Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76298 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
I flinch and turn. Lesley’s standing nearby, staring at me. “How much did you hear?”
“Enough. Did you have to be so blunt?”
“She wanted to hear it.”
“Lucy was a fucking psycho. We all know it. I loved her anyway. But Kaye’s not ready. She doesn’t want to understand.”
“She’s still poking around Lucy’s death. Sooner or later, someone’s going to tell her just how scary her sister was, and I thought it was better coming from me.”
Lesley sighs and stands next to me, looking at the water. “You’re such a hero.”
“I’m a prick.”
“True, you are, but you don’t really believe it.”
I nudge against her. “What do you want? Why’d you follow us out here?”
“I want to break into the Cask’s boat.”
I shake my head. “We went over this. Absolutely not.”
“I went to a lot of trouble to steal that key.”
“Lesley.”
“I’ll be in and out.”
“It’s too dangerous. Malcolm might kill you if he catches you. He’ll drown you and nobody will know what happened.”
She snorts. “Drown me? I’m a strong swimmer, remember? Unlike you.”
I smile slightly and sigh. “You’ll never let that go.”
“I still have the taste of your puke-filled ocean water in my mouth. I had to drag your limp, stupid body from the damn water. So don’t tell me about drowning.”
I roll my eyes. “Still too dangerous.”
“I’m doing it, Emilio. I’m not really asking permission.”
I give her a long look. She glares back defiantly. If her mind’s set on this, I know there’s not much I can do to stop her, but I wish she’d stop and think for a minute. Cask is taking a lot of risks with this new smuggling thing and nearly lost a bunch of members in the process. They’re committed, and they won’t hesitate to hurt someone to make sure their operation isn’t ruined.
“Take Terrence at least.”
“He’s too noisy.”
“Dirk. Jayson. I don’t care.”
“Kaye?”
“Fuck you.”
She laughs and slips a hand through my arm. “Just kidding. Should I go check on her?”
I shake my head. “Give her time.”
“How much time does a person need to come to grips with their sister being a fucking monster?”
I begin to walk back to the party with Lesley on my elbow.
“For most of her life, I’d bet, but let’s give her until tomorrow at least.”
Chapter 17
Kaye
The morning after Calico’s beach party, I wake up early, way before anyone else, and go for a run.
It feels good to sweat. I run hard, all around campus, trying to drown the thoughts in my brain with physical punishment. I can’t quite do it—memories keep resurfacing.
Lucy’s tight smile as she held me down and tried to spit in my mouth. Just stop squirming, I want you to tell me what it tastes like. Lucy’s laughter as she released her hamster in the street and watched it scurry through traffic. Oh my god, it’s going to make it! Look, Kaye, he’s in the sewer!! Her excited squeals when she found a dead raccoon in the gutter. Think Dad will let me keep him? He’s so cute!
I always knew Lucy was different.
But there are other memories. My sister in my bed in the morning, hugging me tight. You’re all mine, Kaye, and I love you so, so much. You’re my everything, you know that? The way she’d sing to me when we were little. The long hours we spent reading books together, playing in our little back yard, digging through the mud, running along the sidewalks of Philly. I love you more than life itself, she’d say to me, snuggling with me in my bed at night.
Lucy scared me, but she was the only comfort I ever had. Over and over, day after day, she was there, telling me that she was all I had, that she was the most important thing in my life, and I believed her.
Now I don’t know what I think.
I run faster, harder. I head away from campus and onto the beach. It’s a wreck from the party, and more than a few people are sleeping it off in the sand. I make sure a couple aren’t dead before I run past them toward the wild parts of the island. I find a path and begin to wind my way up the steep hill, up toward the cliffs. I stagger over rocks, stumble over roots. Lucy’s voice keeps breaking into my head. Come on, little sister, you know I love you, just let me cut you one more time. For me? Please? I’m crying and half blinded by the tears. I keep going. Sweat drips down my face, drenches my back. The salty air is warm in my lungs.
Emilio saw Lucy for what she was.
The truth keeps coming back, again and again. Emilio was right. Emilio saw through her. He looked past her charm and sensed the thing lurking beneath the surface. I used to call it her demon and whenever she lost control of her facade, it was like the demon took control. Her face would crumble and her eyes would go blank, and she’d only care about whatever her new obsession was. Sometimes, I was her obsession. Sometimes, hurting me was the only thing she wanted in the entire world, and I’d have to let her, or else she’d hurt me even worse later on.