La Mort et ses Merveilles ✔

23. Autumn's Purgatory

I blamed myself for not realising it earlier, but it was out of habit that I just counted the boxes and never really checked the contents. When I picked them up to rearrange them, it felt like there was something in them, so I just assumed the pills were there. Only a few days before when I dropped the small boxes and its spilled its contents open did I realise its contents -nothing but empty pill packs.

Most of the Vicodin was gone. I told Josephine about it, but we hadn't made any decision yet. She didn't mention Leslie, but I didn't tell her about the time he tried to get the infirmary key off me. She was still trying to figure out who'd steal the Vicodin.

As for me, my prime suspect stood right beside me.

"You know," Leslie said as he put an arm around my shoulder. "There's no one here right now."

"I can see that," I told him, slightly irritated.

"Do you want to. . ." the young man proposed, nuzzling against me. "Mess around?"

I let out a deep sigh. It must've scared him away, because he quickly dropped his arm and took a step away from me.

"Let me just get this straight," I said sternly as I turned to look at him. "I want you to be honest, okay?"

The young man stared at me with his deep blue eyes, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Wh-What's wrong?" he asked, his lips quivering slightly.

"You know what," I said, folding my arms. "Why don't you just admit it. Saves me from accusing you. And it'll be easier to be over and done with."

"What are you talking about?" Leslie questioned. "Accusing me? I don't get it."

"What do you ever get?" I shook my head, rolling my eyes. "Just tell me what you did."

"Seriously Jay," he said. "Will you knock it off? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The Vicodin, Leslie!" I snapped, losing my patience. "You took them didn't you? Popped all the pills from their packets and carried them off to God knows where!"

There was a brief silence, as Leslie paced beside me.

"I didn't take them," he said. "If you wanted to know. But you seem more interested in accusing me."

"Oh c'mon," I groaned. "Who else in this entire place could it be? Who else in this convent was a-"

I stopped myself, but it was too late.

"Was a what?" Leslie said, walking up to me, standing tall. "A drug addict? A jailbird? That's what you wanted to say, right?"

"Leslie I didn't mean to-"

The young man held his hand up, cutting my sentence short.

"You know," he said, his blue eyes looking at me, downcast. "I always thought if I were to get a second chance, it was through you. Guess I was wrong."

There they were again, those sad, sad eyes of his. I couldn't say anything as I watched him walk down the winding stairs, his footsteps against the steps echoing in the empty tower.