Chapter Twenty Six

Water. Hot, steamy, water. How many showers? How many showers did it take to scrub off the stained blood of a dead man that was lodged in every nook and cranny my body had?

The answer was one, but it lasted over an hour.

A whole day and a whole night after I had done the thing—murder—with my brother.

I scrubbed my wet hair repeatedly with the towel in the mirror, not really noticing the reflection. The woman standing beside a smear of Justin's blood in the mirror smiled at me, her eyes holding a familiar cold and black glint behind them. I drew my hand to my raised cheek that was pulled tight in a grin, like the Cheshire cat. Confirming that what I was feeling was what I was seeing. That woman was in fact me.

I was more me than I ever had been. More myself than ever. For the first time in my fucking life, I felt like I belonged. I finally belonged within my actual self.

It was the real me.

Unhidden.

I was radiant. A radiant killer?

"Twister Rellik," I muttered to myself. Twisted Killer. The name I had made for myself all those years ago.

I knew who I was the second I took the lives of my parents. They were never the same after what I had done to my sister. I mean…I only wanted my parents to myself, was that so hard to ask for? They didn't have time for me any more—they didn"t love me any more. What is it about younger siblings?

They take everything away from me.

The memory of my childhood struck my mind like it was yesterday. My parents had found me in my room covered in blood…with my sister's head in my lap, and her body on the floor. After that, I knew for certain my parents didn't love me. They tried getting rid of me by any means possible. Beating me into the ground never worked—it was just fuel to my fire. Bleach though…well, that fucked me up, and nearly killed me. Fried my insides, and my brain. So I killed them too—which wasn't easy by the way. You'd be surprised how much of that stuff you need to flood the veins of a 120-kilogram man.

I had no one. And then the twins found me…the fucking twins. Do you know how hard it was to separate them? That was my hardest secret to keep—loving one more than the other. They both loved me more than anyone ever had. I felt normal again. They didn't think I was weird. They didn"t want me dead. Until one of them did, and then he stopped loving me…and his unborn child.

A tear threatened to leave my eye, but I flicked it away before it had the chance and threw my towel on the floor. I walked out of the ensuite to my wardrobe, pushing aside the knot in my chest. I jolted, not expecting to see Roe on my bed.

"Fuck—you dick. You scared me."

"What are you doing in my house? Come to rescue this old damsel for her birthday?"

"Nope." His eyes wandered my body. Here we go again…another threat up his sleeve, no doubt. The broken record was getting old. He sat there with his arms crossed, staring, not doing a damn fucking thing.

"Take a picture, why don't you? It'll last longer," I snarled and pressed my tits together with my tongue out.

"Okay." He shrugged and pulled his phone out for a quick snap. I tuttered with an eye roll before continuing to my clothes."Do you feel better now?" His voice pitched up a notch to reach me across the other side of the room.

"You mean, do I feel better after killing someone…again?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Yeah," I mimicked him, adding a little sass to my tone. I walked back out, throwing what I collected from my wardrobe onto the bed and pulling out a G-string from my bedside drawer. I put it on and turned my attention to a crumpling sound, like paper unfolding from a scrunched ball. Roe was unfolding something in his hand.I knew exactly what it was—how in the fuck did he find it?

That fucking article.

"How many's that now—" Roe snarled, anger lacing in his tone and his eyes suddenly pure black, which shifted to look right past me before he continued. "—Blaire?" he added bluntly. My heart fell to my stomach. I don't think he's messing around this time.

And if the timing couldn't have been any fucking worse, who was the silhouette to fill the door behind me? Drip.

Fuck. How long had he been there?

"What do you mean, how many?" he asked nervously.

"Wait!" I wailed, quickly throwing the shirt over my head.

"The name, Phantom…really lived up to his name didn't he?" Roe teased. I swallowed hard, snatching the article from his hand. Shredding it in my hands and dwindled to the floor.

"What does he mean, Twister?" Drip demanded. My stomach was in knots, and my throat was not swallowing the ball of tension.

"Roe," I objected, shaking my head.

"Oh, but yes. He deserves to know doesn't he?"

"Please."

"I deserve to know what? Twister?"Drip's face was pale and low. It was almost like he had already worked it out…but didn't want to accept.

"Tell him or I will," Roe threatened immensely, my face was now pure fucking terror. I couldn't tell him. I can't.

I won't.

He will never love me again.

He"s mine. I"m his. It was supposed to be just us forever.

"I-I-I…" I stuttered. A single tear pooled at the base of my eye and fell down my cheek, and then another. Which Drip only copied.

"Deserve to know what?" he pressed, the tone of his voice already heaving with hatred for me. My heart pounded like it was about to climb up out of my chest. This is it. This is the end of us. Just as we began.

I closed my eyes and sighed. One. Two. Three. Only the sound of my heartbeat thumping in my skull told me that I was still alive. A moment of self solitude passed and something inside me suddenly switched. Darkness. Emptiness. Isolation. I opened my eyes, looking at Drip, then Roe.

"Fine. Have it your way."

Without even hesitating, I stepped closer, feeling the heat of fear that was radiating from Drip, then parted my lips, curling them slightly. All emotion fled out the door. I looked right down the barrel of my brother's soul, who was on the brinks of tears.

"I. Killed. Cole."

I swallowed the lump that had swelled in my throat and took one step back, and another, and then bolted. Leaving every memory, every emotion, every kiss, every smell, every "I love you" behind.

I never looked back.