Page 112 of Roses and Skulls

My eyes fall closed again as the truck and my uncle’s warm embrace ebbs the nausea I was feeling.

A few miles from home, I start to rouse again. Dan lifts his arm when I sit up straight, blinking against the bright sun. Neither of my uncles say anything as we pull into the lot.

I glance around. Not too many people here today.

“You ready to go in or do you want to talk for a minute?” Dan asks me.

Shrugging my shoulders, I stare blankly at him.

The door to the warehouse opens and my dad steps outside. Daddy. I scramble over Dan, reaching for the doorhandle. My dad must see my frenzy to get to him because when I get the door open, diving out headfirst, he catches me.

He catches me.

Swinging me up into his arms as if I weigh nothing more than a feather, he cradles me to his chest. I burry my face into his t-shirt.

“It’s okay, baby girl. I’ve got you.” He kisses all over the top of my head as he carries me inside, repeating that he has me.

Once inside, he sits down on the couch, keeping his arms tightly wrapped around me. “Does she need a doctor?” he asks over my head.

No!

I sit up and face him, shaking my head feverishly. No doctor.

He pushes my hair away from my face and cups my cheeks in his hands. “Are you sure, baby girl? You’re not hurt?” he asks.

No.

He stares at me, finally seeing the elephant in the room.

His grey eyes bounce back and forth to the men standing behind me. Then they return to me. “Say something, Billie Rose.” He lets go of my face and grabs my shoulders, shaking me lightly. “Please,” he begs, a mixture of sadness and panic etched in the lines around his eyes.

I open my mouth and then snap it closed. What do I say? But I can’t stand the look on his face, so I try, for him. “I-I’m confused,” I tell him honestly.

He swallows back a sob. “Okay. It’s okay, we’ll figure this out, together.” He hugs me tight.

An electrical current stirs the air. Shivering, I feel Elijah enter the room. I squirm, uncomfortable to be seen on my dad’s lap like a scared child. I slide off, keeping my head lowered, my hair shielding me from everyone. A shower. I need a shower.

“I-I’m fine. I’m going to go to my room now,” I say quietly, scooting to the edge of the couch.

Uncle Dan stands in front of me as I try to rise, gently pushing me back down to the soft cushions. My dad leaves my side and I detect the sound of retreating footsteps. My uncle sits down heavy beside me, making me roll towards him.

I scoot away and then slowly let my eyes lift. We are the only two people in the room. My mind races as thoughts of last night flood my brain. The last bit of the drug Draven gave me slips away. The dried blood is driving me nuts. I have to get it off.

“Dan,” I say, my voice tight with panic.

My dad comes back at the exact moment I’m about to lose my shit.

Jumping to my feet, I head to the stairs. “I-I’ll be back. J-just give me a minute.” And then I race up the steps two at a time.

When I get to my bathroom, I slam the door shut before shoving my pants down my legs. My feet get caught up in my jeans and I fall against the counter, banging my hip. My fingers scramble over the top of the mirror, finding my pain reliever.

When I sit down on the toilet and press the blade to my skin, I pause. It’s already bloody. Dried blood. Lanie’s blood.

“You don’t want to do that,” a familiar voice calls from the other side of the shower.

Fingers wrap around the edge of the curtain and shove it back. He’s sitting in my bathtub. Why is he in my fucking tub?

“Your dad told me to wait for you up here. Said this is where you’d be headed next.”

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