Malevolence by Natalie Bennett

Author:Natalie Bennett [Bennett, Natalie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-25T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The entire room smelled of him.

I peeled my eyes open and turned around. The first thing I saw on the center of his massive bed was the shawl he couldn’t stop calling ugly.

I walked over to it, dragging my fingers alone his smooth, black comforter. This room suit him. I wasn’t surprised he’d moved me in here.

I didn’t mind either.

Sleeping beside him would prove interesting. Not that I really wanted to sleep.

I’d found many ways to get myself off over the years, not having the courage to seek out companionship from another because of my scars. I didn’t worry about that with Julian. I didn’t feel the need to hide myself from him like I did the rest of the world. I liked the idea of being seen by him.

I guess you could say that’s how I knew he was something special to me. I may not have remembered him in every detail, but I knew whatever this feeling was he was returning to me, I didn’t want to lose it.

Circling around the room, I passed his dressed and the fireplace affixed to one wall. Peeking inside the closet I saw his clothes on one side and a woman’s on the other. None of them were in style anymore and all were covered in clear plastic.

Noticing a mar on one I lifted its cover to get a better look, dropping it as soon as I realized the blouse was singed. My throat became clogged with emotion. I backed out and shut the door, causing a bang to echo inside the room. I wasn’t so naïve to question who they belonged to. I knew they were mine.

The fire. Babs told me the Dahlia had once been on fire. She’d conveniently left out I was around for this event. Or had I been the one to cause it?

Moving around the room, I searched for any other sign of myself. The on suite had a hairbrush and my toiletries but they were the things I’d brought with me. At least until I opened the cabinet below the sink. Bodywash, vanilla scented. Lotion, the same kind. I popped the cap and inhaled its scent.

I knew it.

Just like I knew Julian’s.

I put it back and returned to his room, running my hands through my hair, tugging on the roots. That glow-y feeling he’d left me with was rapidly being replaced by crushing guilt and sadness.

Turning in a circle, I studied the pictures sitting in medal frames on the fireplace mantle. I went to them, snatching the first one up like it was a lifeline.

It was me. The old me. Younger and staring down at a small bundle with a smile on my face, propped up in a hospital bed. The photo had seen better days. One corner was gone entirely, the other had a name: Mason. Beneath it was a partial date.

Blinking away tears, I sat the picture down and studied the others. They were all of him. A few had his father, and their family in them too.

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