Maybe it’s from the same person who gave me the blanket?
Slowly unwrapping the perfect edges, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face.Maybe my luck is finally turning around.
After the dramatic (horrifying) events of yesterday, I needed a win.
Slowly, I pulled the heavy lid off.
The smile slid off my face.
Seconds turned into minutes as I stared blankly down at the contents.
I was frozen.
Unableto move.
Water dripped onto the table, and I realized I was crying.
Scales slid against my throat, and I jumped up, nearly falling out of my seat, heart pounding. A scream burned the back of my throat.It’s just Nyx shifting in her sleep.
Blinking, I slowly leaned closer to the box and gasped because it was exactly what I’d thought it was.
There were four objects on top of wadded-up black tissue paper: two eyeballs covered in red veins, a smashed nose, and a severed male finger with chunky gold rings. Blood was splattered across all of them.
The eyes were pastel.
The rings had the symbol of the spirit of sirens on them.
It was Oron—partsof him.
Suddenly, the note in my textbook no longer felt like a children’s game. Someone had murdered him. Torn him to pieces. Just to warn me away from the academy.
My hand spasmed with horror, and the box knocked over.
Something glinted underneath the body parts.
I was too sick to look.
Numb all over, with shaking fingers, I placed the lid back on the box and rewrapped it with the bow.
Like a zombie, I walked out of the library and up the stairs, out into the night. Around the side of the mountain, I found a large rock in the grass. Heaving, I rolled the rock over and revealed fresh soil.
Then I dug.
When there was a small hole, I put the box in and covered it with soil.
For a second, I thought about saying words.He’s dead because of you. What are you doing? You’re losing it.
Eyes widening, I turned and sprinted as fast as I could back to the academy.
Straight to the bathroom.
Collapsing onto the rusted toilet seat, I pulled my knees to my chest and rocked.
Teeth chattering from shock.
Paralyzed.
Hours later, boys laughed raucously as they came back from the symposium.
