Page 25 of Where He Ended

- Chapter 10 -

Laiken

My bare feet pressonto the soft carpet. It takes me back to my first morning in this house. These soft fibers hugging my toes brought me joy. I'd run away from a maid, laughing from how mischievous it was, how amazing to just berunning,even if it was inside these walls.

Then I'd crashed into Dominic. Our bodies had tangled, and I didn't know it yet, but our fates would be as well. Silas and Annie had been frightening, both of them such big, intimidating adults. Over the past years their grip on me had faded. I'd let myself think of them as flawed, but undeniably human.

After tonight, I know I was terribly naive.

“Laiken!” Kara is waiting by my bedroom. She's sitting on the floor in a long white sweater-dress, arms hugging her pointy knees. I halt on the carpet when I see her. She doesn't get up. She only stares at me with her eyes wide as can be. She seems so young, so scared.

We come alive at the same time, rushing forward until we clap together like thunder. “Oh, Kara!” I sob, crushing her in my arms. Her embrace is rough; she bangs her forehead on my cheekbone. I don't care. It's perfect, more than perfect—it's everything I've ever wished for.

Warmth soaks into my hair and neck. “Kara, don't cry,” I say, my voice breaking. “I'm fine. Nothing happened.”

“Whatdidn't happen?” she asks, and somehow she clings even tighter.

I stare down the empty hallway behind her. I'm trying to figure out how to answer. Except there's no way around it anymore—I could pretend with Dominic that I was fine. He was the perfect distraction. Without him, I'm forced to relive the event inside Franklin's home.

Shutting my eyes gently, I breathe in until my chest hurts. “Silas and Annie took me to a business dinner. But thebusinesswasn't what I thought. They handed me off to a sick man as a way to sweeten their deal, while they ran and hid like cowards.”

Kara's nails cut through Dominic's thick jacket. “Theywhat?”She leans away so she can see my face. I don't know what she sees, but I have a front seat to the horror that rolls through her tear-filled eyes. “That's . . . that's . . .. Fuck, Laiken, did he touch you? I'll kill him, I'll kill all of them.”

“He didn't,” I say quickly. It's meant to comfort her, but truly, it's for my own relief. I need to remind myself that Franklin tore my dress, ripped my hair from its braid, but he never got close to his real goal. “He tried, but Dominic showed up. He stopped him.”

Some tension abandons her muscles. “Thank god. Oh, thank god, thank god, he got to you in time.” She's rambling; I cup her shoulders, squeezing until she focuses on me again.

“Kara.” I frown curiously. “Did you send him to help me?”

“I told him I was worried about you,” she says. “I saw you leave, I didn't see you come back when the others did.” The way she explains it, I get the feeling it's not the first time she's been watching out for me since she arrived.

“This place is so awful,” she moans.

Clutching her upper arms, I furrow my brow. “It is. But it can feel less awful. Kara, I don't want to treat you like you're a ghost,” I whisper sadly. “I want to be like this all the time.”

Her eyes bounce around the empty hallway. “People will see us being close. They'll know, they'll use it against us.”

“Why do you think that? There's no one here listening, do you really believe there are cameras in the walls or something?”

“It's happened before,” she mumbles, hyperventilating as she talks. “He knew everything I did. He had to be watching me.”

“Who?” I ask, a chill rippling up my neck.

Her eyes dart to mine. They're glistening, her pupils tiny dots. “Vahn.”

I lean away, scanning her pale face. “Are you telling me that Dominic's uncle spied on you?”

Kara turns away then takes my hand and pulls me towards my room. I follow her inside, remaining quiet as she shuts the door and tugs me to sit beside her on my bed. Our legs are bent lotus-style; we're facing each other, heads leaning close. It’s just how we'd whisper when we were staying up too late as kids.

Telling our secrets. Giggling nervously.

There's no laughter this time.

“I told you before that I lived with Vahn, and his son. I was in their house all the way up until you saw me at your little party.”

A firework crackles through my brain. “That means you saw Dominic and Bernard when they came home from school on holiday breaks.” Kara glances at our tangled hands. My knuckles are white. “Sorry,” I say releasing her. I didn't notice I was clutching so hard.

She keeps staring at our hands. “Yes. I got to know them both.” She forms one big ball of fingers, shoving it against her stomach like she's in pain. “You asked about Vahn spying on me. I didn't know he was. Not at first. But after . . . Bernard died . . . Vahn went off the deep end.”

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