The Dyers Are Deadly

3

The sixth name comes.

Nicolle Pena.

Myc doesn't understand why she did it. No—she can. Took off her glove and just touched her shoulder with a smile.

Nicolle touched him. Smiled at him. Leaned in to kiss him. Her person.

"You killed her!"

Ricci is upset, though. He's been pacing the room, tearing his fingers in his hair after he took her from where his friend dropped dead on the ground. In the car, he was banging his fist on the steering wheel, sputtering words, breathing too heavy.

"Fuck!"

He's been saying that word too many times, too. Myc only stares at him and waits. It's okay. He'd be frustrated and angry because the sixth name was his friend, but he'll get over it. He has Myc, after all.

Ricci doesn't need anything—or anyone—else.

The door shuts upstairs and Patch appears on the steps in only her brother's shirt and underwear, frowning. "What the hell is going on?"

"Noona!" Ricci climbs the stairs, panicked and terrified, and digs his nails into her arms. "Noona, please, we need to leave. We need to leave this manor, we need to—"

"You're not going anywhere," Myc says quietly.

Ricci doesn't look at her. Why isn't he looking at her? "She killed someone. On purpose. She took off her glove and touched my friend—"

Patch's eyes go to her. They're big and brown. "Myc...is that true?"

"She was touching Ricci."

"Oh my God." Her person's hands shake as they grip Patch's arms. "Noona, please, if we stay we can't ever leave—"

"Isolde can come and go the manor when she wants," Chiko's voice says from the stairs, calm and quiet. "She can also leave me if she wants. I won't try to stop her."

Patch's head turns around to glare at Myc's brother. "I told you I'm not leaving. Shut up about it already."

Chiko smiles at her.

"Hyung." Ricci is crying now. Why is he crying? Myc should wipe his tears. He only needs her. "Hyung, Myc—"

"I know." Chiko takes the steps down, and Myc stands up.

"Don't touch him," she hisses. Her brother's hands are bare and his sleeves are short. "Don't you fucking dare. I'll touch Patch if you do."

Her brother meets her eyes, his hands in his pockets. "Go to your room. I'll talk to him."

Before he walks away, he strokes his hand on Patch's cheek, and she smiles at him with a nod.

Ricci follows Chiko to the drawing room, shoulders shaking. He doesn't look at her.

Myc should get dressed for bed. Ricci will come.

She passes Patch at the stairs. Her brother's person turns to her and says, "Are you really going to kill me if Chiko does something to Ricci?"

Myc turns to her and meets her eyes. "Yes."

Patch watches her face. "You've...you've become so lonely, Myc. Lonelier now than before. I don't understand that when you and Rich were so happy."

Lonely?

Myc grits her teeth and whispers, "Ricci and I are fine."

They're not.

She can feel him pulling away from her touches at breakfast. She can feel him turning his head when she wants to kiss him more, feel his hand circling her wrists when she tries to take off his clothes.

He turns his back to her in bed now when her arms go around him.

And then she sees him laughing and touching someone else.

So Myc killed her.

Patch purses her lips and sighs. "If you did something to me, I don't think Chiko will try to kill Ricci. I don't think he'd hurt you enough like that. But you...you're willing to hurt anyone and everyone—even your own brother."

"You're wrong. He'd kill Ricci if he lost you, and then he'd kill me. Please do remember that my own brother tried to kill the both of us by burning our manor down."

"Because he didn't want any more Dyers with this curse—a curse that made you touch someone on purpose."

Myc narrows her eyes. "I assure you, Patch, if Chiko ever sees you laughing and touching someone else, he'd kill them without blinking."

She stares at her and says, "You clearly don't know your brother very well."

Myc turns around and shuts the door to her room. She goes directly to her drawer and takes out a pen.

April Smith

Sally Briar

Max Wellington

Christine Nunez

Boris Garrett

She frowns. Is it right to put her in the same list as the accidents?

Myc takes a brand new sheet of paper, smooth without crumples, and writes: Nicolle Pena.

First on the list. Myc smiles, satisfied, and hides both papers back in her drawer.

When Ricci comes back, he's smiling, and he hugs her, tucks her head in his chest and kisses her head, and Myc sighs, content, happy to have him back.

He's not angry with her anymore. Whatever Chiko said worked.

"I love you," Myc whispers, kissing his jaw. "You're my only person. Forever."

Ricci smiles at her and closes his eyes.

She should've known something was wrong. She should've known the second he doesn't tell her he loves her, too.

In the morning, Ricci is gone.

Her hands are chained to the bedpost.

*

remember when Chiko said Myc should be grateful ricci isn't running yet

he is now skhskfhskfhkf