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I shove the chair back, shut off the computer, and flop down on the couch next to Ian "Is Moh the channels with the remote aimed at the s to be late"

"Did you check on her prescription to see if it was still full?"

"Yeah… and it’s still full She hasn’t taken them for at least a week"

"We should talk to her about it," I say "She ca a killer"

Ian turns down the volume of the TV and sets the remote down on the armrest "Where was I?"

I point over my shoulder at the staircase "Upstairs, in the attic, with your ‘et her upstairs okay?"

I grab a handful of skittles from the candy bowl on the coffee table and pop them into my mouth "Yeah, I made do"

He slips off his beanie to ruffle his hair "Was she nice to you?"

I seal ether and force the tears to back down "She was fine, I guess"

"I can tell when you’re lying" Ian pushes the sleeves of his shirt up and kicks his feet up on the table "What did she say to you?"

Ian knows about h relationship with our mother to an extent, but there are pieces I omit from him, like her accusations that I killed Grandma Nelly

"She was as nice as she always is" I scoop up another handful of skittles and get up fro"

"Eles for words "You know you can talk toa lot and I think I can handle things now"

"I know," I say, but he can’t It’s in his eyes--the fear I ht open up and he’ll have to deal with it, so I bottle it up The accident, Raven, death, that I saw Laden’s body hanging fro, you’ll be the first one I come to"

He releases a breath of relief and turns back to the TV as I trudge up towhen I’ll crack

Chapter 9

I don’t hear or see Asher the next day, or the next and when I text hi out, his response is that he’s busy It bothers me for some reason I barely know him, yet knots wind in my stomach every time I think about how it felt when he touched me It’s like I’ve become obsessed with him and his lips and hands and I don’t like how much he consumes me, yet, I do at the same time

I’m in the town library, tucked at the table in the farthest corner, writing poetry about my frustration with a book opened at y field, the answers are hidden

But the impossible journey deems them forbidden

"Have I told you howa candy bar across the table

I glance up froize?" I pick up the candy bar "My teeth are going to rot out if you keep it up"

"As long as it takes for you to accept it" She takes a

"How did you knoas here?" I ask

She s or in class I think you just ht be obsessed ords"

That and beautiful s "You knowabout?" She moves the strap of her tank top over a little and peels a layer of skin off her shoulder blade

I scratch the title The Unknown on the top of the page "Stuff Life… You know you should really get that looked at I really do think it’s infected"

She flicks the skin onto the floor "I did and the doctor said it’s fine" Her eye twitches and she pretends to pluck so the pen on the top of the paper, I sketch a poorly drawn Angel "You can die from infections Do you know that?"

She peels another layer of skin off, and it’s like she’sto die and if it was froo to the hospital"

She has me there Under the title of el of Life

They walk together in day and night

"Raven, have you ever heard of a Griel?" I inquire

She thrums her manicured nails on the table as she considers this "Maybe… in one of the books I looked through when I was doingproject But I can’t remember exactly what it is Why? What’s up?"

"I was just looking through soht and I ca of one I’ve never heard of theel stuff on the internet?"