Page 39 of Rot

And, born out of rage and rape as I’d been, I was still a Karnagy, and therefore my grandmother had to do her best to protect me, even if she did hate me.

“No, no…” Now my mother could only repeat that single word, over and over again, in various ways. As if saying it so much would undo what had been done. Time might be a fickle thing, but it never worked backward.

I heard my mother stumble out of the room, catching herself on the door frame so as to stop herself from tripping and falling. Her fingernails dug into the wood, and when I turned my head to look at her, I saw her hands were covered in blood. Her mouth hung open, her eyes frantic and frenzied. She acted as if she was the only one there.

But then my mother turned her eyes to me, and even though half the time she was a useless mound of flesh and bone, she was making a plan. Little did I know at the time the plan would involve running to her estranged sister and staying with her while we waited.

That was the night we left home behind, left everything we knew. We left the mansion and everything in it, only packing a few bags each. We couldn’t bring everything with us; we didn’t have time. We were forced to abandon everything we were and race into the unknown.

“You okay?” Jordan asked, his soft voice pulling me back to the present. I turned to look at him. We were at a stoplight, its color red. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I was just wondering—it’s dumb.”

I was pretty sure everything Jordan could wonder would be dumb, butnow he had me curious. “Wondering what?”

“There’s nothing going on with you and Elias, is there? I mean, he’s your cousin, isn’t he?” The light turned green, and we were on the move once more. He’d let go of my hand, now gripping the wheel with both, white-knuckling it all the way, almost like he was nervous to hear the answer.

He’d put two and two together, knowing Maggie Whitenbaker was Penelope Karnagy’s sister… and that meant Dana knew about our relation, too.

I could only imagine it was his sweet sister who’d put these thoughts into his head, the girl who did not take kindly to my presence in Elias’s life in general. “He’s family,” I said. “You can tell your sister she can have him.”

He flinched at that. “I’m sorry. That was—”

“Elias is just as mean to me as he is to everyone else,” I told him. “If he’s pulling away from your sister, maybe he’s just tired of her. In case you haven’t noticed, she can be a bit bitchy sometimes.” Full offense meant, actually.

I thought, maybe, Jordan would get upset at me calling his sister a bitch, but in the end, he nodded with me. “You’re right. I know you’re right. Still, you know how Dana can be. She’s convincing when she wants to be.” He chuckled under his breath. “She had me thinking you and your cousin were hooking up or something. How stupid. Can’t believe I fell for that.”

Dana, of course, had no idea Elias had indeed found himself inside of me, but that didn’t stop her from stirring the pot. Dana was a troublemaker. I had to make her realize that Elias did not belong to her and, more importantly, I wasn’t someone to be fucked with.

She wanted to try to sabotage me? Spread rumors about me? That girl had no idea the beast she toyed with.

We found ourselves on a road with no edge lines and no middle lines painted on it. It curved and wound along, the forest just barely stopping itself from overgrowing the road completely. The car had turned silent, the air heavy. I mused about what would be the perfect revenge on Dana, while Jordan apparently couldn’t let it go.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t have even brought it up. I know better than to let my sister get in my head. She’s just really good at it.”

I waited a moment before saying, “It’s okay. Really.” When he glanced at me, I made sure to give him a pretty smile. A smile from an attractive girl could set a lot of minds at ease. Looks really were one of the most important weapons a girl had at her disposal.

They were also a weakness. They drew more attention to you in the wrong ways, and I hated being underestimated all because they thought I was just a pretty girl with a pretty smile. It had taken a lot of practice to view it differently.

Being underestimated was good, because then your enemies could never predict your next move.

Another two minutes down the road, we pulled off onto a dirt path through the forest. The trees eventually parted to a flattened area where a bunch of cars were parked. From the road, you’d never know a party was being held here, the perfect place for teens to let loose, have fun, and get loud, all without the cops showing up.

Or the sheriffs. Whatever was out here.

Jordan parked the car and turned it off. He undid his seatbelt before turning toward me. He grabbed my hand again, this time squeezing it hard, apologetic. “Let’s forget I said all that and have fun tonight.”

I nodded, because what else could I do?

We got out of the car, and I followed Jordan through the maze of cars, to the party. It was much like the first one I’d gone to with Elias, except the fire wasn’t so large, more like a campfire in size, and someone had strung fairy lights around the trees. Beer kegs and wine coolers galore, along with, judging from the skunky smell in the air, what must’ve been weed.

Jordan went to get us something to drink. His buddies, John and Tod, found him and started talking to him, which meant their girlfriends weren’t far. Alex wasn’t with them—I spotted him standing off to the side, under some fairy lights, talking to a girl whose name I didn’t know.

I surveyed the area for Elias, not seeing him. I didn’t see his car parked, but it was dark over there, so I could’ve missed it. As I looked, I also didn’t spot Dana, which meant he could already be here, somewhere, hooking up with her to get back at me.

But I wouldn’t overreact unless I saw it happen. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let the rot take over until I was sure.

A hand touched my arm, and I spun around to view Anya and Leah, both giggling. They looked great, a lot more made-up than they did at school. They must’ve gotten ready together, because they wore the same make-up, had the same wave to their hair, and even wore similar outfits: shorts and tight, long-sleeved shirts. Fuzzy boots completed the look.

“Sloane,” Anya spoke. “There you are. We were worried you and Jordan got lost.” She had her arm hooked through Leah’s, and the other girl nodded along in agreement.

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