Page 48 of Seeking Shadows

When she smiled that small, satisfied smile, as he gasped for air.

But now, he can only make small guttural noises.

The whole class seems to blur as it passes by, my mind not fully present.

I should be used to this. I’ve seen worse.

But something feels wrong.

The smell.

It’s strong—a nauseating mix of gore, bile, and fear.

At some point, he peed his pants, and the air is thick with the acidic stench of bodily fluids. My head is pounding, and my vision is starting to blur.

Mia drags the edge of the knife across his face, a shallow cut, just enough to make the blood slowly trickle.

“Do you understand how to do it, angel?” she sings softly, her voice gentle, as if she were asking someone to dance.

The man lets out a strange, high-pitched noise, a choked sob.

My stomach churns. A lump forms in my throat.

"I don't—" My voice trails off before I can finish. My body has already decided for me.

Vomit shoots up, burning my throat. I barely manage to turn before I expel it all onto the concrete floor. The wet, harsh sounds echo in the room, mixing with the man’s groans and the soft sound of Mia’s laughter.

“Ah, Zane,” she says gently, shaking her head and then handing me a bucket. “I figured this would happen. Take your time, okay?”

Did she think I would get sick from the torture?

I’m that predictable.

“You weren’t made for this.”

“No,” I admit, wiping the sleeve of my jacket across my mouth, trying to catch my breath. But the bitter taste lingers.

The taste of horror.

The man in the chair trembles.

Blood drips onto the floor, mixing with my vomit.

And Mia just watches, patiently.

As if she’s waiting for me to pull myself together. As if she knows I’ll stay in the end.

“If you want to try again another day, I can keep him alive until then,” Mia murmurs in a soft, still meek voice, and I look down, my vision blurry.

“Zane,” she continues, “It’s okay, we have time. You’ll learn.”

“Is that how you felt when you killed Carter? Or did you not react at all?” I ask.

She sighs.

“No reaction,” she mutters.

Why does she lie? Why does she keep lying to me?

---