“When I want to play with the mark, I like to go over the card’s meaning and relate it to them. My cards don’t lie. You draw it, there’s a reason you did. I’ll build up the anticipation and let him watch me prepare for their death. Then, after I grow bored….” I stabbed my chest again.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
She was quiet for a long time. I wondered if I had taken things too far. I suddenly felt very exposed. I pulled my legs up and leaned away from her.
“You said that the cards don’t lie. I drew the Three of Swords. What does that mean?”
My heart suddenly felt very heavy. Nothing good ever came from the Three of Swords. I cleared my throat. “It’s the card for broken hearts.” I watched her reaction. Her face fell, and her eyes glazed over. She nodded then and didn’t ask any more questions. Which made all conversation feel kind of in poor taste now.
“Maybe I will try to get some sleep.” She yawned. She dropped her head back onto her bag and rolled away from me to face the black mold-covered wall. I could tell by her breathing that she wasn’t sleeping. She just didn’t want to be around me.
Eventually, her movements relaxed, and I could hear light snores coming from her board. I couldn’t sleep, so instead, I watched her.
Something about what I had said had rattled her. I was pretty sure her silent thoughts were about her curse.
I hated that she refused to talk to me about it. I wanted to hear everything. She had spent so much time talking about the happiness promised at the end of her rainbow, but she didn’t seem happy at all. What changed?
I didn’t understand, but I had a feeling that our curses were tied to each other. Otherwise, she’d want me to join her in freedom. She saw something that she didn’t want me to see. Was that selfish or selfless?
I had ditched my phone when her car exploded. All I had was the clothes on my back and my cards. It wasn’t the first time I’d been on the run like this, but I hated having Scout with me. She shouldn’t have to suffer because of my idiocy.
Eventually, exhaustion got the best of me. I don’t remember laying down, but I was being awakened by Scout the next thing I knew. It was dark now, and I had to squint to see her.
“Let’s drink and then get going.” She offered me a glass bottle of blood. I drank it quickly and stood.
We left on foot, as we didn’t have any way to reach someone. Scout had left her phone at a gas station still in the state. All we had was her bag, our wallets, and our legs.
We walked all through the night. She seemed to have relaxed and adjusted to my reveal about using my cards when working. She asked questions, but I made sure to not be too graphic.
When the sun started to rise, we found another place to stay, and every night, we continued on.
“Where are we going?” she asked me.
“Indiana is next to Wisconsin. I want to get to Chicago.” I announced after a few nights of traveling in that direction.
“What’s in Chicago?” She questioned while we were at a blood-friendly gas station. We had emptied her bag after that first night. She put on the warmer clothing and tossed the shorts and skirts. The bag now empty. We filled it with plastic bottles of blood. I wasn’t a fan of the chemicals they put in this brand to keep it from going bad, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
I took the bag from her and pulled it over my shoulders. It was heavy now, filled with liquid. “Corrine,” I said, setting my jaw tight.
I heard her breathing hitch. “Why are we going there? Isn’t that like—the lion’s den?”
“Yes. But I’m going to try to talk to her. Person to person.”
“Sin to Sin?” Scout smirked. I rolled my eyes and chuckled.
“Sin to Sin. Try to explain and talk her down.”
“Explain what?”
I hesitated in answering. I wasn’t sure exactly. We’d been traveling for a week, and every chance I got, I was trying to figure out how to get us out of this mess. “That you’re tied to my curse. I can’t break it without you being involved.” I shot a look at her, hoping she’d give me a hint. She didn’t.
“Or maybe if that doesn’t work, I’m going to try to run down memory lane. Try to get her to do me a favor or pity me. I don’t know. I do know that unless I face her head-on, then we’ll always be on the run.”
“Well, maybe I should just split then. I’m more hassle than I’m worth.” She sighed. I stopped moving and reached for her.
“Stop talking like that. That’s not true. My life isn’t worth living without you in it. So you’re staying.” I chose not to add that with me, she had a chance of Corrine being forgiving. If we split up, then Scout would be killed within the week.
“How did you get involved with them, anyway? Can I ask that?” She smirked. I shrugged.
