Alive at Sunset (Rituals of the Night Series Book 2) (17 page)

BOOK: Alive at Sunset (Rituals of the Night Series Book 2)
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“I’m so sorry, Luna,” Amanda whispered in her ear as she continued to hold onto her like she was a precious gem. Luna was hardly even aware of her roommate’s presence in that moment.

Luna felt the tears bubbling in her eyes and the sorrow burning her throat like a corrosive acid. Without meaning to, she let out a sob. No tears came out with it, but after that, there was no holding it in. She started crying into Amanda’s shoulders, and Amanda rubbed her back comfortingly.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at Chance anymore, to look at his cold, mocking gaze. It hurt her to know that someone hated her so much that they fed on her misery. He meant it when he said he wanted her to suffer. The only thing she didn’t understand was why it was her that he targeted. Why was it her that he hated so much that he was willing to risk everything to ruin her life?

                           
Chapter Twenty-Eight

 

L
una got the tears to stop flowing a little while before Chance left. She was mad at herself for letting him see how sad she truly was; it was what he fed on. It was the purpose of his existence. Max had been important to her, and Chance knew that. He knew that without Max, she was vulnerable. She had no special knowledge, and she had no way of obtaining it.

              He would hold onto his secret forever.

The thought that after all Max had lived through, he still ended up murdered was more than she could handle. She felt as if it was her fault, if she would’ve come to her senses she would’ve been able to help. All Max had done in his last few days on Earth was try to get her to listen to him, and she had ignored his pleas.

Luna could feel her tears soaking the pillow beneath her. Her break from crying had only been temporary. She wondered how long it would be until she stopped crying permanently. A light knock on the door drew her attention suddenly. She sniffled, wiping at her face with the back of her hand as she noticed Amanda in the doorway.

“Hey, how are you holding up?” she asked softly.

Luna looked up at her. “I-I’m fine,” she said quickly.

Amanda frowned. “It’s okay to be sad sometimes, Luna. You don’t have to be strong all the time.”

Luna sighed. “I know.”

Amanda sat down on the bed beside her. “Talk to me.”

“It’s just…I miss him so much,” she said softly. “I ignored him that last week –and he paid for it.”

“What do you mean, Luna?” she asked.

“I could’ve helped him.”

Amanda frowned. “Max’s death wasn’t your fault, he was murdered.”

If only she knew.
“Max knew who wanted to hurt him, and I did nothing,” Luna said.

“Who is it, Luna?” Amanda asked, looking into her eyes anxiously.

Luna broke the gaze as she looked down at her hands. “It doesn’t matter.”

Amanda sighed. “Bottling your emotions isn’t good for you.”

“Neither is expressing yourself.”

“I know you’re having a hard time with this,” Amanda said, “but lashing out against me doesn’t help either of us.”

“I-it’s just that I-he…” Luna stuttered.

“What is it?” Amanda asked.

“All the time I knew him, I never told him that I loved him,” Luna said, and the cascade of tears began to flow again.

Amanda pulled her small friend into her arms and stroked her hair gently. “I’m sure he had an idea. You guys were so close.”

We were close for all the wrong reasons.

Amanda hummed gently as she rocked Luna. Luna sobbed until her eyes burned and her throat felt too tight to breathe. Amanda held her at arm’s length as she looked at her carefully.

“Do you want something to eat?” she asked.

Luna shook her head. “I’m not hungry, Mandy.”

“Come on, some food on your stomach will make you feel better,” she insisted, standing to her feet.

Luna didn’t protest as her friend grasped her hand and pulled her gently down the hallway. Luna sat on the couch that Amanda and Chance had shared earlier, feeling hollower than she had before. She felt unstable and weak, she was almost positive she was ready to throw up. She knew that any food that Amanda could give her would only push her stomach over the edge.

Amanda was moving about in the kitchen, making considerable noise as she clattered pots and dishes around. The way her stomach was balled up, she knew she couldn’t get anything to go in even if she tried. She felt like she was ready to crack. In that moment, she knew that the time to talk had finally come.

“Amanda, I’m wondering. Do you want to know about my past?” Luna asked.

The sounds of dishes stopped instantly as Amanda came into the living room. She stood there precariously as she eyed Luna from the entrance of the kitchen. It seemed as if she was deciding if Luna had said that or not.

“Are you finally willing to tell me about it?” she asked hopefully, and her eyes looked bright with interest.

“Yes, I’ll tell you, but on one condition,” Luna said, looking at her friend and roommate full in the face. She didn’t like leading her on like a mule with a carrot, but she was being as stubborn as one.

“What’s that?” Amanda asked as she sat beside Luna. She clutched her hand comfortingly as she waited for her to speak.

“You have to believe me when I say Chance is dangerous,” Luna whispered, hoping her words wouldn’t enrage Amanda again. She avoided eye contact; she didn’t want to see the mood swing on her face.

Amanda instantly pulled her hand away from Luna. “Wait, you’re saying
my
Chance is dangerous? Are you still on that?” she asked, scoffing. Instantly, she folded her arms over her chest. “This is about Max, isn’t it? You
do
think he’s responsible.”

Luna nodded -her expression didn’t change any. She knew she would upset Amanda again, but it was far too important.

“What’s the matter with you? I mean, didn’t you
see
him? He’s so gorgeous and kind! Why do you have such a problem with him? How in the world would
you
know if he’s dangerous? You don’t know anything about him,” she snapped.

Amanda was obviously determined to stay stubborn. She didn’t understand the things that Luna was feeling. Her attitude reminded Luna a lot of Violet, almost to the point it brought tears to her eyes. Luna knew that story hadn’t ended well. She hoped that moment wasn’t a veiled warning of things to come for Amanda.

“Remember my weekly hospital visits?” Luna asked.

Amanda looked confused at the sudden subject change. “The ones about your aunt?”

Luna shook her head. “The aunt thing was a lie. I was visiting Chance. Did he tell you that he just woke up from a coma?”

“You’re completely mental!” Amanda gushed.

“Am I? Has he showed you where he lives yet?” Luna asked.

“We’ve been on a couple dates, he doesn’t have to show me anything!”

“Or it’s because he doesn’t have a home,” Luna pointed out.

“I wanna be patient with you because I know you’re going through a lot right now, but you better be going somewhere with this.”

“Look, my dad died after he woke up from his coma. That room…that empty one had been his for three years,” Luna said.

“Are you saying Chance killed your father?” Amanda asked, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying! The pieces fit if you had them all. Would you be willing to read something for me?” Luna asked her. “It’s important.”

“What do you want me to read?” Amanda asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Luna got up and went to her room without answering her. She pulled out her black leather bound notebook from its hiding place under her mattress. Luna stared at it for a long moment, pouring her hope into it. She knew it was a long shot letting Amanda read it (letting
anyone
read it), but what else could she do? The newspaper clipping about Chance would be hard to ignore.

She had to have faith that Amanda would see sense. She needed to get her to understand that she wasn’t safe around him. Chance lured people in with a false sense of security. It didn’t help that he had made it even more difficult by pretending he didn’t know her. She knew she could outthink him. Luna liked to think she was smarter than him even though he was willing to take more risks.

The rabbit would outsmart the fox.

With the book tucked under her arm, she went back to where Amanda was waiting. Amanda didn’t seem as seething as she had been when Luna left. Her lips were pressed into a slight frown that lightened slightly when her eyes caught sight of Luna’s book. Luna stood in front of her and went to hand her the notebook but stopped mid-movement.

“In this book are all the bad things that happened to me a few years ago. It’s the sum of my complete misery. You’ll see for yourself that I
do
know Chance…even if he acts otherwise. Please read all of it,” she said feeling that the desperation in her words might actually get through to her.

“But-“ Amanda said.

“Don’t argue with me right now.” Luna cut her off feeling suddenly short. All she wanted was for Amanda to listen to her. “Read this book, cover to cover.
Then
t
e
ll me how you feel. Will you promise me that much?”

Amanda looked ready to argue again, but she must’ve caught the sad, defeated look on Luna’s face and thought otherwise. She swallowed the argument that had been growing up in her throat.

“Okay, I promise I’ll read it. Now let me see it,” Amanda said, eyes on the book in Luna’s hand.

Luna stared at the notebook one more time. Part of her still felt it was a bad idea to let her read it, but it was her last weapon. She pushed that feeling away before she passed the book to Amanda. She was passing her hope with it. Amanda took it carefully and then looked up at Luna.

“Do you really want me to read all of this now?” she asked suddenly as if she was reconsidering.

“Yes, please, Mandy,” Luna said. Couldn’t she understand how important it was? Didn’t she want to know why Luna was always so jumpy? When Lucky died, all she had done was bug Luna about talking. Luna was ready to open up, but Amanda didn’t seem like she wanted to hear it.

How did Chance manage to work his way into the depths of people’s minds so easily?

Amanda nodded and set the book on her lap. She studied the cover before she opened it and began reading. Time passed with neither of them speaking as Amanda read, and Luna thought. Luna stared at the top of the blonde girl’s head, wondering what thoughts were running through it.

The only thing Luna could think about was the book in her roommate’s hands. What would Amanda think about it when she got to the end? She had been awful quiet so far; Luna thought for sure she would’ve had tons of questions. Luna couldn’t help but wonder if she would believe it or deny it completely. Would she help Luna get rid of Chance once and for all or still insist that he was innocent?

Luna held her breath, waiting for her to finish reading. She felt the worst anxiety of her life. She knew that her life was literally in Amanda’s hands. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was how Max felt when he was trying to warn Luna about Chance. After about a half an hour, Amanda finished reading. She closed the book and stared at the black cover for a long time before she looked up at Luna. Judging by the look on her face, it was obvious she was thinking.

Amanda looked surprised and oddly sad. “So, you’re saying this really happened to you?” she asked Luna finally.

Luna nodded. “Every word of it. I kept the newspaper clippings along the way as proof I was still sane.”

“I remember the news stories of those missing girls, the serial killer of Lima! That was a big deal for a few weeks. That Violet girl was too. I thought she died in a hunting accident?” Amanda said, brow furrowed in thought. “That’s what the news said anyways.”

Luna shook her head. “They had no idea why she died. As you read, her death was no accident. Max had to make something up in order to keep himself from being charged.”

“Wow, that’s heavy,” Amanda breathed. “I’m so sorry.”

There was that line again. That line that she hated more than anything else.

“Do you believe what I’ve written?” Luna asked, feeling deeply grim for her answer. If Amanda didn’t believe her book, then there was nothing else she could do.

That book was her last resort.

“I do believe it,” Amanda said.

Luna perked up instantly as she listened. “Even the part about Chance?” she asked.

“That’s the only part that I have a question about,” Amanda said slowly as if she was unsure of speaking her mind.

“Okay, what’s your question?” Luna asked, trying her best to not feel defeated. How could she possibly see past what Luna had written?

“If Chance really was behind everything that happened to you, why is he acting like he doesn’t know you?” Amanda asked.

“He’s trying to trick you because he knows he can, Amanda,” Luna said, not caring if she took that as an insult or not. “He’s smart, really smart, and he’s manipulative. He knows that I can’t tell you what he’s done to me before if you don’t think we ever met.”

Amanda was silent for a minute.

Luna gritted her teeth. She had the proof in her skin. “Want to see proof of what he did?”

Amanda tilted her head to one side, looking unsure.

Luna swallowed heavily as she grabbed the edge of her shirt and lifted it to expose her stomach. A heavy purple scar marred the porcelain skin. Amanda merely stared at it without a word.

“That’s from Chance’s dagger,” Luna said.

“You know what it seems like to me?” Amanda asked, biting her lip and peering up at her.

“What?” Luna asked as she dropped her shirt.

“You wrote that he lost his memory at the end. It seems to me that it’s still gone,” Amanda said.

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