She rubs her hands together in front of her worriedly.
“You saw us together?” she whispers in shock.
“If by together you mean mauling the poor guy in a sad attempt at trying to kiss him while he stood there with his arms out to the side and a horrified look in his eyes, then yes. I saw you together. Thanks for giving me something to laugh about for a few hours,” I tell her with a chuckle.
“You are a horrible person, Ravenna Duskin,” she tells me as her eyes well up with tears. You’re just jealous because he likes me.”
I throw my head back and laugh again. I laugh so hard and for so long that my stomach starts to ache. When the laughter subsides, I take a step toward her and get right up in her face.
“You’re just like every other whore, trying to take what isn’t yours. No one is falling for that innocent act you put on, you snobby, lying bitch.”
Her eyes widen in fear and it sends a thrill through my body. I want to claw at her perfect face and her perfect skin until blood drips down onto her perfect pink dress and ruins it. I want to rip every strand of her perfect blonde hair out of her perfect ponytail until she runs away screaming in pain. My hands start to shake and butterflies flap with excitement in my stomach.
She moves away from me, but she isn’t fast enough. My arm slices through the air and my nails scratch down the side of her neck. She lets out a yelp of shock and pain, her hand flying up to press against the angry red marks I left behind.
“You just scratched my neck!” she cries, her lower lip quivering as she quickly backs farther and farther away from me.
“Lucky you. I was aiming for your face.”
I stand in the hallway with a smile on my face, watching her turn and race out the front door as fast as she can.
“Hello? Ravenna? Did you even hear me?”
Blinking my eyes into focus, I glance at the side of Trudy’s neck, but sadly the marks from my nails have healed.
“So how’s the new kitten? Does she still have really sharp claws?” I ask with a raise of my eyebrow.
Her hand unconsciously comes up to the side of her neck, dropping it quickly when she realizes I’m staring at that spot, sad that evidence of my anger is long gone.
“I thought you couldn’t remember anything?” she asks reproachfully.
“Not everything. Not yet. Just a few things, like how you tried to steal Nolan from me.”
I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the fire I see in her eyes and her attempt at having a backbone, but she’s too stupid of a human being for me to waste that on.
“Oh, give me a break,” she scoffs. “You spent two years wanting nothing to do with him just because he was a gardener and too far beneath your social standards. The minute I show interest in him, suddenly you’re dressing like a slut and throwing yourself at him.”
I move right up in front of her until she has no choice but to take a few steps back, moving herself out of the doorway and back onto the porch.
“Did you know Ike has been missing for a few weeks? And my mother just died. Haven’t seen my father around in a few days either,” I muse, tapping a finger against my chin. “Strange how people around here disappear or end up dead, don’t you think?”
Trudy’s face turns as white as a sheet and without another word, she runs as fast as possible down the stairs and over to the driveway, jumping into her father’s Buick Electra. She doesn’t even waste time turning the car around; she just guns it backward down the long, winding drive.
Swiping my hands together like I just took out the trash, I close the front door and resume my pacing. My eyes wander to the basement door and I stop when a conversation flutters through my mind.
“Come on, let’s go into the basement.”
“Are you crazy? It’s scary down there.”
“It’s not scary when you go with someone else. Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”
“I’ve been down there before. Believe me, there’s nothing I haven’t seen.”
“You haven’t seen the bones…”
My feet carry me to the door as I try to remember more of the conversation. Who was I talking to? It must have been Trudy. Maybe I should have been a little nicer to her for a few more minutes and gotten some answers out of her. I try the handle and just like before, it’s still locked. I growl in frustration and it only takes me a second to remember something.