will find someone new. Someone like him.”

“Syd—”

“I’ve already made my mind up. I’m going home,” she says in a curt tone. “Please,” she begs. “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

In that moment, I realized that nothing I said would change her mind. She was the last connection I had to home, and I had no choice but to let her go.

“I’m happy for you,” I say at last.

Her shoulders sag in relief. “Thank you.” She continues her packing.

I make my way to the bed and take a seat. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m really going to miss you, too.” She takes a seat next to me, nudging her shoulder against mine. “Who knows, maybe we’ll cross paths again.”

I chuckle despite knowing that it was very unlikely we would ever see each other again. But I didn’t have the heart to say otherwise.

“Maybe,” I say instead.  

“You’re going to do great here.”

“You think so?”

“I know so,” she says with nothing but confidence.

I throw my arms around her, hugging her tightly. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

She squeezes me back. “I’m going to miss you too.”

There’s a soft knock at the door and Rebecca peeks her head in. “I didn’t mean to interrupt but are you ready?” she asks Sydney.

Sydney nods and stands up. “I’m ready.” She throws the last of her clothes into the suitcase.

I come to a stand to give Sydney one last hug for good. I can’t even bare to say goodbye. I quickly leave the room before anyone can see the tears fall down my cheeks.

Grayson quickly comes to my side, pulling me into a hug.

I hear the front door open and someone steps inside.

“Good morning, boys,” Madeline’s voice rings out.

I pull away from Grayson, wiping my eyes with the sleeves of my shirt. I turn around and face the room.

Madeline’s gaze softens when she sees my face. “This must be very hard for you, Juliette.”

I can only nod.

Madeline glances around the room one last time before excusing herself and disappearing into Sydney’s room.

I look between the two brothers. “Why is she here?”

“She’s here to make sure everything goes… smoothly,” Grayson answers.

At first, I’m confused but then it clicks. Madeline is here to ensure that Rebecca erases all of Sydney’s memories of us. Of werewolves.

“Come on,” Grayson whispers, slipping his hand in mine.