Burned

Chapter One

I adjusted the thin black dress against my pale frame. There was something missing, but I doubt it had anything to do with the dress. There was something missing inside me -- Gran. It had only been two weeks, but not one day goes by that she isn't plaguing my mind. I'll admit, there is something comforting about her in my mind. That way, it still feels like she's with me. It doesn't erase the pain, but nothing truly does.

All I hope is that the pain subsides a little each day. So far, that hasn't been the case. Sighing, I grab my things and head downstairs. I take my time, using precision with each step I take. Mornings are the hardest because they remind me of Gran the most. There were so many memories of going into the kitchen and seeing her cook breakfast. It was the best way to start my day. Now, I dreaded it. It took me all day to work up the courage to make dinner.

My combat boots thudded against the wood floors as I neared the kitchen door. My hand hovered over the handle. One breath, then two, and then a third before I pushed it open. I could have stood there forever, but I heard noise coming from inside. Once inside, I saw it was Dolls. At least it was her and not my mom. Ever since Gran's death, my mother had become a nervous wreck and a guide on how to cope with loss. It was excruciatingly annoying.

"Hey, Dolls," I told her quickly.

I hurried to get my breakfast, trying to get out of her as soon as possible. I told myself it was because I was running late, but that wasn't the truth. Dara was already waiting for me outside, but that was normal. There was still about fifteen minutes before we had to leave, but I made no haste. As I rushed to finish my breakfast, I felt Dolls eyes on me. She had become uber quiet lately. It was off-putting, except I knew everyone coped on their own.

"Good morning, Corn." There were always long pauses in our conversation. During those moments, my mind raced ahead. Then, when she finally responded I almost forgot what I had originally said.

Thankfully, I was done with breakfast. I cleaned up after myself, then turned to leave.

"Bye! Gotta head to class." It took work, but I kept my tone level. In the past two weeks, I had perfected the sound of being okay. If you said something enough times, even if it was a lie, you started to believe it. I am okay, I am okay.

"Did you need a ride to school," I skidded to a halt, dumbfounded by her question. She had never offered me a ride before. This meant something was up.

"Oh, um I was going to just drive Dara and me in my car," I responded warily.

"Right," she looked up, something I was starting to think was a nervous habit. "Listen, your mother wanted me to talk to you." My hank sank as the realization hit. She just felt obligated to talk to me.

"You don't have to," it wasn't her job. I knew my mom was on some mission to make us all "normal" but we had never been normal. We lived in the house Gran had died in at the hands of a three-hundred-year-old Witch who I had later killed. A couple of sessions of therapy wasn't going to change or fix that.

"I know we may not be super close," an understatement. "But I want you to know I'm always here if you want to chat." I cringed as she said this. I could tell that she meant well, she just wasn't great at talking, especially when feelings were involved. I inched closer to the door.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks." I waited for her to nod before I made my escape. Thankfully, Dara was already outside, waiting for me. We were going to be early to class, but that was worth it. 

The car ride was silent. It was fine. Dara was busy texting on her phone and I was deep in thought. Levi's last words were constantly on my mind. I wanted to know what he meant by he only "killed" those girls. He had to mean Rachel Radley and Selene Connors. What else had been done to them? I knew I could ask Dolores to look into it and see what was different about their deaths, yet I hadn't.