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"Vera! Oh my God, where have you been?" my mom cries out, grabbing my hand and pulling me into her arms. "I was so worried about you! We called the police, but they wouldn't do anything!"
"I'm fine, Mom."
"You aren't fine. Samuel! Vera's here!" She pulls me inside and shuts the door. "Where were you? We've been out looking for you for hours."
"I was… at school."
She frowns at me. "At school? What were you doing at school this late?"
Do I tell her the truth? Or do I lie to her?
I decide to evade it altogether.
"Have you seen Malik?"
My question comes just as Samuel walks down the hall, his steps hurried in his navy suit. He looks like Malik, and for a moment, I want to fall to my knees. A little older, a little softer around the edges. Where Samuel has a little more weight on him, though he's still muscular, Malik is trim, no ounce of fat to be seen. No bit of rounded face. No gray hairs.
Malik is dark, sharp, and brutal. He's filled with a darkness inside and out, and it makes him seem unattainable, untouchable.
Yet, I've been with him. I think I've reached inside that darkness, and I've found peace mixed with malice. I like it.
I shouldn't, but I do. So fucking much.
"Have you seen my son?" Samuel looks livid, worried, and frazzled all at once. He looks like he’s barely hanging on, with the lines on his face deepened, and his phone clutched so tightly in his hand I'm surprised it hasn't shattered in his palm.
I shake my head. "Not for hours."
"Do you know where he could be? I've been looking for him everywhere."
I shake my head.
My mom wraps her arm around my shoulder, ushering me into the kitchen. "Vera, what happened today at school? We received a call from Sister Mary, who said you and Malik were both missing, and one of the sisters was found dead in the school." She settles me onto the stool at the island, leveling me a look. "Did you have anything to do with it?"
I rear back. "Are you asking me if I fucking killed a nun?" I laugh. I can't help it. My head tilts back and a cackle breaks from my throat. "Honestly, I know I'm not the best kid, but killing someone? Killing a nun? Fucking hell."
She frowns, anger and embarrassment tinging her cheeks. "Cut it out. I have a right to ask. I haven't seen much of you lately, and you were the last person to see her. I'm not the only one that's curious. The teachers want to know and the police came by. This is serious, Vera. Someone died."
I look down at my hands wringing together in my lap. "I'm more worried about Malik. He didn't look good earlier."
"What do you mean?" Samuel steps toward me, curiosity in his tone.
My mouth opens, ready to speak, when my mom's hand snaps out, pressing into the bite marks on my neck. "Vera! What the hell happened to you?"
I wince, shoving her hands away. "Ow! Stop!" My neck curls into my shoulder as the pounding starts near the wound. "I was bitten, obviously."
"By who? Malik?"
"Daphne!" Samuel snaps. "Really?"
She looks at him with wide eyes. "I had to ask!"
"No!" I shout. "It wasn't Malik! It was…" I trail off, my teeth gnawing at my lower lip. "You don't understand what goes on in this town!" I shout at my mom. I turn to Samuel, and his eyes are forlorn. He knows where this is going. "This town is filled with so much fucking evil, and most of all, that school. I've been tortured, abused, scared shitless. This town is overflowing with death, and both Malik and I are being fucking haunted at every turn!"
His eyes widen. "Malik's in trouble?"
I give him a dead stare. "Yes! He is!" My palms slap on the table, and they both jump. "Something has happened to us. To Malik, mostly. There's something wrong with him. Like, seriously wrong."
"What is it?" Samuel grinds out between his teeth.
