Hell Mary

Chapter Twenty-six

"How did you know about my inhaler being buried under dirt?" She asked.

"I know you are asthmatic, you told me."

"Yes, yes I did. But that's oddly specific. How did you know I was with my inhaler that night? You were there, weren't you? You tried to kill me too."

"That's ridiculous," he countered, pouring the remnants of the drink in his cup into his mouth. "You know I care about you so much. How would you think that?"

Her lips were slightly apart, her mind, wandering. "OK I get it now. You were there and saw Thelma try to kill me but did nothing so you could pin it on Martins. You were the one who gave the detective the pencam right?" She asked. Her soul burned with the mere thought his jealousy could have ruined her.

"Martins was trying to rape you," he replied defensively, hiding his fear under his weak claim. He had never seen Mary that upset before. Her eyes glistened a lot brighter, her lips were shut and countenance straight.

"-but you'd rather watch me die than end your stupid quarrel and misunderstanding?" Mary's voice was pitched high now and her wristwatch loosely moved about her wrist. His phone rang loudly as the bass tone rushed out of the speakers and jolted them both. Kelvin hurriedly reached for it from his pocket, glad an interruption erupted in the tense air. It was Ashley and her picture stuck to the screen. Mary looked into the phone and back to Kelvin who felt a wave of guilt for unsure reasons. "Ashley is calling you," she said calmly.

"Yeah, I better go see why she's calling me. She's going through a lot." He stood and tucked the phone into his back pocket.

"I'm not? You don't even act like you care! I was thought of as dead and now I'm right here yet you still want to leave? You haven't even answered me yet." Her carapace cracking and her soul, melting.

"We'll talk later, OK?" He rubbed her forearm gently. "Just know that I never wanted to kill you. I would never." His words pierced her subtly and then sharper once more when she realized he was tilting towards Ashley.

"Are you two dating?" She asked, unsheathed. A loud thud was heard from inside and it eked through the walls. It had to be a utensil falling.

"She asked me out," Kelvin said while still standing. He feared staring into Mary's eyes. The hurt was glaring and he had never felt that way before. A part of him still feared she might have been a spirit. The gruesome marks on her skin had disappeared and the warm mix of brown cocoa sat as her skin. "I haven't responded. Ashley might be sick or in trouble but you aren't. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy learning you're alive." He sat back down and reached for her lofty earring hoops. "It was in fact Ashley who told me you're alive and well and so I hurried to see you. I'll be right back OK? She has already left over five messages and two missed calls and you know what that means."

Mary didn't know what any of it meant and feared she navigated his choices too by her presence. She cried into her hand, a teary lake of tears and watched him leave.

Ashley called with an unknown number later. It startled her how Ashley had realized she now had a phone. Her voice was low and polite and Mary's reply, simple. She agreed to meet up in a park and discuss after her plead and so they met up at Central park.

Since it was a holiday, a Christmas holiday at that, the park had a reason to buzz with excitement everyday. Children paraded with shiny plastic red hats dressed on their bests. The mouth watery worth devouring cake, cotton candy and more candy all smelt like happiness. There was a robust man who camouflaged Santa Clause in his red suit stuffed with a ball on his stomach. He would lift a child to his thigh and take a picture with them and give them a wrapped present afterwards. Christmas music blared from every angle and the lovely innocence of childhood nostalgia rooted in.