AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I brush the front of her hair, hypnotised by how easily it combs through. I reach out, touching the strands of hair that feel nothing likehers.They don’t feel silky or soft. I growl, anger at Christie piercing my chest.
Grabbing my backpack, I hunt through the contents before finding what I need.
I undo her ties and cross her hands over her chest, before moving back to her hair. I lift her head, fingers fumbling slightly as I feel around the back of her skull before snipping off a chunk of her blonde locks, needing it to remember her, to remember this moment.
I place it in a clear bag and put it in the front of my backpack, not wanting it to get spoiled by the yogurt and drink I have in there.
It needs to be cherished, to be admired, which is what I’ll do.
With that done, I get up from the bed, carefully tucking the blanket up to her chin and covering the blood seeping from her wounds. A part of me wants to leave her eyes open, wishing I could be here when her roommate finds her and sees the fear in those glassy orbs, the fear she felt in the last moments of her life.
It will scare her roommate, the thought bringing a new kind of shiver to run down my spine.
Sighing, I close them, wanting her to rot here for as long as possible. If fate is on my side, her roommate will stay out all weekend and leave Christie to fester.
Now all I can do is wait for her to find out the news. She’ll know I did this for her. She will. And she’ll thank me for it, worship me even.
As I begin to leave, I turn back around, wanting to capture the moment to memory. An idea occurs, and I pull out my phone, snapping a picture before grinning down at it.
Yes, the beast has been tamed.
But for how long?
CHAPTER ONE
Life at Whithall hall has changed drastically over the course of two weeks. Logan and Jamie were sent to prison, with no chance of parole, for the series of rapes they committed.
What has everyone on edge and still whispering are the events that happened the day they were sentenced.
Christie, a girl who was partly involved in incidents that happened on Halloween—when we took down Logan and Jamie—was murdered. She was found in her dorm room by her roommate, stabbed to death. It was shocking to us all.
The university closed down for a week to have new security measures installed. They made sure the university was securely shut after her murder, meaning no classes and no staying on uni grounds. Those who couldn’t get home were given a place to stay at a local hotel, funded by the university.
Since me and my best friend lived in our own flats near the university, we didn’t really have to leave. But much to our dismay, our parents had other ideas, since we had a week off for the holidays.
Low’s mum, I could understand. Her daughter was brutally assaulted by one of her best friends and then managed to take him down, thanks to a group of us. They also had a tight relationship, something I’d never had with my mum or dad.
My dad worked a lot, and although our relationship is better now that my mother is no longer in the picture, his reasons for me to come home so urgently were puzzling. Before coming to Whithall, he spent the majority of his life in his office or at work.
What surprised me the most was that he stayed at home to spend time with me, even if it was only for an hour or two.
Mel, Willow’s mum, and my dad arranged for us to have a meal a few days after we returned home. They wanted us to sit down and to talk to us about something important. Due to Low getting her nightmares again, it was cancelled.
She had them after her attack, but with time, they dwindled. Being back at our parents’ homes, though… She started getting them again, tenfold. I tried everything to help my friend. I stayed at hers, or her mine, and slept in the same bed to try and help soothe her tortured mind, but I think being back there was hurting her. The memories she had once fondly shared with Logan tarnished everything around her. Her mum, Mel, had thought ahead and tried to remove pictures and other things of him from their house, but there’s only so much you can try to erase. Memories are harder.
After a week and a half, I couldn’t take any more. Seeing my friend in emotional torment stirred the guilt I already felt and deserved. I’ll never be able to apologise enough to her. My part in her attack could have been prevented, and for that, I’ll always feel terrible for the pain I’ve caused her.
Night after night I’ve listened to her scream out for help, pleading with her tormentor to stop. I never spoke about what she said in her nightmares, not wanting to bring it up, but the minute she was fully conscious I only had to meet her gaze to know she knew she’d had another nightmare. She would lash out at me in her sleep, her grip tightening on me painfully.
I had nearly given in three days ago and called her boyfriend, Cole, for help. She seems to do better when she’s around him. He helped her, first as a neighbour, then as a friend, and now as a boyfriend. They’re relationship has blossomed into something beautiful.
She made me promise not to call him, telling me he needed the alone time with his family. I knew she felt guilty for occupying his time, but Cole doesn’t mind and neither does his family. They love her. But then again, who wouldn’t. Willow is the greatest friend anyone could wish for. It’s me who keeps letting her down.
When we woke this morning, I told her we needed to come home, that being back at our parents’, where all her memories with Logan were, wasn’t helping her recovery. She declined, but the look in her eyes was answer enough. She was suffering and she needed her safe haven; she needed Cole. By dinner time, I had finally convinced her. I was no longer able to take in her tired, red-rimmed eyes. It was breaking my heart.
We planned to tell our parents together, but with both of them at work, we decided to drop in on them separately at work to say goodbye. Only, when we arrived at my house to grab my stuff, we caught the both of them together on the sofa.
Something I wish I could erase from my mind.
