Teen Hyde (High School Horror Story #2)(51)

I lingered over the beautiful portrait a moment longer. “I haven’t earned her yet,” I said. “So just the same for now.”

“Another line then?” She shook her head. “What is it with you? It’s hard not to take line drawing as an affront to my artistic abilities.”

I stepped forward and took a seat on the same black leather chair that I’d occupied on the previous visit. “It’s not intended that way. I’m saving her. For a special occasion.”

Wren shrugged and leaned the broom in the corner. “Aren’t you a little young to be out tonight?” she said, rolling her stool and equipment alongside.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m hardly a stickler about the rules, but you’re missing curfew.” My face must have read blank because she continued. “The county’s on lockdown again. Don’t you watch the news?”

“No,” I answered honestly.

The mosquito buzz of the needle switched on and she dipped the sharp end into the pot of black ink. “A boy’s gone missing again. And another one’s been found dead. This time they’re college boys, but I don’t think that makes it any better.” I clenched my fist just before the needle broke skin. “This place has seen more than its fair share of death, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know.” I watched the ink bubble over my flesh. “Who gets to decide what’s fair?”

She paused. Her green eyes lifted and met mine. The door to the parlor opened and we both instinctively turned to see who was there.

Lena was brushing dark strands of hair from her forehead. “I got your message.” She held up her phone. “You shouldn’t even be out.” Her glance passed between Wren and me and I could tell she wasn’t saying all that she wanted to say. She crossed the room to us and stared down at my arm, the line on which Wren had begun retracing. She took a step back and gawked. When she spoke, her voice was a croak. “You’re getting a second one,” she said.

Wren wiped away the excess ink. I watched. As the darkness of the line deepened, so did my giddiness.

The surprise on his face. The sound of smashing skull. The spray of blood fanning out as though from a sprinkler system.

The line encompassed every bright point in my mind’s eye. “Yes,” I said, unable to fight the smile that was dancing at the edges of my mouth.

“There are cops everywhere.” There was a quake in her tone that told me she wasn’t worried the cops would haul us in for breaking curfew. She knew—or at least she guessed—the meaning of the second line and now the first.

“I tried to tell her,” Wren said. She pulled out a wad of gauze and taped it over the fresh tattoo on my wrist.

The thrill of the needle’s pain dissipated as the meaning of what Lena and Wren had been telling me crashed like a giant gong being beaten within five inches of my eardrum. I’d been stupid. So stupid. If cops were on the scene, if cops could be led to me, the end of my plan was in mortal danger, which in turn meant the remaining boys—California, Lucky Strike, and Circus Master—were not. I might never finish. There might never be justice. My throat squeezed like I was having an allergic reaction.

“How much?” I said, standing up too quickly so that the blood rushed from my head. Even I could hear the strangled note in my question.

Wren rolled her equipment back against the wall and stripped off her plastic gloves. “You can get me next time.” Next time. The thought was comforting even if Wren had no idea what she was saying.

Lena let out a quiet whimper. I cut a glance at her and she shut up.

“Definitely,” I said, rolling down the sleeve of my hoodie. Because there would most certainly be a next time. The problem had just gotten trickier to solve. Luckily, I was good at solving problems.

Lena followed me outside where the air was leaning on the side of warm and the first hints of cottonseeds could be caught in the breeze.

“I thought you wanted me to meet you.” Lena stopped me with my fingers on the handle of the car door.

“I did. I didn’t know about the curfew, though. Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have asked you to come.” I wasn’t the type to apologize, so I wasn’t sure why I was bothering now. All I knew was that Lena had chosen to be blind, but when Brody’s body turned up, she couldn’t pretend any longer. Not once she’d made the connection. I began to climb into the car.

She took another step forward. “You’re not going home.”

I hovered, partway in, partway out. “Yeah. So?”

She shook her bangs away. “Then why call me? Or better yet, why leave now?” The thing was, Lena didn’t seem angry or scared; instead she seemed like a girl whose boyfriend was breaking up with her.

You know something now, Lena, I wanted to tell her. You know something and I don’t want to have to hurt you, but I will … if you get in the way.

Lena had been useful. She’d been my eyes and ears during the day. She’d been part of my new ritual celebration at night.

When I looked at her, I saw the girl kneeling and crying on the asphalt and found a tiny cranny in my entire destructive being that wanted to save and protect her. But even more than that, I felt a sort of sisterhood with her and all the other girls on the videos. “I told you,” I said. “I didn’t know about the curfew.”