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Jesus, they’re actually serious. “Well, I appreciate that. But trust me, I can handle whatever those kids throw at me. I’ll be fine. I don’t want either of you getting into any trouble because of me. It’s lunchtime. You should go and play.”
They look at each other before nodding their heads and walking out the door. I know exactly what they just did; they had a conversation without having a conversation. Reilly and I do it all the time. I’m tempted to tell them I have a twin sister too, but I don’t. I want to keep Reilly out of this world as much as I possibly can.
After the bell goes, I take a deep breath and prepare myself for the last hour of the day. I watch as my students pile into the classroom in an orderly fashion, unusually quiet too. Huh. Then, they all take their seats and look up at me expectantly.
Gabriella winks at me from her desk at the back. Great. What the hell did those two do? Put the fear of the God (or should I say the mafia?) into these other children. I’m going to have to have words with them about that later. Right now, though, I’m going to do what I came here to do.
Teach.
* * *
The afternoon flew by; the students completed every task I gave them without any objections. I’m packing up my things when there’s a knock at the door. Turning, I find Neo standing at the threshold with a grim expression on his face. And my heart sinks. “What’s wrong? What happened? Where’s T?” I ask, looking behind him. Hopeful.
“Nothing’s wrong, Hol. T’s busy with work. He asked me to be your very efficient Uber driver. I’m here to escort you home.” He smirks.
I know he’s not telling me everything. I can feel it in my gut. He has a great poker face—I’ll give him that—but you can’t beat your instincts. And right now, mine are screaming. I need to find T. “Oh, okay. Just give me a few minutes. I just have to run to the bathroom first.” I don’t wait for him to answer. He does, however, follow me down the hall.
Locking the door behind me, I sink to the floor. Something is wrong. I know it is. I pull my phone out and call Theo. He answers on the third ring. “Dolcezza, Neo should be there to pick you up.”
“He is,” I confirm.
“Great. How was your day?” he asks, casually.
“T, what’s happening? I don’t feel good, I feel like something is wrong. Tell me everything is okay, and that if I let Neo take me home right now, that you’ll be coming home tonight too.”
“I will always come back to you, Holly. Nothing can keep me away from you. Promise me you’ll remember that. I will come back.” His voice sounds strained.
“Okay, I promise I’ll remember,” I concede. Whatever he’s doing, I shouldn’t be distracting him or holding him up. “I love you, T. I love you so much it hurts when you’re not near me.”
“Ti voglio bene. Tornerò appena posso. I love you too. Let Neo drive you home.” He hangs up the phone before I can ask him to translate. I repeat the words in my head, pronouncing them the best I can, as I open Google translate and spit them back out.
“I love you. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I whisper, reading from my screen. Maybe I messed up the Italian. Standing up, I wash my hands and straighten my shoulders. “I’m ready. Sorry.” I smile at Neo.
“No worries, bella. This way.” Neo holds out his hand and guides me out of the building.
I briefly notice the audience of other teachers staring our way in curiosity. I don’t care right now though. Right now, my stomach is churning, this deep-seated dread set firm in my gut.
* * *
Half way back to the apartment, Neo answers a call. “Boss?” It’s Theo calling him, a sense of relief washes over me.
“I left a package in your trunk. I need you to drop it off to me,” T says.
“Ah, sure, let me drop Holly off first,” Neo responds, looking to me.
“Hey, dolcezza. I’m sorry but I really need that package. I don’t have time to wait, Neo. Holly, do you mind if he takes a detour before taking you home?”
“No, of course not. Whatever you need, T,” I agree. I’m actually relieved for the distraction. Maybe if I see Theo with my own eyes, this dread will finally go away.
“Thanks, dolcezza.” T hangs up before anything else can be said. I smile—it’s been a long day of not seeing or speaking to him. I need him more than I realized.
Ten minutes later, Neo pulls up to the curb of an old house. Why would Theo be here? This is not the kind of place I would have expected him to frequent.
“Wait here. Lock the doors and don’t get out for any reason, Holly.” Neo jumps out of the car. And I watch in confusion, my heart pounding, as he walks around to the trunk.
Ignoring Neo’s instructions, I follow behind him. “Get back in the car, Holly.” Neo folds his arms over his chest, standing in front of me while simultaneously blocking my view of the property.
I’m about to tell him where to go, when out of nowhere I’m thrown to the ground. There’s a loud noise—an explosion of some kind. The pavement shakes with the force of the impact, and I watch as flames engulf the house. Everything turns to white noise. I push at the weight holding me down. “No, get off me. T!” I yell, or at least I think I do.
My ears are ringing. All I can think is that I need to get in that house. I need to get to T. Somehow Bray’s moves flicker through my mind, and I manage to get myself out from underneath Neo. I jump up and run towards fire-engulfed structure when a pair of arms wrap around me.
“No, let me go. I have to get him. T, don’t you dare do this to me. Noooo!” I feel myself collapse against the chest behind me.
“Holly, stop, I need to get you out of here.”
I shake my head no. I can’t… I can’t do this. I stare at the house. The house that held my entire world. The same house that’s now consumed by flames and ash. I feel my heart break in half, and then everything goes black and my body going limp. I give in to the darkness. I need it to take over.
“T…” It’s barely a whisper as the sound parts my lips, and I can feel the pressure of a pair of hands as I’m lifted away from the billowing smoke.
