CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
[34]
song: cry little sister by gerard mcmann
THE KISSES WERE SLOPPY, but Daisy didn't mind. It had been too long since she had felt Kai's lips on hers, and she wasn't in the mood to be picky. They were both just as eager as one another to touch again, and it showed.
She climbed on top of him, straddling his lap as his strong hands held held her back. He brought a hand to her jaw and tilted her head to the side, as he brought his kisses down to her neck, and she felt shivers down her spine at his touch.
Kai began to lean down onto the couch of Daisy's living room, as no one was home at the time, but Daisy stops kissing. She opens her eyes, glancing over to the front door as there was a knock.
"Who is that?" She says, not really asking, more like speaking out loud.
"Leave it." Kai says, leaning towards her and connecting their lips again.
Daisy soon began to kiss back, but stopped again when the knock repeated. She sighed, and began to get off Kai's lap, but he grabbed her arm and stopped her. "It's fine." He nodded, leaning towards her again.
"I can't just ignore it." Daisy scoffs, grabbing her shirt off the ground, and putting it on as she approached her front door, the full moon shining through the windows as she passed by.
Daisy opened the door. Carol stood on her front porch, her skin pale and yellowed, an open gash was displayed on the side of her head, as blood drained from her head.
Daisy felt like an invisible hand had clasped over her mouth. An equally ghostly hypodermic of adrenaline pierced her heart, unloading in an instant. She felt her ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate her lungs.
"Did you know I had just got accepted to Vanderbilt University the night I was killed?" Carol asked, her eyes glossed over and lifeless. "And now I'm six feet underground and my family thinks I was so wasted that I fell and hit my head on the sink."
Daisy shook uncontrollably, backing up slowly as it felt like Carol was only getting closer. "I didn't— I didn't want this—" Daisy didn't even register the words coming from her mouth. She glanced over to the living room, there was no trace of Kai.
She turned back to Carol, only to find Jenna Silvey standing in her place, throat slit, skin decayed and falling apart. Jenna flung her arms out towards Daisy to grab her, and Daisy opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Daisy spun around to get away, to find Tommy stood in front of her, not letting a second pass before he plunged a knife in her stomach.
—
Daisy awoke with a gasp, swallowing for air. She flung herself up in her bed as she panted quickly, looking around at her bedroom to try and regain a hint of reality.
She held her stomach, and slowly looked down to view if there was actually a stab wound, just like she had every morning for the past three weeks.
Daisy took a deep breath to attempt to calm herself down, then buried her head in her palms, trying to tell herself that it was just a dream.
As she lifted her head back up, she glanced over to her window. The blinds were closed, they had been for a while now. But morning sun shined through each crack. Daisy wondered if Kai's were closed, too.
They hadn't spoken since that night. She hadn't really spoken to anyone, besides her mom and a few detectives. She'd gone in for questioning twice, but not as a suspect, they were talking to every girl there that night. School had been cancelled because of the 'incident', as they called it, but it was everyone's first day back today.
A knock came from her door, and her mother quietly walked in. "I made breakfast." She said kindly. Susan looked at her daughter cautiously, knowing that she'd been shaken up for a while now. Daisy nodded a bit, and Susan's eyes grew soft. "You don't have to go today if you don't feel like it." She said.
Daisy shook her head. "No, I need to go." She said. "I think if I stay in this room any longer I'll get worse." She laughed it off, but Susan just watched her worriedly. "I'll be down in a minute." Daisy shrugged a bit.
Susan nodded, before closing the door and leaving. As soon as the door shut Daisy laid back down in her bed and closed her eyes. She felt dead inside. Her tongue felt dry. Her throat felt as if someone thrust a handful of itching powder inside. Her eyes were scruffy.
But she somehow got herself out of bed, leaving the comfort of those heavy blankets and soft pillows. She walked into her bathroom, turning the light on and looking in the mirror.
Daisy stood there, sunken eyes staring back at her. The makeup was gone from her face, her hair was frizzed, and she wore years-old pajamas. She fell forward, catching herself on the porcelain sink and bowed her head, shoulders shaking. A sense of deja vu swept over her, as the ghosts of her past paraded around her and within her, a sneaky reminder of all the nights she had spent here, struggling to keep breathing when her entire body seemed to sag with exhaustion and numbed agony. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, put on an old sweatshirt and big baggy jeans and called it good.
Daisy took one last glance in the mirror, bags protruding under her tired restless eyes. She inhaled deeply, and slowly. "You're gonna be fine." She told herself, then straightened her posture, before leaving her bedroom and going downstairs.
—
THREE WEEKS AGO
— THE NIGHT OF CAROL'S DEATH —
Kai parked his car in the driveway, and turned it off. He lingered in his seat for a while, thinking. He closed his eyes and concentrated, where did he go wrong?
As he got out of his car, he looked up to Daisy's window. She stood in her bedroom and watched him, she didn't look away when they met eyes. They looked at each other and her eyes were tell enough— she shut the blinds.
He slammed his car door shut. "Fuck." He let out, rubbing his eyes. This wasn't what he wanted. Not at all.
Kai turned to his house, the lights were on, unusual from this time of night. He lugged himself up to the front door, using his key to open it, and as soon as he did, his ears were filled with yelling and crying.
He narrowed his eyebrows in confusion, as Josette sat at the dinner table, her eyes puffy and her cheeks stained with tears. His mother, Diana, stood behind her with an equal amount of tears as his father paced back and fourth, "Where did we go wrong?!" He yelled.
Kai shut the door behind him, and tossed his keys on the table. Everyone looked up at the sound, and not a second passed before Joshua charged towards Kai. "What is wrong with you, boy?!" Joshua yells, grabbing Kai's jacket collar and shoving him against the front door. Kai felt the back of his head hit the door, hard, and he let out a grunt. "Huh!?" Joshua yells, getting up in Kai's face and jerking his collar.
"Joshua!" Diana yells, rushing towards her husband and son.
"What have you done to that girl?!" Joshua yells, his voice coarse, he jerks Kai's collar again and Kai turns his head away and squeezes his eyes shut, in an attempt to minimize the pain.
"Joshua, get off him!" Diana says in a frantic voice, yanking Joshua off his son.
Joshua stumbled back, but his rage never left his face as he stared down at Kai. Who stayed against the door with his eyes shut, panicked at the sudden yelling.
Kai didn't open his eyes, he didn't want to, he thought maybe it would make it easier to deal with what was coming. He heard Josette sobbing from the kitchen, and he opened them, watching as she shakily stood up from the table.
"What did you tell them? Huh?" Kai says, his emotions changing quickly from scared to angry as he pushed past his parents and towards his twin.
Josette's eyes widen and she backed up in fear. "You killed her!" Josette cried. "You killed her I know it!"
Kai felt a right hand wrap around his arm as he was held back by his father, but his eyes stayed glued on Josette. "Yeah, I did." He spit angrily. Josette knew, but it was just as terrifying to hear him say it.
Kai pulled out of Joshua's grip and stumbled back, breathing heavily as he looked at his family, who was horrified of him. Joshua was enraged, but he kept his distance, and a hand held out in front of him to be cautious. Diana couldn't even look at Kai, she stood behind Joshua and had a hand over her mouth as she cried. Kai felt completely in control, and it felt good.
"You killed Jenna, too." Josette said, making Kai turn to face her again. "And Tommy."
Kai tilted his head to the side, the corner of his mouth lifting into a subtle skirt. He sucked his teeth before speaking, "I can't take credit for Tommy." He said. Josette narrowed her eyebrows, but realization plastered her face, then fear, then terror.
"Why?" Josette cried, shaking her head.
"She needed to do it. She wanted to." Kai spoke eagerly. "I just had to guide her—"
Kai felt a hand slap his face so hard it might as well have been a punch. He fell back onto the floor, clasping onto his cheek as his eyes began to water.
He looked up to see his father standing above him with wide, angry eyes. "She didn't want to do anything, boy! You did this—"
"I did it for her!" Kai screams, so loud, his body shook and spit flew from his mouth. Joshua stood back. "She needs me!" Tears began to stream down Kai's cheeks, his whole face turned red, and he screamed at the very top of his lungs. His upper body and shoulders wrack with every sob that forces their way out, chest rising and falling unevenly as he gasps for breath, and he squeezes his eyes shut, balling his hands into fists each time he throws his head back to let out a blood curdling scream. Kai fell back over to the ground, completely losing every ounce of support of his body as he let out every emotion he had been suppressing all these years.
The house began to shake from the magic that seemed to spew from Kai's cries. His chin trembled as if he was a small child. He breathed heavier than he ever had before. Pictures fell from the walls, and glass shattered throughout the house as things fell from shelves. He was gasping for air that simply wasn't there. His throat burned forming a silent scream. Is this what crying felt like? A part of him dying inside yet, there was relief.