Page 143 of A Dead Man's B-Side
Right?
Rain had spoken to King earlier. Surely, she would have noticed. She would have said his name, and he would have corrected her.
Listen,Kensington, I am willing to let this pass…
I moved, whirling around the boy and fisting the collar of his shirt, an act that had everyone in the room jolting in surprise.
“Sasha!” August cautioned, moving back.
I paid him no mind, my words coming out rushed, “King, why are you wearing Scott’s letterman jacket?”
His name burst out of me and the boy blinked blearily as he confirmed my suspicions. “What?”
“Why!”
“H-he asked me to, okay? I don’t know why–” I threw him back against the chair, running both hands over my hair.
He wasn’t overreacting. He really was shocked about the turn of events. “Oh, god.”
That son of a bitch set his own brother up.
August was the first to speak in the thick, stifling silence, dread falling over his eyes, “Oh, no.”
Rain stood as fast as a lightning bolt. “We need to find him, fast. He couldn’t have gotten far–”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Paris’ gaze was fixated on something outside the window, following it across the lawn. We all rushed over in a panic and found the real Scott Kensington running across the grass and disappearing into the forest. Soon after, we watched as Ajax’s figure chased after him. He, as well, disappeared into the forest.
“I am going… to find that imbecile and tear his insides out if it is the last thing I do.” Rain spoke calmly and yet through gritted teeth. She must have been feeling more bothered by this out of ego.
We’d been too focused on what was happening outside that we hadn’t noticed until it was too late; the sound of a crash, a breaking chair, and King trying to make a run for it as the ropes loosened.
In moments of panic, one does not have time to call out orders or yell that they’ve got this one. That was why we all ended up lunging for him.
Chapter Twenty-six
Alexandr Miroslav
1982
If it had been one of us, we would not have been heavy enough to stick his head through the sharp corner of the mahogany carved table. If it had been one of us, he would have gotten off with a mild headache after waking up from the concussion.
Except, that wasn't how it had happened.
The pressure of our collective body weight against his seemed to press his head deeper into the edge, digging in at least a few centimeters, and before we realized, a sickening crack echoed through the sound of breathing and scuffing, loud and clear.
We scurried off of him, but it was too late; his head was stuck in there, and his body was stretched out in an awkward position. On his stomach, flat against the floor, fingers to thighs, and the corner of the table hidden among the soft mass of his brain that seemed to threaten to spill if we pulled him out.
My adrenaline was running too high for me to wrap my head around the severity of the situation in front of us and the toll it would be taking on my sleep. I stood, dusted myself off and let my mind work. I began to speak, but it was all muddled. I was sure that theywere my words, but perhaps they were someone else’s. “August and Wolf, you guys stay with me to handle this. Rain, Marigold, you guys go after Ajax. Take the knives. Paris, I need you to return to the Fourth Quarter and go into Scott’s dorm. Find anything he might have left behind. If he planned this, he may have planted something in preparation for a worst-case scenario. He would know they’d search his dorm first.” I did not know whotheywere, but the words kept coming, “Remove any evidence and plant your own. Write a letter from Scott with what King had just told us, claiming that the twins had run away because of their mother, and they don’t want to be found.”
I looked around and found them still frozen in place, eyes glazed over and lost. August’s complexion was beginning to turn green.
Marigold was who shocked me, mouth agape, lips trembling, and teary-eyed. Perhaps animals and humans are not the same after all. When nobody moved, I clapped my hands together once, the crack breaking the silent tension. “Now!”
With the resonating sound and jolting voice, we all sprang into action. I handed Marigold her pouch, and the three girls slipped out of the room. Paris stuck her head in to speak before rushing out again, “The coast is clear. Scott didn’t seem to cause a fuss when running away. But check again before leaving with… the body.”
She was gone before the last word, but I heard it clearly.
I turned to Wolf and August. “We need to roll him up on the carpet, it’s the only way we can get him out of here without any traces of blood.”
