Page 59 of The Lies We Steal

In my delusion, I thought there were snakes accompanying the gigantic alien looking insects, but I quickly realized they were what was making the noise.

“What the fuck,” I curse, inspecting the outside of my vehicle making sure I hadn’t run over something that might have attracted them to the inside of my car.

When I see nothing, I look back inside, grazing a sheet of white paper with red ink splattered across it. I reach into the nest of maybe twenty of them, shaking the paper off until they fall down onto the floorboards.

It would take me months to get the musty, wet smell out of my seats. I wasn’t afraid of bugs nor did they bother me, it was just highly irritating.

The world was intent on testing me today, apparently.

I scan the note a couple times, looking at the cockroaches, back to the note over and over again. An inkling of a smirk makes my lips twitch.

I’m not scared of you, Caldwell. Fuck off and find a new hobby. I suggest starting with insect collection. Here, I’ll give you a head start.

I lick my bottom lip, shaking my head, what a fucking warrior she is.

A warrior that I was going to shatter beneath my combat boot. I’d watch that little smart-ass light that twinkles in her eyes when I’m not around, disappear forever. I’d take everything she thought she knew and flip it.

And she was going to taste like honey on my tongue when it happened.

Human enough to be afraid, strong enough to not let it sway her. I wasn’t stupid, I knew she was scared, but I had a strong inclination that she was finished letting us run all over her.

An itch on my hand causes me to look down and see that the chunky vertebrate had creeped onto my skin. I fling the bug onto the ground just before I smash it with my foot. It crunches under my weight.

She’d not only managed to get hundreds of cockroaches into my car, but also broke into my vehicle without triggering the alarm. It showed talent. Showed promise.

It was a fucking shame it was going to be wasted. That I would have to take a girl who thought she knew everything and show her what life was really about.

Yank her into the darkness, into the shadows where I liked to hide, and show her exactly why she should be afraid of someone made of nightmares.

Someone like me.

Briar

Self-satisfaction had run through my blood strong today. I had a different pep in my step as of today. Walking around campus knowing Alistair was busy cleaning his car of roach shit.

Lyra was convinced this was just provoking them. Making it worse on ourselves. Maybe we were, maybe the prank was a mistake, but at the very least they knew now, we were not going to lie down for them to spit on us.

The maze had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Fed up with being easy prey, tired of letting them win, even if I lost the war, I won a battle. I served Alistair a spoonful of his own medicine and I hoped it tasted like rotten milk.

I crept down the entryway to the school's recreational hall, the glass door with a simple lock the only thing keeping me from the pool. The glow of the lights beneath the water reflected off the walls as I approached.

With smooth fingers I pulled two bobby pins out of my hair, taking the first one and pulling it apart with my teeth making a ninety-degree angle with it. Squatting to the ground to work with the other, I stick it inside turning to the left to create tension inside the standard padlock.

I slip the first pin over top of the other, playing with the pins inside. It’s simple math really, a standard lock has five pins and each pin needs to be pressed up in order for the lock to open. However, there are seized pins, at least three that are harder to release, so I start with those. Wiggling the bobby pin up and down, until I feel the right amount of resistance.

When I feel it, I press up hard hearing the gratifying click.

“One down, two to go.” I whisper, continuing the same process until all the pins are pulled and the lock gives, falling open on one side.

I smile smugly as I pull the padlock off the door setting it to the side before sliding inside the pool room. I take in the dark sky twinkling above me, English ivy climbs up the sides of the glass panels encroaching on the top of the roof where more see- through plates make up the top of the house.

During the day, light was shown inside every direction, it was inviting and warm. But at night, there was an edge. Looking out at the forest, wondering if anything is lingering between the trees staring back at you. If you starred too long out there, you’d find exactly what you were searching for. Your mind entertains the darkness if you’re not careful.

I clipped my phone into a small speaker, loud enough for me to hear but quiet enough not to alarm anyone of my presence. I’d decided against clicking on the indoor lights, the ones illuminating the pool seemed to be enough.

The bright, warm lights gave the pool a sea-foam green tint making it more inviting.

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