Page 105 of Speak

She turns to me and those big, beautiful eyes of hers burst like a dam breaking. She sobs so hard, big, soundless gasps rocking her, as she falls to her knees and I go down with her. I look up at Maverick. “What happened?”

He shakes his head, eyes still on the scene before him. “We went for a run. We went for a run and when we came back, we… were… in the downstairs guest room and all of a sudden there was fire. Everywhere. It spread so fast. We grabbed our clothes, I had to break the window open and we jumped out.”

“Repeat that for me.” Damon says, no longer looking at Raven but staring hard at Maverick.

“I had to break the window so we could jump out.”

“Why did you have to break the window?”

“It was screwed shut. From the outside. I thought maybe you did this to keep her from finding a way to get out during a sleepwalking episode.” Maverick looks between us, then down at Raven who’s pulling her phone out.

Damon shakes his head. “Never.”

They continue talking softly.

I look down at Raven’s phone as she pulls up an app that I recognize as her security camera app. She plays back the footage from today and pauses it over and over again, using her fingers to zoom in over the screen from all angles.

Her and Maverick making out like teenagers at the front door, she turns to type in her code, slipping inside, and Maverick kicks the door fully behind them.

“About fucking time.” I murmur. Raven ignores me as I huddle in closer as we see a hooded figure carrying a gas can, punch in her code that I don’t even know yet and sneaks in ten minutes after them. He leaves not even five minutes later, the camera captures his face for a total of three seconds, leaving too quickly to forget about the camera.

Unmistakable blonde hair and haunted blue eyes stare back at us.

The anger that flashes across her face, leaving her phone in my hands, she flies out of my arms and onto her feet and shoves at an unsuspecting Damon.

He's thwarted backwards into Maverick. “Hey, little bird, what the fuck!”

I told you! I told you there was someone following me and you told me I was crazy!

“I never said you were crazy.”

Fuck you! You said I was manifesting a shadow due to my subconscious and you made me feel crazy!

Damon looks at me and I shake her phone at him. “Someone came in ten minutes after them.”

Tears are flowing out of Raven but not from sadness. From frustration and anger.You made me feel crazy, Damon.

I’ve never seen a speechless Damon. He looks at me and I hand him her phone, rewinding it. “Raven,”

Do you know how shitty this feels?

“No.”

Do you know how much I hoped you were right?

“Amourette-“

I can’t even say I want to go home, anymore. She points to the smoldering wreckage.I have no home anymore. Where do I go? What am I supposed to do?

At her agony even Maverick’s mask of cool indifference fades, his brows bunching together as she sinks back down to the ground, turning to face the fire, left over embers glowing in the dark, plumes of white smoke faintly rising, the serene black lake in the background. Raven begins to rock herself back and forth, her arms around her torso, the hand on her back rubbing up and down, soothing herself.

Damon gets down to his knees beside her, facing her. “Amourette, I am so sorry. I should have believed you. You’re right. I have… I’ve been a complete asshole in disregarding your feelings.”

She stops rocking for a moment, not daring to look at him.It doesn’t matter at all anymore, does it? It’s gone.

“She… can come home with me.” Maverick speaks up and we turn to face him.

“Absolutely not.” Damon growls.

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