Page 34 of Madness & Mayhem

“They can get the phone records, Lakyn. Then they’ll consider me an accomplice.”

I roll my eyes. Fucking dramatics. “Then tell them you spoke to me, and I didn’t tell you anything, which is the absolute truth.”

“But, Lakyn—”

“Mom, I have to go.” I glance out the window, wishing Reign would be here, but I see no shadow of a person outside. “I don’t know when we’ll talk again. But I want you to know… I love you.”

She starts crying, and my heart clenches. “I love you so much, Lakyn. Please don’t do this to me. I can’t lose you, too.”

I wipe my eyes. “You won’t lose me. I just have to go for a little while, okay?”

She cries harder, and I can’t take it.

“Bye, Mom,” I whisper, hanging up the phone before she has a chance to keep me on any longer. I swallow down my sob, clutching my phone so tightly it starts cracking in my grip.

Blinking away the blurriness, I roll onto my side and scroll aimlessly through my phone, though each second only brings more anxiety, because all people are talking about is Creed’s death, the lighthouse, the slasher, and the girl who I attacked—Celia Loken is her name. I’ve seen her at school before, but I’ve never spoken to her. We don’t run in the same crowds, and she’s never even been slightly close to Creed.

Which only angers me more.

The articles and posts don’t say whether she’s dead or alive. I don’t know which one I’d rather be true.

A video pops up on my screen, and I pause when I see a girl in a Halloween costume, the black makeup around her eyes streaked down her cheeks.

I click on it, and the sound pops up.

“The look in her eyes sent chills through my spine. Blackness. Only darkness in her eyes. It’s like she wasn’t even human. I’ve never seen anything like it. It makes me wonder what is wrong with her. It also makes me wonder… did she actually kill Zane?”

My breath catches in my chest as I press Pause, letting out a huge breath. I stare at her face, the sparkling look in her eyes, the way she looks excited and full of rage. It makes my muscles lock up, and I can’t help myself as I press the small triangle, starting the video again.

“I think she did, and it makes me so fucking angry that she’s probably in on all these murders. She has something to do with this, I know she does. She’s not going to get away with attacking my best friend, killing all these people in our town, and then just skating away?” she scoffs, her head shaking as a tear slips out. “No, not in the slightest.” Her eyes narrow, anger filtering into them. “Lakyn Ashford, if you see this video, just know I’m going to figure out this entire story, and when I do…” She takes a deep breath, looking straight into the camera lens. “You’re going down.”

I click out, seeing the name of Braylin Carter on top of the video, but then immediately click on it again.

I can’t stop watching the video as the front door opens, and Reign steps in with an armload of wood. The moment he sees the look on my face, his arms drop to his sides, the wood falling to the floor as he storms toward me.

“What the fuck happened?” he growls.

I can’t say a word, only a slight shake of my head as I lift my phone toward him. He grabs onto it, replaying the video. I listen as she repeats the words that are already engrained into my mind. I can even see her face as she says them, as if she’s in front of me this very moment.

The tear sliding down her cheek.

I shoot off the couch, walking toward the kitchen. I begin pacing, the linoleum tiles soft under my feet.

“I mean, what the fuck are we supposed to do with that information? This girl is going to find out everything, and I’m going to be…holy shit I’m so fucked,” I wheeze, my palms slamming against the worn counter. My nails dig into the cracked surface, pressure building on the tips of my fingers as I squeeze with all my might.

“Fucking hell!” I scream, wanting to hit something.

Wanting to hit her. Kill her.

“Lakyn,” Reign commands.

I can’t listen, I can’t focus. He’s going to try and make me see reason—funny, the serial killer—but I know he will, because he grounds me when I begin floating away.

I want to. I want to lose my absolute shit because I’ve been keeping it contained for way too long. Being the governor’s daughter comes with a price at being prim and proper at all times, but now that he’s gone, the need to be as wild as I can be comes roaring to the surface.

I lift my gaze to him, staring him in the eyes. “I want to kill her.”

He watches me with a clenched jaw, ticking over, and over again. “Lakyn…” he warns.