Page 26 of If They Knew

He sounds just as confused as the rest of us. Kelly looks up at Tyler and stares at him for a beat, frowning, then shakes her head and refocuses on John. She twists his ear viciously, and he yelps and jerks his head, scrabbling against the floor to get away from her. I have to put a stop to this.

“Ok, Kelly, that’s enough, he’s learned his lesson. You can let him go.” I keep my voice calm and low, almost like I am trying not to spook a scared animal. Granted, I don’t know the woman very well, but I’ve never seen her act like this before. From the look on my brother's face, this is new to him too. It’s almost like she is someone else entirely.

She looks at me, and I blink at the expression on her face. It’s almost like she’s staring through me. “This guy's not going to keep acting like he’s some hotshot leader.” Her voice is calm and deadly at the same time. “All this asshole does is talk down to everyone like he is something almighty. He needs to be put in his place.” She’s breathing slowly and steady, but the look in her eyes is almost feral, dangerous. No one in the room moves or makes a sound.

“I understand that,” I say, stepping toward her. “But Logan and I will take care of that, okay?” From the corner of my eye, I see Tyler nodding in agreement, then I catch movement behind Kelly and see John rise up quickly, taking a swing toward Kelly.

“Babe, look out, behind you!” Tyler shouts. Kelly turns around and ducks just a second before John’s fist sails past her cheek, nearly hitting her. Gasps sound in the room as Kelly rears back and then stands up straight. She looks at John, from his face to his fist, like she can’t believe he tried to hit her. I can't believe he swung at her.

“Ok, John, you need to step away now,” I cut in, and nudge Tyler on the shoulder. “Help me out, bro–”

“Don't you fucking threaten my family again,” says Kelly in an unusually calm voice that sends a chill down my spine. Family? Again?

John looks at her then laughs, suddenly spitting blood across her face. “Get out of my face, you stupid whore.” He shoves her to the side as he begins to walk back to the serving table.

What looks like a dark cloud passes over Kelly’s face as she looks around her, scanning the table. Her eyes land on a fork and she grabs it, then runs after John. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion at this moment. Before any of us can stop her, she launches herself on his back, wraps an arm around his face, and viciously starts stabbing him repeatedly in the neck. John screams, grabbing at her from behind, yanking a handful of her hair as he wrenches his body, trying to throw her off. A few others in the crowd scream, and the sound spurs Tyler and me into motion.

Tyler grabs Kelly and pulls her off John, all the while she shouts, “Fuck you, asshole. I hope you rot in hel–”

Kelly is silenced when John's body flails and his foot connects with her head, knocking her out cold. John slumps to the floor, and I grab a few linen napkins from the table and press them tightly to his neck. Kelly's body is limp in Tyler’s arms.

“Somebody get Mary!” I press my hands to the wound on John’s neck. He stares up at me and the linen on his neck blooms into a deep crimson stain. “I’m so sorry, John. I don’t…” I can’t think of anything to say as he looks up at me, blood gurgling from his mouth. He blinks at me, then tries to speak, but cannot get any words out. He shudders out a breath, then slumps back onto the floor. I look up and see the others in the room, utterly shocked by what just happened.

Then, when I look over at Kelly, she’s conscious again. Tyler is stroking her hair and speaking softly in her ear. She stares at me with tears in her eyes, almost with a scared look. Then she looks away, snuggling back into Tyler's arms. How am I going to fix this?

I look down at John’s lifeless body. I’m too stunned to comprehend exactly what happened. I lay his body down and walk over to Kelly and Tyler. I gently grab Kelly by the hand. “Come with me.” Her entire mood has changed from a few minutes ago. Then I glance over at Julie, who looks equally shocked. “Come with us, Julie,” I tell her. “Tyler, can you track down Logan and Mary and meet us in the Stardust Lounge?”

“What are you doing, Theo?” Tyler asks, putting an arm out to stop me.

“Babe, I’ll be fine,” Kelly says. Her gaze falls on John's body. “Not again,” she whispers so quietly I almost didn't hear her. Again? I don't say anything else to her. Tyler doesn’t argue any longer, and he heads out the door.

I look at the crowd that is still standing, staring at John's body. “Can a group of you please clean all this up. Toss John's body overboard like we did with the others.”

“She can't get away with this!” shouts someone from the back, followed by many others screaming too.

“We will handle this. I know everyone is upset, but we need to just–”

“Just what?” Brent asks from the back of the room.

“Just clean this up, then everyone goes back to their rooms or finds something to do. Logan and I will sort everything else out.”

“I’m sure Logan will know exactly what to do,” Brent says, a smirk dancing on the edge of his lips.

16

THEO

A couple of months ago, the leaders decided that a private meeting area would be a good idea. The Stardust Lounge stood out because it has doors that can be closed and windows that let in natural light. Additionally, it's the only lounge on the ship with access to a small, exclusive outdoor patio, which keeps the air fresh and prevents the lounge from becoming musty due to poor airflow.

Julie, Kelly, and I are seated at a large round marble table in the center of the room, waiting for Logan, Tyler, and Mary to arrive. The silence is unbearable. Kelly's leg bounces nervously, causing the seat she is in to rattle, which is going to make me lose my mind. Her face is streaked with dried blood, tears, and snot. Every few minutes, she pauses, and then when I think it’s all over, that fucking leg starts up again. I can tell she is nervous because, in addition to the nonstop bouncing, she also keeps picking at the skin around her thumbnail. Julie reaches out to touch her leg, which is either an attempt to help calm Kelly down, or it’s annoying her as much as it is me.

The touch must have worked because Kelly’s leg goes still, and suddenly Julie is holding her tightly as Kelly starts to sob uncontrollably.

As Julie rubs her back, I hear her whisper, “Everything's going to be okay.” I can’t help but think for a moment about how wonderful a mother Julie would be. She is so nurturing. A moment later, Kelly's face lifts. Her eyebrows shoot up, and her eyes dart to Julie.

“How can you say that? Look around, Julie—we're lying in our own grave, and nobody's going to dig us out. I just killed a man!” Before Julie or I can respond, the lounge doors fling open, and Mary, Logan, and Tyler walk in.

“What took you so long?” I ask, irritated. Tyler rushes over to Kelly, who is still in a state of panic.