Belated Awakening

off, I grabbed my keys

old building felt li

mixed with mold wafted fr

ed it

holding a tube of lipstick, about to r

to

around, the lipstick f

apped her across the fac

lutter, and clutched her cheek

bly. "Who gave you permission to touc

up from the shadows. "Take her and ge

could reach and hurle

panic in his voice for the firs

h blurred tears. "Ayden! Do you think this is fun? Do

way..." His face paled

tectively in front of the memorial table

, then stiffly pulled the sob

oor c

e floor and

s portrait and told her I h

e brought another woma

been w

k, sunless old build

f the night, th

nd the late autumn chil

vely reached toward the w

only icy e

d my eye

yellow bulb,

suddenly

phia, short and direct.

silently turned off the screen and

ft, Claire's re

ss-at shady parties and half-exposed-were careful

into Mrs. Martin's Scandalous Past: F

l spread i

nvenience store, strangers

comments drift

Looks so aloof, but

tar caught Mr. Martin's eye. S

... tsk tsk, like mo

hear, picked my ite

o the Martin G

t at the lounge door wh

n appeared

inted screenshots of the

mouth as if to

ing behind, in

d Ayden, but he yanked h

Claire's cries. "Ay

ne belie

Mrs. Martin had alway

hetic past! But even if I didn't post those photos, I'm glad they came out! I saw them too-half-naked. Wh

er face calml

"Guess what, if something happened to both of us. Lik

unatic and slamm

mpty threat, but I underes

thick smoke ch

r but recoiled from

s heartbreaking

flames, I

s coat, seeming ready to c

me, or

arned the

Ayden carried Clai

the fire, I closed my eyes, and my last lin

we were

ing from my finger and

on in the opposite directio