Page 135 of Stitches

Slowly, I walked the short distance to the house and went inside. I didn’t go to see her. Instead, I woke the guys and gathered them in Ashes’s bedroom.

This wasn’t something I was going to keep a fucking secret.

* * *

We wereall hanging our heads low several days after I’d seen Sirena in the woods. We’d taken to doing rotations of sleeping in the living room just so she couldn’t leave without any of us knowing.

We’d agreed we’d find this rabbit prick and kick his ass.

Of course, that proved difficult since he seemed to disappear from campus. For a week straight, nothing.

I could tell it was beginning to bother her because she grew more withdrawn. She’d stopped trying to come downstairs at night to leave, and we continued to play along. She’d have been dumb to not know we were onto her though.

“Who do you think it is?” Ashes asked while we watched Cady talk to her in the lunch line.

“A dead man,” Stitches said sourly.

I watched as Cady turned to talk to some girl I couldn’t recall the name of. In that span of time, Bryce approached her. They spoke for a moment, him looking like he was pleading with her. Finally, she reacted and gave him a sad shake of her head before turning away from him.

I stood up, knocking my chair back. My vision went red when Bryce reached for her. She was quick to shake her head again, telling him no to whatever he was saying to her.

“No. Not fucking here,” Stitches snarled, grabbing ahold of me. Judging by his trembling hands, he was struggling not launching himself at Bryce too.

“I’ll talk to her.” Ashes was on his feet and moving in her direction before I could tell him no.

He spoke quickly to her, and she shook her head at him. He seemed upset, but she was quick to hug him, his body visibly relaxing as he hugged her back.

“It’s OK,” Stitches said, breathing hard. “It’s OK. Ashes has it handled.

“For now,” I snarled, ready to lose my fucking mind. I needed to know what was going on, and I needed it now. Waiting would only make me angrier.

“We’re waiting. He’ll fuck up and we’ll really catch him,” Stitches said. “It’ll be better that way. We catch him in the act.”

I nodded, settling back in my seat.

I could wait. I was a hunter, after all.

SIRENA

Everything was falling apart.

I could tell it was my doing, and it wasn’t what I wanted.

In a perfect world, this would all work out, but I was still torn on it.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Asylum said, sliding into the seat next to mine. We’d been given a free period in class. Asylum wasn’t even in my class, but somehow, there he was.

“She won’t even notice. The old bird has been drinking from her thermos all morning. Spoiler. It’s not coffee.”

I looked to where the old nun was sitting to see her sipping on a cup from her thermos and swaying in her seat.

“So…what’s up with you lately?”

I remained quiet, opting to doodle a picture of a rabbit bouncing through the forest.

“Listen, firefly. Some recent information has been given to me from some rather annoying voices in here.” He pointed to his head. “You can just come clean with me, or we can play a game.”

I don’t want to play.

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