Page 78 of Fragments
“How’d you kill ’em?” Toby asks Ren, clearly invested.
Ren’s chin lifts, eyes aimed right at Toby as he responds blithely, “I burned them alive in their bed.”
Chills zip up my spine, and I shiver.
Ren must have noticed my movement, because his gaze darts away from Toby, landing on me again. He cocks his head. “What did you do? To end up here…” I swallow, feeling like I’m on trial, being cross-examined. My lips part, ready to give him the most basic version of why I’m here. But he keeps talking. “No, wait! Don’t tell me. I wanna guess.”
He bites his lip, eyes drifting around like he’s thinking.
“Don’t try to guess…” I shake my head. “It’s not—”
“Lexington,” he sings my name admonishingly. “You’ll spoil the fun.” I give him a look like he’s crazy, but he’s entirely unaffected by it. “If I get it right, will you tell me?”
This guy is by far the most unusual person I’ve ever encountered. And we’re in an Alcatraz-style prison filled with nothing but cagey characters.
“You’re never going to get it…” I huff.
Ren glances at Parker and Toby, both of whom know why I’m here—the abridged version—their amused faces corroborating my words. Ren drops his fork, shifting to face me in his seat. His knees bump mine under the table, because of how close he still is to me, but he doesn’t scoot away like a normal person would. He leaves them pressed against mine, and when I try to inch back subtly, he moves in closer.
Jesus. Where did this guy even come from?? He’s so… intense.
“Hmm…” Ren hums, rubbing his lower lip with his fingers while he squints like he’s trying to read me. I gulp down the feeling that he might somehow be able to. “How many guesses do I get?”
“I don’t know…” I mutter, uninterested. But he pouts until I sigh. “Three?”
“Psshh,” he scoffs. “That’s a cakewalk.”
I just chuckle and shake my head.Whatever, man.
His eyes run a slow dip over me that makes me want to cover myself up. Then he says, “You… blew up a school with a homemade bomb?”
My forehead creases, and I gape at him, stupefied. “What??No.”
He purses his lips. “You went on a raping spree at the old folks’ home…?”
An outraged laugh gusts from my lips, and I hear Parker and Toby snorting. I glare at them, scowling away my grin. “Not even close, sicko.” He beams while I eye him speculatively. “You’re down to your last guess. Better make it—”
“You went after someone for revenge and bit off more than you could chew.” The words come out casual, cocky and blasé, like a metaphorical mic drop.
How did he…?
My entire body freezes while I gawk at him like he’s nuts, but also maybe a genius. I expected another joke answer… Instead, he just hit me in the face with pretty much the exact reason I’m in here, lacking details, of course.But after knowing me for ten minutes.
I’m still staring, flabbergasted, as leans in and hums, “You have to tell me if I’m right, Lex.”
My lashes flutter at his face. Shaking my head, I choke out the words, “Well, yea.Yes. But that’s… There was more to it than that.”
Ren smiles, showing off pearly white, perfectly straight teeth. The smile you’d expect from someone who looks like him. “I would assume so. There’s definitely more to myburning parents alivestory.”
I don’t like this. I feel like I’m on display, but not even just because he’s prying into my life and somehow nailing it without knowing more than my first name.
I’m gonna need to pause The Luthor and Ren Show… Put something else on for a bit. The pilot’s already overwhelming the lineup.
“Did Parker tell you his story?” I ask, forking another gross bite.
Please get the attention off of me.
Parker’s lips curl. “Oh yea. He dragged it out of me pretty much right away.”
