The Night Children

Chapter 32

"He would've killed you then and there in the woods if I hadn't come. He admitted to your face he killed those children. Sarah, Colton, Francesca, Amber. His hands are stained with their blood but you are so oblivious."

I gave him a questioning look, trying to understand what he was trying to imply. Aaron huffed, his jaw squaring as he gritted his teeth.

"When he realised I was there with you; he was quick to change his story wasn't he? The moment he was injured and dying, he lied and said he wasn't the murderer." His irises were like a whirlpool of green and gold, trapping me in its embrace. "He lied to you so you would help him, and you did exactly that."

I bit my tongue from saying the truth. I knew Isaac said he was the murderer to protect me, and only admitted the truth of his membership to me to stop me from getting myself involved because it was his duty, but now that Aaron mentioned it, it sounded ridiculous. I frowned against his words and trained my eyes on his.

"It would have been for the best if he bled out in the woods Renee." Although his words were soft in whisper, they were like a slap to the face.

"I couldn't leave him there to die."

He frowned at this, his lips tilting into a nasty grimace. "So he survived then?"

I nodded at this. He proceeded to frown, his eyes clouding as if he was deep in thought. "You need to report him to the police immediately. Tell Sheriff Pincel the truth-"

"No!" I said loudly, startling the class. Aaron looked at me with a confused look, my sudden outburst causing him to look slightly concerned. If only he knew everything. If only he knew Pincel was the supplier to The Parade. If only he knew Pincel was corrupted and sought to kill me.

"He isn't the murderer Aaron." I said, lowering my mouth with a hiss.

Aaron opened his mouth to give me a sharp retort but Miss Anderson entered the room, looking flustered. Her grey hair was out in ragged knots around her face, her usually pale skin spiked with a flush of redness. I felt my eyes narrow at her, feeling a sudden surge of hatred boil beneath my skin. I turned away from Aaron and moved closer to my desk. I desperately wanted to tell him everything so he would see that Isaac was innocent but I couldn't do that without spilling the secret of the Parade and the Forsaken. I wasn't willing to do that.

"Class."

We all looked up to see Miss Anderson place her books loudly on her desk. She looked flustered, her gaze skittering over the class. Her eyes finally landed on Aaron, her lips thinning.

"Nice to see your return Mr Payne."

Aaron nodded simply, although his face paled. Clearly he still hated Miss Anderson. I realised with sudden dread that Aaron and Isaac weren't here for the last lesson when Miss Anderson accused me of being a werewolf. It was only a couple of days ago but when I couldn't possibly believe there was such thing as supernatural beings dwelling amongst us. I now knew how oblivious I was.

Miss Anderson then turned back to the class, her grey eyes scanning the few of us that were left.

"Pain." She said, her lips titling at the edges in the beginnings of a smile. "The common threshold we all suffer from."

Cody, the boy who went against Miss Anderson last lesson shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. Aaron glanced at him with an unreadable expression but said nothing.

Miss Anderson retrieved a whiteboard marker and began scribbling words on the board. A feeling of uneasiness washed around me. Another lesson that wasn't chemistry, how ironic.

"It has been found that different people have a different level of tolerance in similar cases of pain." She said, turning back to the class. No one said a word. No one wrote in their books. Everyone knew this information was pointless but Miss Andersons eyes were lit with excitement over the topic.