"So I do nothing? I just keep walking around, possibly talking to the killer without knowing it?" "Ignorance can be bliss, or in your case, your lifeline." "How can you analyze all this so well? How can you know what he's going to do?" Mason sighed. "Because that’s what I would do." -Mason- "No." His gaze met mine. "Someday I will tell you my story when we have eliminated your hunter and we are out of this place." "Is that a promise?" "I'm not a man of promises; I just say what I'll do, and that's it." "It's good to know that you're so convinced about catching the killer." I crossed my arms over my chest. "But why? Why are you helping me, Mason? What do you get out of this?" "Aside from the fun of watching this game between you and the murderer, I do hope to get a deal with the prosecution that put me here." "A deal?" "Yes, when you collaborate on a case as urgent as that of a serial killer, you can ask for things in return." "But the police don't know that you
Mason's words echoed in my mind: "If you have any intention of surviving, you have to be smart, think with a cool head." Maybe I never saw him; the killer couldn't have known that I wouldn't remember him. It was impossible for him to know for sure; no matter how many sedatives he used on me, nothing could give him the assurance that I would wake up and not remember some detail of his face to reveal his identity. "Didn't I see you, monster?" "Has your face never been revealed to me? And in this way, you can be close to me without me knowing." "Who are you?" "Well, the time has come." Jasmine didn't bother to hide the sadness in her voice, and I didn't blame her; I was fighting the lump in my throat. We both stopped in front of the main door of the psychiatric hospital; a taxi was waiting outside to take her to the airport. She had insisted on staying a little longer, but she had already missed a month of school. I couldn't allow myself to complicate her life like that; I would n
Émilie's face lit up. "Do you speak Korean?" Yang-zi nodded shyly. "Can you teach me? I love Korean dramas; my dream is to be able to watch them without subtitles one day." I rolled my eyes. "That's what you said with French: 'I want to watch classic movies in French without subtitles.' Where did that go?" Émilie stuck her tongue out at me. Xander appeared at the side of our table. "Ladies." Yang-zi lowered her head, blushing. She's so cute. "Sir, what brings you to this humble table?" Xander gave me that charming smile of his. "I made some brownies and wondered if you would be interested." Lyra raised an eyebrow. “They never make brownies here.” Xander crossed his arms, satisfied. "No, but I secretly made them for you." Émilie playfully punched his arm. "Aww, you spoiled us." Xander left and came back with a tray of brownies; my mouth watered. He sat down at our table next to Yang-zi, who was so red in the face that she might have a little crush on Xander. I noticed that X
His skin looked smooth and perfect, endless eyelids that made me envious. He gave me a closed-mouth smile as a greeting; he looked cautious, almost annoyed. I swallowed. “Thanks for coming.” He said nothing. The tension built, those dark eyes on me, assessing, searching. I pulled the sheet of paper with the questions out of my pocket, my hand shaking a little, and I mentally slapped myself. Come on, Anaís, get a grip. "How are you?" I had no idea why I asked that; anything was better than silence. Adam tilted his head. "Get to the point; I know you have a lot of questions." Why so cold? I let it go. “Can you tell me about that night? How you got home and… all that?” Adam sighed. "I hadn't been able to sleep all night, so I went out to the balcony to get some fresh air. It was almost dawn; I knew something was wrong. I thought I heard a scream in the distance coming from the forest that separated our houses. At first, I thought it was my imagination, but that didn't calm the f
The sun reigned dominant in the sky. I watched as a gentle breeze brushed the branches of a tall tree, its leaves falling and then blowing away in the wind. I wished to be like those leaves. Even though there was a window separating me from the outside, I could almost smell nature and feel the wind on my skin. I sighed, resting my chin on my two hands as I continued to stare out the window. Miss Garnier The mention of my last name caught my attention, and at that moment I noticed that Professor Taylor was standing next to me, very close to my chair, with her arms crossed over her chest. A perfect high ponytail held her brown hair; she was a very elegant woman. Her hazel eyes were filled with annoyance; she did not look happy. She raised one of her eyebrows and asked: Do you think that tree is more interesting than my class? -Actually, yes, but I would never say it out loud; I didn't want any trouble. I apologize, Mrs. Taylor; I did not mean to disrespect you in any way, I replied
After a few hours, darkness began to flow through my room, and I glanced at the clock: 8:10 p.m. I carefully stepped out, looking in both directions down the hallway. I walked slowly toward the stairs; I knew the guard for the girls' wing wasn't there because I had memorized her routine. That was guard changing time; I had five minutes before the night guard arrived. The first floor didn't have as much security as the second and third. The regular stairs were heavily guarded starting from the second and third floors. But the outside emergency stairs couldn't be blocked by law, and as the guard changed, I had a few seconds to reach them and climb up to the roof. As soon as I reached the rooftop, the wind blew my hair back violently. The night was deadly cold, as usual. I pulled my jacket tighter around my body, trying to protect myself from the breeze that chilled my skin.The sight of the dark forest surrounding the mental hospital building was a little scary, along with the light of
The sun was warming my skin, and it felt so good. I was sitting on the grass with my head held high, with my mother by my side. She giggled, getting my attention. “What?” I asked, curious, looking at her. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail, her features and blue eyes exposed. We were always told how much we looked alike. “You really love the sun, don't you? You got that from me," she smiled sweetly. I heard laughter and saw Elise—my younger sister running toward us. Her curly brown hair fell over her small shoulders, and she had a sparkle in her eyes that was unmatched. “Mom! I have a sunflower! Look!” She opened her hands and showed me her new acquisition. “It's beautiful, Elise! Where did you find it?” my mom asked, grabbing the flower. “It was there,” Elise pointed behind us. I smiled widely, admiring my little sister; she was always so happy. Suddenly, darkness began to flow around us. The sun disappeared, and a cold breeze brushed against my skin, sending shivers down
“At 5:00 a.m.?” the girl exclaimed in disbelief. “People do that sometimes, you know,” I said, showing him my towel and soap. “Strange people do that,” the girl replied, shaking her head. “I’m Lyra.” She extended her hand toward me. She was going to say my name, but I knew she’d never pronounce it correctly. “Anna.” I shook her hand. “What's with your accent?” the boy frowned. “Leave her alone, Flynn.” Lyra smiled at me before focusing on him again. “Before he—” Lyra pulled him by the hair and kissed him passionately. I looked away uncomfortably. A few seconds later, Flynn was climbing out the window. He took one last look at us and blew a kiss to Lyra. “See you tomorrow at the bonfire,” Flynn whispered and disappeared into the shadows. “Bonfire?” I asked. Lyra looked at me for a second as if she were hesitant to tell me. “Yes, it's a secret celebration. You know boys and girls can't mix in this crazy place, so we have a midnight bonfire once a month where boys and girls can