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I flinch. Each word feels like a dagger, slicing me, carving me. My eyes sting as they fill with tears. “I?—”

“Go. Leave me in the dark,” he snarls. “Return to your lies.”

My vision blurs as the tears escape, burning paths down my cheeks. “Goodbye, Stranger.”

I turn and start running, his words circling my mind.

Go back to your safety. Return to your lies.

Return to your lies.

Your lies.

Lies.

I sob as I push into a sprint. I have always been a liar, and I’ve always been okay with it. It was about survival, but that is no longer the case. It’s a tool I’m using to chisel away my rough, sharp edges to force myself into a mold that I so desperately want to fit into. If I can manage it, then maybe I can have a normal life. A happy life. The life I want. Or at least the life I want to want.

I run home and go straight to my room, collapsing onto my bed and sobbing into my pillow. Alice knocks softly on the wall. It’s her gentle way of asking me if I’m good without intruding. I tap my fist on the wall twice, indicating that I’m all right, but I continue to sob until the oblivion of sleep swallows me.

97

Summer

The following month seems to drag, but as we near the end, the weather improves, and with it, so do people’s moods. The workload has amped up for everyone, and most students have once again knuckled down. End-of-year exams are looming over us even though they are still months away.

There have been no more murders, and there is talk that the authorities are closing in on a potential suspect. While there is still an air of unease around campus, thanks to the gruesome deaths of the three fae females, the memory of the fear has blurred a little with time.

I swing for Max, my fist a blur. With every session, I find it easier and easier to relax into my fae instincts and powers. Not only am I getting better at fighting, but I’m also seeing some psychological benefits from it now.

Max barely dodges my strike. He throws a counter punch, his eyes glowing green. I slip out of reach and spin, slamming my fist into his side. There is a faint crunch as his ribs slam against each other, and he groans. I use the distraction to my advantage and take him to the ground. Max pants beneath me and tapsthe mat. I roll off him, immediately releasing him following his submission.

Max sits up, his hand over his ribs. “You know, you’re almost starting to impress me. Almost.”

I glance down at his tented shorts. “Yeah, I can see how impressed you are.”

Max flips me off. “Stop checking out my dick.”

“Stop pressing your boner against me,” I snap back.

Max snorts as he gets to his feet. “I think you have a phallic fixation.”

I stand and stretch my arms over my head. “I think you’re obsessed with me.” I bend in the middle, touching my toes.

“You know, you don’t have to fight with me,” he quips.

I straighten and grab my towel to wipe myself off. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe by then, you’ll be over this embarrassing obsession you have with me,” I taunt, taking a deep drink from my water bottle.

“You’re the one who’s obsessed,” Max says, throwing his gross, sweaty towel at me.

I bat it away. “Yeah, obsessed with getting away from you.”

Max snorts, and I laugh as I collect my things. As I leave the gym, my phone pings, and I pull it out of my bag.

Connor

Did you hear?

Summer