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His eyes are wide with terror as he slowly lowers his hands.“Elias. Elias Stanton.”
“How do you know Scar?”
“I…I met her when she arrived at The Academy,” he sputters. “Saw her at the party. We’re just friends.”
“No, you’re not. Scar doesn’t have any guy friends. Stay the fuck away from her unless you want a year of hell.”
He nods, though skeptically. “Okay. Yeah. No problem.”
“Mark my words. If I see you near her again, I will fucking destroy you.” His throat bobs as he swallows, and I give him a forceful shove into the snow. “Get your ass up and go back to your dorm. You won’t be getting any snacks tonight.”
Elias gets up and veers off the trail, headed in the direction of Vultures’ Roost, so it’s safe to assume that’s where he’s staying. I keep walking to Scar’s dorm, and once I’m there, I make myself comfortable on the ground by a tree where there’s no snow. I sit. I watch. And I wait. I’m not sure what I’m waiting for. Maybe to see if anyone suspicious comes by. Maybe for Scar to fall asleep.
After a good hour has passed and I’ve tortured my mind thinking about what could have been and what could still be, I see the lights go out in Scar’s room. On a whim, I put in a call to Neo to send a Rook over with a key to her room.
“Why do you need it?” he asks.
“That doesn't concern you. Quit questioning everything I do.”
“Fine. I’ll send our demoted Ace, Victor, over. But don’t you fuck this up by getting attached to that girl.”
“Don’t worry about me. How about you worry about Jagger? He’s the one who was making out with her fifteen minutes ago.”
“Jagger’s back here, and he’s drunk. He had an excuse.”
“Of course he did. Because he wouldn't do it sober. So if I take a few shots, I can fuck her and tell her I love her and all is forgiven?”
There’s a beat of silence before Neo says, “Do you love her, Crew?”
“No, I don’t fucking love her. I’m trying to prove a point.”
“Point proven. I’ll talk to Jagger. You both need to quit fucking around because you’re making us all look weak as fuck. We need her in the right headspace for tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. Fuck. I almost forgot about what’s going down tomorrow.
“About that,” I begin, “I don’t think she’s ready. The river and the riddle was one thing, but this is a new level of torment.”
“Torment she deserves. It’s happening, so I suggest while you’re in her room, you break her down piece by piece, so we can all watch her completely fall apart.”
“Whatever,” I tell him, knowing this conversation is futile, “just send the key.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m heading up.
I don’t bother knocking, knowing I’ll wake up Riley. If that happens, I’ll have to force her out of the room, and I don’t really feel like playing the part of the asshole right now. My mind is exhausted and all I want to do is talk to Scar. I can’t stay away anymore. I’m drawn to this girl like a moth to a flame and I think one day she could be drawn to me again, too.
With the key in the hole, I turn it, hearing the lock click. Slowly, I twist the handle and pull the key out, pushing the door open at the same time.
As soon as I see her in her bed through the dimness of her bedside nightlight, my heart jumps a beat. She’s on her side with her eyes closed; a mouthy demon when she’s awake, but a dark-haired angel when she’s asleep.
I close the door gently behind me until it latches, then I drop the key in the pocket of my jeans.
Hushed steps lead me over to her bed and I sit down on the edge, taking care not to wake her—not yet.
Until I’m ready, I watch her, and I think back to a time when we were good. A time before chaos was unleashed, and I became one of the big bad wolves.
“You’re watching me, aren’t you?” One eye opens, then the other.
I sweep the wispy strands of hair from her face, some stick to the sweat on her forehead. “Maybe.”
