Page 27 of In My Heart
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“Did you bring any?” A voice echoed through the silence of the women’s restrooms.
The wake was almost over, most people already left or heading out. It had gone fine. Arran had helped me massively, introducing me to people who approached with more condolences. He, Cal, and Terza had been great at making Rafe’s apologies for not being there, and we’d gotten through it all together.
Arran had suggested we all get ready to head home, just a few stragglers left for us to get rid of, so I had come to the ladies room before we got into the car. Arran was waiting right outside the door of the restroom for me, and he’d even checked inside before he allowed me to enter, but somehow I still felt anxious about being alone in there.
“Yeah. My sister told me they make you feel kind of numb and spacey,” another voice answered.
“That’s what we need. I can’t believe Gia’s gone. I haven’t slept since I found out,” the first voice sniffled.
They sounded young, and I guessed they were from the table of Gia’s school friends who had barely interacted with Rafe or I all afternoon.
“I know. Me too. I hope these work. I just need to not feel for a while, you know?”
God, I wished I could have some of that – not feeling for a while – I thought to myself. All I wanted to do was to be able to justshut my brain down for a while so all of the horror and pain within would just cease and let me be. Just for a while.
I was pretty sure they were both crying as I straightened up my dress, then flushed and exited the cubicle. When I glanced up, they were holding one another, two young girls in all black and too young to be mourning their friend. They were children, for fuck’s sake. Children shouldn’t die!
I blinked furiously to stem my own tears as I moved to the sink and washed my hands.
“You’re Cara, aren’t you? Gia’s sister?” one of the girls asked. I shut off the tap and turned to face them. They were separated now, stood side by side and staring at me with hostility.
They were both pretty petite, one brunette with a pixie style cut, and the other with long, thick, blonde curls that reminded me so much of Gia in that moment.
“I am. I’m sorry, I don’t think we were introduced,” I told them.
“You should be sorry. We know what you did. You’re the reason she’s gone, aren’t you? Did you kill her like you killed her Mum?” The brunette accused bitterly.
“I didn’t k-kill anyone,” I uttered, taken aback by the hatred in the young girls tone.
“She told us everything, you know? We should go to the police!” the blonde hissed as she took a step toward me.
“And tell them what? Gia was my sister. I loved her!”
“She was right. You’re a good liar,” the blonde laughed bitterly. “But the police would see through it. When we tell them what you did to your own mother, how you used her for money, then fucking killed her! Do you think they wouldn’t look into Gia’smurder? You think they wouldn’t see past whatever bullshit your brother spun to cover up the fact you killed her?”
As the blonde got in my face, the brunette moved to come to my side and I knew I had to do something. They were small, but slightly taller than me, and if they both got hold of me, I could end up in trouble with my injured ribs.
The second the blonde reached to grab either my hair or my throat – I wasn’t sure which – I grabbed her arm and twisted it hard until she cried out in pain and stumbled back. Her friend moved in to try and stop me but as soon as her arm wrapped around my neck to pull me backwards, I pushed all of my weight back hard until she smashed against the wall of the bathroom. She released me and squeaked in pain all at once, and when I moved away from both of them, they stayed where they stood.
The blonde was nursing her arm against her chest and glaring at me hard, while the other leant against the wall, bent forward and rubbing the back of her head.
“You psycho!” the blonde screamed.
I stood looking between them, my adrenaline flooding my system as I gasped for breath. As opponents went, they were easy to deal with, but the actual act of doing it had fear running through me as if I were surrounded by those armed men all over again.
“Cara?” Arran called through the closed door, obviously having heard the blonde screaming at me.
“Leave, before I call him in here,” I growled through my gasps for air.
“You’re not gonna get away with what you did. We’re going to make sure everyone knows you’re a murdering, psycho bitch!” the brunette raged as she passed me.
“Cara? What the feck’s going on?”
When I looked over to the door, Arran was inside the ladies’ room now, and he was looking around with question.
“I’m fine,” I hurried to tell him. “But I think it’s time these kids got home,” I added as I nodded to the two girls. Arran glared at them both, then looked to me again.
