Page 91 of Cruel Cravings

One afternoon she leads Imani on a chase through the halls and then straight into a room where she discovers some of Lyra’s childhood possessions. Photographs and journals with wild scribbles inside.

All things Jael keeps with her from her and her sister’s childhood.

She wants to break her. Push her to the limit.

But not for the reasons she’s claimed.

Imani Makune has set out on the same journey Jael has, except instead of her sister, she’s seeking her best friend.

I know Jael better than anyone; she doesn’t like to share.

She doesn’t like when others take what’s hers. She gets obsessive fixations that she refuses to let go of (usually possessions).

Imani poses a threat to the perceived closeness Jael believes she has with her sister, Lyra.

Jael being Jael, she has decided that means she must get rid of the girl.

I intervene when she takes her torment a step further and I catch her in the middle of the night harboring a butcher knife on her way to Imani’s room. The blade glints in the moonlight as Jael moves through the manor as a silent shadow.

But I’m an even quieter, stealthier shadow than she could ever be.

I catch her by surprise, wrapping a hand around her wrist and stopping her before she can twist the doorknob to Imani’s room.

“No.” My voice is low, firm.

She exhales shakily, lips parting as if to argue. For once, I don’t let her.

“You’re not the only one watching her,” I say. “Hurst and Kimura have been. You know this.”

“I can handle them.”

“No.”

It’s the final word spoken between us as I take her away. She falls silent and doesn’t protest the rest of the way downstairs. I can sense the manic energy she exudes, the desperation that rises from within.

The more time goes by, the longer we stay here without answers, she’s growing impatient. She’ll spiral soon.

“Sleep,” I tell her, drawing the door to her room open. We’ve made it underground to the rest of the sleeping quarters for the employees at the manor.

Either she’s exhausted or she’s realized it’s useless making any trouble tonight, because she obeys. She nods and steps into her room as if she’s resigned herself to her fate for the night.

I’ll know otherwise; if she should try to sneak out of her room, I’ll be there in the shadows.

But another shadow catches my eye at the end of the corridor—a familiar silhouette that’s emerged among the other dark shapes.

He’s standing there, hands in his pockets, waiting for me.

Deep and intense hatred clenches inside me as I turn to face him.

“How did I know?” my father sighs in disgust. “Something told me you would turn up here.”

28.Brontë

House of Serpents (Trust in Lust) - Matte Blvck

My father’s words are met with silence.

He remains where he is at the other end of the corridor, studying me like he so often does his patients. He’s considering how best to proceed when dealing with the son he’s detested and hidden away for years.

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