Page 54 of Sugar and Skulls

“What do they see?”

They.

Not him butthey.

I know exactly what she means. It’s something I’ve asked myself a million times.

“They don’t see you at all,” I answer honestly.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jesse

???

"They don’t see you at all,” Raffe says.

They don’t see me at all.

“Dirk and I are going to help you, Jesse. I’ve been where you are. It will get better,” he tells me.

He said he saw a fellow survivor. Someone hurt him too. Who? I want to kill them. I want to kill all of them.

“Let’s go in and get you cleaned up,” he coaxes gently.

“I need to get back to Katie. I promised her.”

“I know, sweetheart, but you can’t go back looking like this.” He points at my face.

Oh shit.

My hands fly to my cheeks. Oh, god. They’ve seen me as her.

“Jesse, hey. Please don’t panic and run. You can shower and then we will get back to Katie. Everything is okay.”

Once inside I go straight to the bathroom, I’m about to shut the door but he stops me. He shakes his head. “Leave it open a crack. I want to be able to hear you.”

“There are no windows in the bathroom. It’s not like I can sneak out.”

He leans against the door frame. “He told me to tie you up.”

I take a step back.

“I’m not going to, but you need to understand something, Jess. This is no longer something you are going to handle by yourself. Neither Dirk nor I are going to let you pretend tonight didn’t happen. That Jimmy didn’t happen.”

“I’m not doing this,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

He shakes his head, staring down at his boots. “Not now but you will.”

I push on the door. He steps back into the hall. I don’t shut it all the way because I can’t stand here and argue with him all day. I need to get back to Katie. Katie is who I’m worried about, not myself.

Turn the water on.Don’t think. Wash my face.Don’t think. Hair.Don’t think.

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it.

When I get back to Dan’s living room Dirk and Raffe both stand up.

“We need to get on the road. Raffe is driving you,” Dirk orders.

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