Half Mad (Sequel to Half Bad)

Chapter 19

The scene made my chest constrict, and the tears dripped faster, but silently. "I can't," I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking my head. "And if we do survive here, whose to say we won't die tomorrow? Or the next day? I'm ready to go, Rose." Just saying her name struck pain through me.

Her bound wrists rose until her soft hands were on my cheeks, forcing me to look at her. "I'm not ready, Harry. I'm not ready for you to die, I'm not ready for me to die, I'm not ready for anyone to die." She tried not to look at Marcus' now limp body, and when she did, she blinked faster.

I was utterly pathetic right then. Maybe it was because I thought I was so close to giving up, or maybe it was just because I had never truly opened up. But the stupidest and most childish were kept spilling from my lips.

"I just want to be with you without all this other stuff getting in the way. I love you so much, Rose, but it's hard to keep using that as fuel when you keep getting shoved in the dirt. I want a future with you, and hell, even with Daniel. But I can't have that. That kind of luxury is nonexistent to me. I wouldn't know what a family was if you told me. But I want one. God, I want something that normal so bad." I shook my head, kept shaking my head. "But you and I both know it won't happen."

"Set us up for another demon!" the bald guy yelled, but his voice was far off. All I could hear and see was Rose.

And she was even smiling.

"We could have that," she said, her hands still on my face. "We could have a future, and we could have a family, and we could have a semi-normal life." Her smile was a sadder one now. "But not if you throw your life away and ours. Not if you give up."

The silence stretched between us as I tried to drill her words into my head, the possibilities that were endless for us. I tried to convince this other side of me that there were still plenty of chances, that we could keep cheating death if I only followed her words.

Shockingly, Aiden's soft voice drew each of our attention. "I have a plan."

The townspeople, too focused on removing Marcus' body for one of ours, paid no mind to us. Except a small little girl with dark hair and a wild look in her eye. She was standing right next to Aiden. Raven.

"I know you're not a monster," she whispered to me. "I'm sorry for getting scared."

I almost laughed, but then she threw her arms around my neck, taking the people's distraction as her chance to do so. And I'm not sure why, but those small arms around my neck made me imagine what it would be like to have my own child's arms tight around me. Not soon, no. But the future.

Raven was already ducking behind each of us and unwinding the ropes around our wrists. I kept my hands behind my back while the others tucked theirs between their legs since they had the luxury of having their hands tied in front of them.

"Okay, I'll distract the big ugly man," Raven said.

Aiden nodded, all of us remembering his four words. He still seemed incredibly shy, eyes lingering on Megan for a moment before they fell to the ground. "There's too many of them to try to run, so while Raven distracts the big guy, we could..." He was stammering now, nervous and I realized I had never even heard him speak so much before.

Jessie rose an eyebrow, thankfully still his normal self. "What, convince the people we're nice demons?"

Aiden looked like he wanted to glare at Jessie, but was too sheepish to do so. "Kind of, yeah."

Megan pursed her lips. "How do we do that?"

Daniel shook his head. "This plan is ridiculously childish."