Page 10 of Ashes to Ashes
Who has been in my room?
I get out of my bed and check to see if anyone is hiding in it and find nothing. I check the shower twice before getting in it. Was it one of the guys? Did I do something last night? I don’t remember having any dreams, or sleepwalking.Dummy, I wouldn’t remember if I had been sleepwalking.
I shower and throw today's outfit on, braiding my hair and brushing my teeth. I head downstairs and find my parents in the living room, Dad looks upset but they also seem to be having an argument.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, slipping my backpack onto my shoulder.
Mom looks at me, “Just going through some stuff today. Have a good day at school.”
Going through some stuff? Maybe they’re getting a divorce. If they are, hopefully they wait until I graduate so I don’t have tochoose where I live. That sounds callous, but I’m not a big fan of either of them lately. If they truly loved me, they would show it more. They even forgot my birthday.
But someone or multiple someones didn’t because a cake showed up on my doorstep the day I turned eighteen. My guess is that it was my three, not so secret admirers.
I decide to walk to school, Briar catching up to me. We walk in silence, not awkward, it’s just how we are. She waves to me as I walk to the library, the school halls feeling quieter after everything that’s been happening.
The guys are sitting at the table, sandwiches this time, and of course my favorite coffee order. I sit down and I feel them staring at me, “What?”
Peck glances at Hunter, “You don’t know?”
I shrug, “I never know anything.”
Daze hands me his phone and pulled up is a headline about some guy named Tom being found dead in the river. Wait, the Tom they’re talking about, is my uncle.
“I…I…when did this happen?” I ask in a whisper, knowing I might have had a hand in this. I don’t remember, but it’s me, right?
Or am I linked to someone doing it and just see what they’re doing?
“Last night,” Hunter says matter of factly.
Peck looks at me with a look of something in his eyes that I can’t quite decipher, “Sorry for your loss.”
“He wasn’t very nice to me,” I admit.
Peck pushes a sandwich toward me as Daze asks, “Want to go to the mall after school?”
I nod, “Why the heck not? I don’t have anything going on at home and now that tests are over, I’m home free.”
My answer doesn’t surprise them as much as it surprises me, but I’m going to live it up. And right now, my home is depressing.
Chapter 9
Cala Lily - In the eye
I stare at the ceiling for hours, not sure how long I’ve been laying here awake, but I am. I can feel the panic that Cala has. She knows all these people are linked to her, but the cops are too stupid to put it together which works in our favor.
The TV in my room turns on and I know they are here, “How was shopping?”
Peck pipes up, “She had fun.” I know she did. She likes them even though she won’t admit it. They need to show her the dark side more.
As if Hunter can sense where my brain is, “We’re going to get her to go see a fight.” That’s code for–Hunter’s going to participate in an underground fight. It’s a start.
“What’s the plan for tonight?” Daze asks and I sit up in bed.
“I need to start on Mom’s side.” They understand what I mean. Mom has friends she cares about, one of them is going to meet their demise tonight just because they’re friends with her. So sad—not.
I dress and we slip out of the house. I stare at the houses across the street for a moment. They used to be where partieswere held, some big keggers. Now they’re dark. People are home, but since the demise of the bitches that thought they ruled the school, they’ve been dark. Oh well. They deserved it. Fuck them bitches.
I digress. I need to find the perfect person to get under Mother’s skin. Or botox. Yeah, mother does botox. Her beauty doesn’t match her ugly soul.
