Page 56 of Royal Havoc

“I’m going to wreck that pretty throat,” I warn evilly.

She giggles playfully, spitting on the head and sucking it clean. “Promise?” she taunts wickedly, licking her shiny lips. When I don’t answer. “If you so much as twitch in that bitches direction, I’m going to use this stick for confetti.”

“Promise,” I grit, ignoring the sweat gathering on my brow.

She kisses my tip. “Sealed with a kiss.” She winks, moving the blades, releasing me, and pointing them at me as she scoots from the bed. “Don’t get any ideas, baby demon. We can’t be late.” She backs into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Fuck my life… she drives me insane.

thirty

Secrets

Tulip: 2013 Age: 16

The second ceiling light to the left of my new room flickers, reminding me of lightning stabbing at the darkness. I’ll admit the view from this room sucks compared to the old one. I used to be able to see the river, but now all I can see is the front porch where he left me all those years ago. It’s a day I’ve tried to scrub from my memory for years.

I won’t complain. I’ll take the crappy lighting and horrible view because B’s room is across the hall. Seeing him whenever I want makes up for everything else.

Speaking of seeing him… his shocked face watching me as I moved in was hysterical. I’ve told him numerous times thatsomeday, our rooms would be close again. It's not my fault he refused to believe me.

This time it's even better because we can see each other when we talk. Side by side sucked.

I think he’s mad. He asked me how I pulled it off, and I wouldn’t give away my secret. A girl needs to have some privacy, which, if he really thinks about it, it's not that hard to solve.

The halls are assigned by age. Now that I’m sixteen, I was reassigned to the 16-20 hall. Normally, girls are at one end and boys at the other. Right now, there are only two guys, B and Ricky. But Ricky’s a wild card and mostly gets sent to the hole. He claims he would rather listen to his own voices alone. Anyway, it wasn’t hard for me to convince the doc. He made me swear to be a good girl and gifted me the room I requested.

Footsteps in the hall have me shooting from my desk chair. I’ve been worried ever since I saw Dan check B out of his room earlier. The doc doesn’t do evening meetings; he only handles emergencies after lights out. So I’ve been freaking out for a while.

Dan waits beside B’s door while B takes off his shoes in the hallway. I watch B spin around in the middle of his room, then hear Dan call the all-clear before locking him inside.

I wait until Dan’s footsteps disappear, letting me know the coast is clear and he’s made it to the guard’s desk in the middle of the hall.

Locating the spoon hidden underneath one of my drawers, I use it to pry open the little slot on the door. He does the same and waits for me to speak.

The dark hallway has me struggling to see him. “Where did you go?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nowhere. Let it go.”

My brows dip, confusion tugging at me. I watch his head fall forward, forehead resting on the metal door. “Tell me,” I order, hating secrets.

“Don’t worry about it, princess. It won’t happen again.”

“Help!” I yell loudly, pounding my hand on the metal door.

“Stop!” B growls.

“What’s wrong with your lips? Are they bleeding?”

“No, calm down. I’m fine,” he argues quietly, glaring across the short distance. “They’re chapped.”

I swear I’ll shred anyone that touches him to pieces.

“Dan, help me!” I yell, banging on the door, letting out the anger B’s secret awakens.

“Don’t,” he begs, pleading with sad eyes.

Footsteps rush towards us as I hear his metal slot click shut. “What’s wrong?” Dan asks, peering through the small window at me.

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