Truth Comes Second

Only Gets Worse

Author's Note: Bombed most of my midterms, but when I got home all of the books I ordered had arrived. You win some, you lose some.

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Carrie's POV:

Julie chewed on her lip and her eyes jumped between Jacob and Hopkins. Her fingers were curled into the soft green fabric of the couch.

"What about it?" she asked.

"What did you normally cook?" Jacob asked.

"Potatoes, vegetables, meat," she said. "You know, the usual stuff."

"Is this true, Carrie?" he asked me.

"Yeah." I nodded my head.

"What kind of meat was it?" he asked.

"Chicken, beef, pork," Julie told them. "Like I said, it was the normal stuff."

"Juliet, I suggest you tell us the truth," Hopkins said. "We'll know if you have been lying, and there will be serious consequences."

Julie's face was flushed, and she dropped her gaze down to her knees. Her dark hair was draped across her face.

"What's going on?" I asked.

Hopkins was staring intensely at Julie. She looked a lot like a predator stalking her prey. I looked over at Jacob, but as soon as my eyes met his, he turned his head. Minutes passed, and all of us stayed silent.

Julie finally spoke. Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Tommy did it."

"Tommy did what?" I asked her. Just saying his name made me feel sick.

"I swear, it was just Tommy," Julie said. She raised her head, and I could see the tears glistening in her eyes. "He said he was going to kill me if I told Jimmy."

"How could Jimmy not know?" Hopkins asked.

"We didn't eat it every night." Julie's voice cracked. "He told me to tell Jimmy it was beef. He's sick. He got enjoyment out of watching it."

I could feel my heart pound in my chest. Jacob refused to look at me, and kept his eyes on Julie. She was leaning forward with her head in her hands. She was sobbing.

"What's going on?" I asked them.

Jacob let out a deep breath and quickly ran his hands down his pants from his hips to his knees. He looked at Hopkins and mouthed something. She nodded her head and Jacob did the same before standing up.

"While we wait for Julie to calm down, can I talk to you Carrie?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," I said standing up from the couch.

I walked down the hallway, and I could still hear Julie sobbing. I walked past her bedroom and went to mine. Jacob closed the door behind us.

"You may want to take a seat," he told me.

"What's going on?" I asked yet again.

Jacob raised his hand to gesture toward the bed. I sat down on the edge and Jacob kneeled in front of me. He covered my hands with his, and I could feel his warm, sweaty skin.