Page 54 of Requiem
“Here,” he says quietly, setting it down on the bedside table. And I realize, distantly, that I haven’t eaten anything real in a while. I don’t even know how long it’s been since we’ve been here.
“Thanks,” I mumble, already wanting to retreat into myself again. The idea of facing my parents and sister after everything I’ve done terrifies me. I don’t want them to know the horrors of what happened. If there is such a thing as heaven, then my little brother probably watched it all, and that hurts like hell.
I’m so sorry.
Chapter fifteen
MICAH PRESCOTT
The room is still mostly dark when I wake up. Heather is curled into me, her body warm and soft against my side, one of her hands tucked between us. For a second, I don’t move. I just breathe her in, letting it trick me into thinking that things are normal. Even when they’re far as fuck from it.
A soft knock at the door pulls me out of the moment. My eyes open fully, the remnants of sleep burning off almost instantly. Heather shifts a little when I move, her brow pinching for a second before she settles again, still asleep. I slowly ease my arm out from under her, trying not to wake her.
Another knock. Just as soft.
“Coming,” I murmur under my breath, even though I know whoever it is can’t hear me. I slide out of bed and cross the room, pulling the door open just enough to see through the crack.
Adriana stands on the other side, looking more put together than I expected this early.
“Hey,” I whisper, keeping my voice low. “You okay?”
She nods quickly. “Yeah. I just—” She glances past me, like she’s checking that Heather is still asleep. “I need you for a minute.”
I study her for a second longer, trying to read what she’s not saying. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll explain,” she says quietly. “Just…can you grab your phone?”
My brows pull together, but I nod anyway. “Yeah. Give me a sec”
I step back into the room, swiping my phone off the nightstand. Heather's hand brushes over the spot where I was just lying, like she’s searching for me even in her sleep. I smile at that. “I’ll be right back, babe,” I whisper, even though she’s too out of it to remember. Then I slip out, closing the door softly behind me.
Adriana is already moving down the hallway. I follow her toward the stairs without another question. Whatever this is, she’s sure about it. There’s no hesitation or even second-guessing what’s going on in her head. That alone puts me on edge.
Right as we step onto the back porch, our feet crunching in fresh snow, she turns to me. “Do you remember the first night he shot up?” she asks.
Taken aback, I nod. “Yeah, why?”
She shrugs. “I knew then that his life would be a tragic story.”
I stare at her. She looks like she’s searching for words. His true downfall didn’t start until after the drugs consumed him, and then she robbed him of the remaining light in his eyes soon after.
Her gaze meets mine. “I need you to do something for me.”
I squint, the sun’s rays just beginning to peek over the treetops. “What’s going on, Adriana?”
She clears her throat. “Give me your phone. Please.”
***
When I go back inside, my mind is fucking spinning. I feel sick. But I breathe through it, deciding to head toward the basement instead of back to bed. I wouldn’t be able to sleep again after that, anyway. I glance behind me to see Adriana collapsing onto her makeshift bed on the couch.
My phone is already in my hand as I take the steps down, my thumb hovering over a contact I haven’t used in a while. I pause at the bottom,the glow from the monitors casting low light across the room before I even step fully inside.
Jude is on the screen, and he’s pacing again. Back and forth across the room, chain dragging with every turn, his movements are a little fast, like there’s something agitating him.
My jaw tightens. “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. I hit the call button. It rings once. Twice.
“Hello?” Kami’s voice is thick with sleep, but alert enough that she must be just going to bed.
