MasukBELLEThe cotton sheets beneath my back feel like they are soaked in boiling water. I kick my legs, tangling my bare ankles in the heavy white duvet, trying to find a single cool spot on the mattress. Every breath I pull into my lungs tastes like hot copper and dry ash. The raised crescent mark at the base of my neck throbs in time with my pulse, sending waves of thick, dizzying heat straight up into my skull.The timber ceiling of the cabin bedroom blurs. The rough brown wood dissolves into the cramped, pitch-black walls of the pantry under my father's main staircase.I am twelve years old again. The air smells of rotting potatoes, damp concrete, and mouse droppings.My knees press into the splintered floorboards as I push my shoulder against the locked oak door. Outside in the hallway, the grandfather clock chimes nine times. Veronica locked me in here at noon because I accidentally dropped a crystal gravy boat while clearing the lunch table. It didn't even break, just chipped on th
ADRIANThe charred edges of the photograph crumble slightly against my thumb. I slip the delicate paper back into the front pocket of my denim jeans.Belle sits on the low wooden stool, tilting her chin all the way back just to meet my eyes. Her wavy brown hair spills over the shoulders of my oversized black sweater, the sleeves bunched up in thick folds around her wrists. She waits for an answer.Nobody asks me about my mother.In the compound, when I walk down the stone corridors, conversations die before my boots even cross the threshold. Pack members press their backs against the walls and drop their chins to their chests. Even the grey-bearded elders who served beside my father clamp their jaws shut whenever the past comes up. Decades of violence turned the memory of my parents into a forbidden subject. A single mention of the fire usually ends with someone bleeding on the floor, so my people learned to walk on eggshells around me. For thirty years, I used that terror as a shield
The smell of wet linseed oil suddenly feels like toxic fumes trapping the air in my lungs. I stand completely still near the small square window.Drew towers over the wooden easel. His broad shoulders completely block my view of the hallway door. The black cotton of his shirt stretches tight across his back as he leans closer to the wet canvas. The silence stretches between us, thick and heavy."How did you draw her?" he asks. His voice sounds rough, scraping against the quiet walls of the bedroom.I look down at my hands. Dark green and blue paint stains the tips of my fingers. "I don't know."He turns his head. His pale ice-colored eyes lock onto mine. The jagged white scar on his jaw stands out sharply against his tense skin. The absolute devastation in his expression makes my throat ache."I just sat down to mix some colors," I say, stepping slightly away from the window glass. "My mind went completely blank. It just came to me. I thought maybe I saw her in a picture somewhere aro
The rusted hinges of the attic door scream in protest when I push my way inside. Dust motes dance in the thin beam of moonlight cutting through the small square window. The ceiling slopes downward at a sharp angle. I have to drop my chin to my chest just to stand near the center of the room.This is where my daughter spent her life.I walk over to the narrow bed and drop to my knees. The joints in my legs pop loudly in the quiet space. I run my hand over the thin, scratchy wool blanket. Veronica gave her the cheapest bedding in the entire house. The mattress sags in the middle, worn completely flat from years of use. A single, faded yellow sundress hangs in the small makeshift closet i
LUKE The heavy ticking of the mahogany grandfather clock in the corner of the living room sounds exactly like a countdown to an execution. The rhythmic sound bounces off the pale walls, amplifying the suffocating tension trapped inside the house.I sit in a stiff armchair upholstered in floral fabric. I adjust the cuffs of my bespoke charcoal suit, letting the silver links clink softly against the buttons. The air in the room is completely stagnant. It smells strongly of expensive gin, stale lemon polish, and the sharp, undeniable scent of panic.Graham Felix sits on the edge of the sofa across from me. He looks like a man who just su
ADRIANI can't stop thinking of making love to her.I stand near the front register, holding a plastic basket filled with cotton underwear, a few heavy wool sweaters, and bottled water. The cashier, a teenage boy with severe acne and a bored expression, completely ignores me.I turn my head to check on Belle.She sits on her heels near the candy aisle. The oversized black t-shirt she wears slips down just an inch, exposing the smooth, creamy skin of her collarbone. A small girl with messy blonde pigtails stands in front of her, wiping tears from her chubby cheeks. The child wears a bright pink winter coat covered in dirt stains. A dropped, unwrapped lollipop sits on the floor between them.I watch Belle speak in a soft, musical tone. She hands the little girl a fresh chocolate bar from the bottom shelf. The child takes it, her sniffles slowing down.My blood runs hot, heavy, and thick in my veins. The imprinting bond is a relentless, burning tether pulling me straight toward her. I lo







