The corners of my vision blur. Grandma’s still humming—off-key, familiar, grounding—and gently wiping down the already-clean table.
I nod like I’m listening. Like I’m still in the room. I’m not.
“Bathroom,” I whisper. I don’t wait for her to respond. I grab my purse and slip down the hall like I used to as a kid; quiet, trying not to be noticed when I was scared.
Inside, I lock the door behind me. The tiny bathroom smells of Dove soap and eucalyptus. I brace myself against the sink.
My phone vibrates again.
JASPER:I wanted to punch something when I saw it.
You didn’t deserve any of this. Just so we’re clear.You didn’t lose anything, Mare. You got out. He’s the one who should be embarrassed.Also, I’m sending you a list of therapists and hex shops. Use one. Or both.
A small, bitter laugh slips out of me. Just air and sarcasm.
I look down… and there they are.
The papers.
Still peeking out of the purse where I stuffed them.
The ones I printed without thinking. The ones I wasn’t supposed to see. The ones that came with a message that hasn’t stopped echoing since I read it.
Stop digging if you want to live.
I stare at them like they might move. Like they might grow teeth.
Then—Bang.
A heavy, metallic thud. Somewhere outside the house. Followed by the soft scrape of gravel. Like a shoe dragging. Or a car door closing too hard.
I freeze.
My chest tightens.
I open the bathroom door and look toward the kitchen.
Grandma’s looking up from the table, one hand still resting on her teacup. Her face is pale. Eyes sharp.
“You hear that?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah,” I say. My voice doesn’t sound like mine.
She starts to rise, and I shake my head. “I’ll go check.”
My hands are damp. I wipe them on my skirt, the fabric already wrinkled from the bus ride, and head for the front door.
The screen creaks as I push it open, the dry Vegas heat wrapping around me like a warning.
At first, nothing.
Just the low buzz of a neighbor’s air conditioner, the bark of a distant dog.
Then I see it.
A small, dark pool of blood. Right at the edge of the walkway, near the gravel.
Still wet. Still red.
