Page 39 of Written In Flesh

Madden

THERE’S A NOTHINGNESS that exists in the water once I dive into it, pushing my body deep and cutting through the surface. The tranquility of swimming does everything to calm the storm that’s been brewing inside me for the past few days. For the past few years, if I’m being honest, and that is part of the reason why I push myself when I’m here. With my muscles screaming and my body bone tired, it gives my brain fewer chances to think, to analyze. With the calm from the water around me I can let go of the pretense that I have all the answers.

With one more lap to go, out of the twenty-five I’ve swum tonight, I start to feel it. The tingles on my spine, crawling on my skin. I’m not alone in the pool anymore. At the end of the lane, I bob up, lifting my goggles and glance around.

“Lily?”

Her body is sitting on the far edge, her feet dangling in the water. Her blonde hair falls around her shoulders, and I don’t miss the way her cheeks pinken when I say her name.

“What are you doing here? Is everything okay?” I ask, using my arms to haul myself out of the water and grabbing my towel that I had laid over the railing.

I can feel her eyes tracing over the muscles of my abs and up until she’s meeting my gaze. Her small shoulders shrug.

“I just thought maybe you’d want some company.”

My brow rises and I sort of feel like a dick for demanding to know why she’s here. We’ve been friends for years, and I’m used to Lily always being around. She’s been part of the group for as long as I can remember. She’s quiet most of the time, unless she gets going on about the latest book she read or our work on the council. This isn’t the first time she’s sought me out, but it is the first time she’s showed up at the pool when I’m by myself. Everyone else seems to know that if I’m here alone it’s because I need it. I need the solitude and the force of the weightlessness of the pool to calm the dark mood inside me.

“Oh,” is all I manage to say, my hand coming to run through my wet hair. Truthfully, I’m not in the mood to hang out, and the last thing I want to do is hurt my friend. “Well, I can get dried off and change quick.”

Her face seems to fall, and there’s a small flicker of something in her eyes before it disappears just as quickly.

“I was hoping we could hang out,” she answers tentatively, slowly getting to her feet, and for the first time I realize the light pink dress she’s wearing is almost see-through. The straps of a black bikini wrap around her neck.

“My coach will kill me if I let unauthorized personnel in the pool after hours,” I automatically say, and feel like a jerk when her face falls. “Let’s all grab breakfast tomorrow morning. I’ll drive you back to your place,” I tack on real quick, hoping to ease the disappointment on her face. If she’s going through something, the last thing I want to do is hurt her.

“Okay,” she manages, and her eyes lift to mine again. A weighted silence stretches between us for a few seconds.

“I’m going to get washed off and changed. I’ll meet you right back here in five,” I tell her, pointing to the locker rooms right behind me. Lily gives me a small smile, and I walk away, trying to ignore the burning way her eyes trail over my naked back.

The locker room echoes with every footstep I take, and I can’t shake the feeling I’m being watched. I’m the only one in here, and Lily is outside. She’d be too shy to come in here, and I wouldn’t ask her to in the first place. Still, my eyes close, and I push my shadows out, letting them wander the space, feeling around for the reason I’m on edge. As if sensing nothing, they just as quickly melt back into my body. My hand reaches for my phone in my locker and see the first message from Aero then one from Heath on my screen.

AERO: Skully is at the cemetery.

HEATH: Don’t get pissed….

I don’t even need to see the rest of my little bro’s message to know I’m already pissed. What is she doing there? And why the hell is she with them? Skipping the shower, I quickly dry off and throw my clothes back on, intent on getting to the cemetery as soon as possible. My fingers itch to respond to them both, demanding answers, but the chaos in my chest is only propelling me to get to her faster. It’s not until I’m back in the main hall and see the lone figure waiting on me that I remember I said I’d bring Lily back. Shit. The cemetery is in the opposite direction of her home.

My jaw grinds. “Lil, I have to get to the cemetery. Something came up. Can I drop you off at your parents’ house instead?”

The blue in her eyes darkens for a second and then she gives me a smile, her bottom lip wobbling slightly. “Oh, ah, I guess I could walk home. My parents aren’t home, and I don’t like being alone there.”

I forgot for a second that the house is often too big and empty for her. It’s why she chose to live on campus with us even when her family had preferred she stayed at their estate. My hand runs through my hair while thinking of how else I can make this work.

“Can’t I come with you?” she asks, stepping closer to me, her hand landing on my arm.

Touching me isn’t new for Lily. I consider her like a younger sister and have given her hugs over the years. But there’s something weird about the last few times she’s had her hands on me, that feeling usually surfacing when I’ve been around Skully, or like now when I’m thinking about Skully. My skin feels tight, like it wants to physically reject Lily’s hand on me.

I gently step back, out of her reach, and shoot her a small grin. “Guess you’ll just have to come with.” Her eyes light up and I ignore the way my shadows tense in my veins.

My mind zones out as we walk to my car and get in. The entire drive through campus and into the sprawling edges and cliffs and through town, Lily chatters next to me. Usually I’d listen and placate her, but tonight I can only focus on one thing. Seeing Skully again. My foot taps on the gas, pushing harder, until I’m way past the speed limit and not caring at all. The normal path into the cemetery is right ahead and I take it, driving into the trees until we reach the clearing. Heath’s motorcycle sits near the gate. All three of them turn to look at me as I park, but my gaze never leaves her.

Climbing out of the driver seat, I catch the last part of her sentence, her dark eyes flashing at my best friend as she calls him a tattletale. My lips twitch as he shrugs, gaping at her almost while his eyes dance with amusement. Their antics remind me of the past and that is enough to wipe the last shred of emotion off my face because of course she doesn’t remember what it was like between her and Aero. He wasn’t just my friend; he was hers as well.

“Start talking now, bro.” I flick my eyes to Heath and watch his hazel eyes flash before narrowing.

“Were you at the pool? Did you even shower first?” Aero asks, and I ignore him.

“This isn’t on him,” Skully jumps in, defending Heath, and angling her body so that she’s almost protecting him. Heath’s eyes widen, and he shoots her a look at the back of her head before glancing at me, raising his hands in the air. I’m tempted to laugh at his terror for a second, but I can’t keep my focus off the girl in front of me. “My dad reached out and said I had to start earning my keep. I simply ran into Heath before you, and I asked him what that meant. He told me what you guys do here.”