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sheath
around my waist. The more I killed, the less I felt. Eventually, I
would become numb to all emotions. Would I still be human then? I
could only hope.
    I drove straight home and stripped
out of my clothes. The blood of a man who disgusted me was on my
shirt. I took it off and threw it in the trash. Blood never came
out of clothes. I didn't care how much a person fucking washed
them, blood stained better than dye.
    I walked through my flat naked,
turned on the water in the shower, then stepped in. I let my skin
soak in the warmth.
    Everything about today was
odd.
    Really odd. I analyzed each moment
as I stood under the hot water. I knew what I would have to
do.
    I would have to take
Lauren.
    I would have to take her
tonight.

LAUREN
    Seven
    I couldn't shake the
feeling that major change was coming. I could feel it in my bones,
and it pulsed through my veins. As I lay back on the bed and stared
at the ceiling, my phone vibrated. Henry had called several times
and left several voicemails, but I didn't give a shit what he had
to say. Rejected. I needed time to think without him. It rang a few
more times, and I rejected each call. Finally, the next time, I
picked it up. "You can go straight to hell," I said.
    "That's no way to talk to your
mother."
    My cheeks reddened. "Sorry
Mom."
    "Baby. Lindsey told me what
happened. Will you be alright?"
    "I'll be fine. I always
am."
    "It's okay to not be fine.
It's okay to cry and let it all out. I just wanted to call you and
tell you that I love you, and when you get back, your room is
available until you get on your feet."
    I felt my nose begin to burn but
swallowed down the tears. I wanted her to think I was strong, when
really I felt like crumbling. Moving back home wouldn't be a bad
idea, but I wasn't sure it would allow me to gain a true
understanding of who I was.
    "Thanks, Mom. I'll think about it.
I'll look at flights and probably book one for early next week.
I'll let you know. Maybe you can pick me up from the
airport?"
    "That will be fine. Just let me
know or send me an email. I love you, honey. Remember that. No
matter what happens, your dad and I just love you to pieces. I
can't wait to see you."
    "Love you too, Mom. Thanks for
calling me. I really needed it."
    We said our goodbyes, and I let
out a sigh. It wouldn't be long before everyone knew that Henry and
I were over. He should be happy I wasn’t messy, that I was more of
an introvert and didn't use social media to blast my business.
Though our circle of friends might not ever forgive him. Well, some
would, but others wouldn't. On the outside, we were that happy couple who everyone wished they were. On the inside, I had
been slowly rotting away.
    I pulled out the laptop and logged
on to the painfully slow internet. I searched flights, and it
seemed the cheapest one left in a week. Even if I stayed in a hotel
room for seven more days, it would still be cheaper than booking
the flight that left in two. I pulled the credit card out of my
wallet and paid for the ticket, then sent my mother the
confirmation. My next step was to search for a few tourist things
to do; Buckingham Palace, yes; Charles Dickens Museum, double yes;
and Kings Cross Station. If I was going to be here for another
week, I might as well make the most of my time.
    My emotions were in a tangled
jumble, and I knew I wouldn't be able to loosen the knots. My
twenty-sixth birthday was exactly a month away. Yesterday, if
someone had asked what my plans were for my birthday, I would have
said dinner with Henry in London. Now I knew that I would be home
celebrating.
    I continued to scribble little
circles on the paper until the marks of ink morphed into a flower.
On the side of the stem, I wrote “change is coming” in cursive,
then I closed the book. After a few minutes of staring out the
window, I opened my suitcase and took out a pair of pajama bottoms
and a t-shirt, then crawled into bed and grabbed Pride and
Prejudice . The side lamp barely lit the room