2|| Whispers in the Wind

17|| we break the law

Kalyani

Wilder turned to Kalyani, searching her expression. After the catastrophic events of the day, there was a huge damper on the mood that not even dog parks could fix. They'd pet a few dogs and stopped at a diner for milkshakes and fries, but not even her favorite flavor could cheer her up. Still, she tried to wear a cheery face for Wilder. He deserved it. He hadn't asked her once about the incident with Roxanne. But now, they stood on Kalyani's driveway. He was waiting for her to speak. If she wanted to, she would.

And she did want to. She had so many questions. Maybe someone would have an answer. She inhaled slowly. "Am I a bad person?"

Wilder froze for a moment. "Of course you're not. What makes you think that?"

"Be honest. You've seen me this past month. I've made bad choice after bad choice," Kalyani persisted.

"You're defined by the actions you will take, not the ones you've already made. We all fail at some point, and I can tell you're super stressed out. Talk to Aria. You can still fix your mistakes."

Somehow, it wasn't enough. He didn't seem to believe what he was saying. "Okay. Thanks."

"One more thing," Wilder continued, "Can you explain what the little girl was talking about?"

This was it. The question she would love to avoid. "The little girl isn't on my side. She's been playing the game for Roxanne all along, she wants death. She said Roxanne wants revenge on the brother that escaped, and I have a feeling she'll get it through a living relative. Nobody deserves this, they're probably innocent."

He examined her, a look of horror slowly manifesting itself on his face. "She'll get revenge. Not on someone who's dead, but someone who's alive. Oh." He stopped, gathering himself. "But what makes you believe the little girl? Why do you think Roxanne wasn't just controlling her?"

The questions rang in Kalyani's ears. It was an excellent point, but it wasn't right. "No... no. The girl- she's the past of Roxanne, but she wants her to win. As long as Roxanne's spirit is trapped on earth, so is she. She mentioned Roxanne was 'forced to hurt them,' that she just wanted them frightened. That was my first theory- that she was threatened by a spirit or... her nightmare." Another terrible thought occurred to Kalyani. 

Wilder shook his head. "The visions wouldn't present her to you as a psychopath if she were innocent. What if she really was insane? She really did kill her family and committed sui- Kalyani? Are you alright?" For the girl had blanched, thoroughly spooked.

"What if she was working with her nightmare? Think about it Wilder," she said frantically. "One little girl couldn't murder so many people on her own. The nightmare was inhuman, the girl said. It wasn't a spirit, it was something more powerful. Maybe it never died, maybe it-"

Wilder held up his hands. "Hey. It's alright. I don't think a regular girl with a regular family would team up with some demonic entity out of nowhere."

"Roxanne would," Kalyani said, and she believed it.

"But how can you be sure?"

"I'm not sure about any of this, Wilder. I don't have a clue where we can get proof or who we can talk to or anything!"

He had furrowed his brow, deep in thought about something. "Wait. Let's say your theory is right, the nightmare was some entity that fueled Roxanne with this. There should be photographs, maybe even old tape recordings that can prove it. If it's not a spirit, you should be able to prove it. Didn't you say a while ago there were some neighbors-"