Page 70 of Deviant

Nora might never forgive me for keeping her from The Scourge, but soon, she’ll realize that all her efforts would have been in vain regardless of whether she was selected for it or not.

Her mother’s ALS is a death sentence.

The doctors have told her as much.

All Nora would be doing was delaying the inevitable.

‘Isn’t that what you’re doing?’ my subconscious mocks.

Maybe.

But Nora is the very embodiment of health. If she never gets selected for the Harvest Dozen, then there is nothing preventing her from living a long and happy life in Blackwater Falls.

“Okay, make a wish,” I say after singing the last verse.

Nora closes her eyes and blows out the candle.

“What did you wish for?”

“I can’t say, or it won’t come true.” She winks at me while dipping her finger into the frosting and asserts, “But if you want to guess,” she sucks the sugary glaze off her finger and continues, “I’ll play along.”

“I hate guessing. I’d much rather you told me instead.” I pretend to pout.

“And what would be the fun in that?” She laughs at my childish antics but stops suddenly when her breathing starts to get shallow, and her face begins to contort.

“Something’s wrong,” she says in alarm, eyeing me in panic while holding onto the kitchen table to keep her balance.

“Nora—”

“Something is terribly wro—” She never finishes her sentence and falls onto the cold, tiled floor.

“Nora!” I scream, rushing over to her.

I place her head on my lap as her lips begin to turn blue.

“What…have you…done?” she asks with fear in her eyes as her body begins to convulse.

“Nora!” I call out, sensing that something isn’t right here. I may not know much about ecstasy, but I know enough that it shouldn’t leave her in this state. She should be in a sort of euphoric haze, not struggling for breath.

When bile starts foaming in her mouth, my panic sets in.

“Nora!” I shout as her body continues to shake madly in my grip.

“Oh, God! Oh, God!” I plunge two fingers into her throat, trying to force her to throw up the little bit of frosting she ate, but it’s no use. It’s already in her system.

When her eyes just glaze over as if she no longer sees anything around her, I lose it.

“NORA!” I shout in a loud cry, while shaking her shoulders.

But then her body stills.

Her eyes are still wide open, but there’s no life behind them.

No. No. No!

This can’t be happening.

This can’t be happening.

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