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A form stands over me, blocking out the light. My head lolls back, drooping as I try to focus to make out the face.

“Hello, Evie Rose,” they greet, but it feels like it’s laced with poison.

I try to speak, but everything begins to feel heavy. That’s when the person squats next to me. “I want to tell you a quick bedtime story.”

Blinking, I find a brief moment of lucidity. “Itssth youuu,” I manage to eke out, watching as they open my drawer and pull out a familiar box.

“Once upon a time, there were two best friends who were more like sisters. They grew up together in their happy castles,tucked safely away from the horrors of the world until they weren’t,” they sing-songs.

“Soon, they faced the pain, clutching onto each other like life rafts in turbulent waters, hoping to save each other from drowning. But they failed.”

The joy this person is getting from what can only be described as a Brothers Grimm fairytale is unnerving me to the point that my hands tremble.

“Well, at least the world thinks they failed,” they hum, pulling out one of my razors.

Lifting my left wrist, they hold the blade, puncturing skin. “You see, the girl was getting too close to her friend, but her friend wasn’t hers to have.”

I try to fight what’s coming, but I can’t move. I internally shriek when the blade slices through my wrists, far deeper than I ever have. Rivulets of crimson pour from the open cut.

They take my other hand, readying the razor as they continue. “So, when the friend went away for help, I took away the distraction.”

Shock hits my chest.

“I made it look like suicide,” they cackle. “And no one was the wiser.”

My body starts to weaken as I feel the blood drain from my wrist.

“The tears that ran down her face when I threatened to kill you if she didn’t write the note — probably my best work to date. Kinda like you’re doing right now,” they point out.

Farrah didn’t kill herself

Farrah sacrificed herself for me.

The range of emotions that flood me like a dam breaking drowns me in despair.

“Making her blame your brother was the cherry on top,” they say, mockingly popping the p.

The smile melts from their face as they rip the razor through the flesh of my right wrist, and a garbled scream bursts from between my lips. Then their gloved hand wraps around my throat. “You were only ever supposed to be mine,” they growl.

Tilting their head to the side, they release my throat. “But now you’re dirty. You let them all touch you, and the only way to get you clean is to purge them from your system.”

They release my throat, dropping the razor next to me before they stand. “Don’t die on me, Evie Rose. This is only meant to be your rebirth.”

I don’t know if they’ve left the room because my world fades to black.

55

colter

“How the fuckdid that just happen?” I bark, searching for my keys. We need to find her.

I shake my head. We were so wrapped up in finding solutions and gloating that we failed to be hyper vigilant.

Holding my keys out for me to grab, Coop states, “We all thought she was sleeping. The doctor did say she’d be out for the night. It’s the only reason we left her here alone in the first place.”

“Let’s just go fucking explain,” Liam suggests.

“Coop, check the cameras,” I demand. There’s a tightness in my chest like something is about to be taken from me again.