Silent Sins ✓ ( book 1) Editing in Progress

Chapter 10

She shuts my bedroom door and squeals dramatically, "Holy shit." She whispers, "What is he doing here?"

"Came to say hi." I slump onto my bed and huff.

"To your mum?" She asks incredulously.

I shut my eyes against the bright light. "Maybe, I don't know."

Dejection churns inside me at the thought of that man. Why can't he just walk away? Why can't I escape him? It's like he wants to torment me, and what's really bothering me is that I can't figure him out. It's like having a terrible itch and not being able to do anything.

I am good at reading people. It's my full time job. So why the hell can't I read him. Does he wear a padlock on his emotions? Are his expressions coded?

The bed dips and I glance up. "What's up with you?"

Shifting on the bed, I allow room for her to join me. I contemplate telling her about the panic room, but I can't bring myself to say anything. That situation is too vulnerable, raw, confusing. I don't think I'm ready to relive what happened in that room without dreaming about it tonight.

"Do you ever feel like- "I rest my eyes again. "Like something is wrong. But you just can't put your finger on it?"

"Are we talking in terms of Mr Lorenzo?"

"Maybe." I mumble.

She takes a deep breath and shrinks further under the covers. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

If I tell her about the night we went out for a movie, will she think I'm crazy? Will she think I'm being dramatic? But not telling her makes me look foolish. Like I'm basing this off of some crazy intuition. Maybe I am.

"There's something off about him. He makes me uncomfortable."

She purses her lips in thought, though her eyes remain wide and dazed.

"What is it?"

"Don't be mad?" She grimaces. "But after the first day back, I asked Jason about your night terrors."

I sit up slightly. "Why?"

"Um." Her voice cracks.

"Spill."

"Okay, fine." She turns to face me. "You've been off recently. Out of tune. I don't know how to describe it. But it worries me. And I thought- "she pauses.

"Thought?"

"Your dreams are quite intense, from what I can remember. Dark themes. Mostly involving a man who likes to hurt you. I just thought, what if you're projecting your fears- into him..." She trails off. "What if-"

I hold up my hand. "You think I'm making it up."

"No." She defends quickly." Not at all. But perhaps your body is. Maybe you feel frightened when you shouldn't. Maybe it's perceiving his actions differently.

She stretches for her purse and pulls out a key chain. Though it's not the key chain that I'm interested in. It's the card in her purse. "You go to the gym?" I ask incredulously.

She rolls her eyes and waves the key chain.

"Sorry." I mutter.

She hands me the small metal black rose.

"What's this." I hold it in my hand.

"You avoid concrete." She states calmly. "And you avoid roses. For whatever reason." She adds. "Maybe what you should be doing is facing your fears. I thought you could start by retracing steps to help memories, if they are memories." She blurts. It's as though she's tinkering on the edge of a heavy topic, I'm not used to her being so flustered. "Familiar objects help with retracing. Maybe being in contact with things you avoid will help you."