Page 53 of Alamort

River sits in a stupor, pulling me closer to her. She gently pries my clenched hand open, intertwining her fingers with my sweaty one.

“Good morning, Cox Academy!” His charismatic voice booms throughout the room, bringing every conversation to a stop. He playfully winks at the group of girls closest to him, sending them into a fit of giggles, like the schoolgirls they are. I’d roll my eyes, but they’re glued to Bennett Demonio’s face.

“Sorry to interrupt everyone’s lovely morning. We thought a brief presentation would wake everyone up.” He looks at Saint, who clicks something on his phone and the screen changes. My breath hitches, getting stuck in my throat. My heart stutters, the color drains from my face when I see the tamed curls of honey colored hair and the same baby blue eyes that our father has. I avert my gaze from the person I’ve spent over half of a year avoiding staring at.

“A show of hands. How many people in here know who this well-known daughter is?” Mostly everybody’s hands shoot up in the air. He points at Amber Astor to answer.

“Addison Carter.”

Bennett snaps his fingers and points at her.

“Right you are! Addison Carter died in December. Does anyone know how?”

Everyone murmurs at the latest news. No hands go up. No one knows my sister is gone. The sound of her name spoken aloud sends waves of spears shooting through my chest. A punch in the chest, worse than when my father would hit me. Thethought of hearing these despicable people mention my flawless sister’s name is so unbearable that I would rather crawl on my knees and endure the humiliation of my collar any day.

“No? Not surprising.” His face is the perfect picture of sorrow, but I don’t for a second believe he cares about her or her death.

“In December, before winter break last year, there was a fire at her school. It was said to be so out of control that even the firefighters couldn’t control it.” My vision blurs with tears that threatened to spill over. The rigidity of my spine softens as my shoulders curl in on themselves, knowing the vise that gives me a sense of relief has taken the one person I value most in the world, my sister. “They had to let it die down before seeing if there was anything left of the people inside. Two people died that day.” River’s hand squeezes mine in comfort but fails. “Another student and Miss Carter. Now, people, if we put two and two together, we can surmise that none other than Addison Carter’s sister, Priya Carter,” He points at me, his dark eyes shining with hatred so palpable I can taste the bitterness on my tongue, “is here. Our little Pyro Carter, if the psychologist was right.”

“Murderer!” someone yells.

“She killed her own sister!”

“Pyro Carter!”

“Couldn’t take the heat of being second best, I bet.”

The thundering rhythm of my heartbeat overshadows the relentless barrage of taunts and insults. Dizziness overtakes me, the world blurs and fades from my view. Pressure closes in around me, a tingling sensation on my face. While the rest of my body stays numb. A hand rubs up and down my back while whispering.

“Breathe, Priya.” I want to scream that, “I’m trying!” but nothing comes out. I need to get out of here.

Nothing these people are shouting at me isn’t things I haven’t told myself daily. This all-consuming guilt I live with. I hate myself more than they ever could. They think I don’t wake up every morning wishing I was dead? The only reason I haven’t done the job myself isformy sister. All of this is for her.

Old wounds are reopening, the gashes pouring into my misdeeds and wrongdoings that swirl around in my head.

It should’ve been me.

My legs buckle as I stand to run out of the Hall. The edges of my vision darken before completely taking over.

My mind is active before my body stirs. The firm mattress is oddly unfamiliar, a stark contrast to the soft, plush ones I’ve grown used to during my time at Cox Academy. Lying on clouds has become a part of my routine, their softness sucking me into drowsiness. The air has that new store smell, unused, but there is a musky scent on the pillow I’m using. Every swallow is like sandpaper, and to top it off, my tongue is dry as fuck. Did I fall asleep with my mouth open? I groggily contemplate opening my eyes, but the lingering sensation of grittiness deters me.

I need to face whatever is going on, but procrastinating doesn’t seem like a bad idea. What the hell happened?

My mind tries to sort through the last thing that I remember. The woods outside of the school were like an omen of my bad day to come.

Addi. Knots twist in my stomach as my heart settles in the pit. Despite my eyes being shut, the sharp stinging in my nose as tears well up in my lashes, threatening to push their way to the surface.

Murderer.

The Pyro killed her sister.

Jealousy.

Lies float around me, battering my mind. I loved my sister. I would trade places with her in a heartbeat. A part of what they’re saying isn’t wrong. I shouldn’t have let her tutor that boy that day. I should’ve sucked it up and went. Maybe things would have been different. Maybe she’d still be alive.

My sniffles are loud in the room’s silence. Suddenly, a floorboard creaks beside the bed. Mid-sniffle, the sudden sound of someone’s presence shatters my illusion of solitude.

A voice breaks the stillness, attempting to sound gentle. “I know you’re awake, Priya.”

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