Page 10 of The Monster I Am
He flicks it open and I can easily spot the obvious bank statement, several lines highlighted neon yellow.
“Transaction to a wildcat conservation…”
“Charity donation,” I interrupt calmly. “For tax purposes.”
His eyes narrow suspiciously. “Lump-sum cash withdrawal.”
Nonchalantly, I shrug again. “Probably bets at the warehouse. I don’t remember.”
The thing about being raised by a pathological manipulator is you learn to be sneaky too. It’s a downright lie. I know what that transaction is, and it has nothing to do with bets and everything to do with a certain funeral.
Dad continues, clearly using these transactions as a build up to the real issue.
“Payment to the Ridgeview Medical Center,” he reads in an oddly calm tone. “Last week.”
And there it is. The real reason for this lovely impromptu meeting.
“Donation,” I say simply. “To help with your campaign. You always say that giving back to the community is worth its weight in gold.”
Sharp blue eyes narrow on me, scanning for telling signs or flinches of deception. I stay composed, holding his gaze.
You can’t break what’s already broken.
Last Friday Night
The sound of approaching sirens does nothing to ease my sickening panic. Simply, it’s because the flames are so high that I can’t even see where they reach.
Cedar Heights is fully ablaze in this particular section, smoke billowing into a suffocating thick cloud of smog.
My heart stammers painfully, and for the first time, I feel utterly fucking useless.
Hunter and Bexley are somewhere in there. And I can’t get to them.
And judging by the sight of these flames, I don’t think the firefighters can either. It’s horrifying watching just how fast the fire is spreading and the roar it makes as it engulfs the wooden structure mercilessly.
I’m not sure if I’m just locked in or listening for voices, but a rhythmic thudding followed by the faint sound of smashing glass in the distance catches my sudden attention. Before I know what I’m doing, I’ve taken off along the grassy edge of Cedar Heights, Tai quickly on my tail.
I don’t know why, but something in my gut tells me to follow the noise. It could just be the sound of the building imploding, but I need to see for myself.
My legs push me fast, heart sinking into my fucking feet when I hear a familiar voice shout, “Hey!”
I skid along the ground, ignoring the pain shooting through my knees at the abrupt stop. I only just manage to catch sight of Hunter through a tiny broken window before Tai crashes into me, sending us both scrambling to regain our balance.
“We need to smash the rest of the glass out of the way,” Hunter urges.
“Move!”
Tai punches the window in with his clothed fist, and immediately the heat is sucked out through the window toward us. My skin starts to break out in beads of sweat from the intense heat, and the panicked voices in my mind wonder just how hot it is inside that room where Hunter and Bexley are obviously trapped.
Taking a deep breath, I hold it in, shoving my face through the gap to assess what we are dealing with.
My eyes find Bexley’s, an eerie glow making her usually green irises appear amber. There’s an odd look of resignation on herface, and when I glance at Hunter, I’m sick to find the same matching expression.
I don’t know what to do.
There’s no time to waste but…what do I do?I’m paralyzed by the choice.
The fire is already in the room with them, and it’s clear we might just have enough time to grab one of them before it fully engulfs the tiny space for good.
