Because I've Lost Everything

Chapter Three

Caleb Grimm

"You," I hissed.

Clawd looked up at me standing in the doorway of his dorm room. "Me? Look, man, I haven't bothered you since you and Draculaura started dating," he said.

"How long have you known?" I asked.

He ignored me, his brow furrowing. "Deenie? What're you doing with him?"

I didn't give her the chance to answer her brother's question. "How long have you known that Laura and I were dating?" I asked.

"Man, I don't know. I didn't write it down in my calendar or anything," he said. I only groaned in response. I wasn't in the mood mood for him, for anything about him. His sarcasm was too much for me, especially at that exact moment. "Why does it matter?" he asked.

"She's missing, Clawd. Someone took her," Clawdeen said quietly.

"So, I'm asking again, how long have you known?" I asked.

He was silent for a minute. Slowly, he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't know, Caleb. I think, maybe a week or so after you two started dating she told me? Sh--she asked me to be happy for her, for you. She told me to play nice with you, no more hitting." Clawd pushed his fingers through his hair before crossing the arm back over his chest. "You don't think I took her?"

"No," I said, my voice hoarse. I cleared my throat shaking my head. "No," I repeated. "I just need to know who you've told since she told you."

"No one. She told me not to tell anyone. I--I think she said her father knows."

"I know that. I was there," I said.

Clawd nodded. "I haven't told anyone else, Caleb. I wouldn't purposely go against what Laura asked me to do," he said.

"So... No one could've possibly heard her tell you? No one could've heard your conversation?" I asked.

"No! Why the hell does it matter--"

"Bad people want to take her from me, Clawd! Really bad people." I ran my tongue over my top row of teeth, doing everything in my power to avoid succumbing to tears. I sniffled. "Clawd, if someone overheard you,  news would've spread. And eventually, someone bad would've figured out what was going on, and they would've taken her to get back at me," I said.

He frowned. "Why would someone want to get back at you? What did you do?"

"I've been in this world long enough to piss off a lot of people, Clawd. Those people? The people I've done wrong? They want revenge. For years, they've been looking for my weakness, so I don't keep any weakness. And now, with Laura, they've found a weakness. They've taken my weakness away from me, Clawd. When I'm at my lowest, when she's gone"--I pointed down the hall--"they'll attack. A few more days of me not finding her, when I'm in some bar getting drunk off my äss, they'll take me. Kill her in front of me. And then they'll kill me, too. End. Of. Story," I whispered.