Page 190 of Haunt Me

“Sorry,” I whisper again. I sound out of breath.

I grab the wall behind me, my knees going weak on me. I try to be subtle about it. I’m not.

“Your h-hair is dripping,” I say.Why is my mouth so dry?Wait, what did I just say?

She gathers her hair in one hand. It looks heavy and dark. It’s starting to curl. I think I am starting to lose my mind.

“You aren’t wearing a shirt,” she replies. Her eyes are so wide.

There is more stuff that I am not wearing, but I’m afraid she will swoon on me if I tell her that. Or I will swoon.

“Trying to get your attention,” I reply instead. It sounds like I’m choking, and I hide it with a cough.

I try to smile, make light of the situation. It’s not light. She is terrified.

As am I.

“My att… what?”

“You have mine,” I whisper, my head lowering over hers. No.No. This cannot happen right now. I won’t be able to stop.“Always. You have my attention even when you aren’t in the room.”

“You…” she says, licking her lips, lifting her chin.Don’t lick your lips. Have mercy on me.“You have my attention too.”

She is rooted to the spot. My head keeps lowering over hers. A droplet from a wet lock of dark hair on my forehead falls on her cheek and she swallows, hard, not taking her eyes off mine. Her eyelids flutter. Her breath is coming short and heavy. I am utterly still, like a statue.This is it. The point of no return.I lift my hand.

And make it into a fist so tight my fingers go white.

I turn on my heel and run out of the hallway. It’s all a blur after that, but I think I run to the front door, but even that is not far away enough. I have to physically stop myself from going back and finishing what I didn’t start. I open the door and hear a frantic scuffle behind me, as Ren, my guard who is staying in the house with us, gets up off the couch to run after me, but I can’t wait.

I’m not sure, but I think I step out into the street half-naked, with only a towel wrapped around my lower body, snow crunchingunder my bare feet. Even the cold isn’t enough to stop the white-hot electricity coursing through me. I am burning.

Somehow, I find myself outside Faith and Manuela’s building, blindly pressing the buttons, praying that I don’t get the wrong sister.

“Yeah?” Faith’s half-asleep voice greets me.

“It’s Isaiah,” I say in a drowned voice. “Help.”

Eden’s Old Phone

(four years ago)

F: You’ll get caught, you know that, right? It’s been two years. You’ll get caught.

Eden: Shut up. I know what I’ m doing.

F: It’s been nearly two years, that’s all I’m saying. Even if you don’t get caught, which you will, do you plan on living like this? Your whole life? That’s not a life.

Eden: Shut up.

Isaiah’s phone

Faith: Are you awake, Your Highness?

Isaiah: You assume I slept?

Faith: Just checking. I don’t want to bump into you and your little towel again.

Isaiah: Haha very funny.

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