Page 44 of Burn With Me

A tear trickled down my cheek. I wiped it away. “Beck, you don’t need to worry about me. You know I’m a survivor.”

“Girl, that is the problem. You only survive. You don’t live. There is a difference,” Beck whispered.

I stared at her hands as they rubbed mine. How many times had she comforted me over the years? How many times had she been the strong pillar for me and my sorrow or my acting out? If I hadn’t gone to go live with her and her parents after mine died, there was a good chance I would’ve ended up in a very dark place and on a path that would not have me sitting here across from her. I flicked my eyes up to hers and smiled.

“Does he make you happy? This Brian. Is he a good one, or am I going to have to go all Vi on his ass?” I asked, making us both laugh, even as tears streamed down our cheeks.

“He seems to be a really good one, but this is to find out for sure, you know? I wanted you to meet him so many times, but….”

“I was always busy.” Beck nodded, and it made me sad that I hadn’t even noticed my best friend was in a serious relationship. “I want to meet him, and you move out as soon as you are able. I’ll be perfectly fine. I promise I won’t turn into a pumpkin in the middle of the apartment.”

“You better not, girl. I mean it. I love you too damn much to see you end up sad and alone like some romantic tragedy.”

Standing, I pulled Beck to her feet and wrapped my arms around her. “You’re the best friend anyone could ask for, and I’m happy that you’re happy. I need you to stop worrying about me now. It’s time you did you. You’ve been looking out for me for too many years.” Stepping back, I cupped her face, which looked like a mess with all the tears. “Come on, I need to buy you a housewarming gift, and you might as well pick it out because you know that whatever I get, you’ll end up taking it back.”

She laughed as she wiped away the tears. “That kind of defeats the purpose of it being a gift, you know?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “You’ve always hated my taste. This way, you’ll get something you want, and we will have a girls’ shopping day. Win, win in my book.”

“You do make a good point.”

“Of course I do. I always do.” I grabbed my purse and tossed money on the table as she shook her head at me.

I didn’t know what I would do without Beck. She was the one constant that I had in my life, but it was unfair of me to tie myself to her and make her the reason for my happiness. If losing my parents at such a young age had taught me anything, it was that you needed to make the best of what you have now. I had a great friend, a great job, and a potential love interest on the horizon. I had more than most, and there was no way, after all the death and destruction I’d seen lately, that I was going to let another moment pass by for Beck or myself.

* * *

Derek

This place had the best breakfast, I’d eaten here a few times since I started stalking my brother and the food was always the same. That was harder to do than you’d think it would be. My eyes flicked over the top of my coffee mug as I watched my prey from a couple booths away. I had yet to learn her name. She didn’t have it on buzzer in the building, nor did she seem to get any mail delivered to the apartment.

Picking up my last piece of toast and jam, I took a bite as the two women continued to talk. My eyes were trained on the back of her head. Her long blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight. I could just make out the side of her face and imagine her leaping from one fire escape to the next.

She glanced up from her meal and looked at the booth beside them as the baby with its family shrieked. Her eyes were like a bright blue sky. It would be a shame that they would end up burning up with the rest of her. Although, unless I found another reason to kill her, she was low on my list.

Saving Sarah had been an inconvenience, and at the time, I was so angry that I would’ve squeezed the life out of her. After some reflection, which I had a lot of time to do, I decided that unless she knew what Sarah had been doing to her daughter, then her reaction was something that anyone would’ve done. My fault was not thinking about the close neighboring building or that someone inside may want to play the hero.

Swallowing the toast, I tilted my head in their direction and held my breath to hear their hushed conversation. I was still only able to pick up parts of what was said. The woman, my prey, sat across from someone who clearly meant something to her.

I loved this part, the game, the hunt, the decision to take their life or not. I liked watching them in their element. Seeing what they did when they thought no one was looking was helpful information to have. But then, I’d rip the curtain back on their ugly. I always took pleasure from their screams of agony. My eyes traced the features of the woman that was my prey’s friend. Women were off my list of interests. The two that I’d let into my life hurt me, but…even I could admit that she was beautiful. Her dark hair shone in the sunlight, and the strands glittered like one of the shampoo commercials. Her smile made me want to smile back, and her soft grey eyes reminded me of another pair of kind grey eyes.

She laughed, and a small spark flared in my chest, but I stomped on it as surely as a boot would a bug and turned my head away from the woman before she caught me staring.

My prey looked around the small diner as she scolded her friend, and as her eyes looked my way, I shrank into the hoodie and kept my eyes trained on my phone. It wouldn’t do for her to see my face. It was the kind of face women remembered, but only in their nightmares.

The two women stood, and after tossing money down on the table, they slowly ambled to the door. I would find out who she was. I always found out what people were hiding. Everyone had secrets and things they never wanted others to know.

Downing the rest of my now chilled coffee, I too stood and left my payment before heading out the door. I watched as the two women got into my prey’s Jeep, and with purposeful strides, I made my way to Doris’s little white car.

A shot of adrenaline shot through my body as I now focused all my attention on the blonde and what her secrets would tell me.

Asher

It was hard to believe that Christmas was right around the corner. Three more weeks and it would be here. The only thing that gave it away was the fake green wreaths with their lights and bows strung up everywhere and the decorated trees in all the storefronts. I always wondered what Christmas would look like in a place with snow. Would it be as magical as it seemed? It was something I wanted to see one year, but for now, I couldn’t leave my stepparents here. It just didn’t seem right.

Pulling into the parking lot of the doctor’s office, I spotted Vi’s car and backed into the space beside her. As soon as I saw her face, I felt myself wanting to smile. This was a new experience, and she seemed to be creating many of those lately.

“Hey there, I stopped and got coffee on my way,” I said, jumping out of the truck.