The Reaper Saga [Book 1-3]

CHAPTER 20 [EDITED]

5132

PRESENT

I didn't run.

I walked slowly, enjoying the rain outside. It made it easier to tiptoe between alleys, easier to hide the fact that I might be crying. When I came here, my sole goal was to bring Keisha out in the open. Vent all the things I wanted to say.

Then kill her.

That's what kept me going after the last few days of hell.

And now it wasn't even an option.

"Lana had a family and now she has no one," I whispered, feeling them sound louder than normal.

My hands were started to feel twitchy again. Maybe because I was getting hungry or maybe I was off my meds for too long. Who knew? Just to keep them busy, I pulled the phone out of my jacket, punching a number I thought I'd never use.

It rang twice.

"Mr. Hernandez." I finally murmured, hearing a sharp breath. "I'm in the French quarter now and I'm finally done. Catch me if you can."

I didn't wait for a question or an answer. Instead, I put the phone away, too busy trying not to cry harder. I didn't even realize when I stopped at the cemetery my dad was supposed to be buried in. I didn't deal with death like everybody did. When Samara died, I skipped the whole funeral, too busy fucking Zach to get my mind off of it. I didn't feel a single thing then, not like he did. I was too angry at myself and the whole fucking world, I didn't want to see her dead body, memorizing her short life like every kid at the school did.

I just needed my best friend back.

And, when Zach died? His aunt didn't let me go to his funeral. In her words, I was the bitch that drove her nephew to an early grave. I didn't have the right to see him one last time or say any words. Both times, I couldn't cry. I just went by my day, waiting for the other shoe to drop at anytime.

It didn't.

So why was I now crying?

"Hello, dad. Heard that bitch totally did you wrong." I laughed, the sound scaring a few crows nearby. "I-I don't know what else to say."

I imagined him looking at me with a grimace. It's been too long that I even stopped caring about what people thought about me. I was always running, always after something. Be it a dead mother or a beloved who I could never truly love.

"Wish you were here to give me some advice. I really could use some. Mom will only hate me if I go to her. And, I'm not talking about Keisha if you're disturbed. I've never met her and still, she makes me want to erase her name from my memory."

"D-Did you ever want me? Us?" I braced myself for the disappointment to flow when I finally admitted what hurt most. "I don't even know if it was you who decided to put me up for adoption or Keisha. It's not like I had a bad life. Mom was strict but she loves me. So much that she was willing to make Zach out to be the bad guy. Said he lit some pretty candles and forgot to blow them out when he overdosed. I couldn't bear to look at her after she said that in court. Enough about that. How's afterlife treating you?"

I didn't hear any answer. It was better that way.

"I hope it's better than mine. At least you didn't come back to life and choose violence." The memory of that knife and its hard edge on my skin still made me shudder. "I am going back to that hell, dad. I promised so many things but...there's nothing left for me here anymore. So, I guess this is the last time I'll ever see you. Goodbye, love you."

I turned, fully intended to wait for my demise when I noticed Chiara waiting for me with a frown on her face. Seeing her again made me feel uneasy but I sucked it up with a groan. "Following people around usually gets them a restriction order, not a pat on the back."