save for the rhythmic wheezin

e door softly. She had avoided

olled over. Her face w

She squinted in the

k. It was raw, swoll

no

chest. "He's spiraling. I heard the ki

from the nightstand.

afraid

wed it

ss sound. "You should be. But.

frow

They said she lost her mind. Jumped from the east tower roof. Alek saw it. He was seven." Sarah coughed, a dry, rattling sound. "Hester was her replacement, brought in

hing to do with the drafty room. She didn't want his p

again. I a

aves," Sar

ocket and touched Emor

BEEP

tem screec

ediately. Mr. Crawford has retur

the wall. 10:00 PM. Emory

hispered, try

wn gently. She put a f

er hood up a

staff shuffling toward the mai

ed the gr

ing in the cen

overed i

iumphant. His face was stark white beneath the crimson streaks, his eyes holding a hollow, fe

bent iron golf club. The he

ver the fifty

canned the cr

ek. The raw, scrubbed skin was a flag of defiance. A flicker of something cold

ou

er legs felt like lead

and pulled out a pristine whi

ed at h

said, gesturi

icked up the towel.

lic blood hit her

blood

l around the club he