Page 59 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Elias
This ramshackle warehouse on the edge of town has turned out to be the most genius place to hide.
After the poisonous fountain overflowed back home, fleeing was the only way to keep Rynnlee safe. Miles away from Oakmar, my idea is working so far as no cops have shown up yet.
Rynnlee’s fingers might fall off soon from texting Tinsley nonstop to make sure they’re okay. I never want to witness her in so much terror for the rest of my life. The fear that Tinsley and Maya were had injured completely paralyzed her. It’s my job to protect her from ever experiencing such fear again.
“It had to be Brooke. Did you see how she winked at me as they left?” Rynn says for the hundredth time, stomping over broken plywood scraps and metal shapes. “Do you think Noah is helping?” She cracks her knuckles, and I’m surprised to hear them pop since she’s repeated the nervous habit over a dozen times already. “If Tinsley and Maya had been poisoned, my sister would be six feet under right now.”
I stay quiet, deep in thought, as she rambles on furiously, throwing out random threats every few sentences. From where I sit on a broken chair full of termites, I focus on the high windows at least thirty feet above us. They haven’t reflected police lights yet, so maybe we’ll stay in the clear.
Night has fallen, and we've been in this awful warehouse for hours. It’s hard to believe that Shannon’s business will soon open in the other half of this building; I wouldn’t believe it based on the dust and health code violations surrounding us. At least Rynn’s wearing her thick boots in case she steps on glass. Everywhere, there are points and angles sharper than an eagle’s vision.
“You look ready to break something,” I say as Rynn paces.
“Brooke’s only doing this to hurt me.” Rynn’s arms flail in the air. “I don’t even think she likes Noah, no offense, he’s probably a great guy somehow.”
“He’s a snarlgoose who deserves to rot with the mushrooms.”
“She’s so conceited. So immature. So selfish to pour poison into the fountain. The whole town could be cursed!” Her voice rises again. “I can’t turn her in without confessing everything. I can’t confront her because she’d deny it. I can’t threaten her, because I’d be no better than her.”
“Let’s go smash something.” I move towards her, hoping my original idea will be effective. I planned this for a future date night to relieve stress, but now seems to be ideal.
Rynn shakes her head, then stares at our two backpacks on the floor, full of the ingredients for the antidote that should free those who have been cursed. Along with them, we packed a few changes of clothes, money, toiletries, and protein bars.
“I need to show you something. Come on,” I say. “Think of it as date number two.”
Rynn’s brows tighten. “Are you crazy? Our entire city might be under the spell of my sister’s wicked insanity, our relatives are married, I’m going to jail for the rest of my life, my shop is ruined, and you want to go on a date?”
“Yes. A date of destruction. You look?—”
“Angry!? Do I look fuckin’ angry??” A string of inhuman sounds bursts from her lips like an explosion. Rage detonates from her soul, layered with so much built up outrage kept buried for too long.
Apparently, red-rimmed eyes have the capacity to crush me. Her cheeks blotchy and streaked from crying don’t help my fortitude. I’ve purposefully held back from cradling her in my arms while she lets out her steam, knowing she doesn’t want to be held right now, but it’s nearly impossible not to hug her when so much pain paints her features. It ruins me entirely.
Seeing her this worked up, I’m determined my idea is exactly what Rynn needs. There may be no end to her rampage unless I steer her towards Shannon’s ‘Fury Factory.’
“Do you trust me?” I ask her.
As I skim my hands up and down her arms, she nods. “Yeah, I do trust you.”
“You say that like it’s such a shock.”
“Maybe it is.” Slipping her hand in mine, she makes a soft hum sound. “Okay! Let’s go pulverize!”
“Pound something!”
“And slam! And squash!” Her voice rises with power. “Flatten! Mangle!” she screams, letting her voice bounce off the concrete walls. Her smile returns, with an edge of vicious deviousness I haven’t seen before.
The way she looks at me now, it tilts my entire world on its axis. In this moment, I know. I’m flying in love with her. There’s no falling, only rising. Rynn molds around me into a shapeless cloud of inescapable love. She’s everywhere, in my soul, in my very breath. Escaping this feeling is impossible, even if I wanted to.
Well, fuck it. I’m flying in love with Rynn Pozinne. Maybe I’m already soaring.
A strange tingling covers my skin. I’m hypnotized as I stare at her. Yes, I’ve always liked her, wanted to date her, dreamed of sleeping with her, but this feeling … I’ve never felt it before. My heartbeat skyrockets. I’m the lucky one holding her hand. It’s like I’m seeing my life through a new lens.
Suddenly, nothing else matters. My shop can go bankrupt for all I care. Dad can nosedive off the end of the Earth and it wouldn’t phase me. An immediate, desperate desire to give Rynn anything she needs consumes me like a flame.
