Page 12 of Black Wave

I finish my breakfast and decide to do as Julian says. He expects that, and I won’t disappoint him or else suffer the consequences. As I pull my chair back from the table, his mom enters the kitchen and sees me.

“Good morning, Emma. I hope you slept well.”

My body goes stiff.Is this lady for real?This whole family is whacked. I decide on honesty.

“Actually, no, I didn’t. You see, my family died in a fire last night.” My fists clench at my side, and I fight the tears that threaten to fall.

She moves over to me. “Oh, Emma. Of course, you didn’t sleep well. What was I thinking? Don’t worry, dear, you are part of this family, and Julian will take care of everything.” She taps my shoulder as she walks off.

I take some deep breaths to steady my heart’s erratic beating that feels like it is shattering into a million tiny pieces. I envision my happy place, waves crashing on the beach, the smell of salt water, and a boy who held my hand–my heart.

I am pulled out of my trance when I hear voices in the hall. I make my way over to listen. I can hear Julian and his father talking in whispered tones.

“I take it you have everything under control, Julian. I don’t want this to come back to bite us in the ass and screw up my re-election campaign. Even the smallest amount of questions can be detrimental to winning, despite me being the incumbent.”

“Yes, Father. You have nothing to worry about. All bases are covered, and no one will ever find out about the details of the fire.”

I cover my mouth before I let out a gasp. Fresh tears spring from my eyes, and I feel like I will throw up my breakfast. I hold it in to listen to the rest of the conversation but hear footsteps coming this way.

I pretend to be running from the kitchen and fall right into Julian. I brace myself against his chest as he grabs onto me to prevent me from falling back. “Julian,” I say, burying my face into his chest to hide my expression.

He pulls me back and looks at me. “What’s wrong, Emma?”

Let me think about that.You killed my parents and sister, for starters, assfuck.

“I’m just missing my family so much right now. Evie was supposed to graduate with me, and my parents won’t be there.” I don’t realize how much I mean those words until they come out of my mouth. Even though he didn’t directly commit the crime, he is responsible, somehow, for their deaths. Being with him last night, with his parents at the restaurant, gave him the perfect alibi for the perfect murder.

Sitting in my designated alphabetized seating, I barely pay attention to the valedictorian's speech. I hear words carried away on the stifling breeze, along with my hopes and dreams. At this point, that’s precisely what they are. I vaguely hear about the promise of a brighter future because I now live in eternal darkness—an all-encompassing blackness.

That’s right. I was once a cheerleader, a daughter, and a sister. I look to my side, expecting to see anything but anempty seat. The chair should have been occupied by Evie, my twin sister. I touch the tattoo we had inked on our birthday. Something special for us both, reminding us that we would forever be tied together in this life.

We had a bright future, all taken from us in one horrific accident. That’s what the police are calling it—an unfortunate accident.

Now left alone, I am as dark as the man who tries to imprison me. He thinks he is all I have left in this world. Only his to toy with, to manipulate, to fear him.

He may have taken everything from me, but he will regret the day he tried to kill my spirit. I will see him dead, if it's the last thing I do. It will mimic the already dead look in my eye. I just have to play the part, play along with the ruse.

The commencement speeches come to a close. We toss our caps in the air in a final good-bye to our last year of high school. I walk away, not bothering to retrieve my cap from the ground.

A hand reaches for me and tugs me back. Goose bumps on my arm rise in recognition ofhistouch—every nerve-ending screams in protest. I fight the urge to recoil or pull away and instantly calm my features in a well-practiced act, until I turn around to meet his jet-black eyes. Eyes that grasp onto your soul and whisper their sinister intentions through their penetrating stare—Julian.

He looks down at me with a wicked grin. I can’t believe I never saw it before.

“Emma. How are you holding up?”

The false concern in his voice unsettles me. An average person wouldn’t detect this, but I know Julian.

I give him my best attempt at a smile. “Better than I thought on a day like this.” I shrug, trying to downplay my tempestuous feelings.

He pulls me into a hug.

I feel the bile rise in my throat as I fight the revulsion his mere presence brings about. I lift my hands mechanically and return his embrace.

He kisses my forehead, appearing as any dotting boyfriend would in the public eye.

I sigh. “At least I have you.” I get these words out in one forced breath, disguising each spoken word’s bite.

This seems to please him.

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