Romani Noor is an aspiring chemist- well, possible ex-chemist, after she can no longer afford the rise in her university tuition fees.
Her best friend and sister, Juno, is living across the country with her wife, sending Romani occasional cheques t...
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Shouting has my eyes jolting open and my senses all coming back to me at once.
The first thing I see are Valentines eyes looking down into mine from where I'm lying on his lap, a range of emotions flowing through them.
They widen when they latch onto mine and his hands reach down to cup my face. I flinch back from them instinctively, and a stab of hurt flashing through his face.
I instantly feel guilty for the reaction, but Valentine retracts his hands nonetheless, "Baby, are you okay-"
His words are cut off by more of the shouting that initially jolted me out of my shock.
"River, you fucking idiot!" Slater yells, his voice equal parts anger and fear, "Why did you do that?!"
I turn my head on Valentine's lap, trying to get a glimpse of what the boys are fighting about.
"No baby, don't look." Valentine says, but it's too late.
My breath catches in my throat when I see the scene in front of me.
Blood. That's the first thing I notice. My heart rate increases tenfold, not knowing the source of where the blood is coming from – or who.
I look between my two boys – who are still yelling at one another – and zero in on River's bloody hands.
My adrenaline kicks in and I scramble off Valentine's lap, despite his attempts to snatch me back.
"River, where are you hurt?" I rasp out, my voice hoarser than I realised, as I reach out of grab his hands in panic.
Slater and River's shocked faces whip to mine, anger curling round Slater's face for some unknown reason.
River looks like a deer caught in headlights, a pink tinge crawling up his neck as he tries to hide his hands from me.
"I'm not hurt." River shakes his head, reassuring me. I stop short in front of him, before catching more glimpses of red.
Only this time they're from a body. On the floor. Behind them.
Professor Monaro – no, Raphael Monaro – is slumped on the floor, his face pale and lifeless, eyes unblinking. There's a knife embedded in his gut, a red patch blossoming on his white shirt.
I freeze, staring at the blood dripping from River's knife as I remember everything that happened before the boys came in.
Bile threatens to rise in my mouth, but I swallow it down slowly moving my gaze back up to River's.
He looks at me with weary eyes, trying to calculate how I'm going to react.
I don't think when I rush at him, wrapping my arms around his waist and crushing my face into his chest, hugging him tightly.
"Thank you." I croak out, trying to hold back a sob that so badly wants to be released.
River hesitates a second before his shoulders relax and he hugs me back, making sure to keep bloody hands off me.
