83. Tess
TESS
My thoughts raced even faster than my feet as I slipped out of the cave. How could Cyrus think that I would report her? I hated Heirs of Promise just as much as the Freaks did.
You know exactly how.
I winced as the truth pressed in. When we had lived in the group home, I had been a timid little thing. Most of the time, I was too afraid to speak up outside of the mandated prayers.
But those three… they’d been hell on wheels, refusing to let the nuns break their spirit. While the rest of us tried to keep our heads down and memorize our lines, the three of them constantly questioned the teachings.
Not a real shock to hear that they wanted to split them up.
Their questions weren’t disrespectful — not for the most part, anyway — but that didn’t stop the staff at the home from interpreting it as such. Our Church was interested in total obedience, and Blade, Nash, and Cyrus were impossible to subdue.
It was part of why I’d admired them so much. Blade had always been a ball of energy, but she was so smart too. She always fixed the worn out toys in the communal play bin for the little kids. Nash, on the other hand, was a constant source of calm. Just being in her company was a comfort.
And Cyrus?
My heart ached to think of that sweet yet confident teenager growing into a monster who hated me. Who thought I was the villain.
I needed to focus. I wasn’t sure how much of a lead I had on her, but I didn’t imagine it was much. Especially not with the fresh wave of adrenaline the headbutt would spur. She could be here any second, and I needed to be invisible once she caught up.
Racing out of Black Doubloon, I kept to the paved paths. I’d been careful to cover my tracks last time, but clearly it wasn’t a good enough job to keep her from finding me.
I ran until I reached the gritty, 1950s streets of Noir Nights. Halfway across the park, and still no sign of Cyrus.
My legs were quaking from the distance. But I didn’t dare slow down until I spotted a vintage car prop parked down one of the alleyways.
My legs are giving out on me. This is the best I’m going to find.
After limping down the dark alley, I laid as flat to the pavement as I could before squeezing myself under the car’s carriage.
It was a tight fit — I wouldn’t be able to get out fast enough to make another run for it.
But at this point, my exhaustion was bone deep, and I was tired of running.
Whoever finds me can have me.
As much as I might like to pretend I didn’t care, in that small, dark space, there was nowhere to hide from my thoughts.
How did any of this happen?
I had no idea where Cyrus had gotten her story, but it pained me that she believed I could do that. Even worse was the thought that Blade and Nash believed her, even after everything we’d been through here.
I didn’t know what was true anymore besides one thing: I hadn’t said a word to anyone. Not about the Freaks’ plans, and certainly not about Cyrus.
I was heartbroken when they left. I could hardly leave my bed without crying for days. If Heirs of Promise hadn’t gotten shut down, I was sure it would only be a matter of time before they sought somewhere else to place me.
But she’ll never believe me.
I’d seen that much in her face.
I pulled in a deep breath, trying to stem the tears before they could fall. I couldn’t afford to give myself away now. There would be a price to pay for what I’d done in the cave, but I wasn’t ready to pay it.
Is she even looking for me?
Normally, it wouldn’t have taken her so long to show her face. But the park was noisy, and the rides’ lights were bright. It was impossible to tell how far away she was, assuming she was coming at all.
It would make sense if she didn’t bother.
She’d already gotten her licks in back at Black Doubloon . And once I finally showed my face, there would be hell to pay for robbing her of her grand retribution.
I couldn’t hide here forever. But I could at least wait until dawn. Maybe my demons would be less scary in the light of day.
Or maybe I was still clinging to my childish hope that if I laid still long enough, she might actually care to find me.