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“All done.” He pats my forearm softly. I pull my sleeve back down and stand, moving to unpack the rest of my things without another word.
The timer on his cell phone dings, making me flinch. Liam stands up, pulls off his hoodie, and tosses it on the bed. His white undershirt is pulled up a bit, and his taut muscles make my cheeks warm. I avert my gaze and trail my fingers along the bandage he gave me. It’s perfect, as if he’s done this a thousand times on himself.
Liam heads toward the door and stops before he turns the handle. “Aren’t you coming? It’s time for lunch.”
I shake my head and gesture to my bag and clothes. “I’m not hungry. I’d rather unpack and get adjusted.” I don’t bother with a fake smile since, apparently, he can see right through it.
He shrugs and leaves. Once the door clicks shut, I take a deep breath. I need the silence. I’m already worn out and it’s only noon.
I sit on the edge of the bed and take out my blood-pressure device. It’s battery-operated and small enough that most people won’t even know what it is. I slip it over my left arm and line up the artery marker to the right spot, tightening the cuff before pushing start and waiting as the air pumps into the cuff. After a few moments, it deflates and the screen shows 160/120.
I’m literally a walking heart attack.
I let out a long sigh and fold up the machine, sticking it back in its small bag before hiding it at the bottom of my nightstand drawer. It’s been hard trying to keep my heart condition in control. My anxiety and stress don’t help either. The medications don’t work as well as they should. If I hear another doctor say,“Oh no, but you’re so young. It’s so tragic,” and give me that pitiful fucking frown…
I take a deep breath and try to relax. Even thinking about it stresses me out, and my heart is still racing from my encounter with Liam. I brush my lips where he kissed me and jolt when I hear vibrating.
Liam’s phone buzzes on his bed and draws my attention to his side of the room. I don’t approve of snooping, but he’s been horrible and God knows what he put in the IV the other night.
These aren’t normal circumstances. So snooping is indeed on the table.
I shift off my bed and hover over his nightstand.Am I really going to do this?
His phone dings again and a message icon pops up.Mom.Well, at least he talks to his mother. It’s more than I can say. My mother is dead and I don’t speak with my father, so he might as well be dead too.
Deciding to bite the bullet, I reach for his drawer and pull it open. It’s filled with medical supplies: tape, ointment, gauze, and Band-Aids. All immaculately organized like the psychopath planned out everything he’d need for his own torture. Other than the supplies, it’s pretty empty. There’s a phone charger, Chapstick, and a notebook.
I grab the notebook and open it. It doesn’t look like a journal, with all the loose pages stuffed in it. The cover is black and worn. Half of the writing is in a different language.
The portions that are in English are research notes on plants and insects, while other sections are drawings of human anatomy and bones. It makes absolutely no sense, yet I’m convinced it’s not nothing. It’s eerie. Liam has spent an extensive amount of time collecting cryptic information on odd things.
This just solidifies my theory about him being into the occult.
I hop back on my bed and dig through my bag until I find the onyx stone.Why did he give it to me? As I’m flipping through the pages of his notebook, I notice a few pages on stones and symbolism. According to his notes, onyx is a symbol of protection against evil. A talisman of sorts. Does he really believe in that sort of stuff?
I spend the better part of an hour reading through his notebook, and by the time I reach the end, I’m more confused than I was when I started. Tucked in are articles on missing people from a decade ago, black and white and odd. It says that they all checked out of Harlow Sanctum before going missing.
The only thing I’ve learned when I shut the book is that Liam might be a dangerous person. Well, more dangerous than I already thought.
I set his notebook back in the drawer as I found it.
Rain patters against the window and draws my attention. Stepping over to the window, I notice a woman in a blue dress dancing in the downpour. My heart thumps at the magic she seems to feel. She doesn’t appear to carry the chains of the world that I feel weighing me down.
I want that freedom.
The window opens easily. I pop the screen out and carefully climb over the frame. I’m sure there’s an easy way down the hall to get out to the courtyard, but I don’t want to waste time trying to find it. I want to experience what she’s feeling—that weightlessness that I’ve been chasing for so long.
My bare feet press into the wet grass and a chill runs through my veins. Icy rain pelts against my skin, kissing my flesh. I approach her and watch as she dances, twirling with her arms wide, her white shirt completely soaked and hugging her breasts.
“Are you going to join me or just stand there?”
I flinch and stagger back. I didn’t realize she was aware of my presence. “Um, I was just admiring how happy you seem.” She stops twirling and smiles at me manically. Her eyes are unusually wide and crazed. Jesus, she just went from majestic to creepy real quick.
“I’m performing the rain curse ritual!” Her green eyes glint and her smile grows. I take a step back. I don’t know what the fuck to do—I clearly misread what she was doing.
“Oh… okay. I’m just going to head inside now. Sorry for interrupting.” I turn on my heel and start back toward my window when she runs in front of me and puts her hands out.
“Hold on, I’m not crazy. I’m just having some fun, you know. I think you should join in too. Might help lift your spirits like you were hoping it would.”
