Page 11 of Worse Fates

“Shh!” A little boy reading a book about elephants glares at me. I raise my hands in surrender, then remember the brooch in my pocket.

I push theEuropean Food Safety Authorityout of my head. This isn’t how I should be using my time.

The chair creaks as I lean back, and memories of bones and skin slide into my mind. My heart stops, a shiver runs up my spine. Whipping my head around, I check the room to make sure nothing comes lurking out from behind the romance section.

“All alone,” I sigh, dropping my head into my hands.

I should just sell the bloody thing. I’ve never seen or felt anything strange since I left the mansion, so maybe it isn’t chasing me.

Hell, the alarm didn’t even go off when I stole a loaf of bread and a jar of jam earlier.

My eyes drop, and I realise how nicely warm the library is. The first proper warmth I’ve felt in ages.

Was the monster even real?

I’ve barely slept in days. I haven’t eaten properly in a long time. Maybe I imagined it, scared myself senseless wandering in the dark, and started seeing ghosts round every corner.

When was the last time I had a proper eight hours sleep, anyway? Or was safe? Probably at Jace’s place.

I snort at the thought. Reach for my phone. Remember it’s dead and stop.

I feel safe now. Warm and belly full. Kind of heavy in a good way, eyelids fluttering closed…

A hand on my shoulder startles me, and I leap from my chair, heart going wild.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I stare at an old woman, short and plump with glasses hanging from a chain around her neck, wearing a strawberry jumper.

“That’s okay, I’m sure my heart will find its way out my throat,” I joke.

She offers a small smile. “I’m sorry, love, but we’re closing.”

“Closing? But it’s…” I trail off, looking at the clock. It’s six in the evening. “Right. Sorry, I lost track of time.” I clear my throat, grabbing my bag. “Did you know diamonds aren’t rare at all? Gold’s rarer. So are rubies.”

“That’s interesting.” She gives me the sort of smile when they don’t actually care, but don’t want to hurt anyone's feelings, either. “You know, there’s a homeless shelter about fifteen minutes from here.”

“Next time I see someone homeless, I’ll let them know.” I duck my head and move past the librarian. Her shoes tapping behind me as I rush towards the exit. “Thanks for waking me up, and remember that stuff about diamonds, too. Better to get gold if you want a present from now on. Probably better to barter with if the world ends. I always hear people saying the end is here, but that's normally because their coffee brand has run out, ya know?”

“I’m more of a tea person.” She offers me another polite smile, and it's hopeful like I'll take her advice about the shelter. I want to tell her I will, just to keep her smiling.

“Have a nice night.” I don’t look back, just dig my hands into my jeans, bracing as the cold air knocks all the library’s warmth out of me.

I’m not sure where to go, so I keep walking, my stomach grumbling.

I walk past people in restaurants and hate them. I hate that they don’t need their coats, and can hang them off their chairs, don’t wanna gettoowarm, right? I hate the couple exiting a fancy Italian place who complain loudly how long it took their food to arrive.

My mood can be pretty shitty when I first wake up.

Shaking it off, I dig my hands in deeper and head towards the park. No one’s going to be there when it’s this dark and freezing.

Once I’m there I sit myself on a bench that sucks away any lingering warmth, and pull out my half-empty jar of jam, along with the bread and scoop up a generous amount onto a slice. Shoving it into my mouth, the burst of strawberry flavor explodes across my tongue, and the sugar hitting my bloodstream is a nice jolt of adrenaline.

Bouncing my foot, I try to think of anything but the brooch, only for it to be the only thought ricocheting off thewalls. If it’s not cursed and I’m making up monsters, I should just sell it. And now I’m annoyed that I didn’t try to find a pawn shop close by.

I wanna take the brooch out of my pocket and examine it, but am I stupid enough to pull out something valuable in the middle of the park where anyone could be hiding?

Unfortunately—yeah, I am.