****
And in that moment, standing in the wreckage of our family, I understood something else too: whatever power I’d awakened, whatever line I’d crossed, there was no going back to who we were before...
I turn to the young woman and speak to her in a steady voice for the first time, even though my chest feels tight.
"I’m going to let you go now, get dressed and leave this place. You won’t remember any of the thing that happened here when you walked out that door."
I release Loveth’s hand just long enough to move the switch. Almost immediately, my sister grips it again—this time lacing her fingers through mine, squeezing as if anchoring herself to me. Her hand is cold, trembling, and the contact steadies me more than I expect.
I prepare a memory switch inside the girl’s mind when she finishes dressing, her movements were rushed and mechanical, I look her straight in the eyes and said.
"Think about everything that happened here," I said, "Think hard."
She nods silently. Mascara streaks stain her cheeks where tears have carved their paths, and her eyes look dull like a controlled doll. I flipped the switch I prepared and her gaze empties instantly, going slack and unfocused. Without resistance, she lets us guide her to the door. A moment later, the confused young woman stumbles out into the night, unaware of what she’s lost—or what she’s been spared.
The door clicks shut behind her.
Loveth’s grip tightens around me, her fingers digging into my hand. I feel it immediately—and so does our father. I glance at him just in time to see the sneer stretch across his face. Something hot coils in my chest.
"Well, look at that," he says. "So that’s it, huh? She finally confesses to you, and now you’re in cahoots? Have you become her little lapdog?"
He spits on the floor.
Loveth recoils as if struck. She releases me abruptly, covering her mouth with both hands, shaking her head. Her breathing turns shallow, uneven. Whatever he’s said has cut deep, far deeper than I understand in that moment.
Will this man ever stop giving me reasons to hate him more?
"Shut up," I snap. "Do not say anything unless we ask you a question."
The authority in my voice surprises even me. He flinches, and his earlier bravado draining from his face as fear floods back into his eyes. He shrinks against the wall becoming small and pathetic.
Had I ever really been afraid of him? Or was I only afraid of what he represented?
"What are you going to do to me?" he sneers weakly. "Kill me? Tell your mom? It’s not like she hasn’t figured it out. Why do you think she gets drunk every—"
I cut him off with a quick switch. Silence slams down, heavy and final. I don’t want to hear another word from him—not now, not ever.
I don’t know what I’m going to do with him, now that I finally have him like this. I just know I can’t let things continue the way they have. But I can’t kill him either. No matter how furious I am, I’m not a murderer.
If I were, "Miss Dan" might not have survived my anger the other night.
The thought makes my jaw tighten. I was tempted briefly to give my father the same punishment—but the fire that fueled me that night in the abandoned house isn’t burning as fiercely now. And somehow, pain alone doesn’t feel like justice for this man.
"You’re a lawyer," I said at last. "Let’s make a deal."
He laughs—or tries to. The sound that came out was ugly and strained, muffled by the switch still holding his voice back. I loosen it just enough for him to speak.
"You can’t prove anything," he said. "And if you tell your stupid bitch mother, I’ll divorce that dried-up old bitty and leave her penniless."
That was when it clicked. The decision settles over me with chilling clarity.
"You’re half right," I said calmly. "You will divorce our mother. But it won’t be her who ends up penniless."
He opened his mouth to interrupt, but I paralyze him again, unwilling to hear another word spill from his filthy mouth, then slowly and deliberately, I explain everything he’s going to do. Every document he’ll sign. Every asset he’ll forfeit. I tell him exactly how his life will unfold from here on out.
And I make one thing very clear: I’ll be watching.
To drive the point home, I gave him a small taste of my ability. His foot began to ache—dull at first, then sharper, escalating until his face was twisted in silent agony. A faint moan escapes his locked throat. After a few seconds, I cut the pain and released him.
"Okay," he sobs. "Okay! I’ll do whatever you want. Just—just don’t... don’t do whatever it is you’re doing anymore."
So much for not manipulating anyone I thought, the guilt barely registers because he deserves this and much worse.
"Go home," I tell him. "Right now. And do exactly as you’re told."
I watch him scramble to dress, hands shaking.
"And in case you thought about changing your mind, remember this: if I can find you here, I can find you anywhere."
When he looks at me, I know he understands.
Just to be certain, I moved the pain point to his groin and flick it on and off again. He groans, collapsing forward slightly. We have an understanding.
His tires screech as he peels out of the parking lot.
"Oh, Nick," Loveth murmured softly.
"He had me so worried, but you handled that so well." She pauses. "I can’t believe he was cheating on Mom. Though... I probably should have guessed."
She turned fully to me then, and I saw fear bloom in her eyes.
It hurts more than anything else tonight—because I know that fear is for me.
"What," she whispers, "what are we?"
"Brother and sister," I said, pulling her into a hug.
She hesitated for only a second before her arms slide around me. Our cheeks touch as we sit on the bed together, watching our father’s car through the window as it snakes down the road. There’s no mistaking the panic etched into his face.
As he gets closer to our house, his expression changes then he make a wrong turn.
I did not hesitate to punish his scrotum, a sharp spike of pain blooms where I left it, mild but unmistakable. Even at this distance, it’s easy to control anyone as long as Loveth and I remain in contact. He slams on the brakes nearly causing an accident.
Only when he turns around and heads the right way do I release him.
We sat there in silence, holding each other, watching the night swallow him whole.