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“You are doing this for attention.”

Sweet‘N’Low third.

“For fuck’s sake. It’s all in your head.”

Air expanded, filling her lungs, trying to slow the thundering in her chest. And hidden beneath the blacked out fern leaf over her hip bone, her skin burned white hot.

Think about something else!

An echo… a memory of a hand gripping her smooth skin before a thumb ran over the fresh ink.

“Every time you see it, you’ll think about me and remember who you belong to.”

Ali thumped her forehead with her palm, trying to knock the memories from her head. Still they lingered, on loop, over and over. What had she done wrong that they wouldn’t go away?

Her phone chimed in her bag and her hand shot for it, desperate for any kind of distraction.

Charlotte Davenport

Today 4:26PM

Ali?

What was there to say? She wasn’t fine. But she didn’t want to tell Charlotte. She couldn’t. She set her phone face down on the table, and looked at the container of sweeteners.

They weren’t right.

She shouldn’t give in no matter what her brain told her would happen if she didn’t.

But she was weak.

She emptied the contents onto the table again, bottom lip trembling as her lungs pulled and pushed shuddering breaths in and out.

One more time, she promised herself…

Splendas first.

13

CHARLOTTE

To say Charlotte’s ‘spider senses’ were tingling would be an understatement. Ali was the kind of person who never went more than an hour or two without responding to a text. Unless it came with an explanation prior to her disappearance.

“Going back to work. TTFN!”

“About to paint for a while. I’ll be back… eventually.”

She wasn’t someone who sent one word replies.

When 6PM rolled around and there was no word from her, Charlotte pondered what to do for all of five seconds. In most cases she’d assume the person needed space. Maybe there were prior commitments. Maybe they took a nap. Maybe they were with another friend. Any number of explanations.

But Ali wasn’t like everyone else. Though bubbly and personable, she rarely went out unless it involved art, supporting Wren’s music, or food. She had acquaintances everywhere she went, but friends? As far as Charlotte could deduce in the last month there was herself and there was Wren. On rare occasions she mentioned old friends, but Charlotte got the impression after college she moved too often to cultivate long-lasting relationships.

Charlotte texted Wren, asking if she heard from her. She hadn’t and after a long moment featuring her text bubble appearing and disappearing she offered Charlotte her spare key to Ali’s apartment. Five minutes later she parked outside of the B&B. Wren ran out the door working the key off the ring, hesitating before holding it out to Charlotte.

“Um,” Wren’s eyes darted around, teeth worrying her lower lip. “Has she…”

Charlotte took the key, waiting for her to continue.