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I let out a small cough, nodding as I wipe the tears from my eyes. Makeup smears against my knuckles, and I gulp in more air than I need, greedy for it. I was almost moments from losing my life.
Holy shit.
“Sure?” he asks again.
I rub at my sore throat. “I’m fine.” I push against his shoulder, using him as leverage as I stand up. My knees feel weak, and I glance above me, at the wall where I was just pinned against.
There’s nothing there, not that I expected to see anyone. It’s just a blank, gray wall. But I can feel the energy in the room. It’s dark, toxic, dangerous.
“I think it’s time we go,” Piper whispers with a shaky voice.
I shake my head, my hand going to my throat. Felix walks up to me, his hand tearing at my fingers to see what I’m touching. “You’re bruising.” He narrows his eyes, his jaw clenching. “Fingerprints.”
I swat his hands away, angry at him for everything. His hot and cold is whiplash. Caring and protective versus hateful and destructive. I don’t have time for it right now, not for him to make me swoon or crumble to my knees. I have to keep my mind straight.
“We can’t leave,” I gasp, my voice hoarse.
“Why not?” Blaire all but screams.
“Because, if this is how strong the energy is now, picture in a week, or a month. If we back down, it’s only a matter of time before this shit comes over to our side of Castle Pointe, and we all might as well just dig our own graves right now.”
Vera laughs. “Sorry, but I’m with them.” She hikes her thumb over her shoulder. “We should stay and… what? Let someone else nearly die at the hands of some invisible force? Smart fucking move,” she snaps.
I sneer, becoming infuriated. They don’t understand what I just felt, what I still feel.
“None of you understand,” I growl.
“No, Hazel! I completely understand. I saw the same shit happen to Malik last year, remember? Possessed by a demon, white eyes, Latin tongue? That’s because we did shit we weren’t supposed to. Yes, I want to figure this shit out, but not at the cost of one of us.” She frowns at me. “It’s not worth it.”
I frown at them. All of them. “Then just go. I don’t want you guys to stay here, or be in danger. Just leave, and I’ll figure this shit out by myself.” I bend down, grabbing my boot from Vera’s hand, shoving it back on my foot.
“We’re not leaving you, Hazel,” Piper mumbles. My eyes fall to hers, and she looks so scared, but also strong, because that’s my friend.
I chew on my lip. “I know you won’t,” I whisper.
Levi walks up to the closed door, leaning forward and pressing his ear on the wood. He must hear nothing, because his hand goes to the knob, and he swings it open, leaping out of the way.
All that’s there is an empty hallway.
I step forward, and I can feel Felix crowd my back. I shrug him off, not wanting to decipher what any of it means. Walking forward, I peek my head out, swinging it from left and right. Nothing. Then stepping into the hallway, I head left, farther down the corridor. My boots are quiet on the faded carpet; the only sounds I can hear are our heavy breathing.
There’s another door, this one to my right, and my heart pounds as I step up to it. My hand goes to the brass knob, and I turn it slowly, listening as the door creaks open.
“Rec room,” Felix says from behind me.
I nod, not bothering to turn around as my eyes take in the blood splatter on the walls. I swallow over the lump in my throat, wondering what type of horror happened in here.
“Shit, that looks bad,” Vera remarks from beside Malik.
Atticus shakes his head. “Some shit definitely went down in here. This one doesn’t look like a suicide. It looks like a—”
“Murder,” Levi says, finishing the sentence for him.
I pull the door closed. It feels like there is bad energy in there too, and I honestly don’t think I’ll find anything of value in the rec room. The door clicks closed, and I keep walking.
“You don’t want to check it out?” Vera asks.
I shake my head. I don’t want to sound like a nutjob. They know what I am—what my family is—but Wiccans aren’t real in the real world. I get it, this is Castle Pointe, but I can only talk so much about what feelings each room evokes before Felix and his friends decide to burn me at the stake.
