Page 21 of Light Me Up

“Exactly. She’s safe, so quit moping around. I’ll keep a watch on her, make sure she’s not doing anything stupid.”

“If my father ever finds out…”

“He doesn’t know!” Santi roars. “We’ve gone over this already. There’s no way for him to find out now. You’re not hanging out with her. He can’t know about the past because there are no cameras in the office.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I’m grateful for the fact that our fathers are too paranoid for their own good. They’re more concerned about footage being used against them than protecting them. “What if they already know? What if they’re playing us?”

His pained expression matches my own. “We have no control over that now.” He gingerly places a hand on my shoulder, as though I’m a ticking bomb. I can’t deny that I’ve been explosive.

“You were right. I should have stayed the fuck away from her. At least 'til this was over.”

“I fucking know I was right,” Santi says, but it lacks the proper conviction. He’s trying to humor me. Unfortunately for him, I’ve lost the ability to find amusement in such things. “Hold out a little longer. Sacrifice a little while longer. It's just for now. The stars await.”

He pats my chest, right where the matching tattoo is etched into my skin. Bold stars amidst the spiral of chaos. I place my hand over his, and we eye each other for a moment before I release him.

“In the darkness, seek the stars. You may not see them, but they are always there for you.” I recite the words my mom would whisper to me while she held me close at night, though they fail to provide the optimism they used to hold.

What about you, Ma? Where were your stars?

“I’ll keep an eye on her. You have my word,” Santi promises.

“She has an allergy,” I say lamely. “To nuts, I think.”

Santi looks like he wants to laugh, but thankfully, he restrains himself. I’m not sure I could take the sound of joy. “Got it. Now come on, let’s hit the weights.”

Chapter Ten

April 30th - Kate

Thelastpersonstartspacking up their bag at 7:30 pm, and my heart begins to race. I’ve been going back and forth in my mind all afternoon, debating whether I should go through with this or not. But I can’t shake the feeling that something bigger is going on here, and I need to find out what. Too many of them work at this company for it to be coincidental.

As soon as my coworker’s footsteps descend the hall, my eyes sweep the floor one last time as I stop pretending to type.

No one’s here.

It’s go time.

I tiptoe towards Marco’s office, though why I’m tiptoeing, I don’t know. It’s not like anyone’s here. But when you’re doing sneaky shit, your body follows suit.

I get to his door and say a small prayer that it’s unlocked. That prayer goes unanswered when I tug on the handle and it doesn’t budge.

Like father, like son.

Expecting this, I dig out the paperclip I’d stuffed in my pocket. Following the instructions from the video I watched earlier, I carefully bend it in the proper direction and stick it into the keyhole. With gentle motions, I work it back and forth.

I’ve never done something like this before, so I have no way of knowing if it’ll work. But I refuse to think deeply about what I’m doing, focusing on one thing and one thing only—answers.

I. Want. Answers.

Santi’s cryptic warning only furthers my belief that there are concealed truths here, and Marco’s office seems like the most likely place of uncovering them.

Sweat builds at my brow, not from exertion, but from anxiety. My heart is prepared to leap out of my tight chest so it can be free from this insanity. The only way out is through. Knowledge is power, and damn it, I’m tired of feeling powerless.

I wiggle and push, but the door won’t budge. Becoming frantic, I pull out my phone and search the web for images, convinced I’m doing something wrong.I review the text and photos, then try again. I turn left and right… nothing.

“Fuck!” I shout in frustration. Looking around, I confirm what I already know—no one’s here.

But that doesn’t mean that someone won’t come. I need to hurry.

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