“I’m sorry,” I whispered, “I really am. The last thing I want to do is hurt you but I never want to lie to you.”
He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, “I’m glad you told me but you have to understand that this makes my feelings for you even more complicated. You feel something for me but I can’t have you. It hurts. It really does. Have you ever wanted something so bad but you were told that you couldn’t have it, that it wasn’t yours?”
“Of course,” I sighed.
“Well imagine that only a hundred times worse.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, tears forming in my eyes.
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. You can’t help it any more than I can,” said Isaac.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, grabbing his arm in comfort.
“Thanks for coming out here,” he said with sad eyes and turning to head away.
“Night,” I said hugging the ice bucket to my chest.
He didn’t reply. I watched him leave and enter a room.
I sighed in defeat and headed to chest of ice I had seen earlier. Gabriel would think it was weird if I went out for ice and didn’t come back with any.
I slid the door over and got the shock of my life. I screamed bloody murder and dropped the ice bucket. Suddenly everything faded and I fell to the ground hitting my head in the process. I was out like a light.
Chapter Twenty: Fright Night
I sat up and rubbed my head. Wetness seeped out. My hand came away covered in blood. People were running and shouting. I saw Gabriel jump from the second story down to the ground beside me. He knelt beside me. He touched my head and found the wound. His breath hissed.
“What happened? Is she here?” he asked.
“No, no,” I pointed to the ice chest, “Look.”
He peered at me questioningly as the others joined him. Danny and Mason looked quizzical. The Coven members looked mad and Isaac was looking at me like he wanted to pick me up and wrap me in his arms. He finally came over and helped me up off the ground. My legs were still shaking as Gabriel peered into the ice chest.
“Oh my god,” he said and covered his mouth.
“What is it?” asked Isaac.
“See for yourself,” Gabriel said.
Isaac looked at me questioningly. Suddenly I knew I was about to be sick. I ran from the group and threw up in the surrounding bushes. Gabriel came over and held my hair back. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. My stomach began to dry heave. I coughed and gagged but finally managed to get myself under control.
“Are you okay?” Gabriel asked.
I nodded as silent tears began to leak out of my eyes. I wiped them away hastily.
We walked back to join the group who was already in motion.
Gabriel peered back into the ice chest. Noticing something he picked it up. It was a piece of paper.
“This is what’s coming for you,” he read, “She has the flare for the dramatics doesn’t she?”
I tried to avoid looking at the gruesome sight in the ice chest. The girl couldn’t be any older than I was. She was paler and shorter than me but she had dark hair and her green eyes were open in horror. She was dead.
Her body had been completely mutilated. Her neck was ripped open and her body was covered in all kinds of lacerations. She was dirty and looked beaten. Her expression was full of fright. I felt so sick thinking of what Selena had done to this girl just to get at me. This girl, whoever she was, had a family and friends but here life had been cut short. In essence, because of me. To get at me. To torture me. To unhinge me. It was working. For whatever reason Selena hadn’t drained the girl’s body of blood so instead the blood leaked into and filled the ice chest turning the pieces of ice into red rivulets.
“Stop looking,” said Gabriel.
I sniffled and wiped my eyes, “It’s my fault. She did this because of me. I’m the reason this girl is dead. Why does my life seem to cause so many deaths?”