“Because you’re accusing me,” she spits, her face screwing up.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you, Ora. I won’t tolerate anyone trying to wedge themselves between Bunny and me. You know, you’re real lucky you still have that sharp tongue in your mouth. Try some more shit and your head will be rollin’ next.”
“I didn’t do it!”
Xene shifts, shaking her around beneath me. But he could sleep through her being brutally slashed alive right next to him. So, I don’t spare a glance to the groan he lets out before his teeth start grinding.
I narrow my eyes at her and she squints, her jaw flexing tight with a vexed gnash of her teeth. “What if she did it herself? Maybe she wanted an excuse to have you walk her to her tent because shewas scared of Carl.”
Bunny wouldn’t do that. She’s trying to get out of this right now by flipping it into something romantic.
The coolant in my veins turns hot, splicing my vision for a moment with a macabre image of ripping her lying mouth off. With a growl of theatrical thought, I move back up to my feet and start walking away.
I let her think I’m leaving her alone. You know, doing the whole getting my hand on the doorknob thing, then turn around to her watching me with round eyes and a firm double grip on the navy sheet. “Careful, Ora. Friends don’t mean shit to me.”
With that, I’m leaving her in the room and cutting into the bathroom.
Gotta piss. Do you mind?
The sun’s scanning the room, sinking into her glistening skin like light glinting off water. I brush my knuckles across her throat, marveling the path of my mouth, slowing down along the individual blots of dark blue from my teeth.
A faint twist of guilt stirs low in my gut. I don’t feel bad for playing into her deranged interests. But she used to be bruised for wicked reasons, and there’s a little voice in my head telling me this isn’t any different. ThatI’mnot different than him.
It is, though. She likes my roughness. Shelet mebite and control her air.
But is it because of him? Does she remember?
“She will eventually. You know it’s not a permanent solution to your problem.”
“Shut up,” I whisper, inhaling heavily for a huff.
The first time I ever saw her plays behind my eyes, softly drawing my fingers through the indentation of a crescent moon between her collar bones.
Ding-ding!
“Step right up, folks! Feast your eyes on the unbelievable acts of the Contortionist Twins! Don’t let the innocent faces fool ya!”
Yuck.
His loud voice fades, taking the turn down the aisle stretched through tents of peculiar performances earning claps and whistles. I scan each A-Frame, looking for the woman that’s supposed to be my fucking guide. But here I am. Guiding my damn self because she wasn’t where she was supposed to be.
Annoyed with this shit already, I shake my head, looking each way with my hand tightening on the strap of my bag. I almost pass up a tent on my left. But the distant hum of a siren stops me in my tracks, pivoting around to check out the grayscale poster taped to the black and white tent.
Fuck.
Her hum lures me closer, my head tilting and my eyes dilating, greedily absorbing the image of big, innocent eyes staring up flattened brows to pose for the camera.
I check out the name, and sure enough, it’s the woman I was promised would hold my hand and show me around like a child.
I was pissed. I was stomping through here and playing with my lighter, like one wrong look would tip my butane out. But I don’t care anymore. She’s a fucking star, a mesmerizing comet surely sent to destroy me.
Roslyn Rabbit, a sweet-looking bunny I’ve gotta chase.
The door inching open behind me pulls me out of my head, quickly shifting my arm to cover Bunny’s tits, my palm spreading out over the farthest. I can sense her scales, so I don’t have to look, but my head’s turning in my hand and my eyes are splitting to the corner of my vision, piercing Ora tiptoeing to the closet in one of Xene’s shirts.
She shrugs, tensing her chin. “I need my clothes.”
Not responding, I watch her stiffly flip through hangers, the sound loud enough to stir Bunny awake.
