I tried to stand. Gravity took over instead.
My legs didn't even attempt to hold me up. I slid off the mattress and hit the floor with a heavy, graceless thud. I landed hard on my stomach, and the pain that shot through me was blinding. I couldn't even catch my breath to cry out.
I lay there, stunned, face pressed into the carpet and gasping like a fish out of water. My lungs burned. My vision blurred. Everything spun.
I needed to move. Just a little. I needed to try again.
But when I did, my arms gave out under me. My body wouldn't listen anymore. Between the pain and complete exhaustion, I had nothing left.
I closed my eyes. Eli was going to find me dead on the floor. I should've just let him in when he asked about Marcus. I should've trusted him. Like I always did.
This was going to tear him up. I didn't want him to find me this way. I didn't want this to be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.
I'm sorry, Eli...
That was the last thought I had before the dark pulled me under.
Eli
15
I didn't mean to end up on Rowan's street. After I left him at the school, I told myself I'd wander for a bit and kill a little time. He'd asked for a couple of hours. That wasn't much. I thought about stopping somewhere for a small lunch or maybe just window shopping in town. But I didn't. My feet kept moving. I had no real plan, so I just let the streets pull me along.
I wasn't far from his flat by the time I noticed where I was wandering. And it hadn't even been a full hour. He wouldn't be home yet. Still, it didn't make sense to walk elsewhere at this point. I could just wait for him in the hall.
I tried to ignore the knot in my stomach as I climbed to the first floor. My hands wouldn't stay in my pockets, and I realised my jaw was clenched. I was restless. Tense. And the longer I stood at the top of the stairs, the more uneasy I got.
I kept thinking about how Rowan flinched when I reached for him. How quickly he slapped my hand away. How he stared at me like he was daring me to say something. I hadn't gotten a good look at whatever was peeking out of his turtleneck, but if the marks on his wrists were any indication...
A flash of anger shot through me. If Marcus had laid his hands on Rowan, I wouldn't be civil the next time I saw him.
I wandered down the hall to Rowan's flat and paused. Even though I knew he wasn't around, I rapped my knucklesagainst the wood, loud enough to be heard but not too forceful. "Rowan? You here?"
Silence.
I knocked again, louder this time. "Rowan, it's me. Open up."
Still no response. He was still at the school.
I was about to sit down to wait, but the door across from his flat flew open so fast that it made me jump. Mrs Cavanagh, Rowan's elderly neighbour, stood in the open doorway. Her face was etched with concern, her grip on the frame surprisingly tight for a woman her age.
Her posture seemed off, too. Alert. Rattled. Her whole demeanour caught me completely off guard. "Elias, is Rowan alright?"
I didn't know how to answer that. "I mean... I guess. Why? Did something happen?"
Her brow furrowed as she glanced past me toward his door. "I'm not sure. I heard a God-awful racket a little while ago. Sounded like crashing or breaking. When I peeked into the hall, I saw that boyfriend of his storm out of here looking ready to kill someone."
The way she worded it made my anxiety spike. If Marcus had been here, then Rowan was home. And if Rowan was home, he should've answered the door.
I turned back and slammed my fist against the wood so hard it shook in the frame. "Rowan! Open the door!"
Nothing.
Without thinking, I grabbed the handle and gave it a twist. The door popped right open.
I froze. Rowan never left it unlocked.Ever.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I fought back the sudden rush of adrenaline. I nudged the door open wider, my voice lower now. Cautious. "Rowan?"
