Page 68 of Fragile Facade

“Tell me what he took, or you’ll no longer be Vile House!” The man’s words are punctuated by more burning, a scorching heat eating at my back.

“I got the tattoos,” Leigh says, showing me. “But yours are disappearing.”

“No,” I mutter, infuriated in my colourful world. My Vile House tat? Gone? Burned off? ”No!”

“Tell me what he stole, and I’ll let you keep the tattoo!” he shouts right in front of my face. But I can’t see him. All I see is Leigh as she twirls, dancing with cobras and unicorn horns.

“Lie,” Leigh says, giggling. “Lie. Lie. Lie! Buy time.”

“Your breeding program records,” my mouth says, even though Leigh’s lips are the ones moving.

There’s a pause in time. Pain goes away and my head clears, but nothing clear comes of it. Leigh waves at me like she’s going somewhere, and I reach out to stop her.

“Please, don’t go. Stay.”

“I don’t like the zoo. Too many animals in cages. You need to break out.”

“I’m trying! Help me!”

“He’ll help you. The scared angry one. He’s almost here.”

“Leigh?”

“Ostrich?”

“Show me your purple tutu. Let me see it one more time. My brother…”

Her tutu turns the purple of Krypt’s mask, and with the change comes clarity. Calmness. A visual reminder of what I have to live for. I might be selfish, egotistical, and cruel, but Krypt is an exception to all my instincts. Unfortunately, the scared, angry one is, too.

“Bite!” Leigh shouts at me. “Your venom is working!” She vanishes into the nothingness, and with her disappearance, the brightly lit room with blaring jazz music comes back.

“Breeding program records? Why?”

His hard face and pretty smile are right in front of my swollen, pried-open eyes, demanding answers to lies. Somewhere deep inside me, there remains a well of pure entitlement. I knew it never went anywhere, but I couldn’t fucking find it. Now I smile because of it. Toothless and mostly dead, I show him my bloody remaining teeth and laugh in his fucking face.

“My venom is running through your city now, asshole. Game fucking on.”

He leans back. “What? What venom.”

I hiss through the gaps in my teeth, letting my hair go wild, real king cobra style. Thanks, Leigh.

26

ICE COLD MURDER HIGH

GHOST

I don’t havetime for this. Every minute we waste arguing is a minute Killian could die. I don’t give a fuck if I get caught so long as I get in there to see him alive.

“Think about it,” Ransom says, stepping between me and Krypt. “He’s got the mind for this. Let Krypt get caught to be thrown in with Riot. You’re the only one of us who can move around their compound undetected. We need you out here, Ghost.”

Logically, I know that, but I’m not a very logical guy right now. I’m trying to hide it because I don’t want them knowing there’s something going on, but I fucking suck at hiding it because I’m pissed off and scared about it.

“I’m going in there. I don’t give a fuck what you two do.” I shove Ransom and butt my chest up to Krypt’s. “He’s my responsibility.”

“He’s my brother.”

“I’m the one who left him in there, so I’m the one getting him out!”