Sentinel

Chapter 4: Running

The next four days went by quickly. We managed to get the apartment looking exactly how we wanted it, went shopping to pad our wardrobes for the new semester, and watched plenty of tv. Thankfully, there were no beasties to speak of.

I didn't contact Will, despite the mountains of encouragements from Hana to stop by Luna's to see him. I wanted to ask more questions but at the same time, I was scared. I was afraid that the more I learned the more I would get sucked into his world.

There had been a moment when I thought that the mark was cool, a gift. But after all the pain and interruptions it added to my life, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. I knew I could ask Will if there was a way to remove it but I had a strong feeling that even if there was a way, it wouldn't be easy.

Thursday night I was surprised by a call from Benji. My brother and I got along well but we usually communicated through text.

"What's up, Ben?" I pinched my phone between my ear and shoulder. I was sitting on the side of the bathtub, clipping my toenails.

"Hey, Sky."

"It's so sweet of you to call. What a cute little brother, you are."

I expected him to laugh or deny it but instead, he just said, "Yeah."

"Everything okay?"

"Um, fine, I guess."

His tone made me pause. "What's wrong, Benji?"

"Nothing," he said but it was clearly something. "It's just some animals got into the trash outside and mom made me clean it up."

I frowned, confused. "...yeah, that sucks."

"They really got into it and spread some of it across the yard." He paused, waiting for me to say something but I couldn't figure out what he was leading up to. "... So I had to pick up everything that was in the trash." Another pause. "And there was something of yours in it."

Understanding hit me like a pound of bricks. "Oh!" Shit. I had forgotten I had thrown away a bloody t-shirt before I left home. God, Benji found it.

Without realizing it I had gotten to my feet. "Did you tell mom and dad?"

"No, I didn't want to freak them out. What the hell happened, Sky?" The concern in Benji's voice made my chest hurt.

"It was nothing." I tried to sound as reassuring as I could. "I, I just... I fell down a hill while hiking. I tore my shirt and got cut up a bit but nothing serious."

"A bit?" Benji echoed. "The shirt was covered in blood."

"It wasn't as bad as it looks. If I was that badly injured do you think I would have been able to hide it?" The cuts had been pretty bad but they were nothing with my accelerated healing.

Benji wrestled with my question for a little while before he said, "No, I guess not."

"So, it's nothing to worry about," I said, relieved.

"Why didn't you tell us about it?"

I sat back down on the side of the tub. "I didn't want to you guys to freak out. Then mom and dad would be worried every time I step out of the house. Sorry, I guess that almost caused more problems than if I had just told you."

"No, I get it." Benji let out a long breath. "I won't tell mom and dad."

Sometimes I really loved my brother. "Thanks, Benji."

***

Friday morning Hana managed to pry me out of bed to go for a run. I didn't have anything against running but I did have something against exercising in the morning.