Chapter 17 #3
“Of course.” She nods. “And you’re better than any girl I could have imagined for them. Perfect really. I know I said they’re not worth it, but that was before I knew…” she waves her hand towards the body. “This.”
“Oh my god, you think I’m perfect for them?” My eyes water at her kind words. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome! You're so sweet and caring. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. Hell, it’s only been a few weeks, and I already know you're the best person ever.”
“So are you,” I add.
“Thanks.” She smiles.
“You’re not freaked out, scared, horrified about the fact you just caught me killing someone?”
“Nah.” She waves me off. “My brother doesn’t know this, but I’ve known that he and the guys have been killing people for years. One time they came to visit me, and I snuck out to follow them. I caught them beheading about five guys. There was lots of blood.”
“Ugh. I’d have loved to see that. I did watch them kill my high school English teacher for me, though. Super hot. Like, panties melting level of hot.”
“Did you follow them, too?”
“Uh, no. Not exactly.”
“Then how did you find out?”
“That's a story for another time.” I wave her off.
“And they want to tell me they don’t see you in a romantic way. I knew they were bullshitting me. I asked about you over the summer, and they avoided the topic, but I saw how they looked at one another. They are totally in love with you, too.”
“And now you can see why I need to show them I’m perfect for them.”
“I do.” She nods. “Okay, what can I do to help?”
This is going to turn out so much better than I could have imagined. I don’t have to kill my best friend. Yay!
Grabbing the camera out of my bag, I hand it to her. “Can you take our photo?” I ask, slipping the mask back into place. “Just make sure to only get our faces.”
“Okay.” She takes it, and I crouch down on the ground. “Smile! Cheeeesee.”
I give a peace sign while giving the girl bunny ears, even though it won’t show up in the photo because it’s taken up close. Still gotta have some fun with it.
The camera licks and the light flashes.
“That’s gonna be a good one,” Callie laughs.
“You think?” I ask as she shakes out the photo. She hands it over to me, and I grin. “Oh, that is a good one!”
“What next?”
“Okay, so what do you think? Should I leave her body here, or should we try to move her?”
“Ummm,” she trails off as she thinks. “That depends. Are you trying to hide the fact she was murdered, or do you want the guys to know.”
“Not just the guys, I want everyone to know.” I put the mask on and throw my arms out in a pose. “About the Butterfly Killer.”
“Never heard of you,” she says. “Sorry.”
“I know,” I groan, taking the mask off. “I’m trying to change that.”
“Then I think leaving the body would be best.” She nods. “Is there anything that could link you to the murder?”
“Not unless you have security cameras out here.”
“Hold on.” Callie takes out her phone and does something. “I just wiped anything from tonight and disabled them.” She grins. “Problem solved. For now, anyways. But we should decide before anyone else comes out here.”
“Good idea. Okay, body stays the way it is.” I nod.
“I’m almost done here.” I take the photo and tuck it into the girl’s shirt.
Then I grab my bag, pull out the box, and open it.
Taking the butterfly out, I place it over the girl’s bloody lips.
“I wish there was better lighting. I bet the green looks so nice against the red of her lips.”
A second later, Callie has her phone light on. “Oh, you're right. It does.”
“All done.” I get to my feet.
“Aren’t you worried about DNA?”
“Nah. My dad will make sure no one asks questions. Perks of being in partnership with the Brotherhood.”
“Huh,” she says, nodding. “I knew something darker was going on in this city and with my brothers. But I feel like there's a lot I don’t know.”
“Wanna come back to my place? We can have a sleepover, and I can fill you in.”
Her eyes light up. “Slumber party! Can we watch scary movies?”
“Duh.” I laugh. “And eat popcorn.”
“Let’s go!” she laughs, grabbing my hand and dragging me towards the front of the house.
“What about your party?” I ask.
“Sylas can deal with it,” she tells me. “The only reason why I threw it was to get Jonah’s attention.”
“Was he the reason you were crying?” I ask as we walk down the street towards my Jeep.
“Yes,” she huffs. “Can you believe that fucker? He spent the whole night talking to me, only for me to go pee and come back to see him sucking on some other girl's tongue. Fucking trash is what he is.”
“Want me to kill him?” I ask.
“You would do that for me?” Callie asks.
“Of course. Isn’t that what best friends are for?”
She loops her arm through mine. “You’re the best.”
“I’m really glad I didn’t have to kill you.” I lean my head against her shoulder.
“So am I,” she laughs.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I have a feeling Callie’s soul is a lot darker than she leads people to believe. Works out in my favor. I hate hiding who I am, so having one more person in my life that I’m able to be myself around is so much better.
Only true friendships allow you to bond over murder.
“You still didn’t answer me if you wanted me to kill Josiah or not?”