Page 17 of The Unravelings

The noise of Dane’s mourners picks up. Their whispers, cries, and sniffles carry through the air just as JJ emerges from Oli’s dorm building. Interesting. There’s a hitch in JJ’s giddy-up that needs to be snuffed out. Determination. Horror. Rage. They all twist his little face into a mess of emotions he can’t seem to hide.

No matter how hard he tries to wipe it off his face.

Strange. When JJ made his way to the same dorm building my little ghost resides in, he was nervous and sweating, seemingly in a hurry. I would have followed him into the building, but then I would have been found out. Even stranger? Huxley and Mack were nowhere to be seen. They’re always on each other’s tails, following one another like little pathetic puppy dogs. Of course, Mack took off for his jog some time ago, taking their easily manipulated dog with him. And Huxley? Well, he’s probably sleeping and recovering from his kidnapping—poor sod.

JJ momentarily stops outside her dorm building, attempting to avoid the mourners, crying their eyes out at the loss of Dane.

Poor murdered chap.

I’ll find the people responsible for everything happening around town. The organ-stealing. My sister’s disappearance. Everything and everyone will fall to their knees and bleed until life leaves their eyes.

My focus swings back to JJ as he weaves through the mourners, now throwing accusations at him. I grin. They always think they’re responsible for every horrible thing happening in town. Franco has quite the reputation. But the student body also worships the ground they walk on, trying to kiss their feet for a glimpse into their lives. The moment something fishy pops up. Bam! They’re the ones who organized it. Rude. Wilder and I could get some credit around here for our contributions. Or hell, the other Mafia heirs wandering through the crowds, too.

This is a college full of potential future criminals. Only some students have no idea. I guess they’re the fishies we get to try our tricks on. Or murder them. Or kidnap them. Or…do what we please.

I narrow my eyes again, looking through the faces of boohooers. Wade, the dean’s son, stands among them with tears lining his cheeks and glistening in the sun. His red-rimmed eyes don’t stray from Dane’s photograph displayed on an easel.

I wonder how he doesn’t suffocate beneath all those collared shirts. Hello? 2003? They want their outfits back. I cringe when he leans in and chats with Simon, who joined their festivities.

Hmmm. There’s something to examine here. Something odd about Dane’s death, but I don’t dwell on it as I make my move. I can’t lose my entertainment for one second.

I follow JJ on the edge of campus, leaving enough space for him not to recognize that he was being followed. Like me, he’s had plenty of training under Franco’s hand. I’m sure getting stalked was at the top of the list of things they were taught.

Always keep your eyes open. Never let your guard down. Fight to the death.

Okay, that last one is more for me than anything. I can’t have certain opponents running away and telling the police what I’ve been up to.

JJ suddenly stops at the edge of the cemetery, staring at Mack as he spills his guts to a non-existent body. Poor fucking sap. One day, he’ll come to realize she’s alive and breathing. He’ll cry. Guilt will eat away at him. And I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes what he did. But for now, I enjoy being one of the only few who know that little detail.

JJ leans down, petting their dog with gentle hands and murmuring something to him. Hmmm. There’s a rigidity to his body and a tightness to his face when he stands to face Mack.

Oh, yes. Wonderful. JJ has been clued in. Now, not only do I have to worry about retaliation from them for the kidnapping, but I’ll have to keep an extra eye on my little ghost.

Because if JJ confronted the girl he used to know and love, then he has a big surprise in store for him. She’s alive. Not dead. Not burned by the fire that consumed her home.

My heart beats out of my chest as I linger in the bushes, desperate for a glimpse of the girl who owns my heart.

But there’s nothing there.

Nothing but a burning house, illuminating the space around her home. Deep orange and red swirl toward the starry sky, drowning out everything with thick, black smoke. Despite the heat emanating from the fire consuming my obsession’s home, I’m frozen in place watching it all unfold.

I’m a fucking statue where I sit. A place I’ve been so many times before, watching and waiting for her. Even beyond. I’ve broken into her home, stood over her as she slept, and kept the bad guys away from harming her.

This is my safety net. My place of peace. With the girl who doesn’t know I exist. At least it was.

Everything moves in slow motion as I watch the flames consuming everything in their path. Like it was fed gasoline. In fact, I sniff the air, taking in the thick fumes of accelerant.

Someone did this to her. Her family. Someone fucking got to her, and I wasn’t here to protect her in time or lure the bad man away from her.

I’m about to emerge and race inside the home to save her. The girl I’ve only met once, but promised I’d protect with every ounce of myself, even if death was imminent. At least, I’d die with her in my arms and our souls bound together forever, away from our lives on earth.

I protected her for this long. What’s one more moment in a burning building?

But I don’t have time to react or move from my hiding spot. The same spot I watched her and them day in and day out, wishing I could join them.

A familiar shadowy figure catches my eye. I see him. He doesn’t see me. He only sees her. The girl in his arms. He huffs and puffs, carrying her until he stumbles. His knees shake and tremble as cries tear from his throat. Tears create a river down his ashy cheeks, miraculously untouched by the flames. He murmurs something. A promise, probably. A promise to keep her safe from whatever occurred and caused the raging fire that nearly took her from this world.

“I’m sorry,” he cries, swiping his fingers along her unmoving face. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time to save the others. I tried so hard.” He heaves a breath in and out, trying to pull oxygen into his lungs. “I swear, you’ll be safe even if it’s far from here. I promised to always protect you. To hold you through sickness and in health. This is my sacrifice for you. My sacrifice to it all. He did this. I’ll make him fucking pay!” He leans down, barely breathing, and kisses her forehead, murmuring more words I can’t hear.