Page 61 of Clouded by Envy

“Bray’s welcome to stay as long as she wants.” Wes shoved a finger at Brenik’s chest. “But you need to leave.”

“I can answer for myself,” Bray piped in.

Brenik didn’t know thisWes, and he knew he shouldn’t be starting shit, but he couldn’t muster the strength to care. His anger lessened as he grew frustrated when he thought about what all had happened, and Brenik was about to break down in front of them.

“Do you want to eat dinner with us?” Bray asked, attempting to break the tension.

Brenik was about to explode with that asinine question from Bray. “I. Can’t. Eat.”

Cringing, Bray spoke quickly, “Right, I’m sorry. Croquet?”

“Is this a joke? I mean, are we serious here, Bray?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. Idon’tknow!” she screamed.

Brenik had rarely ever seen his sister angry, and he put his hands on her shoulders. “Chill, Bray. I’ll play a game of croquet.”

A sound came from inside the house, and they all turned to a window being shut. Luca had been listening through the small open gap.

Luca came outside, and they all acted as if nothing had even happened as Bray and Luca set up the game to play.

Brenik decided that this was one of the stupidest things he had ever done in his life—playing a game of croquet with these people.

Wes stood too close to Brenik, watching every one of his tiny movements, as if he thought Brenik was going to rip Luca’s throat apart. He wouldn’t touch the kid’s rotten blood with the end of his croquet stick.

Every time the kid got his ball through the hole, Bray would cheer and pat his little black head like he had just done something amazing for humanity. In actuality, all he did was strike a fucking ball.

Anyonehere could do it. Well, except for Bray, who continued to struggle with each swing. Wes stood behind her as close as he could, probably to press himself against her.

Brenik couldn’t watch the vomit-inducing family show a moment longer. He wanted to head back to the cabin to be alone.

Without a goodbye, Brenik set the mallet down and walked out the gate. He heard steps squish through the grass behind him. “Bray, I just need to be alone, okay?”

“I’m not Bray.”

Turning around to the sound of Luca’s annoying voice, Brenik let out a sigh. “Listen, kid, I am going to be truthful here. I don’t feel like talking to you.” He said it as nicely as he possibly could.

“After school, can you come by to finish the game?” Luca asked.

“Who are you? Seriously,whoare you?”

“Luca, duh.”

“But why do you want me to come back? You know what I am.” Brenik looked down at him with narrowed eyes.

“I know… But I know how much Bray wants to help you.”

His sister rounded the corner at that moment, followed by Wes. “Leaving already?” she asked.

“Let me go home and think”—he paused and looked at Luca—“but I’ll be here tomorrow to finish the game after Luca gets out of school.”

He felt his stomach heave when he thought about school—Rana was Luca’s teacher…Was.

Brenik left and moved Rana’s car to a different cabin after he got home. He couldn’t look at it any longer. Eventually someone would report her missing, and he would turn himself in. Holding back another breakdown, Brenik went into the bedroom and scrubbed the blood off the floor, hot tears sliding down his cheeks.

He picked up the dresser and placed it back against the wall. The mirror was broken in fragments strewn across the floor. Before cleaning them up, he looked at the painting. His heart sped up because that portrait had caused so many things—the bad was conquering all the good. To ease his torment, he picked up a piece of glass and brought it up to his face to inspect it. As his chest sank in, Brenik pushed the glass to the center of his wrist. He pressed down until he felt the prickling pain, then he slowly slid the glass across his skin, hoping to leave all his suffering behind.

The flesh opened, but the blood stayed inside. He slammed the shard of glass against the wall, and watched it shatter into smaller fragments that he wished were himself.

---