Chapter 1
Evie
I was walking to my first class of the day and I heard a shrill shriek from in front of me. I didn’t want to walk over there because I didn’t want to have to comfort someone again, but it was like my feet carried me over there. It was like walking through quicksand, the dread in my stomach like a lead ball. As I rounded the corner I saw her long blonde hair with purple and blue highlights. There was Livvy, just laying there covered in her own blood with her throat slit and two tiny little holes on the side of her neck, barely perceivable to the human eye, but it’s not like I was human anyway.
But she was, and she didn’t deserve to suffer for actions I made in the past. Nobody deserved to, but I knew it was him. There was no denying it. We were childhood best friends and eventually the feelings developed and turned into something more, but I was leaving for college and wanted to start over, not have to deal with his violence and his needs. He was so much sometimes and it was so hard to stop him from tearing out the throat of any male who even spoke to me, much less tried to be my friend, even if they were a creep. He was just overly protective and possessive. And it’s not like I hated it, but it was so excessive that I needed a fresh start and college was starting in a few months anyway, so it didn’t seem like a big deal to break things off. Clearly he didn’t feel the same.
8 months earlier….
Evie It was so nice out; this was my favorite date that I think we’ve ever gone on. It was simple and beautiful. We took a hike up the mountain to this cute little overhang about halfway up where he had a picnic set up for me and we watched the sun set over the lake. The colors melting from blue into an amalgamation of reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows reflecting off of the water’s surface. It was peaceful; we weren’t on our phones, we were just sitting there enjoying each other’s company. Sure we did other nice dates, but this one is by far my favorite. The cool breeze kissed my skin as the sun set lower in the sky.
We weren’t talking, just sitting there in the most comfortable silence I’ve ever heard. My mind wasn’t racing and it was quiet, and I could hear the crickets starting and it was mid-spring so it wasn’t overwhelmed with mosquitoes yet. As it started to get colder he pulled a soft blanket out of the picnic basket and he wrapped it around us, sharing each other’s space. My head was resting on his shoulder and he was holding me as we watched the moonlight slowly come up.
10 months earlier…
Damien
We were sitting in the car with the heat on full blast with our fast food takeout on our laps just talking about everything and nothing at the same time. My little fox was so cute when she got excited. She got chicken nuggets as usual and she was smiling so hard I thought her face would break. It was adorable. It was snowing outside and when we got in the car her nose was bright red and snow caught in her lashes. I’ve never thought she was more beautiful than she was right then, so excited about the smallest things and smiling even though she was freezing.
God, I wanted her more than I wanted the air that we breathe. She finally decided to go out with me last week even though we’ve been friends for the last 4 years since I moved to our small city. She saw me in the hall freshman year and with a big smile she walked over to me and said, “Hi! Are you new here? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” and I just stared at her so confused. I know it was the middle of the school year, but she seemed like she would have been so popular with that amazingly bubbly personality. She seemed like the kind of person who would be everyone’s friend and the most genuine person I’d ever met, even though I didn’t know her name.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Evelyne, but you can just call me Evie,” and she said it with the biggest smile on her face.
“Uhm, yeah, nice to meet you.” I stuck my hand out. “I’m Damien, and yeah I’m new—I just started today.” I pulled my schedule out of my pocket and looked at my first class of the day.
“Do you know where Mr. Prynate’s room is? It’s room 5-301.”
“Oh yeah, he’s just over there. Actually it would be easier for me to show you. We have so many wings and floors; the breakdown of the room is the wing or building number, dash the floor and room number, so the first number there, 3, means it’s on floor three, and room 01. It’s really confusing but I’ll show you. I’m in Ms. Everett’s room; it’s just right across the hall.”
Present day…
Evie
A girl’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “That’s your roommate right? Olivia?” she asked. “Livvy… yeah, uhm.” I cleared my throat. “I don’t— I— she didn’t deserve this.” The girl—Salem, I think her name is; I’m pretty sure we have economics together—says, “Hey, I don’t want to say it’s going to be okay while we are standing over her, but if you need anything you can ask, okay? Wait actually,” she grabs a piece of paper and a pen from her bag, “here’s my number. Text me or call me whenever, yeah?” “Oh, um, yeah, sure, thanks. If you need anything let me know. I mean, you found her, I didn’t. That’s probably more traumatic I mean. Sorry I’m rambling, um, I— thank you.” I shove the piece of paper and my trembling hands in the pocket of my hoodie and turn to walk away when she stops me and looks at me hard. “Just— be… safe, I guess, okay? We should stick together; we don’t want this to happen to anyone else,” she stammers. “Uhm yeah, ok. I’ve got to get to calc but I’ll text you later,” and I turn and start walking away knowing I have no damn intention of sticking with or texting her.
I didn’t need anyone else to feel Damien’s wrath; I wasn’t going to get close to anybody else. Shit—Adrian. I’m going to have to break up with him. We only started dating like a month and a half ago so it’s not a big deal, but he’s such a good and sweet guy. He’s the antithesis of Damien and it’s one of the qualities about him that drew me in. But oh well I guess, if it means he’s safe and will have the opportunity to find love somewhere else then I’m going to make that possible for him. He has the basics of coding this period I think, and I turn to check my watch. Shit, it’s almost 8; he’s going to be in class already. Would it be shitty for me to just send him a breakup text? Like is that super tacky. You know what, I don’t care if it’s shitty, I’m doing this for him. For his well-being, and to protect him from the wrath of Damien. I pull out my phone and send him a text:
Hey, I know this is a shitty thing to do but I think we need to break up. I don’t think we’re really a good fit and should stop before we go any further.
There—it’s done. He should be safe now. At least that’s what I think, until I see his text come through.
Wait, what do you mean, I thought we were good together, I really like and and I want to talk this out with you. Can you meet me tonight at 6 at my place?
Fuck.
No, I’m busy, I’m not meeting with you. I know a text is shitty but it’s better this way. You are an amazing person but just not the perfect person for me.
He doesn’t respond. Good. As long as he doesn’t try to confront me we should be fine.
Later that night….
knock knock knock
“Who is it?” I call out. I hadn’t ordered anything and I sure as hell wasn’t expecting any packages, especially not to my apartment door. Fuck, I really hope it’s not Adrian. I went over to the door and opened it without unlocking the deadlock, and as I was opening it I say, “Adrian I told you I didn’t want to talk to you,” but I freeze when I see who’s at the door.
Damien
“Well I don’t know who Adrian is (I totally know who Adrian is), but he must be one unhappy man with the text you sent him earlier today.” She blinks at me through the crack in the door, looking like she just saw the ghost of the roommate that I just killed. “Cat got your tongue, little fox?” She sputters as she says, “I— no— you— GO AWAY,” and she slams the little crack of her door closed in my face, but then it swings back open, snapping the deadlock tight against it as she yells, “AND DON’T CALL ME THAT,” then she slams the door again.
Ahh, my short-tempered, dramatic little fox—how I’ve missed her all these months. Especially since she decided to push up her semester start date and do the summer semester and leave right after graduation instead of staying with me for a few more months. She called me controlling. ME—controlling—that makes me burst out a little snort, much to my dismay, and I quickly school myself. But how did she not know that out of the guys I killed for her I could hear them all talking about her to their friends or their buddies about the things they were going to do to her?
She also called me violent and that one I’ll give it to her because, yeah, I mean I killed her roommate just so it would be easier for me to break in to watch over her at night without the risk of her pesky roommate seeing me and calling the cops like she almost did last night. And her little boyfriend—what did she see in him? Like he’s not even her type—but I digress. Yeah, I may have learned hacking a few years ago so I may be able to see the text she sent him to try and protect him from me, but I heard him calling her unforgivable things earlier today, so he’s next.
Only this time I want her to find him instead of someone else. He’s going to have all the things he said to her cut into him while he’s alive before I drain him of his life, which is much more merciful than he deserves. But I want her to be able to read all the things he called her. The things he was planning to do to her. The wrath that I feel on her behalf. The fear I can smell coming off her in her apartment is gut-wrenching because I don’t want her to be scared of me; I just want her to love me like she did before, like she’s loved me since we were freshmen. But she moved halfway across the country to try to escape me, and to be fair it did take me about a week to track down her apartment and figure out her schedule, but I was here the day after she moved in because I didn’t want to risk her seeing me. But then she got a roommate and a new boyfriend and I was going to leave the girl and him alone, but then that pesky bitch Livvy—as I’ve heard my little fox call her—was going to call the cops and I couldn’t have that happen. Then the little fox would have found out and I couldn’t have her knowing before I was ready for her to, but today she broke up with that prick. So now, it’s time for her to let me back into her life, even if she doesn’t want to. She absolutely. Wholeheartedly. Willingly. Will.
