Page 36 of Snake

Nim

Isteel myself with a huge breath, holding it in as I knock on Knox’s door. It hisses out of me a second later as I wait for him to answer. It’s early. Possibly too early, but I couldn’t sleep last night, and it took all the patience I had to wait until dawn so I could speak to the Serpents.

What happened yesterday gave me a sliver of hope. I spent the night thinking about everything they said—when I wasn’t feverishly counting sheep or meditating on my breath to try to fall asleep—and I’ve come to something of a decision.

But it all depends on how this next conversation goes.

Knox opens the door, his orange-and-black hair sticking up every which way like I hauled him out of bed. My theory is supported by the fact that he’s dressed only in boxers. He doesn’t seem surprised to see me.

He steps aside, and I enter his dorm room a touch apprehensively.

It doesn’t surprise methat Mason and Silas are already here. Mason has dark marks under his eyes, and Silas has his legs up on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hands.

“Coffee?” Knox asks.

“Please.”

The other two watch me approach, both with something that could be wariness in their eyes. Guess they’re wondering what I’m here to say. I wait, shifting in the uncomfortable silence until Knox returns with a cup of coffee. There’s a heavy smell of cigarette smoke in the dorm room, even though the air is chilled enough for me to assume that they kept the windows open. The bed is messed up, so I guess one—or all—of them did try to get some sleep, but judging from the weariness on their faces, they were less successful than I was.

It’s weird that what they told me last night affected them as much as it did me. I suppose I’m the first person they’ve ever unveiled this secret to.

I take a sip of the coffee, but it’s too hot. I set it aside on the table and perch on the edge of the couch, my fingers in a tight mesh between my knees. I haven’t bothered with my school uniform—I’m dressed in a Cinderhart hoody and sweats.

“I...understand why you killed Lorenzo.” I pick my words carefully, trying to remember the script I’d prepared in my mind while Romi snored a few feet away. Problem is, I had several scripts, and they all got more and more jumbled as night bled into day. “But it was wrong of you to take things into your own hands.”

Silas makes an angry sound, but he quietens down when Mason stretches out a hand and lays it on his ankle.

“That being said,” I sit up straighter, forcing my words to come out strong. Time to be my most professional self, even though I’m torn between running out of here, and yelling at them for being such impulsive idiots. “I believe we can work out some kind of arrangement.”

“Arrangement?” Knox parrots dryly.

Silas snorts, Mason frowns.

“Yes.” I shift my shoulders a little, consider picking up my coffee. I’ll just fidget with it, though, so I leave it where it is. “Despite what you three have done. Despite our history.” I wave a hand in the space between the four of us. “I won’t let your actions decide my future.”

Knox cocks an eyebrow. “Been thinking a lot about this, haven’t you, love?”

I ignore his caustic remark. Let them be snarky, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care what their reasons for telling me about Lorenzo were. It’s an opportunity I can’t pass up.

“I’m not going anywhere.” I push my chin up, ready to defend myself verbally—and physically—if needed.But they just watch me with that expectant look in their eyes, like they’re wondering if my next trick will involve pulling a rabbit out of a hat, or me sawing someone in half. I’m disappointed, but they’ve never really been prone to bouts of drama, have they?

“I will stay at the Academy for the rest of the semester. You three will not harass me, or bully me, or even talk to me.” I wait for a beat, but there are no objections from their side. “If you decide to engage with me, then I will have no choice but to go to Dean Rigby and tell him about Lorenzo.”

Nothing. I could have been looking at three incredibly realistic wax statues, not the guys who tormented for weeks after I witnessed them murdering someone in the woods.

“And if he doesn’t want to do something about it, I’ll tell Eliza, or Magnus, and I’ll keep going until I somehow—” I cut off on the word and push through “—until I get to the Harts themselves. Someone in this town will care about what you did. Someone will want you to pay for your crime.”

The silence that comes after my announcement is as thick as clam chowder, but I force myself not to fill it with words. Instead, I pick up my cup of coffee and take my time looking at each of them, trying to figure out who will speak first.

Mason surprises me. “What if we don’t want to leave you alone?” His voice is rough. Guess he also smoked cigarettes last night, else it’s from lack of sleep. “What if—”

“That’s not your decision to make,” I say airily. “I’ve decided the best way to move forward is if we pretend we never met.”

“That’s reasonable,” Knox says, standing. He runs a hand through his hair, his lips twitching. “Except, every time I look in the mirror, I’ll remember that innocent little look on your face when you asked if you could do something special for me.”

Some coffee splashes over my hand when I go to set the cup down. I get to my feet, but Knox moves to one side, boxing me in. When I turn, Mason is already standing on the other side.

I’d have to climb over the back of the couch or scramble over the coffee table to get out.

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