When the general gave us time off in the library, I stumbled blindly inside. Collapsed into my seat.
My foot hit an object.
No.
Please no.
I stilled.
Everything spun, and I fell out of my chair.
“Are you okay?” Drex asked.
Fluffy Jr. whimpered and sniffed my face.
I was on the floor.
There was a medium-sized box under my chair.
It was wrapped in red velvet, and a black silk bow with gold trim tied it off at the top.
Crawling forward like a zombie under the table, I shredded the wrapping, yanked roughly at the bow, and pushed off the top.
I needed to know.
I had to.
Slowly, I inched forward.
Two veiny eyeballs—soft brown with gold flecks—sat above lips with a dark freckle on the top corner. A bloody severed thumb and finger were touching on the side, like they were pinching something.
Pieces of Maximum were sitting on top of wadded-up black tissue paper. Something glinted beneath the gory parts.
He’s dead.
And for some reason, it’s because of me.
Bile burned my throat, and I choked it down.
With shaking hands, I put the lid back on the box and shoved it into a storage cubby under the table.
Then I pulled myself back into my seat.
“Are you okay?” Drex asked with a worried expression.
I shook my head at him and slowly opened my textbook. This time, there was no note.
My neck prickled like I was being watched. Voices whispered.
Drex said something else, and I nodded, but I couldn’t hear him.
Internally, I was screaming.
Chapter 27
The Spartan Ball
Alexis:Two weeks later
