Growing Wildflowers | WLW

Barberry

She looks up at me as I approach.

"Hey," I say. "Are you okay?"

"You must think I'm the messiest person you've ever met."

"Messiest?"

"Like...the person with the most drama?"

I sit in the chair across from her. "I don't blame you for having a shitty ex."

"How did you know about that?"

"Liam told me," I admit. "It's not hard to figure out though."

She lets out a long sigh. "I swear my life isn't always this crazy."

I smile. If she only knew I'm the one at fault for ninety percent of the drama in her life. I'm the one who sucked the blood out of her friends last weekend. I'm the reason half the town thinks she killed her own friends and is trying to cover it up. I'm the reason Liam is spreading rumors about her being a murderer. The only thing I'm not at fault for is her ex.

"What did you want to meet up for?" I ask, glancing around the library. More people are piling in as the morning grows into the afternoon and I can't get stuck in another Crystal situation.

"I saw your shirt the other day," she says. "It had like..." She motions to her back. "Some kind of killer on the back?"

"Oh." I was wearing a shirt with an outline of Ghost Face on the back and What's Your Favorite Scary Movie on the left breast on the front. Another one of my Horror Con favorites. "And my shirt made you..." I shake my head. What could my shirt have to do with anything?

"I was wondering if you could help me with something." She snaps the hair tie on her wrist. "I know this is going to sound super weird and I like...totally don't know you at all but I was wondering if you could help me with research and I could like pay you if you want."

I raise an eyebrow at her. "Research on... Ghost Face?"

She smiles. "No, Gwen. I need help researching cults and maybe some Native American mythology. Like Skinwalkers and stuff like that."

"You are one-hundred-percent not supposed to say that word," I say, but I'm smiling. I've never felt so refreshed by a conversation. I don't get to show my true self around anyone. I haven't had time to have a hobby or show interest in anything since I turned. My mind has always revolved around blood and fear of hunters.

She flashes me a confused look. "Skinwalkers?"

"Twice, Jamie?"

She snorts. "I had to make sure that's what you were talking about! Why can't I say that word?"

"I don't know much about it, honestly. I think saying the word draws them into your life or something."

She leans close to the table and whispers, "What if they're already in my life?"

I mimic her and whisper too. "You think Skinwalkers are stalking you?" Maybe I won't have to kill her after all.

She smiles. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Kind of."

"Gwen." She reaches out and covers my hand with hers.

I stare at it, hold my breath in my chest, and fight the urge to rip away from her. The warmth of her skin melts into mine and I wonder if I feel cold to her touch or not. I've never taken the opportunity to learn about the monster I am. The only thing I know is from movies and most of it isn't true.

"Can I be honest with you?"

I nod.

"My friends were murdered last weekend. I was on a camping trip with them over spring break to get my mind off my breakup and I woke up in the middle of the night to their screams." I know. I don't dare speak. I'm a terrible actor. "But... And this is the part that sounds crazy..." It doesn't sound crazy. "I don't think the murderers are human." We aren't. "And I was wondering if you'd help me sort through some of the different theories about this."

I open my mouth to speak; close it again.

She leans closer, drops her voice so no one can hear. "People have been disappearing in Bolton County for years, Gwen. Always in the forest. Always at night. Something is going on."

I watch her for a second, thinking about what I would do if the elders weren't involved. I'd ask her to come with me somewhere privately so we can talk about it, suggest the roof, and throw her body from it. I'd be in a different state before the cops started looking for me and they'd never be able to track me down anyway because I don't exist in public record systems anymore. I'm missing according to police records.

But I can't do that now. I have to run everything by the elders before I take action. They made that perfectly clear last night. I can't lie to them, but I might be able to bend the truth. If I can convince them Jamie knows too much, I'll be granted my ticket to freedom.

Jamie's still watching me, waiting for a response.

I half-smile. "Yeah, I can help you. I need to use the restroom really quick though." I push away from the table and start toward the elders, thinking over my story as I walk.