By the time I get off of work, I'm tired and not feeling very happy about agreeing to meet up with Isaac. He, on the other hand, appears incredibly pleased with himself whenever I find him sitting on one of the benches in the center of the tiny park. There are three short lamps with spherical bulbs in a triangle around the central garden, and the light of the nearest one casts half of Isaac's face in shadow. When I sit down next to him, the shadowed side of his face is the one I see.
Isaac glances over, expression visibly relaxing as he recognizes me. "What, you didn't think I'd show?" I ask with an edge to my voice. He shrugs sheepishly, which is actually quite adorable since he's usually super businesslike. I shake my head, clearing my outrageous thoughts.
"I didn't know what to expect. You're not like most girls I've met, so I can't read you very well," Isaac says softly. He straightens abruptly and clears his throat. "Anyways, did you read the letter I gave you?" I stare at him blankly for a few seconds.
"I'm busy, dude. As soon as you left my house I had to go to work." Isaac raises one dark eyebrow.
"Not to go to school?" he queries, and I shove his shoulder. I realize that it was a lighter push than I meant it to be. Isaac cracks a faint smile and my heart jumps again like it did earlier today. I have the urge to punch myself in the face.
"That's not the point..." I mumble. Before the conversation can stray any farther off-topic, I roll back my shoulders. "I didn't read it, but I have it with me. Is it that important that I should strain my eyes in the lamplight?" Isaac ignores my sarcasm and nods even though it was a mostly rhetorical question. I groan before fishing the folded, battered paper out of my pocket. I unfold it and skim the first few lines before I begin to feel sick.
A new Talmei,
Younger than the first.
Their bloodline is perfection,
And perfection is what I seek.
Pretty eyes,
Porcelain skin,
A sharp tongue-
They're my sin.
The first was fair,
The second dark,
Like Sun and Moon,
They entrance the heart.
Kennedy was fun for a day
But again it's time to play.
~The Ardent & Wry~
I shall cast the Dice-
See what they say.
"When did you find this?" I whisper, hardly able to breathe past the fear that's seizing my chest. I can't look anywhere but at the short poem in my hands. My whole body is shaking.
"As I told you--"
"What does this mean?" I can hear the panic in my voice. "What am I supposed to do?" I wrap my arms around myself, trying to ignore the frantic beating of my heart. "Jesus Christ, Isaac! What, do I just call the police?" I glance over at him, brows drawn. "'Oh, you know how my sister was murdered and you caught the guy? Actually, you fucked up! He's still out there and now he's after me.'" My voice falters on the last 3 words and my throat squeezes. I duck my head to keep Isaac from being able to see my tears.
YOU ARE READING
Falling for Nightmares
Mistério / Suspense(Just in case it isn't visible to you, the knife on the cover image is pointing to a dead body lying in the alleyway.) Ruth Talmei is a sixteen-year-old girl whose sister was raped and murdered two years ago. Ruth's father is in jail for tracking do...
