Possibly because he shares some of our traits.
I put in my AirPods, fingers splaying on an unremarkable piece of clay that will definitely make it to the bin collection.
Uncle Aiden picks up after the first ring. “Why, hello, Landon. Is it just me or have you been avoiding me?”
“Me? Avoiding you? Not in a million years.”
“And here I thought you were reflecting about your recent reckless involvement in Creigh’s incident.”
“You know I didn’t mean to, Uncle.”
“Doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.” He pauses, then sighs. “You might think yourself a god, but your clear disregard for consequences will catch up to you sooner rather than later.”
I stroke the hip of my creation, then pause. “Maybe it already has.”
“Oh?”
“Hey, Uncle.” Stroke, swipe, stroke. “You always told me it’s okay not to be like the other kids and that I’m not broken. You said that just because my mind is wired differently doesn’t mean I’m any less than them. In fact, it means I’m more special.”
“That’s true.”
“So why the fuck doesn’t she see that?”
“She?”
“A certain thorn in my side who’s accusing me of being empty and a disaster to the tedious emotion called empathy.”
“And you care about her opinion?”
“No…I don’t know.”
“Then you probably do.”
“How do I stop caring?”
Uncle laughs.
I narrow my eyes. “This isn’t funny.”
“It is to an extent. You sound childlike with your emotions. But at any rate, if you want to keep her, you need to practice empathy.”
“No, thanks.”
“Then let her go and go back to your shallow encounters with people you barely remember come morning. That way, you won’t have to care for the rest of your life and will be able to wear the emptiness she previously filled as a badge.”
My movements stop, fingers resting on the hip. “How do you know she filled the emptiness?”
“Your Aunt Elsa does that for me. In fact, so does your mother for your father.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Your father wasn’t always put together, which is why he was a bit strict with you growing up. He didn’t want you to make the same mistakes he did.”
I didn’t know that. That must have been what he meant when he once said that he didn’t want me to regret my decisions after I grew up.
To which I naturally replied that I don’t do regrets.
Uncle Aiden continues, “That feeling of emptiness is a morbid emotion that eats you alive more and more the older you get, and unless you find someone to fill it, you’re irrevocably fucked. Sooner or later, you’ll succumb to higher felonies to reach that temporary reprieve that never lasts and will eventually self-destruct.”
I retrieve a cigarette, stuff it in my mouth, then light it. “I’m entirely uninterested in practicing empathy.”
“That makes sense since it doesn’t come naturally to you. But you have to think about whether or not you’re ready to succumb to a fundamentally bleak path just because you refuse to change.”
“I don’t know how the fuck to practice empathy.”
“Did you ever find yourself refraining from ruining or hurting something or someone she cares about because you understood that it would hurt her?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s a small step forward. You need to see the situation from her perspective first, not from yours. You have to shackle your instincts as much as possible.”
“You mean like I did whenever I wanted to hurt Bran and Glyn while growing up and directed that energy toward punishing those who hurt them?”
“Something like that. In fact, it’s best to have Bran give you advice on your relationship with her.”
“The prude who barely has any sex? Pass.”
“A relationship isn’t about sex, Lan. That’s a physical need that I’m sure you excel at. The emotional side, however, is your biggest weakness.”
“And Bran’s strength.” It’s not a question. It’s a statement.
“Remember what I told you when you were younger?”
“Bran feels too much and I feel too little, which is why we balance each other out.”
“Exactly.”
“He’ll never help me, Uncle.”
“Did you ask?”
No, I didn’t.
But as I look at my brother and sister, I fully understand the meaning behind Uncle Aiden’s words.
I, Landon King, lack something my siblings have in excess, and while I’ve always seen that as a power, maybe I need to reshuffle my cards.
“It’s pointless telling him all this, little princess,” Bran says. “He’ll never get it.”
“I do.”
Both Bran and Glyn look at me as if I’m being possessed by a demon who’s been expelled from hell for his friendly behavior.
“Is this a joke?” Glyn asks cautiously.
“When have I ever joked?” I grab both their shoulders. “I’ll make the effort.”
“Why?” Bran asks.
“Because you’re my family.” I smile. “In return, I might ask you a couple of things during the day.”
“Couple of things?”
“About how to practice empathy.”
Bran smiles. I don’t.
I know I won’t like this one fucking bit. In fact, my beast roars at the idea of being shackled, even if temporarily, but if it’s the price I have to pay for my little muse, then so be it.
26
MIA
“Good one. You’ve somehow managed to trap me.” Mr. Whitby—Frank, as he insisted I call him—nods in approval at my move.
We’re sitting in the empty club, only accompanied by the howling wind outside. Since it’s early afternoon, I’m safe from encountering the other members' snobbishness.
Let’s say the women became even more dismissive of me after they saw me coming here with Landon. Apparently, I’m the ‘snob’ who doesn’t deserve the ‘exceedingly charming’ Landon’s company.
He’s got them all buying into his act. Hook, line, and sinker.
At any rate, to avoid any inevitable confrontation, I texted Frank and asked if he was free for a quick game. Since he’s the perfect gentleman, he agreed. Pretty sure I hauled him from his very important gardening class, considering the smudge of dirt on the edge of his cuff.
“It’s much safer to give up now. This game has already been decided and it won’t be long before the checkmate,” I type and then show him my phone.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. It’s a mistake to underestimate one’s adversary.”
“Too bad for you that I came here fully intent on destruction.”
He smiles like all polite British people do, when I’m sure, deep inside, he wants to call me crazy. I’ve been in this peculiar mood since Landon made his spectacularly catastrophic appearance at my birthday party a week ago.
Not only did he advertise our relationship to the world, but he also had the audacity to announce that he was courting me.
In front of my family.
To say Nikolai hasn’t been taking it well would be an understatement. His manic state deteriorated from bad to worse in just a couple of days. Usually, he’s able to go back to normal in a week or less, but that’s obviously not the case this time.
Killian shook his head at me and said he was disappointed in me. Those words hit me worse than I could’ve imagined. Gareth and Jeremy didn’t have to say it, but I felt the crushing disapproval through their patronizing gazes and excessive sighing.
Maya naturally found out about the recent talk of the town and has been acting butthurt. Unlike the others, she didn’t judge me, but she was mad that I hid something so monumental from her.
The only support I had was from none other than Bran. He texted to apologize on behalf of his ‘twat of a brother’ and asked if I was okay.
I definitely wasn’t, but I also didn’t want to bother Bran, who was clearly distressed throughout the whole night. On top of nearly being shown the door by Nikolai, he also got punched by him, although accidentally.
Glyn later came back and apologized as well before Killian whisked her away. Bran never returned. He probably kept Landon company so he wouldn’t try something crazy again.
Did that stop the asshole? Absolutely not.