All The Truths - Rina Kent Page 0,16

in place. It’s chipped and ragged around the edges, but it’s still the same.

Then what the hell are you doing here?

I briefly close my eyes, eradicating that voice.

I only came because she doesn’t get to die by someone else’s hand. Her life is mine, fucking mine, and she has no right to end it without permission.

That’s it.

That’s all.

My steps turn wider and harder as I cut through the distance. Dry leaves crunch under my shoes, and the smell of the forest is nearly asphyxiating.

The sun has begun its descent, casting a somber hue on the trees.

Darkness never scared me before. It was a place to take refuge in. Darkness is where the monsters become invisible, and I’ve long since converted to the other side.

I’ve long since given up on what people consider normal. My life is anything but.

My life has been submerged in darkness since Ari’s death, and I’ve inflicted it on the world—or rather, on her.

Reina.

She’s the subject of my darkness now, and nothing will save her from the things my wired brain is planning.

Nothing will save her from me.

She might be a monster, but there are degrees in those. Her level would never reach mine. Reina was bound to lose before we even got started.

I would pity her if she hadn’t already killed that part of me.

If she hadn’t pushed her off the edge and let her head shatter to pieces.

The image of Ari’s smashed face and her limbs lolling in awkward positions still haunts my nightmares.

Her ghost still visits me in the darkness, asking me to let her soul rest in peace.

This isn’t revenge; this is fucking justice.

Which Reina has never been served in her life.

There’s no doubt in my mind she headed to that cottage, so I don’t bother with searching the forest and stride straight there.

As the trees and the earthly ground blur in my vision, I can’t help recalling that night.

The night Reina could’ve been gone once and for all.

The night of the accident

Reina leaves early.

She never leaves her precious squad and cheerleading buddies first. Being a perfectionist who always makes sure everyone does their tasks, she’s usually the last to go home.

The break in pattern and her suspicious behavior can only mean one thing.

She’s running away and leaving Blackwood.

Fuck no.

I trail her to the forest, which happens to be at the edge of town. She’s definitely leaving.

Well, she has a surprise waiting.

I park my car at the front and continue on foot.

Black is the only color in the forest. It’s a moonless night without stars in sight.

The deep silence stakes its claim, refusing to budge. I retrieve my phone and turn on the flashlight.

Ideally, I don’t want her to know I’m onto her until I’m at her face. I want to see her expression falter a little, her eyes widening the slightest bit, before she seals herself in.

That’s about the only time I get to see a reaction in her robotic face. Reina hides her emotions so fucking well, and it made me a motherfucking idiot during high school.

I made it a habit to stand outside her house, just to see her laugh with her father.

I even took a picture as proof that she does smile and laugh—just not with me.

Shaking my head, I forge ahead. Thankfully, that idiot and his irrational fixation on Reina died with Ari.

Now there’s this thing, one made for one purpose only: to make her pay for killing my sister and me.

A long shriek comes from my right.

My feet freeze to a halt, and then they’re running toward the sound of their own volition.

Reina.

That’s Reina’s voice.

What the fuck did she get herself into this time?

I focus in case she shrieks again, but there’s no sound.

Fuck.

She better not be dead.

My athletic body kicks into gear as I cut the distance in record time. I might have stopped playing football three years ago, but I never quit running or working out.

It’s the only thing that clears my mind and chases away the damn black thoughts swirling in my head 24-7.

The smell of smoke assaults my nostrils as fire erupts in the middle of the forest.

Near the flames, two bodies come into view from between the trees. I hide behind a trunk and kill my flashlight.

The man is wearing a suit, appearing buff and big, but his face is shadowed and turned away as he drags someone on the ground by the hem of her T-shirt.

Reina.

He’s dragging an unconscious Reina. From the slight view I can get, I make out her