Page 24 of Sinful Skulls
I pull my head back. “No. He’s my uncle,” I admit.
It sounds weird to my ears.
“Your uncle?” She sits up on her bed.
As I’m gathering my clothes to shower, I give her the basic run down of my story. I leave out all of the unsavory details.
“That is straight up crazy.”
“Yeah, I know. So anyway, he’s just helping me with my art.”
“Still jealous,” she says, flopping back on her bed. “I would sell my soul for one night with him.”
I roll my eyes and head down the hall to shower. When I catch my reflection in the mirror, I stop, reaching behind me with one hand to grab at the tag sticking out.
Is my shirt on backwards?
It is. I stomp my foot in frustration. How embarrassing. It’s been like that all day.
I continue around the corner, still berating myself. The nice thing about showering in the middle of the night is that you have the bathroom all to yourself. I step in and begin tossing my clothes onto the bench outside the stall.
As I’m bending over to pull off my socks, I notice a smudge of paint on my stomach. I stand upright. How did I manage to get paint there?
I run my thumb over it. It’s not paint. It’s blood.
My hands run over my body, searching for an injury. I even reach between my legs to make sure I haven’t started my period. Where did it come from?
I push it out of my mind and finish showering. I’m too tired to figure it out.
Until I lie down.
It begins as one tiny intrusive thought, and before I know it, it festers into a full-blown panic attack.
I feel like I’m losing my mind.
Another sleepless night, and I’m back in class. I can’t focus on anything, other than the strange knot that has formed in the pit of my stomach. This isn’t what Paris was supposed to be like. But I did want to find myself, and at least now I know why I’ve never felt like I fit in.
As soon as class is over, I rush to Henry’s office. He’s waiting as always. He must see the look on my face, because he shuts thedoor behind him and then hurries to close the distance between us with long strides.
“What is it, Daisy?”
“Nothing. Just feeling a little jittery from not being able to sleep at night.”
“Let’s go. You’ll feel better when we get home.” He takes me by the arm and pulls me along.
My feet get heavier the closer we get to his townhouse. He begins to tug at my elbow, keeping me moving forward.
Once we’re inside, he offers me a drink.
“No, thank you.”
He lifts an eyebrow but begins to fix supper.
“I’m not really hungry either. Um, I’m probably going to head out for the night. Carly and I are headed to Versailles in the morning with some friends.”
“Okay,” he says, waving his spatula. “Have fun and be safe this weekend.”
I stand there awkwardly for a moment. Not really sure why I’m surprised he’s letting me go. Jesus, Daisy, you really are losing your mind. Did you really think he was drugging you? You’re so stupid.
