Page 63 of Sinful

“Fuck,” Stitches snarled. “Asher, meds. Now. Top shelf in my bathroom cabinet. There’s a syringe and vial there. Bring them.”

I had no idea if Ashes left. All I knew was that I couldn’t breathe. My fingers and lips were numb. I was going to pass out.

“She’s hyperventilating,” Mirage said. “Give her to me.”

“Fuck off,” Stitches snapped. He pulled me between his legs and lay against the arm of the couch, his hand on my chest.

“Remember this, angel? Remember?” He whispered frantically in my ear. “I’ll keep you safe. Breathe, baby. Keep breathing. I got you. I got you. Breathe with me. Please, Sirena. I need you to focus.”

Ashes came back and went to his knees next to us. I was going insane. More flashes in my head. Jerry hurting me. Sully. Everett Church’s Cheshire smile. The people behind the mirror. Adam. Adam. ADAM.

I was going to kill them. I’d kill them all. I struggled to get up so I could go to them. So I could slay the monsters so they couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Stitches forced me back down.

“Fucking hurry, Asher.” Sin let out a frustrated hiss. “She’s fucking losing it, man.”

“I’m going as fast as I can.”

There was a tight band around my bicep. I heard Cady crying in the distance. Then, a pinprick in the crook of my arm.

My body relaxed. My breathing slowed. The room came back into focus for a moment before it grew fuzzy.

“I’ll kill him,” I whispered.

Or at least I thought I did.

I had no real idea because I drifted off, the concerned faces of Ashes, Bryce, Cady, Sin, and Mirage’s rabbit mask fading away, Stitches’s soft words in my ear.

“Sleep, angel. Please. Just sleep.”

So I did.

SIN

Istared down at the text on my phone a week after Sirena’s meltdown in the living room. She’d missed classes earlier in the week, but I knew she was back because Ashes had just sent me a text to grab her from classes and walk her back to the house. He had his therapy session, and Stitches was being forced to do group therapy at the same time. Cady had detention, the guys seemed leery about having Bryce help, and Mirage was off doing god knew what. I hadn’t seen him all day.

He’d been acting strangely after the shit with Sirena happened. I was used to Asylum being in the room at night. Mirage rarely slept there. If he did, he came in during the four in the morning hour wearing his rabbit mask, then only slept for a few hours before going to classes. If he even bothered going at all.

Mirage was a world apart from Asylum in how he behaved. The fact he was able to pull himself together around people and blend in spoke volumes of his talents.

I shook my head, not wanting to get caught up in the mess that was Asylum/Mirage. Instead, I sent a reply message to Ashes to let him know I’d get Sirena, then take her to their house and sit with her until one of them returned.

After waiting a few more minutes, I made my way to Sirena’s class. It was another Bible study class. The Sister who ran it was quiet and not nearly as bad as the other assholes at this place. I leaned against the brick wall and stared at the lockers in front of me.

The bell rang a few seconds later, signaling the end of classes.

The moment Sirena came out with her head down, I sidled next to her. She cast me a quick look, her colorful eyes wide.

It was always uncomfortable being around her. I never knew what to say or what the hell to do with my hands. Stuffing them into my pants pockets, I walked beside her to her locker.

“Everyone was busy with after-school stuff,” I finally said when the crowd had thinned. “I’m supposed to take you back to the house and stay with you.”

She glanced at me again but didn’t say anything. Ashes told me she’d been having a lot of sleeping issues since her meltdown. He’d texted me some updates here and there, for which I was grateful. While Ashes had come around a lot, Stitches was still a little withdrawn. I didn’t blame him, though. He talked to me, but it wasn’t like it used to be with us. He’d gone through hell because of me. We all had. I hated myself for it. I tried to not focus on that shit, but it haunted me like an old ghost.

She opened her locker and grabbed her coat. I waited while she put it on and filled her book bag with what she needed before she put her head down and walked toward the exit. I followed her, pulling my jacket tighter around me.

Several minutes into our trek, she slipped on some ice. I caught her by the arm before she went down completely and brought her back to her feet. I couldn’t tell if her cheeks were red from the cold or from embarrassment. I hoped it wasn’t embarrassment.

---