15
KAROLINA
The next day, I try to outrun the nightmare. I sprint down the riverside path, making my way towards the peace of the willow trees.
As my feet pound the asphalt, I can’t quite manage to escape my fear that the new life I was building for myself is about to be snatched away from me.
I can’t deny that I’m scared of whoever sent me that anonymous message: Rich’s murderer.
My stalker.
I stumble at the thought.
Professor Hirst referred to me as avictimwhen he trapped me in his office yesterday.
My teeth clench at the memory.
I’m no one’s victim. I proved that with blood and violence five years ago.
Brandon’s destroyed face flashes through my mind. My stomach lurches, and I swallow hard against the urge to vomit.
Guilt wracks me. I’ve never been rid of it since I killed the boy I loved, but I’ve at least managed to function since then. I’ve learned to pretend I’m not deadly to those I love.
Brandon. My parents.
Everyone I’ve ever dared to love is gone.
Rich barely even liked me, and that was enough to seal his fate.
I’m poison to those I allow to get close to me.
I put on a burst of speed, dodging a slow cyclist and a woman walking her dog. The landscape blurs around me—a lush green park to my right and the churning brown river to my left.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and my stomach drops. I consider ignoring it.
Not many people have my number now that I’ve moved to England, and Bones has cut me out of his life.
It could only be Amala, Professor Hirst, or my stalker.
I don’t want to face the latter two, but Amala deserves my support. She was so distraught when we gathered with our classmates at the pub yesterday. I can help her through her grief without allowing her into my heart. I won’t put my new friend at risk of the curse that seems to follow me everywhere.
I brace my hands on my knees when I come to a reluctant stop, gulping air into my burning lungs. When I’m able to breathe more normally, I check my phone.
Anonymous
You shouldn’t run alone. Go back into town. It’s not safe for you out here. I might not always be around to watch over you.
Dread is an icy block in my stomach. My fingers tremble as I type out a reply.
Karolina
Leave me alone.
The response is immediate.
Anonymous
Never.
