EIGHT

| chapter song: girlie 'o' remix - patoranking ft tiwa savage |

| dedication: florexxed, for the amazing graphics xx |

EIGHT

The silence that consumed the air was almost deafening, silently piercing through our ears. I could hear the hums of the machinery in the back room, when usually those sounds were hard to catch through the thick walls. Palmer's clatter was the only sound next to the machines and even that could be heard with the back doors closed.

My eyes were on my clasped hands, on my lap and I could feel the heated gaze of his eyes bore in the side of my face. It was annoyingly impossible to hold his gaze since it just made me feel extremely uncomfortable and his gaze never wavered. And now I was avoiding his eye like the plague.

"So this guy," he started to say, his voice low and calculated it almost pulled a shiver out of me. "Why is he doing all of this to you?"

My heart's wild, erratic thumps were residing in my throat, giving me no chance to speak up. I carefully lifted my head up and my face, to make eye contact with him. His dark eyes were plastered on my face and I fought myself from averting my gaze. Over his shoulder, I could see the back door was still close. Palmer still thought she was giving me quality time with her nephew and that he was here to supposedly cheer me up. I couldn't bring myself to march into the back store room and tell her that this very human being, sitting in front of me, was in fact the devil himself and he was the one that lived to destroy my life.

"If I only knew." I replied with a false smile, knowing well that it didn't reach my eyes.

"It sounds like you killed his family or something like that." Link commented out loud, feigned confusion and concern. My teeth found my lower lip and I clamped down on it hard until a drop of metallic taste landed on my tongue. My fingers were twitching, itching to slap him across the face.

"He likes to think that actually," I unclasped my hands, lifted one palm upwards and placed the side of my head in it. My hair fell on the side of my face and I quickly pushed it out of my face, all the while keeping my eye on Link. I had a nagging feeling that I couldn't have Link out of sight, even though his face was the star of my nightmares lately.

Link arched both his eyebrows at me. "So you killed one of his family members?"

"Yes, yes I did." I told him.

If he wanted to play this game, then so be it.

"Who?" Link asked slowly.

"His little sister I believe. But everyone says they weren't actually related so I don't know exactly who she was."

"Are you telling me that you killed a human and you're here, in front of me, and not in prison serving a life sentence?"

I ignored the hard face that overcame his face and tried to answer him without my voice breaking. "No one knows I did it. That's why I'm still here."

"I know now."

"And I know you won't be telling anyone anytime soon."

Link stared at me, his mouth closed in a tight line. He waited a few seconds before he started speaking again.

"How exactly did you kill this girl?"

I started to regret my decision of playing this game with him because the ending was looming over both of us and I knew it was something nasty. No good will come out of this and for me to retell the story of that night, it would only add salt to the wounds.

"Pass." I said softly after a long pause.

I was surprised to find that Link didn't push for more or force me to retell everything so he could have it all refreshed in his brain. But then again, he was probably re-living the whole night over and over again and he didn't need me to tell him what exactly happened.

Because he was there himself.

"So maybe this guy is doing all of this for revenge?" Link asked carefully, the words rolling of his tongue in a sinister way. How could he make that mundane sentence sound so eerie?

"Probably," I muttered under my breath.

"Don't you think, what he did so far is nothing compared to actual murder?"

The word murder caused my heart to skip a beat. Is that what I committed? A murder? In my head, I always referred to it as an accident and maybe, if I was really lost in my mind, I would refer to it as a kill. But never as a murder. Murder is committed by murderers. But that's exactly what I am... right?

I nearly choked on my own air at the revelation. A murderer.

"You want to know what I think," he didn't wait for my reply as he carried on speaking. "I think it's going to get much worse than you can possibly imagine. I think he's going to do everything and anything to make you feel the pain he had to go through. But maybe worse because he can't kill you since he's not a murderer like you are."

_

_

_

"Palmer!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, pushing my stool away from Link. As far away as possible. With my haste, I couldn't stop the unthinkable as I sailed backwards off the stool and landed smack on the tiled floor. A silent gasp escaped out my mouth and I slowly lifted my hand up and placed it on the small of my back. Damn, did that fall hurt...

Link looked over down at me, a small smirk that crooked upwards etched on his pale face. "You okay there?"

"I'm fine." I responded with a clipped tone, pushing myself up to a sitting position. Palmer then decided to amble out the back of the bakery, a casual look on her face until she spotted me on the floor.

"I screamed before and you just come now?"

Palmer swatted her hand in the air at me. "Oh, let's not be dramatic. I knew if anything happened Link would have kept you safe."

I scoffed at that diabolical expectation since I knew for sure that at the first chance of dumping me into a pit of fire, Link would be the first person to volunteer to get the job done gracefully.

"And what are you doing on the floor?" she asked me, giving me a surprised look.

I pointed my finger at the culprit who sat on his stool, still smirking. "He pushed me when I started crying."

Palmer's mouth dropped open and I had to bite the insides of my cheek to hold in my laughter when I saw Link's eyes widen in surprise. "What?" he exclaimed, his head snapping to look at Palmer. "She's lying!" he yelled, looking between both of us back and forth.

"Link!" Palmer dragged out his name, arching both her eyebrows at her gawking nephew.

"You honestly believe this bitch?"

Palmer let out a loud gasp. "Language!" She yelled incredulously at Link as she dropped her hand on the counter with a loud smack.

"Palmer!" I interjected. "I'm so grateful for your help but I think I'm going to go." I finished quickly before Palmer started going off on one. I picked up my bag off from the floor and hoisted it over one shoulder. I shot her one last grateful smile before ducking out the door, not daring to glance in Link's direction.

Just as I crossed the road, I heard the bakery's door open and shut close a few seconds later. I stopped on the deserted road and slowly turned my head around to face the last person I wanted to be around.

"What?" I fired at him.

"You should get off the road," he put out, crossing his hands across his chest as he locked his dark gaze with mine. I tilted my head to the side and slowly started to walk backwards, until the back of my foot hit the pavement and all the while, Link's eyes trailed from left to right; looking out for cars.

"You like being dangerous?" Link shouted at me from across the road.

Another smirk played at my lips and I cupped both my hands around my mouth. "It's a way of living." I yelled back at him.

"It's going to get you killed, or better yet, you'll kill someone else with that life motto."

I dropped my hands from my mouth, my heart racing wildly behind my ribs. His indirects were becoming harder to avoid and I was encountering with them more frequently - much to my dismay.

"Hopefully I won't be killing anyone anytime soon." I said in a low voice, turning swiftly on my heel and high tailing the hell out of there.

----

> the chapter songs I put on the start doesn't really relate to the chapter most of the times. It's just the music I'm listening to when writing/editing/making sense of this book.

> vote vote comment comment also, the way they're acting, is all an act, all a play.