Fever Dream Red

59

"Can't."
"Sure you can."
"No. I told you. I can't." Eli's voice became more pressing, more serious. It was firmer.

I couldn't understand why Eli was so set on defending Skye, but I supposed he just felt guilty for shooting them.

It made no sense though. Skye had killed someone.

"You can't. Why?" Nick's voice became menacingly quiet.
"I just-"
"You don't want to?" Nick asked him, his voice taking on a scarily bemused tone.
"No. I-"
"If you tell me who did it, I'll let Zoe stay."
"Here?"
"Where else?"

Eli swallowed and a long pause followed.

"Skye." Eli mumbled. "It was Skye who killed Aggie."

Another long pause endured, until it was broken by the banging of a door.

The door is opened and footsteps could be heard on the floor.

Then the screaming started.

It may have been from Skye, but it carried on and on like a human fire alarm.

I opened my door shyly to observe the commotion.

Eli was stood in the hallway, sort of crying and sort of smiling, whilst Nick and another one of his men carried a hysterical Skye out of their room.

Nick had probably touched their foot. That was probably the source of the screaming.

Everyone also popped out of their room, surprised at the commotion.

Chloe, in particular, looked saddened and scared watching her friend disappear from her sight screaming.

Her eyebrows furrowed and broadened with confusion, and her hand reached out in an attempt to stop them.

It did not.

It was a sad serving of karma.

As Skye passed Eli, they both shared a look of sad agreement.

Skye knew that Eli was a rat and would probably tell Nick at some point. But they also know about Zoe. It wasn't too far too believe that Zoe had been used as some sort of leverage to get Eli to spill.

Skye could surely understand that.

At least now Slye was serving their sentence.

"What's happening? Why are they taking them away?" Chloe asked.

It then hit me. Skye hadn't even bothered to tell Chloe what they had done.

Chloe had no idea that her friend was a murderer.

I decided to break it to her slowly.

"Well. Um. It's complicated."
"What happened?"
"Skye...killed someone."
"What? No. They can't have done. They'd have told me."
"No. They have killed someone. They even admitted it."
"Oh..." Chloe looked stricken with shock. She looked down at her hands, no doubt knowing that those were the same hands that had dresses Skye's wounds over and over. The skin she had touched belonged to someone who had taken a life away.

It was barely comprehensible.

Chloe slowly walked into her room, closing the door gently behind it.

She was probably reconsidering her life choices.

I decided to go back to bed, if I could even get any sleep. I was tired, but even if I was at a loss for sleep, I could still be wrapped up comfortable and warm. The same could not be said when I was in a hallway.

The morning came surprisingly quickly. I found myself finding sleep pleasantly and without much trouble.

I awoke and stretched, feeling happy for at least a little while.

I heard a knock on my door, and Inez burst in all done up in a red velvet short dress.

She rifled about my wardrobe without warning, and at last pulled out a simple one made of lace.

I changed into it in Inez's bathroom, and then she did my makeup. When she was done with her craft, I could at last look at my reflection once again without cringing or calling myself out in my mind.

I burst down to breakfast, my stomach grumbling at the mere thought of food.

They were serving pancakes at the cafeteria. I was so happy.

I got three pancakes and headed down to eat with Inez.

"So." I said to her,"Did you hear what went on last night?"
"No?" Inez responded by looking up from her pancakes with the utmost confusion.
"You were mssing out. Skye got taken away."
"Why?"
"Eli told Nick that Skye had killed Aggie."
"Oh." Inez stopped for a moment. "How did Eli even know? I thought you were the only one they told."
"Eli heard, but he told Skye he wouldn't tell anyone."
"Rat." Inez muttered under her breath.
"Not really. Nick told him that Zoe wouldn't be taken away if he did."
"Oh." Inez frowned, obviously guilty about her past comment.

I giggled.

Just then, Eli and Zoe came through the door. Eli was still in his suit.

I doubt he had changed since last night.

Zoe was in some basketball shorts and a crop top. I thought that was criminally unfair, but it wasn't like I could say anything.

I noticed what they got for breakfast.

Zoe got some pancakes. Eli got nothing, which must have made him feel really bad. I couldn't drink, but I knew a hangover on an empty stomach was not good fun.

They sat down at a table opposite us, and we couldn't help peering over at them every so often between murmers and laughter.

"It's easy to tell their siblings, isn't it?" Inez asked for my opinion as if it even mattered.
"They do look alike." I told her, not really sure what she was getting at.
"Yeah, but they also act similiar too. If you showed me Zoe last night and gave me no information about her, I would probably say she was the female Eli. Wouldn't you?"
"I don't know." I shrugged honestly, much to the disappointment of Inez.

"This place is so boring." I commented to her, perhaps attempting to bring a bit of excitement back.
"It's safe, and that's what matters." Inez told me. "You chose to come back, didn't you?"

I nodded uneasily, only because I knew that I had never actually wanted to come back. We had been forced to by Doug and Sunny. But I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if they hadn't chosen that for us.