All the Dead Lie Down by Kyrie McCauley
Author:Kyrie McCauley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-03-08T00:00:00+00:00
21
Sweet Lark, I Will Pluck You
Blood slipped out from beneath Evieâs heel. It was thick, viscous, and congealed, and it seemed to move in slow motion, spilling across the floorboards.
There were flecks of it across the toe of Evieâs other boot, the velvet sage green now marred by crimson dots that evidenced the violence of her actions.
âWhat was that?â Marin tried to control the shaking in her voice.
She failed, but it didnât matter. Evie didnât even look at her. Didnât acknowledge that sheâd spoken.
âWren, Iâll need an old towel. And the bleach.â
Wren shot off in an instant at Evieâs request, and Thea just stood with round saucer eyes, staring at Evieâs boots and the protruding corpse of the bird.
Marin moved to her, pulling her in and turning her in one movement. But any attempt to shield her from the moment was coming far too late.
âWhat the hell was that?â Marin asked again, and this time Evie looked up. Sheâd been staring at the floor, just the same as Thea, as though in a trance.
âIâm so sorry you had to see that, Marin.â Evieâs voice was steady.
âEvie.â Thea looked up to her oldest sister. âYou have to tell her.â
âYes, I know,â Evie said.
Wren returned with some rags and bleach and one of the dog towels, and Evie took it and covered her boot before pulling it away from the bird. She quickly wrapped up the body, tucking the ends in when a few feathers stuck out.
âIâve got it,â Wren said, taking it from Evie.
âDonât be silly, I can do it.â Marin stepped forward to take the dead animal from Wren, but Evie held up a hand.
âSheâs used to it, Mare, let her go.â Evieâs voice was soft but firm.
Sheâd never used a nickname for Marin before, and it hung in the air like an offering.
Evie dropped to her knees, just beyond the edge of the thickened blood on the wooden floorboards, and began to pour bleach over it, scrubbing it away.
Within minutes, the bird was gone, and the area was impeccable once more. If Marin focused very hard on the grain of the wooden floor, she thought she could see a slight variation in color where the blood had been.
Or maybe it was the light.
Either way, the girls had done a good job.
They were quick, efficient. Practiced.
Sheâs used to it.
Sheâs used to it.
The implication was that Wren was used to whatever had just transpired there. That she was used to cleaning up the aftermath. Disposing of the body. Washing bloodstains off floorboards.
âWeâll be in the library,â Thea said, and just like that, the girls were gone through the door, refusing to take part in whatever reckoning was rising between Evie and Marin.
For a heartbeat, Marin wanted to run too.
She wanted to forget what she had just seen. Forget the mandible and the teeth she discovered at the shore. Forget the monster in the woods that had been feasting on the baby deer. She wanted to forget that the last time she
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
The Cartographers by Amy Zhang(489)
This One's for You by Kate Sweeney(478)
Firebug by Marianne Mitchell(455)
Teenagers and Parents by Roger McIntire(349)
The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera(338)
The Outsider by Galia Ryan(319)
Heartstopper #1: A Graphic Novel by Alice Oseman(307)
Land and Overland - Omnibus by Bob Shaw(299)
Secondary Characters by Rachel Schieffelbein(264)
Lockdown by Augusta Li(257)
Heartstopper: Volume 3: A Graphic Novel (Heartstopper #3) by Alice Oseman(254)
Heartstopper: Volume 4: A Graphic Novel by Alice Oseman(246)
Kerstcadeaus by Sophie Kinsella(242)
Alex Rider 02: Gemini-Project: Alex Riders zweiter Fall by Anthony Horowitz(239)
Sanctuary(236)
Het recht om te zwijgen by Michael Connelly(235)
Breaking Laura by J. A. Bailey(210)
Sometimes a Helix is a Circle by Michael Thomas(206)
Echo by Katherine MaClean(199)