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13

Bianaca

Blood sluiced in my head as Fourth of July fireworks burst to life behind my closed eyelids. The darkness carried with it a familiar sense of warmth and tranquility, though trepidation quickly eclipsed it.

The store.

The mannequins.

The explosion.

Maria.

My eyes snapped open, the darkness fading away like a shadow chased away by sunlight. I caught a brief glimpse of my surroundings, unsurprised to find I was once again in another parking lot, darkness pressing in on me from all sides, before I scrambled to my knees.

Oh god.

Everybody else lay scattered across the asphalt, groaning and struggling to regain consciousness. All of them, that was, except for Heath.

He stood near the edge of the parking lot, darkness at his back, as he watched us with cold, clinical eyes. When those dark orbs met mine, I was surprised to see a world of pain in those fathomless depths.

But even that pain couldn’t diminish the rage I felt for him.

“You!” I seethed, struggling to my feet. My legs wobbled, threatening to give out completely, but I ignored the dizziness and stalked forward, stabbing him in the chest with my finger. “You did this! You killed Maria!”

He appeared honestly affronted by my words, a sliver of hurt snaking into eyes that were normally cold and impassive. “You think I killed her?” His voice was laced with disbelief.

“I know you’ve been lying to us this entire fucking time!” I raged, spit flying from my mouth as I got into his face. “And now Maria’s gone!”

“I haven’t been lying to—”

“You knowexactlywhat we’re supposed to do! How do you know that if you’re not involved? How do you know about all of this if you’re not a part of it?” I interrupted, still screaming. I was dimly aware of someone moving to stand directly behind me, but I didn’t look over my shoulder to see who it was. “I don’t trust you!”

Something hardened in Heath’s eyes, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on what, not with so much blind rage coursing through me. “Maria couldn’t face her demons,” he said tersely. “I had nothing to do—”

“Don’t you fucking lie to me again,” I hissed through heavily gritted teeth. “Just…just stay the fuck away from me.”

“Doll—” He reached for me helplessly, and I took a step backwards, unintentionally putting myself directly into Aiden’s arms. His leather and pine scent surrounded me, but I didn’t want to deal with his antagonistic behavior. Not again. Not today.

I shoved away from him and moved towards the opposite corner of the parking lot.

Maria…

Dead.

That word stabbed at my brain like a flaming sword.

I didn’t know how I knew that unsettling truth, only that I did. She was dead because she couldn’t face her fear. We’d survived the circle of Gluttony, but at what price? I hadn’t known the woman well, but I knew that she didn’t deserve this. None of us did.

I slid to the ground and brought my knees up to my chest, burying my face inside of them. My shoulders shook with tears I wouldn’t let fall as I thought through my last interactions with the petite, blonde-haired girl. Or lack thereof. I hadn’t been the kindest to her, too driven with jealousy and possessiveness to know that she needed help. She’d died alone and scared, and I couldn’t help but think that it was my fault.

My fault.

My fault.

My fault.

“It’s not your fault, you know,” a soft voice whispered from beside me. Surprise had my head snapping in Kelly’s direction, my eyes widening.