Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
I slide out the same way Malyk did. “I’m going to find a brush. And my clothes.” Scooping up an oversized shirt lying on the floor, I slip it over my head. “And maybe some dignity.”
I quickly slip out of the bedroom before any of them can do or say something dumb, tiptoeing down the hallway until I see my bedroom door. My hand is squeezing the doorknob when words stop me.
“Ah, I see.” Mahlia’s sweet voice slides down my ears and leaves a trail of rotten teeth in its wake.
I turn slightly, tucking my messy hair behind one ear. She stares back at me with an already made-up face, red lips, and dark liner.
“What is it?”
“Well.” She folds her arms in front of her. “I guess it’s nothing I didn’t expect, but I just have to ask you one thing, Shiloh.” Her footsteps are slow and calculated. “Actually, I think I should be asking you two things.”
“Well, go ahead!” My grip on the handle tightens, and every now and then, I feel myself looking at Cooper’s door to see if he will emerge.
Her eyes turn hard, but the corner of her scarlet red lips turns upward slightly. “Actually three, but I’ll save the third one for last.”
I stare back at her without answering.
Her head cocks. “Why aren‘t you sadder about your mother?”
Her question rocks me back slightly, and my shoulder hits the door. “I’m sorry?”
“Your mother,” she adds as if the reason why I said I’m sorry is because I didn’t hear her right. “Were you two not close? I’ve heard about her, and the stories I hear are that she was a good mother.”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Heat rises up my chest, and I twist the handle. I know Mahlia’s type. She’s the kind of woman who needs to make other women feel bad about themselves in order for her to feel good. I hate her type. I knew the second we first met that we wouldn’t be friends, and I wasn’t wrong.
“Again—” I pin her with a stare, my shoulders remaining stiff. “Not your business.”
“Okay, fine. Second question. Have you been dreaming lately?”
I grit my teeth, pushing the door open slightly. “No. Why?”
“Well, I guess old houses like this?” She flashes a wide-tooth smile, but all it does is make her eyes larger. “They are bound to bring some spooky dreams.”
“Last question? I’m about to hit the water.”
She trails my body down to my toes before coming back to my eyes. “Do you think you’re cut out for what they have planned for you?”
My mouth slams closed, and out of all her questions, that’s the one I wasn’t expecting.
“You aren’t the first girl to fall in their bed, Shiloh, and you won’t be the last, but you are theirs right now, so I’ll ask you again.” This time her eyes flash bright and her smile is wide. “Are you truly ready for what they have in store for you?” She closes the distance between us, and when her arm brushes mine, she dips her head down to the side of my ear. “Because I’ve seen better women lose.”
I shove the door open and step into my room, slamming it in her face. I can still hear her chuckling down the hallway by the time I finally make my way to my bathroom.
Mahlia is a damn bitch, and I am sure that she was one of theirs too.
“Are you sure that’s what she said?” Cooper asks, slowly drifting out farther to sea. I grab his board and pull him closer to me. “It’s just, I’ve never seen her around Dion. I mean, I don’t know who the hell she is at all.”
“I’m thinking it’s more Sparrow.” I swipe my stray hair away from my face, careful not to wince from the bruising on my inner thighs.
“Well, that makes more sense. I’m not going to lie. But I have to ask, what about school?”
The swell is pretty flat today, but even on the dead days, I still need to paddle out and just sit. Sit and be present with the ocean. The raw dusting of salt water and the unknown swimming deep beneath. I love everything about the ocean. I love that she is moody, reckless, and doesn’t give a fuck who she takes.
“I don’t care about school right now. I don’t think—” I shake my head, blinking past the tears. I haven’t said it out loud before, and I’m about to. “I don’t think I’m going to finish.”
“What!” Cooper calls. He rests his hand on my thigh, and I flinch. Not enough for him to notice, thank God. “You only have like six months left! Wait a minute.” He tilts his head, his eyes softening with sympathy. “Is this because it’s your birthday soon?”
“Nope.” I love the beach this early in the morning. It just feels like more. More water, more heart, more—everything. “I mean, yes, I had the idea this morning, but since everything has changed, I just—I don’t know. I don’t think I want to be a part of that system anymore.”