Page 30 of Fallen Thorns
No more deathsor reported attacks. It was not just me regaining normality, but the entire city as they returned to living as they once did.
I got my work done, adhered to deadlines and engaged with my course to the best of my ability.
As always, I met with Rani every Wednesday and eventually Friday evenings also became meeting times, with Mars joining us as well.
Rani invited me to go home with her to celebrate Diwali with her family, and we had such a beautiful time. Her family were so welcoming, with her older brothers being exactly like her: sweet and charming, with energy that filled the room. I felt guilty not telling my mother I was coming back for a few days, but I just wasn’t prepared to face her yet. I could manage with staying with Rani for comfort, because I would admittedly be lost without her company, but… baby steps.
I would sometimes seeBen and Casper and the other two members of the band: Francesca, the pale and petite lead singer, with frosty spiked hair and arms full of random tattoos, and then to my surprise — Lawrence, the guy I met at The Thorns hideout who seemed to pick on Mars. I soon learned there were no hard feelings between the two; Casper informed me they were merely bitter exes, just as bad as each other. That amused me; after all, the Mars I knew appeared to be one to avoid drama at all costs.
It was no coincidence that in the space of a month, I had met numerous members of The Thornscountlesstimes. While I stayed well away from the hideout, they continued to appear. Despite Ben’s previous denial, I knew they were all following me and checking in, ensuring I didn’t go ‘feral’, or whatever that meant. I welcomed it eventually though, because to me it was a perfect way to prove Iwasperfectly fine and going about my life as normal, like they promised I could.
I never saw Marianne. She struck me as a ‘lurking in the shadows’ type of leader who only showed her face when necessary. Part of me hoped I would see her again though. In a regular setting. I wished to know more about her and her exceedingly long life; to learn all she had seen and experienced.
I’d come to a comfortable point of coexistence. Not being in denial of their existence but keeping myself separate from it like a curious outsider.
Three weeks of thinking I was fine.
Three weeks of living.
The last three normal weeks of my life.
* * *
“So,they think they finally found who killed that poor bloke,” Rani said, glancing up from her newspaper, the front page displaying the clarity of her statement. We sat in a sushi bar while rain pelted the pavement and windows outside. It was mid-November.
I’d been waiting for her to bring it up and had planned my response in advance. I had to remember the public consensus was the two other victims had committed suicide and were not murdered in cold blood. I couldn’t let my thoughts slip, but my head wasn’t compiling my words properly. My script was all jumbled, crossed out, erased and rewritten.
I remember that morning, and the previous few mornings too, I had started to feel a little queasy, waking up each day as if recovering from a night of heavy spirits. Nothing too drastic, but noticeable enough for it to cross my mind. But, like I did with everything, I brushed it off.
“I still can’t believe something like this happened. I hope they make an arrest soon and throw away the bloody key. Poor, poor guy.” She ruffled the paper, dropping one end to take a slurp of her drink.
The police were looking in all the wrong places, through no fault of their own; they deemed human suspects responsible. It was a dead end. Lucy and whoever else she had working with her were clever and had plenty of experience covering up their tracks. Switch up the deaths to avoid suspicion of a rampant serial killer stalking the streets.
Maybe I could Manipulate the police into knowing the truth?But that’s what Lucy had already done, instilling them with false truth. I couldn’t work my skill regardless, nor did I feel right doing so after I saw what Ben had to do. I would hate to have anyone inside my head, especially imbuing false thoughts and feelings in my mind. I shivered at the thought.
The Thorns could help.But how? They couldn’t risk exposure and the damage had already been done. Their role was putting an end to future attacks, butthey couldn’t justframesomeone.
“Arlo?”
“Yes, sorry, focused on... something else. Gosh, no, yeah, awful. Horrific.”
Rani sighed, flopping back against the booth. “Are you sleeping?”
Where did that come from?
“Of course.”
“Properly?”
“Yes, what’s wrong?” I asked a little too harshly.
“Arlo, I’m being serious. You’ve been up in the clouds these past few weeks. Especially since we came back from my parents’ house. Do you want to talk about anything? I told you I’m always here.”
I closed my eyes. “I promise you I’m fine. I just think a lot.”Please drop this conversation, I can’t take it.
We stayed silent for a moment, Rani clearly planning her next words carefully. I sensed her quickening heart rate and shifted uncomfortably in my chair. It was louder than normal, yet I’d not long had my own blood, so I was confused as to why my craving was returning so soon. I shifted again, discretely shaking my head. The craving dulled momentarily but didn’t fade, which was why I was glad Rani stood, a momentary distraction.
“Carmen should be here soon. I’ll go get the drinks. Same again?”
