Alano
4:04 p.m.
Death-Cast still can’t call me, but that might change soon.
There’s an uneasiness being back in New York, one that can be mostly quelled if I’m certain that I’m not about to die. It
doesn’t mean that someone won’t try to kill me again, but I’m growing interested in knowing about my survival now that the
future has some promise once again. My brain is overactive enough without also adding unnecessary paranoia into my every waking
moment. Even back at Saint Laurent I was questioning if the stylists in my dressing room harbored enough ill will toward Death-Cast
to pull out a knife while I was busy admiring my suit in the mirror. Everyone was lovely, of course, but once word gets out
that I’ve returned to the city, who knows if there will be another assassination attempt. I’d like to know if there’s any
hope to survive, which only Death-Cast can offer.
I’m nervous about dodging not only enemies, but my best friends too.
As Paz and I enter Althea Park, I’m remembering the times I came here with Ariana and Rio. This is where Ariana told me she got into Juilliard and where Rio first shared his dreams of being a detective. I hope they’re both able to pursue their futures, as sad as it makes me that I would be unwelcome in any theater where Ariana is performing or that I’m more likely to see Rio if he’s investigating Death-Cast. I have to focus on my future too, it’s just harder in a city where I have so much history with two people who won’t talk to me anymore.
I can only hope that Paz will still want me in his life after I share the secrets I’ve been hiding.