Chapter 10
Last night was a mixed bag of emotions.
I still haven’t heard from Jupiter, which confirms my fears that she’s furious at me. I don’t know what to do.
I want to call her, but her silence speaks volumes.
I would be miserable if not for what happened after the bowling alley.
I didn’t think it was possible to experience such utter highs and lows in one night, but I have whiplash from last night.
Kit’s vow has been playing on repeat inside my head.
“I promise, when I catch you…I’ll never let you go.”
A promise has never sounded more enticing.
I’m in the playroom, tidying up after the kids who had a ball playing with the donated toys I collected the other day. It’s humbling to see discarded items get another chance at love.
I’m tossing toys into the baskets, my mind a million miles away.
“The body was discovered early this morning…” says the anchor on the TV.
Instantly, my curiosity is piqued.
I quickly turn up the volume and stand in front of the TV, watching footage of the taped-off crime scene.
“Oh my God…” I gasp, placing a trembling hand over my mouth because the crime scene is the theater Kit and I were at last night.
“The police have yet to confirm if this is the work of the XY Killer, but they can confirm it does appear to be the same MO,” says the reporter, standing in front of the ticket booth.
“Oh my fucking God! This can’t be happening. It’s not her,” I whisper, quickly turning off the TV. “It’s just a coincidence.”
But deep down, I know that this is too close to home.
This is Jupiter’s way of speaking to me—via a dead body.
She doesn’t need time to blow off steam.
There’s no changing her mind.
She’s going to continue doing this until she gets caught. Perhaps that’s what she wants. Perhaps that’s the only way she can stop.
I feel uneasy on my feet and slump into the wooden rocking chair. I never thought this far ahead, which was naive of me. I guess I didn’t care.
But now, I do.
If Jupiter gets caught, the police will eventually piece together that she wasn’t working alone. She doesn’t owe me any loyalty because after last night, she likely sees me as nothing but a traitor.
I deserve to be caught.
Then a thought hits me—should I turn myself in?
This would stop Jupiter, and we both will be rightfully punished for our crimes.
But the thought of never finding out the identity of Legs and Jack is a reality I can’t accept. I realize how selfish that is.
Jupiter is right. Just because my demons are slain doesn’t mean hers just go away. Truth be told, I won’t rest until Legs and Jack are punished for what they did. But I won’t accomplish that here.
To do that, I need to go back to where this nightmare began. It would be a lot easier if I had Jupiter’s smarts, since I’ve exhausted what I could online. She’s the internet sleuth.
“What a fucking mess,” I mumble under my breath, massaging my temples.
I don’t know what to do, and the person I would usually go to for advice is the person I need advice about.
Peering up at the wooden crucifix on the wall, I wonder if maybe this is my karma. Everything seems to be happening at once.
I’ve felt alone in my life before, but this is different. I’ve lost the only person I could truly be myself around. All because I grew a conscience.
Texting Jupiter seems pointless. She’s spoken to me loud and clear. Now, I must decide what to do next because if this was indeed Jupiter, then she followed me. Therefore, she knows about Kit.
She wouldn’t hurt him.
But I soon realize that it’s not Kit she would want to hurt. But rather, me. And the way to do that would be to tell Kit who I really am.
I would be the one to destroy myself.
Not Jupiter.
She would be merely telling the truth, something I should have done from the very beginning.
I want to run away.
But that has only brought me more trouble.
I need to fix this.
Quickly putting the toys away, I see that I have about two hours before the kids wake up from their nap.
The sisters are busy preparing for All Saints’ Day this Sunday, so I sneak out through the back and jump into the car. Without hesitation, I shift into drive and make my way to Kit’s garage.
This is probably a huge mistake, but I would rather be the one to tell him the truth than Jupiter. What happens after that? Well, I haven’t thought that far ahead.
I drum my fingers on the steering wheel as I wait at the lights. Each minute feels like ten. I turn the radio off as the sound only amplifies the racket inside my head.
Those feelings of being watched hit me once again. I peer in the rearview mirror, but no one is behind me.
I drive safely and keep to the speed limit.
I’m a block away from the garage and am surprisingly calm. Perhaps the truth does set one free. I seem to be getting all the red lights. As I wait, I see something that has me instantly leaning forward in a panic.
With my heart in my stomach, I strain my eyes because there’s no way I’m seeing what I think I am. But I’d know that blond hair anywhere.
Jupiter is watching Kit. She’s not making herself known because that’s not the purpose of her being here.
She’s there to study him.
But why?
I want to confront her, but I have the advantage because she hasn’t seen me.
Once the light turns green, I find a park and secretly watch her next move.
There’s a coffee shop next to the garage, and it’s here where Jupiter sits, sipping from a tall cup. Large, dark sunglasses sit on the bridge of her nose, masking her eyes. She’s in yoga pants and an orange crop top.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing remarkable.
She is any girl, on any other day, drinking a coffee while out for a walk or after a gym class.
But nothing about this encounter is innocent. This is Jupiter’s MO.
She watches.
She studies her…prey.
Because that’s what Kit has become.
She sees him as a problem, a problem she needs to fix. Perhaps she believes that if she eliminates him, things will go back to normal.
But there never was a normal between us.
We’re toxic together.
Bad for one another.
I see that now.
Instead of healing, all we seem to be doing is hurting—hurting ourselves and hurting others.
And now, Jupiter has set her sights on hurting Kit.
I can’t let that happen.
What feels like hours pass until she gets up and leaves. She places her earbuds in and heads in the opposite direction of where I’m parked. Once her figure disappears, I take a much-needed breath.
This was a plot twist I did not see coming. Yes, I came here intent on confessing to Kit who I really am. But now that I’ve seen Jupiter lurking, things have changed.
If Jupiter wanted to hurt me, she would have told Kit everything.
But that’s not her motive.
So I say nothing and wait to see what Jupiter has up her sleeve?
Deep down, I know what her objective is. She wants to hurt me just as I have hurt her. As she said, I was supposed to be her ride or die. Just how she was supposed to be mine.
She sees Kit as the reason I’ve had a change of heart. In her eyes, he is the enemy. Therefore, he must die.
It may sound extreme to most, but this is how psychopaths work.
I always knew what Jupiter was, and I was fine with the fact because she was hurting strangers, men who deserved it. But Kit is different. He’s done nothing wrong.
His only flaw is that, like me, he can’t stay away.
And sadly, that’s what will get him killed.
My cheeks billow as I let out a dispirited breath.
Can I abandon my quest for revenge to save the man who’s captivated me like no one else?
“If you can’t even tell him your real name, then how do you expect to build a future with him?”
Jupiter’s words crash into me because she’s right.
No matter how I feel about Kit, those feelings will never be returned. After all, who could love a monster?
I certainly don’t.
But this isn’t about me.
Now, this is about protecting Kit from Jupiter because I know what a shrewd hunter she is. She will stop at nothing until he is gone.
Kit can’t be here.
He needs to go back to Hollow Banks, where it’s safe.
Here, he’s in Jupiter’s backyard, so he doesn’t stand a chance.
But I can’t just ask him to leave.
I also can’t keep him prisoner.
Staying away might seem safer for him, but how safe would he really be?
It’s only a matter of time until Jupiter acts, and when she does…things will be bloody.
I stay close, watching him, and take whatever actions are needed to keep him safe. I mean, I owe him because he did the same for me.
That night, when he drove me home, he took the blame for me being late. He didn’t have to do that. He’d only just met me. That didn’t matter, however. And that’s why I’ll fight my best friend if I must, ensuring he stays safe.
That’s why, if necessary, I’ll challenge my best friend—doing whatever it takes to protect him.
I owe him.
And I owe Dandy.
It’s hard not to see this occurrence as fate intervening. I guess one can never really outrun their past, which is why I know one day I’ll pay for my sins.
But today isn’t that day.
Flat Planes may be uneventful, but it’s rich with communal spirit. And whenever the orphanage holds events, it seems as if the community goes above and beyond.
Tonight is no exception.
The orphanage is hosting a small market on the main street in town, the same street where Kit’s garage is located. I’m here to help raise money, so thoughts of Kit are on the back burner for now.
The sisters are busy behind their stalls, ensuring everything is ready for the mad rush of locals eager to taste the freshly baked pastries or purchase homemade jewelry and knickknacks.
All money from the stalls will go toward the orphanage and preparation for All Saints’ Day, since the orphanage runs solely off donations.
So days like today are important.
The orphanage relies on community support to offer a home to children in need. This is why the locals dig deep.
I’m in charge of the sideshow games.
The games include the ring toss, laughing clowns, hit the bucket, and my personal favorite, the dunk tank.