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He takes a step forward, the tipsy snapping out of him in a second. A serious expression takes over his entire face, all our features so similar we could be brothers. "Is this about baby sis? Please don't tell me you're starting to dig her."
I sneer at him. "Fuck off. No. I just… she's fucking with my head, man."
He stares at me sideways, taking a step back. "I really hope not. One look at her and I can tell she ain't good. She's another Thea. Probably worse."
I grind my teeth together, knowing he's right. Involving myself with Vera would be like stepping into a pile of hot embers. She'd brand me for life, and I don't want it. I don't need it.
"I'm out of here," I mumble, and this time he lets me go.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, man." He tips his drink back, swallowing the rest before crunching it in his fist and tossing it aside.
We'll have someone out to clean this place up tomorrow.
Hopping into my Rover, I pull off the beach, heading back toward my house. It's dark out now, even though it feels like I've only been here for minutes, when I've been here for over four hours.
The drive home is fast. Faster than I wish it was. I want more time to contemplate my next move. A part of me wants to start another prank on Vera. The other part of me wants to let her heal. But why? Why the fuck do I care? We've literally stripped the strongest men of all their dignity and continued stripping them until there was barely an inch of skin on their bones.
So, why do I care about a prissy little bitch?
Pulling into the driveway, I see all the lights are off. The castle is in the middle of the woods. I slip out of the car, walking into the house with only one destination in mind.
Her.
The bedroom door is opened, just as it was earlier. As I step into her room, though, I notice it’s empty. The sheets she brought from home are barren, rumpled and used as they sit atop her bed. The pillow is wrinkled, with a heavy indent in the center. Like she's laid there for days, instead of just hours.
I walk up to the bed, my fingers pressing against the soft sheets. They're gray. A dark, heavy color that reminds me of the clouds. Vera isn't a light person. She comes with chips, but no cracks. A sturdy diamond that refuses to break.
But she seems lost. Like she's sat in the background for so long, she's about to be forgotten. Full of dust. Maybe that's what she wants. To be invisible.
I think about her piercing. Her hair. The way she dresses.
No.
She doesn't want to be invisible. She's too bold for that shit.
Her soft sheets crumple between my fingers as I squeeze them, the softness worn. Overused. Sheets that she's been sleeping on for a long time. I nearly bend down to take an inhale, but frown at them, not sure if I trust who she's been with.
That thought turns my stomach to stone and I step back, anger hitting my chest. I want to rage, to tear her into tiny shreds until there isn't anything left. Burn her at the stake. Remove her from my life so I never have to think about her again.
I notice her black bag that she carries around everywhere on the side of her bed, and my eyebrows furrow.
Where is she?
I walk up to her window, and my hand goes to the glass, coolness seeping into my palm. I exhale, a small circle of fog spreading across the glass from my breath.
I wipe my hand down, smearing the fog, then glance at the girl standing in the yard.
Vera.
She stares into the woods, unmoving. Looking toward the cemetery. Her arms rest at her sides, the light breeze blowing her hair over her shoulder.
Her body stands straight. Stiff. I almost wonder if she's sleepwalking.
Spinning around, I stomp down the steps, walking through the kitchen and out the back door. I walk up to her hesitantly, not wanting to startle her, even though I shouldn't really give a shit either way. The branches crunch with each step, and I watch her flinch as they snap.
I stay behind her, the light scent of cigarette smoke and Vera flowing toward me in the night breeze. She's in a light tank top and sleep shorts, not nearly enough clothes for this cool night.
"Vera," I bark at her.
