Page 106 of Tis the Season to be Bullied

Cleaning out the wound with disinfectant, I put some gauze over it and then bandage my leg, so it’ll stay on. It aches morethan the handprints on my ass, but there’s no blood seeping through the gauze. I’ll chalk it up as a win.

There’s no point telling my parents about the cut, or about what those hunters did to me. They murdered someone—that’s bad enough to get them locked up for life.

I stare at myself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror on one wall and pull my hair up into a messy bun. I should brush it, but God I hate brushing my hair. It’s always tangled, so it hurts, so I don’t brush it nearly often enough...which means it’s always tangled. A vicious cycle, I know, but no one’s ever complained before.

Pushing my shoulders back, ready to get my snitch on, I head downstairs.

We know where you live.

I almost miss a step when Vuitton’s voice snakes into my mind. Inhaling deep, I lift my chin and carry on down. Joke’s on them—I don’t live in Liberty anymore. We’ve moved several times since then, and I haven’t bothered to update my license.

Where are you staying, love?

Oh fuck. They know I’m here at Vicky’s house. They even knew her surname. My parents told me everyone knows everyone in this place, but I had no idea...

I step into the kitchen and stare at the white marble island for a moment. They haven’t noticed me yet—Mom and Vicky are bowed over their margarita glasses, whispering conspiratorially about something, and Dad is watching with a nostalgic smile on his face.

Vicky turns to my dad and says, “Do you remember Dona’s face when Jet told her she was getting fat?”

Dad throws back his head and laughs, Mom chiming in with the silliest, girliest giggle I’ve ever heard.

I’ve never seen them this happy. I mean, sure, there were the handful of times we were together as a family and everyone was in a good mood, but this? There’s a sudden lump in mythroat at the thought that I’m about to kill this mood as surely as Boomer’s dad was just murdered.

I open my mouth, clear my throat, and say, “Guys, uh?—”

Vicky spins around. “You! Come over here, gorgeous.”

I cut off as Vicky beckons me with a wild wave, but I’m rooted to the spot.

“Nim?” Mom frowns over her drink. “Don’t be rude.”

“Come say hi to Vicky,” Dad says.

Vicky glances at him, waving dismissively. “It’s okay, Oscar. She doesn’t even know me.”

“Yes, but, she has to—” Mom begins, and Vicky turns to look at her with wide eyes. Mom quickly drops her head, sipping at her half-empty glass.

What was that?

“Uh, I actually have something to tell you,” I say, dredging the words up from some unfathomable depth.

“I know,” Vicky cuts in with a radiant smile, grasping my wrist and pulling me onto a barstool beside her as soon as I’m in range. “You love it, don’t you?”

What the hell is she?—?

“Cinderhart,” she says, her blue eyes sparkling. “Isn’t it just...perfect?”

The furthest fucking thing to it.

“Actually, in the woods?—”

“The woods?” The gleam in Vicky’s eyes is gone in an instant. She throws my parents a worried glance. “You let her go into the woods?”

“Yeah,” my dad says, frowning. “That’s okay, right?”

“Well, uh...” Vicky looks back at me, her smile a little faded when it comes back onto her mouth. “I mean, she’s in one piece, so yes.”

“Oh, crap” Mom says, grabbing Dad’s sleeve. “It’s not hunting season, is it?”

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