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Summer time was typically the highlight of everyone’s year. The break from school, the lax atmosphere of vacation, and the many trips out of town that broke away from the ‘normal’ Normal routine was always a welcome joy for most, and Harvey was no exception to the rule. Prior to this year summer meant cramming with his friends in his Harvester and taking road trips to the coast, going camping along their favorite hiking trails, hitting up Marie’s daily for the best burgers around and — of course — nightly visits to the carnival when it rolled into town. What was more thrilling that a ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl after scarfing down funnel cake with your favorite people in the entire world? He never even regretted the nausea that crippled him after each thrill ride — nothing mattered where Ginny and the crew was concerned. 

Summer was their time to goof off and forget about responsibility, an act that now seemed completely foreign to the junior deputy. Unlike before, he didn’t want to loaf around at the pool or the carnival. Especially not with the group who now took up the majority of his free time. The further he could get away from the ‘Murder Club’ — while still fulfilling his duties as outlined by the sheriff — then the better his ‘vacation’ could pan out. And the carnival was the last place he ever intended to follow the crew around… Until it proved to be a good setting for the one thing he had an obligation to fulfill before the summer was up.

Pulling out his wallet, he laid bills down in exchange for a long chain of colorful tickets, a small smile offered to the sales person in the ticket booth. Carefully folding them up, he slid the bundle into the pockets of his shorts before finally turning to face the girl who had been lingering behind him. It was an odd predicament he’d found himself in, but if Harvey was one thing then it was a man of his word. And he’d given Mariana Diaz his word that he would take her out on a date. How she’d reached the conclusion that that would be sufficient recompense for the accident between her and his dog was beyond him, and quite frankly he wasn’t interested in questioning it. Since Sasquatch had hurt the girl, he’d been expecting someone to show up to take him away and put him down. It had been the thought that kept him up for nights, anxious and scared for his best friend. But nobody ever showed up, nor was anyone made aware of what happened. It seemed Mariana wasn’t in the business of putting down animals when they made one simple mistake, and that was enough to convince him to fulfill his side of this odd bargain they came down to. 

So when he’d turned to face her, he willed his expression to soften to a point that made it look almost friendly despite his awkward tight-lipped grin. One date. That was all this was. Just be a gentleman and make sure it’s a good one and then you don’t owe her anything anymore. Then you’re even. He nodded behind them, towards the crowds and the flashing neon lights. “So,” he started, attempting to keep his tone light and even. “Shall we?” And with hands sliding into his pockets, he fell into step beside the blonde and followed her into the merriment and throng. Sounds of laughter and music filled his ears as they made their way down the wide grassy lanes between the games, booths, and rides. The aroma of carnival foods — half sweet, half savory, and all greasy — wafted towards him. Harvey kept closely beside Mariana as they began meandering through the faire, though he hadn’t spoken for a long moment. 

His eyes darted around, trying to figure out what was the best way to break the ice and awkward tension and to kickstart this date so it didn’t drag too long. “What’s your favorite thing to do at the carnival?” He finally asked, gaze shifting to her momentarily. That was a mistake. Mariana had made sure that her strongest assets were on display when she’d dressed up for the date, and even Harvey would have to acknowledge the sheer top she was wearing was a little distracting. He’d begrudgingly admit that since the day she jogged down his lane he’d come to notice Mariana a bit more and more and every single time he’d been caught off guard by how gorgeous the girl actually was. Any other guy would probably feel incredibly lucky to be taking her out on a Saturday night, but Harvey felt like this was a trap in the making. Relax, it’s not like you’re gonna want to do this again after tonight. 

Subconsciously buttoning his polo shirt up to the collar, he cleared his throat. “I’m more of a fan of the bumper cars. Nothing like driving full speed into a pink buggy with a toddler in it to make for a fun evening,” he chuckled, an amused grin sliding over his features. He’d looked less like the stern shadow following the kids around and more like an actual teenager for a moment there. The look did not last long as Harvey quickly sobered up. “Unless you’re hungry? We could grab some food first if you’d like.” He nodded towards a booth where they were selling cotton candy, kettle corn and funnel cake among other confections. Somehow he couldn’t imagine her eating any of those, but he still shrugged and added, “The funnel cake they serve here isn’t so bad.”

@mariana–diaz​

Mariana stood back away from the ticket booth as Harvey paid for the bundle. It was a date, so naturally she’d come with all of ten dollars in cash with her, enough to offer to pay for a funnel cake or something. But knowing Harvey and the picture perfect gentleman he definitely was brought up to be, she had no doubt he’d be more then happy to pay for the tickets and the food. And she hadn’t been wrong about the tickets. So while she waited, she leaned up against the waist high metal fence, that was put there to no doubt make sure little kids didn’t wander too close to any dangerous rides, and began to pick at any split ends. It was kind of rude that the glass shard that had made her like the best version of herself hadn’t stopped her hair from breakage. The bright lights from the carnival were reflecting off the glossy surface of her red nails with every move of her hand, a soft smile pulling at the corner of her lips. It might be childish but she did love the carnival. 

Hearing Harvey speak, Mariana lifted her head and her gaze away from the ends of her hair and locked onto the man in front of her. She tried not to scowl at his outfit, this was the first time she had gotten a close enough look at it, because boy did he look like a total tool. Like, she got he was from the north side and he had a shit ton of money but he didn’t have to dress like he spent his Sunday’s drinking bloody mary’s with dad while hitting off the back nine. Pulling her gaze away from the whole get up, she sent him a bright smile as they started to walk through the fair grounds. What was her favorite thing to do at a carnival? In the past she really only came to the carnival with a boy who treated her to some shaved eyes before taking her in the fun house or tunnel of love, his pants already unzipped before they could find a dark hiding place. When she’d come with Muffy, back when the two still spent time together, she did enjoy the rides. Head whipping from side to side as she took in the options, her brows rose as she pointed to the one that looks like a giant crane, swinging side to side while also spinning the occupants around in the chairs they were strapped to. “I like to ride something fast. Ya know, to get your adrenaline pumping.”

Noting the way he button up his polo, jesus christ, she let her head fall to the side. “But if that’s not your speed we can start with something else.” She then pointed to the ride that look like a collection of rollercoaster seats that just spun around a circular track at high speeds while playing blaring music. It went fast but it wasn’t going to leave the ground or anything, which she knew was a full stop for some people. “I’m not really hungry. But if you want to eat something we can check it out.”

How the absolute fuck was it that he kept losing people? First Felix went who the fuck knew where, then Harvey disappeared on him, and at some point, he had lost Holly though that one was probably intentional on her part. When he had run into Mariana, he had relayed all of this, sure that soon enough he would lose her too in the crowds, despite her insistence that she was stuck with him. At least now he wasn’t roaming the carnival alone, and really there were worst people to be stuck with than her. “Well, babe, you know there’s no one else I would rather be here with.” The others he lost would be alright without him for a bit longer, right? Eventually he would have to find them. Well, eventually he would have to find Felix since the boy’s shit was still back at his place, but that could wait. He was a big boy, he would take care of himself at a carnival while Bryce had a little fun of his own. “So, since we’re stuck with each other, what would you like to do first?”

Mariana had come to the carnival by herself, thinking perhaps there was a chance she could feed on a carnie that no one would miss. It was kind of the best option, a guy from out of town that his drunken coworkers probably wouldn't even notice was missing until they hit the next city. She had put on her best pair of cut off shorts over a tight bodysuit in hopes of drawing some eyes, and was currently walking through the carnival in search of a future meal. It's when she stumbled upon Bryce Evans. So far she hadn't seen anyone of interest, and she was getting a different kind of hungry, so she thought if she sweet talked him maybe she could get a pretzel out of him. He was all by his lonesome, so she approached him with a sly smile as she declaired he was stuck with her. For how long, she had yet to decide. Probably until she got bored.

"Well I don't know about you, but I'm starving. And there's nothing better then greasy carnival food. What do you say? Buy me a pretzel?" She batted her big eyes at him and let her hand lightly grasp his bicep. "And then I'll let you pick what I ride." She let her brows raise slightly as she walked backward away from him. Was she planning on sleeping with him tonight? No. Was it fun to always have that looming over them? Oh hell yeah. Teasing Bryce was one of her favorite past times.

When she’d suddenly gotten up Harvey had practically flown across the room towards her, hands hovering outward to catch her should she stumble. She’d lost so much blood, surely she wasn’t ready to get up and start walking around. To his surprise, Mariana had appeared to maintain her balance. Still, one hand lingered just a few inches from her elbow, ready to grab and steady her should she fall. “Hey… maybe you should take it easy for just a second,” he started quietly, “You only just woke up.” He trailed off when she so clearly appeared to be managing better than he’d expected. With ease she’d maneuvered around the room to reclaim her things. It hadn’t even seemed like there was lingering pain in her joints where she’d been attacked. His brow furrowed as he watched her a moment. But the attack… it was brutal. Confusion clouded his mind, to the point where he couldn’t even feel the small sliver of relief grazing his tense shoulders. If she wasn’t as seriously hurt as he’d expected… maybe that meant she wouldn’t demand retribution from his poor pup.

“Well, it’s the least I could do,” he said, stepping aside as she finished gathering her belongings. He only nodded at her request for him to give her her things at the next meeting, silently wondering how he could wash the garments again without his mother noticing it among her teenage son’s laundered items. The last thing he wanted to do was explain to Margaret and Errol how a sports bra ended up in his hamper. His mother still thought he was a virgin saving himself for his future wife after all. He was taken out of his thoughts when he’d mentally backtracked on her words. “Wait - shouldn’t you go to the hospital or something? You might need stitches on those,” he started, once again taking a step in her direction only to swiftly step back as she pulled out her phone. He didn’t want to draw attention back to how badly his dog injured her, but he was momentarily actually worried about her injuries. He couldn’t even remember the state of them when he’d dressed her wounds, but he’d seen enough horror stories to figure she’d absolutely need stitches on her shoulder at least.

His worry was only further railroaded when the girl had registered his offer of repayment. Harvey wasn’t expecting much — definitely money to cover the ruined garments, and possibly a drive somewhere though he figured that’d be more from his own persistence than her desire for it. When she’d turned on him with that smile, he swore he felt his entire body shudder in response. Something about Mariana Diaz reminded him a bit of a Venus Flytrap — beautiful, intoxicating and alluring, but truly dangerous if you got too close. Deep down somewhere within him he’d had the feeling that he was being unwittingly ensnared in her trap. Rooted firmly in place, he hadn’t even attempted to step back when she began to close the space between them, a delicate hand held out. His brow furrowed, jaw hanging open a moment as his gaze darted between her hand and her unnervingly enchanting grin. It had taken him a moment to process the words coming out of her mouth, but when he did he found himself even more confused. He couldn’t even comment on how she’d needed to see a medical professional more than getting a ride back to the south side, or the very embarrassing request for him, of all people, to go purchase her a new sports bra — never mind the fact he’d technically offered it. No, none of those were weighing nearly as heavily on his mind in that moment than the other, perhaps most ludicrous, request.

“…You want me to take you on a date?” The confusion was evident in every syllable that fluttered past his lips. He couldn’t quite wrap his mind around the request. He’d spent the majority of their encounter this morning acting aloof and brusque, making it plain that he had no interest in this teenage siren. The only thing to cause him to drop his relatively cold exterior was his dog literally attempting to maul her arm, and even then he was pretty sure anyone would react this way. Why would she want to go on a date with a boy who acted cold and grumpy just about 99% of the time? He knew the club didn’t like him… What was her angle? Still, he’d made the offer. Ever a man of his word, he couldn’t back out now. Clearing his throat, he nodded. “Okay, fine. If that’ll make it up to you then, sure… I’ll take you out on a date.” Reaching out, he let his fingers curl around her hand; sealing the deal in a handshake. The second his skin touched hers, he swore he felt a shock jolting through his veins. Damn static electricity, he thought, choosing to not dwell on it.

She’d seemed pretty determined to leave and despite the many protests bouncing around in his head, Harvey had decided to comply. Grabbing his keys from a small porcelain tray on his desk, he motioned out the door. “C’mon, lets go,” he said softly, holding the door open for the girl as she brushed past him. Following closely behind her, he’d kept a hand out ready to grab her should she stumble on the stairs. To his surprise she’d taken to them as if nothing had happened, and was firmly planted at the bottom within moments. He lead the way towards the garage, noting that Sasquatch has not wandered out from wherever he was hiding. He’d have to calm the scared dog later on, for now he had other things to worry about. Walking right up to his vintage off roader, he’d been quick to unlock and open the passenger’s side for her, holding a hand out to help her climb into the cab. He’d waited until she was seated comfortably within to make his way into the driver’s seat. “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to take the bus?” he asked as he started the car and opened the garage door. “I don’t want to impose if it would make you uncomfortable, but.. I would like to drive you home, just to be sure you made it okay.” His jaw clenched and relaxed involuntarily. “Seriously, it wouldn’t be a problem. And it’s the least I can do.” As if he hadn’t already been over the top in trying to take care of her after everything. “But if you truly insist I’ll take you to the bus station, no problem.”

Mariana bit on the inside of her cheek, trying desperately not to look annoyed at the questions and comments thrown at her by Harvey. The boy really liked to put up a fight, didn’t he? She couldn’t go to the hospital, not when she knew the bite marks on her shoulder and wrist looked more like a puppy snapped at her. Her body was healing, she knew that was for sure with how drowsy and completely exhausted she felt. And nothing was going to help with that except for one thing, blood. The faster she got away from Harvey, the quicker she could find some pathetic skeevy man hanging around the south side she could feed off of. If she went to the hospital, it would just delay that. On top of that, her mother would be there, and there was no way she was going to explain this to her. Oh and there was just the issue of having to explain to a doctor why her wounds were nearly as horrible as she’d have to say they were. Normally she’d lie, but she had a strong feeling that Harvey would probably be by her side there as well. So no, the hospital wasn’t an option, and she had to make him aware of that. 

“Listen Harvey, it’s really sweet that you’re so concerned, but I promise you I’ll be fine. I... I don’t do great in hospitals. Plus, my mom is a nurse and when she gets home tonight I’ll make sure she looks everything over.” Lies, that was definitely not going to happen. Actually, Mariana was pretty sure her mom was working an overnight tonight, and if she wasn’t, she’d be passed out in a drunken haze in her bed. Mariana had no interest to even speak to her mom. “So please, let’s just go to the bus station.” 

When she offered up the three ways he could pay her back for his dog so viciously attacking her, she wasn’t surprised in the least by his surprise at her asking for a date. He didn’t want her, that much was obvious. But he wasn’t immune to her charms and she knew a date would be exactly how she catch him. But he seemed to think he have some kind of control over his attraction and feelings towards her. Silly rabbit. he didn’t know anything. “You’re surprised?” She faked a laugh, her brows raising as she looked at him with humor. “I mean, I thought it was pretty obvious I was flirting earlier but maybe not. You’re cute Harvey, you can’t blame a girl for wanting to be on your arm for a night.” She wasn’t completely lying. Objectively, Harvey was a hunk. And she knew any acting she’d need to do in order to get him to completely fall for her would be made easier with due to his features. Shaking his hands, her smile only grew at the way his body responded to her own. She could feel it, the transfer of energy. The way she only further broke down those walls. Soon he’d be eating out of the palm of her hand.

Everything felt terrible. Even as he did his best to stack the books and whatever the hell had just possessed Mariana was gone, everything felt off. He felt dirty, unclean, unsafe. Jasper wanted nothing more than to pick up his things and run as fast as he could home to make sure everyone was tucked in safe and sleeping.

But finally the buzzing stopped and he could feel his fingers again, could take a deep breath without the air in his lungs feeling like fire. While his therapist hadn’t prepared him for some monster trying to ruin his life he did know a little something about calming himself down from an attack. A few deep breaths and to focus on something he could connect with. He studied his palms, tracing every curve in them before finally letting himself relax.

“I’m okay. I mean as okay as I can be after airing out my dirty laundry like that. Surprise, I guess?” he tried to laugh it off, rubbing his hands on his jeans in hopes of getting the dirt off. Just something to help calm his mind enough. “Sorry about your books. I’m sure you had them in whatever order you wanted. And I’m sorry you had to hear all that. I don’t usually talk about it with anyone. It’s not you, it’s just I’m not interested in burdening people with that information.”

Mariana watched as Jasper slowly but surely began to calm down. She didn’t know exactly what was helping him do it, but soon he was able to talk and respond to her question. The girl got it. This whole fucking truth or dare demon was not easy to deal with. The only bright side for her was she had a one up on everyone else around her, what with her super quick healing or whatever it was. If she were refuse whatever was thrown her way, she knew she could most likely handle whatever the demon did to her. But her club members definitely did not have the ability to just say no. So it’s not like she was going to give Jasper shit for airing his dirty laundry. 

“It’s whatever.” She stated, shrugging her shoulders at the books and anything else he might wish he could just brush off. “You know I’m not gonna judge you, or whatever. Right?” Whatever he had to do to get through the day wasn’t her buisness, and she wasn’t going to dwell on it or hold it over his head.

When he’d heard a voice cut through the silence of his room, Harvey had been shocked to discover that he’d fallen asleep. His adrenaline must have finally ran out when he’d taken the seat in the desk chair, his body and mind shutting down in response. The second she’d spoken up, Harvey jolted alive, his hand moving from its resting place beneath his chin to reach up and rub at his weary eyes. “Hey,” he said, clearing his throat. He’d been hunched over and attempted to sit upright, his entire body groaning in response. He’d become stiff from where he’d momentarily been napping and his limbs protested from the movement. Blinking away the bleariness from his gaze, he looked over to the girl. She’d seemed… Okay. That was good, though his nerves had not settled at that. She had passed out, after all, and after losing a lot of blood. You should have taken her to the hospital. A small voice shouted at him from the back of his mind, but he’d ignored that, hands gripping the arms of his desk chair and watching her carefully, assessing her movements. 

The question wasn’t surprising, of course. Last she remembered, his dog had body slammed her to the ground and she was bleeding on the pavement. Nodding, he leaned back in his chair, trying to be more relaxed despite the anxiety gripping him. “Yeah,” he said, “You were out cold for a bit there. How are you feeling?” With a hand he motioned towards the tray that had been set beside her, the assorted fruits and jello still untouched. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel when you got up, so I put together some stuff in case you would be hungry. I’m sorry if the selection isn’t the best. I can go rummage through the pantry some more if you’d like.” He’d frowned then, brow furrowing. Momentarily he’d wondered why he was offering to hunt down other food for her. But then he’d remembered it was his dog that attacked her. Wiping away the frown, he sat upright and folded his shaking hands in his lap. 

“I cleaned and dressed your wounds too,” he said suddenly, gaze dropping down to his joined hands. He began wringing them, a nervous habit he’d had since he was a boy. Usually he was so kept together, but he found himself awkwardly fidgeting in his chair. He’d wanted to talk about what happened. Obviously. Specifically he wanted to talk about Sassy and the repercussions of what he’d done. She just woke up, Harv, he chided himself. Give her a second before you hound her about that. Sighing, he stopped his movements and motioned out the door. “I googled blood stain treatments, and tried to salvage your clothes. They’re in the washer now, but… Well, I can’t make any promises on the state of them. I tried, for what it’s worth, but you got bit pretty bad.” 

Swallowing, he pushed up out of the chair, his hands sliding into his pockets to keep himself from fidgeting with them. “I’m really sorry about what happened, and I would like very much to make it up to you, including replacing the items damaged. And please let me know if you need to be taken anywhere. You lost a lot of blood, so I’m sure you’re feeling weak. Honestly, I would prefer to get you to the hospital so you can get properly looked at, but wherever you want to go, just… Let me know, I’d be more than happy to drive you there.” 

Mariana nodded along to his answer to her question. It was kind of rhetorical, honestly. I mean, she woke up in his bed and couldn’t remember getting there, so of course she fucking passed out. Her eyes followed his hand as he motioned towards the tray of food next to her and shook her head, pushing the food farther away from her. She was hungry, but not for jello. Her body had exerted a lot of energy in the past few weeks, what with all the healing from this truth or dare demon. She wanted food, but the demon within craved blood. “Don’t worry about it, I won’t be staying.” She told him, getting up out of the bed and ignoring the wave of dizziness that came over her. Catching her reflection in the mirror she noticed the bags under her eyes and the paleness of her skin. She originally was’t going to need to feed for at least a week or so, but it seemed she might have to do that within the day now that her body has used so much energy.

As much as she would love to tear into him right now and feel that sweet burst of euphoria and power, she knew it wouldn’t be smart. She didn’t know if his parents were home. And her clothes were here. His neighbors would most likely have seen him bring her inside, what with how fucking nosey people on the North Side could be. That meant that people probably knew she was here, and if she left a dead body in her wake the police would catch on soon. No, she’d have to be smarter, and right now that meant getting out of Harvey’s rooms. Especially before he decided to check on the dog bites. She doubted they’d be anywhere near as severe as they were a few hours ago. “Yeah uh, thank for helping me out but I should really get back home before my mom starts to worry.” Her mom wouldn’t worry, but it was a god excuse. “How about you just give me the sports bra and the jacket back at the next newspaper meeting, I’m sure they’re going to need a few washes.” She then moved to grab her phone off the charger, checking for any missed messages before putting it in the waste band of her biker shorts.

As she collected the rest of her belongings, she looked up at him in surprised when he spoke of making this up to her. She hadn’t been expecting that. Honestly she’d expected him to just say keep quiet about my dog and then send her on her way. So she paused in her movements for a second as she thought. Thought about how that statement he had just made could really help her out in the long run. Help out with her master plan. So she smiled, even though she was sure her current physical state was nowhere near as sexy, sultry and seductive as it was when she woke up this morning. “You want to make it up to me? Okay. Drive me to the bus station, buy me a new sports bra, and take me out on a date. Then I’d say we’re even.” She had stepped a few feet forward as she spoke, putting her hand out towards him once they were close enough to shake. She didn’t even know if her powers would work with how drained she was, but regardless, she knew the handshake would solidify this deal for him. He wouldn’t go back on it, not Mr. Perfect.”

As she approached him, Bryce slowed down a bit, waiting to see what else she needed. The press of her lips against his check felt different than he had expected it to, though he couldn’t explain why. It was just a kiss, and yet there was a weird feeling in the bit of his stomach and then, it was gone. Everything felt calming, reassuring even, normal. The bit of doubt he had held before seemed to be pushed back into the darkest depths of his mind, no longer his primary concern. Suddenly he didn’t really feel like following up and questioning what exactly had happened. There had been an accident, Mariana was alright, that’s all that really mattered. And she would be back. After she went home, rested up, took some time to recover, she would be back good as new and that was all that really mattered.

Bryce backed away slightly, nodding along in agreement. He would tell the others exactly what she said, because it made sense. Then, for just a moment, the confused look was upon his face again. He would cover for her, but he was covering. There was still something to cover, something had been wrong. Still, he would tell the others that she had gone home, and that she would be back. “Yeah, I got it babe. You don’t have to worry. Just shoot me a text if you need anything, okay? I got you.” A tight feeling took over his chest as he made his way to the door, a little faster in his departure now. Nerves, it had to be nerves. Everything going on was insane. It was natural that he felt hesitant, normal that he was on edge. That didn’t mean anything. Everything was totally fine.

When Harvey was a little boy, there was one lesson that his mother had made sure he learned and carried with him throughout his life. Margaret was definitely an absent parent, but that didn’t stop him from heeding her words when she had told him that above all else his job as a gentleman was to take care of a woman in need. Never mind the misogynistic undertones of the lesson - Margaret Vance’s son would be a proper gentleman. This meant offering his arm to a lady of any age crossing the street, being the first to lend a hand when a girl tripped nearby, holding doors open and picking up fallen items. No matter the situation, should there be a damsel in distress it was Harvey’s obligation to help. 

It was this life lesson, so deeply instilled in the young man, that forced him into action. 

Silently going through every first aid lesson he’d ever had in his life, Harvey almost missed it when Mariana spoke up. Gaze flickering back to hers, he opened his mouth to speak but found himself stopping. The fingers of her uninjured hand were wrapped around his wrist. He hadn’t noticed them at first - the grasp was light, probably because of how much blood she was losing - but gradually it became all he could notice. It was as if they were made from lead, heavy and tight around his skin. It made him shiver. It was the only skin on skin contact they had and somehow he found himself focusing on that instead of the fabric drenched in her blood he had pressed against her shoulder. He couldn’t make sense of why he was so focused on that touch, mostly because her words brought him back to that moment. Blinking, he tore his gaze, suddenly focused on her fingers on his wrist, back to her face and nodded briskly. “I’m not going anywhere,” he said firmly, and for a fraction of a second he had to wonder why he was making that promise to Mariana Diaz of all people. 

He couldn’t focus on that thought, not when her eyes rolled back and she’d suddenly gone limp on the ground. “Whoa… Whoa, whoa, hey, Mariana,” he blinked, moving his hand, now released from her grasp, to her face. He gently tapped her cheek but it was to no avail. She didn’t stir. “Hey, hey now, wake up… C’mon don’t do that. Not here… Oh shit.” He groaned internally. She was out. Of course she was. With all that blood she lost, why wouldn’t she be? Panic rising within him, the boy looked up and around. It was empty. The entire block was quiet and empty. Where the hell was everyone? Shouldn’t people be out getting the paper or mowing their lawns, or at least getting in their cars and heading off to work? Where were the kids getting ready and heading to their school buses? Why the fuck was no one around? 

Breathing raggedly, he looked around again and again, hoping someone would come out who could then help him. But nobody showed up. Why the fuck didn’t anyone show up? “Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, looking back at the girl laying on the sidewalk. She was still breathing. That was a good sign. Swallowing hard, he looked up to see Sasquatch, ears up and alert, nervous but waiting on something from his owner. A command, a shout. “Sassy,” he started, “Sassy, go home. Go on, I’ll be right behind you.” He had no way of knowing if the dog one hundred percent understood him, but he knew the command to ‘go home’ and what that meant. Instantly the dog was turning and rushing towards the house at the end of the street, just a few yards away. The gate was still open. Thank god. Turning back to Mariana, Harvey unconsciously reached out to brush some stray strands of hair off her face. His fingers twitched as he realized what he was doing. “Jesus, pull yourself together,” he muttered, retreating the hand. He started at it curiously before dropping it entirely. 

The next few minutes were rather hazy. One thing was certain - he needed to get her off the pavement and somewhere safe. He would try to dress her wounds up and then he’d call for help. It was the only thing he could do. That meant moving her, which seemed like it could be a bad idea. And yet… Harvey didn’t give it much thought when he slid his arms beneath her, careful as he slipped an arm beneath her injured shoulder. With great caution he got up on his feet. He wasn’t sure if this was a good idea - no he knew it was definitely a bad idea. He should have called for an ambulance, or at least called Sheriff Matthews. But then he’d have to tell them what happened. He’d have to admit it was Sassy that did it. The thought caused his heart to sink. No, he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t rat out the only real friend he had left. So he did “the next best thing.”

He carried a passed out and bloodied Mariana Diaz back to his house. 

Everything he’d done next was on auto pilot, to the point he can’t remember consciously doing any of it. He remembered kicking the door shut and carrying her straight past the foyer, carefully making his way up the stairs being very sure not to jolt her and cause her any pain. The house had been quiet - Errol was long gone by then and Margaret was apparently gone too. He didn’t register that though - all Harvey could hear was the pounding of his heart and his ragged breaths. He ultimately decided to deposit her on his bed, making poor attempts to grab towels to catch the blood. He gave up on that - if anything, he could change the sheets. He had extras in the linen closet. 

That thought was pushed to the farthest reaches of his mind as he fished out the first aid kit in the bathroom cabinet. Next thing he knew he was collecting a ton of damp towels, and whatever he could find in that damn first aid kit that looked useful. He had no clue what he was doing - of course he didn’t. He may play like he was a responsible adult, and maybe he technically was one, but in that moment he was nothing but a scared kid trying to patch up a girl he barely knew’s injuries. Injuries he was responsible for. Fuck, how could this happen? 

He blacked out. At some point he must have. Because one second he was wrapping up Mariana’s torn wrist and shoulder and the next he was turning on the washer, a collection of bloodied items swirling in the machine. Harvey had no idea if he could salvage half of them but it was worth a shot; especially since a couple of those items didn’t belong to him and were potentially ruined because of him. He also didn’t remember undressing Mariana and putting one of his oversized shirts on her. He took that as a good thing, though - he wasn’t sure he’d be able to face her if he had any clear memory of doing it. I must have taken out my contacts for that. He decided to go with that if she asked. She is definitely going to ask. 

Sighing, he made his way into the kitchen, a half prepared tray of food sitting on the counter. Harvey had no idea if any of it was a good idea but didn’t the hospital staff always supply patients with jello when they woke up from whatever got them in there? Luckily they had some leftover strawberry jello from the night before, so he placed that in a bowl on the center of the tray; assorted fruits and whatever other things he could find around the kitchen joining it. Adding a glass of water, he lifted and carried the tray up into the bedroom. Harvey couldn’t even remember how long it had been since he brought Mariana to his house - since the attack - but he figured she’d wake up eventually. If all went well, that is. And for reasons far beyond his understanding, he really hoped it all went well. For Sassy. She needs to be okay so nothing bad happens to Sasquatch in retaliation. Obviously. He set the tray on the nightstand beside his bed where the girl currently resided, pulling up his desk chair to the side and settling into it with a sigh. Elbows resting on his knees and chin balanced on his shaking hands, he watched her for a moment, just waiting for her to wake up. 

This wasn’t the first time Mariana had woken up in a random bed with blood under her fingernails. Sadly, she hadn’t had the same kind of fun she did all the other times. As her hazel eyes fluttered open and took in the room around her, she wondered for a second where she was. Normally when she woke up in a strange room, it was within a seedy hotel, or some clean and pristine apartment. This room was neither of those things. It had pictures of smiling faces in frames, a dog bed in the corner, and numerous knick knacks littered around that showed the owner’s interests. This room was lived in. And she had to wrack her brain for clues as to how she ended up here, at least for a few seconds before everything came rushing back to her.

The demon. Her refusal to do what it said. Sassy taking a few big bites into her and then passing out in Harvey’s arms.

Sitting up, a soft groan left her lips as she felt a bolt of pain rush from her wrist up to her shoulder. Noting the gauze that was wrapped around her wrist, held to her skin by medical tape, she was quick to check her shoulder to see if the same care had been given to it. It was then that she also noticed the change in clothes. The oversized shirt that was draped over her slid off her shoulder somewhat and answered her question. Yep, wound clean and wrapped up. Pulling at the shirt she was wearing, she figured it was also probably Harvey’s, just like everything else in this room. She still had her biker shorts on, and she could see the random spots of blood, but her sports bra had been discarded somewhere. She didn’t worry that she wouldn’t be getting that back.

Running her hands through her hair, Mariana moved towards the edge of the bed and grabbed at her phone that was placed there, surprised to have some tension on it. Taking a second look, she rolled her eyes when she saw it was plugged into a charge. No le puedo creer.

Unplugging her phone, she let the cord drop between the bed and the side table without a second though. Her eyes stopped for a second and noticed the picture behind her phone. The one of him and that girl he was always attached at the hip with. Ginny Wilkerson. She stopped paying the group much noticed after Harvey and the girls very adamantly rejected her friendship proposition, but she suspected this one meant the most to him. Eyeing the photo, Mariana noted how sweet they looked together. 

The entire situation felt off in a way that he couldn’t truly understand, nor could he explain. And him not being able to explain things was pretty frequent in his life, sure, but this was beyond the normal level of confusion, even for him. What was being told now, that Mariana’s injury wasn’t as serious as it had seemed, made no fucking sense. They had all been there. They had heard the way it hit against Mariana’s nose. There had been no denying how bad it had been in the moment, but now here they were in the nurse’s office being told that everything would be just fine. It didn’t make sense. Bryce shook his head slightly as he tried to put it all together, coming up very short for a conclusion. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t normal, and he wasn’t sure if Mariana was also as in the dark as he was, or just wanted to leave him there alone. Still, finally, Bryce nodded along, willing to adopt her plan – for now.

He watched as she made her way over to the sink, cleaning up some remaining blood and seemingly just straightening herself up back into the typical Mariana that he was used to lately. He didn’t agree with her, not really. There was no way people would just forget that something like this happened. At least, he hoped that no one would just forget and move on as if this was all typical. He still nodded along though, unsure what else to do.

As she turned back to face him, Bryce straightened up just a bit. Something was going on, that much was obvious, and he wasn’t going to be trusted with the details. Fine, he could work with that, for now at least. “Alright, fine. I’ll…just tell the others that you got checked out and are going home to heal up.” He paused then, keeping his gaze on her until finally looking down at the hard floor below them. “Mariana – I don’t know what’s going on, why what we all saw happen apparently didn’t happen, but I am sure that as far as the rest of this group knows, your nose is broken. It’s probably best if no one is corrected on that front. You go home, stay there, pretend to heal up or whatever the fuck is going on and I’ll…I’ll cover however needed.” He glanced behind him then. They weren’t going to be interrupted, he was fairly sure, but that didn’t mean he wanted to hang around the nurse’s office all day. Something about being there just felt uncomfortable. “I should probably get going.”

She sat there, anxiously waiting for Bryce to either agree to her idea or ask a dozen questions she didn’t know how to answer. Of course you could never tell that a thousand butterflies were doing flips in her stomach, because her face was a hard as stone. Give him nothing, pretend you can’t explain this and hopefully convince him to head home so you can go about your life without having to talk about the fact that you eat people. 

When he agreed to her plan, she would be lying if she said the tense feeling in her shoulders was gone, or that she didn’t let out the smallest breath of relief. “Good.” She muttered, realizing that probably wasn’t the best thing to say right now. So quickly she softened her features and sent him a smile. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. And listen if it makes you feel better, my mom is a nurse. I’ll just have her look at everything. Maybe that women isn’t even actually qualified to work here.” She knew he definitely wasn’t believe the lie she was selling him, but she hoped if she told him her mom checked her out and found nothing wrong, he’d have a better time believing it really wasn’t all that serious to being with. The blonde was sure, regardless of if he believed her or not, he wasn’t going to say anything. And for that, she was thankful. 

So before he could leave, she let the ice pack drop on the cot and instead grabbed his hand. Her compulsive and intoxicating powers coming off in waves as she looked up at him, desperately hoping he’d start to believe her just a bit more. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch to you earlier. Thank you for coming with me.” Leaning up on the tip of her toes, she left a soft kiss on his cheek. “Tell the others I went home and I’ll be back in school next week.”

jasper

Jasper wanted nothing more than to break free from this nightmare. This girl he cared for toying with him in a way that’s so unholy he can feel a chill run up and down his spine. The smell made him sick, the food spilling from the microwave makes his whole body lurch forward as his hands begin to shake. Whatever this thing is it was bringing out a side of him he worked through years of therapy to fix, to control, to not let take over his life.

But the anxiety of this moment was a trigger so intense he could feel himself crumpling under the weight of her.

“I have to check everything before I leave the house. My moms curling iron, the water taps in the house, the lights. If I don’t make sure everything is turned off three times I can’t leave the house. I’ve been late to school before because of it. I have to check on my siblings multiple times a day and if they don’t answer I get worried and…”

Her touch was too much, too tight, bad and terrible and unwanted. Jasper pushed her away and stumbled backward trying to get control of his thoughts. A flood of intrusive thoughts overwhelmed him.

What if someone had broken into his house while he was gone and hurt his mother and sisters?

Did he lock the door?

Was the garage closed?

Had he checked the padlock on the gate and the backdoor?

“I order things to help reduce the anxiety.” It was a reminder to himself that if he could just get back under control of this with a temporary relief than things would be okay. He saw a stack of her books and sat beside them, taking a deep breath as he moved them around my length of title. “That’s it, okay? That’s all. Leave me and Mariana alone, please?”

Mariana’s cackle takes on a haunting echo that seemed to fill the room a the lighting intensified, her eyes hollow like a marionette.

“How pathetic. You’re just a baby. A wittle, simpering baby,” she says condescendingly, trailing after you as you tidy her books. She prances to the table and picks up one before knocking down the rest, rupturing your need for order. “Does it kill you not to have your ducks in order?”

You have no control in the house. She proves this by opening up the book and tearing out a page. Her laughter rings in your ears as she makes a show of the chaos, Margaret Atwood’s literature now confetti to her sadistic parade. 

“Rock a bye baby, on a tree top. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,” she sings while upending her own furniture, flipping pillows and knocking over chairs in a shameless display of petulance. It’s a tune that will stay in your ears for a while. You bury your face in your hands to drown it out.

By the time you look up again, everything is as it was. Mariana is where she had been, your Tupperware neglected in the microwave.

The minute Jasper seemed to zone out and start direction statements and questions her way, without her speaking or knowing what he was even taking about, she began to realize what was going on. It was strange, being on the receiving end of someone’s truth or dare hallucination. She had no idea what the context of this conversation was and she realized very quickly regardless of yelling his name, she wasn’t able to break him out of wherever he was.

Mariana was contemplating trying to slap him, see if that brought him down to earth, but she thought better of it. Aside from the fact that she was pretty sure it would not do anything, she wondered if contact with him could somehow turn the demon on her. And she was not about to deal with another truth or dare. She could just imagine what it’d ask her to do, and while she could probably trust Jasper with her secret, she wasn’t going to test that theory.

For just a millisecond she considered potentially checking her texts while he dealt with whatever he was dealing with, but figured that shit was kind of insensitive. Especially for an old friend.

Instead she decided it’d be better for her to stay alert and try to protect him if something were to go wrong. She had... well it wasn’t super strength but it was better then most people’s, and maybe she could always overpower him if need be. It seemed like that wasn’t necessary though, because soon Jasper was talking about his intense and compulsive habits and Mariana was looking on with a furrowed brow. She hadn’t known any of this about Jasper, and she wouldn’t expect it of him. But it sounded like his fears could potentially be debilitating depending on the circumstances. And that was sad.

When he lifted his head and looked at her, she let out a sigh of relief when she realized whatever was happening was over. “Hey. You okay?” She reached out to touch him, but thought better of it. 

murderclubhq‌:

Mariana was defiant, but boy was she a fun person to play with.

The phone was clear of messages now, aside from a few from Bryce and one from her mother tell her to get milk. Sassy, however, was growling at Mariana and tugging violently at his leash. His low snarls quickly turned into barking as the dog made hard lunges forward. Sasquatch was putting up a fight to get loose until it finally pulled hard enough to send Harvey falling backwards onto his rear. Before Harvey could snatch the leash again, Sassy was pouncing.

Sasquatch jumped on Mariana like she was filet mignon in a windbreaker and began to bite at her arm. With how hard his teeth sank down into her and broke skin, you would have thought that Mariana has abused the dog. The attack came out of no where and it only continued when Sassy bit into her exposed shoulder. Blood trickled down and began to stain the ground below Mariana. 

Perhaps it was the demon trying to give her a taste of her own medicine. This must be how that guy felt when she bit him, only Sasquatch wasn’t wearing a push up bra like she had been.

Only trouble could come out of Mariana Diaz saving a seat for him at newspaper club. That’s what Harvey thought when she mentioned it. Everything in him told him to not take that offer, but he ultimately didn’t voice it. Instead he offered her a stiff nod before whistling at Sasquatch. “Let’s go home, boy,” he said softly to the Great Dane as he fell into step beside him, the two turning away from the girl. That would be the end of this - and any - interactions with Mariana Diaz, Harvey would make sure of it. 

He’d only taken a couple steps before the universe decided that wasn’t up to him. 

As he pulled lazily at the leash, he found the fabric straining against his grasp. “What,” he breathed, half turning back. He heard the growls before he saw the dog, the lines of his body tense and his paws firmly spread apart on the ground. His head hung low, lips curled back to bare teeth as a low and menacing growl came out. “Hey, cut that out,” Harvey said in his stern voice, though the tone was also laced in uneasiness and confusion. Sasquatch never growled at people. In fact, Harvey hadn’t heard the dog really bark for some time now. He couldn’t fathom was was going on, or what had gotten into him. He could only thank god for his quick reflexes when the dog began pulling against the leash. 

“Sassy, what - “ he trailed off, words caught in his throat and his breath choked as he grasped the leash with two hands. Every muscle in Harvey’s body strained against the pull of the dog, trying to anchor him back. Of course that wasn’t exactly feasible - Sasquatch was a Great Fucking Dane for crying out loud. Two Hundred pounds of pure muscle and legs that were nearly half of Harvey’s overall height. He couldn’t hold him back - no matter how well built he was, it wasn’t possible. “Sasquatch,” he sputtered, trying to gain more leverage on the leash but it was too late. 

Harvey hissed as the leash slid out of his hands, leaving a burn against his palms that sizzled. That pain was quickly forgotten as he fell back, landing on his back with a thud. He groaned, feeling a pain shoot up his back. Something minor in comparison to what was going on before him. Pushing up onto his elbows, he ignored the pleas of his aching muscles as he watched his typically sweet and docile dog lung at the girl who mere moments earlier had him rapt and excitedly wagging his tail. “Sassy no,” Harvey tried to shout out but the wind had been knocked out of him. Reacting quickly, he scampered to his feet and dashed towards the dog attempting to maul at the slender girl. Whatever hard and cold resolve he’d boarded up against Mariana was quickly chipping away. This was bad. This was very bad. 

Hands finding the leash, he followed them until he could hook eight fingers beneath the collar of the dog, grasping so tight he swore his bones could shatter from the pressure, and tugged with all his might. “Get off,” he commanded, his voice low and gravely. He was expecting a wild fight and yet just as quickly as the change had first occurred in him, Sasquatch went back to his timid self, tearing his teeth from the girl’s flesh and falling backwards against Harvey’s chest - hard. For the second time Harvey found himself tumbling to the ground, now with a giant dog falling on top of him. A dog who nervously jumped off his owner and scampered a distance away from him, head hung low and tail between his legs. Harvey stared at him, chest heaving from the adrenaline of the past couple minutes, his eyes wordlessly pleading, What happened to you? Tell me what’s going on. 

He dropped the thought when he turned his gaze to the side and instantly caught sight of red. Deep, pooling red. “Oh my god,” he breathed out, getting onto his knees and crawling over to the girl he’d just desperately pulled his dog off of. “Oh shit, oh shit,” he was muttering as he knelt directly beside her. He had seen Great Dane bites before - not from his own dog, but Margaret had forced him to see the ugly of having such a big dog before he convinced them to bring Sasquatch home. He’d seen how serious a large dog’s bite could be… It didn’t really prepare him for seeing in person, though. Her arm was bloody and torn, and the same happened to her shoulder. His pulse skyrocketed at the sight. This was his fault. Maybe he didn’t do it, but… Sassy was his dog. 

Swallowing hard, he steeled his expression and instantly began to move. “Hold still,” he said in a soft and even tone. Without hesitation, Harvey grasped the bottom of his pull over and tugged it up over his head, left in a white cotton t shirt that would probably end up blotched in red shortly. He loved that sheriff’s department pull over and would later come to regret this but in the moment it seemed like the best thing to do. He didn’t inspect her shoulder closely but figured that was where the most damage was had. She was covered in blood. Bundling the shirt up, he pressed it against the wound, attempting to stop the bleeding. “Hold still, hold still,” he said calmly, feeling the blood soaking into the fabric and staining his fingers. “We gotta apply some pressure and stop that bleeding.” His gaze flickered to her arm and cursed internally. Leaving one hand to apply pressure on her shoulder, he tried to untie that windbreaker she’d had around her waist, pulling it aside and attempting to wrap it tightly around her arm to stop that bleeding. Once it was subdued, he would have to get her somewhere were he could clean and dress her wounds, but that was step two. “Alright… Okay, you’re gonna be alright,” he said quietly, gaze flickering to hers for a moment. “As soon as this bleeding slows, I’m gonna get you some help, okay? Don’t worry, I’ve got you” 

Her hand trembled just for a second after she sent her response to the unknown number, and the fact that the texts stopped along with her reply didn’t help the sinking feeling in her gut. She refused to be scared by this force. She was stronger than the other. She could bounce back easier. Sure, the potential outcomes to saying no to the demon wasn’t ideal - if she got hit by a car who knew how long healing from that would take - but she wasn’t going to play this stupid game. And she wasn’t going to toss this plan out the window. If she said something to Harvey about his friends, she’d get nothing but stern silence from here on out, and that was not an option. So she was going to roll the dice, and hope she didn’t get a pair of snake eyes.

Time seemed to stop while she waited for something to happen. Her eyes darted around the almost empty neighborhood, trying to figure out what could harm her, when she heard the dog’s growl. Looking back towards Sassy, her hazel eyes widened as she saw the how taut the leash had gotten. Harvey was tugging on it, and she could see the way he was straining to hold the dog back. Why the fuck did it have to be the dog? 

Her body was telling her to run, but before she could even turn to leave, Sassy tugged free from his owner and was on top of her within seconds. The first thing she felt was the teeth piercing her wrist, the bite was deep and that dog was not going to let go, she could tell. “FUCK!” She groaned out, thrashing underneath Sassy. It was no use. She couldn’t get a good grip on the dog, not with her arm in its mouth. “Get off!” She tried to order, but it seemed to only anger the dog more. His jaw was snapping, right towards her face and all she had time to do was dodge out of the way. Sasquatch’s jaw instead bit down on her shoulder, this time much harder than her wrist. God it was in a lock jaw.

There were tears falling out of her eyes as she continued to move under the dog, attempting to potentially roll him over and off of her. Maybe if she wasn’t in so much fucking pain right now she’d be able to toss him off of her, but she also didn’t know what would happen if she honed into her powers right now. Would she be able to stop herself from ripping the dog to shreds out of anger and rage? She didn’t know. 

It felt like seconds from finding out, though, because with every moment the dog was tearing at her shoulder, she could feel control slipping away. She could tell the fight instinct was starting to take over, and whatever lay dormant in the back of her mind was ready to claw its way out. She could feel the warm liquid of her own blood leaving the wounds the dog had made, and her body was starting to change as a reaction. It was when she saw Harvey above her, tugging forcefully at Sassy’s collar that she was snapped back to reality. No, he couldn’t see her like that.

Not yet.

The moment Sassy’s weight was no longer above her, his teeth removed from her body, she let out a cry of relief. She might be more powerful now, might live off the blood of the not so innocent, but fuck did she still feel pain. And balls did that hurt.

Clutching her mangled wrist to her body, she let the tears of pain fall as she lay on the crosswalk. No sign of nosey neighbors rushing to the scenes to ask what had happened. It was just her and Harvey. Who, speaking of the devil, had crawled back towards her. The look on his face, the way he was taking in everything, she knew this was probably worse than she imagined. Her body felt wet and it’s not like that was from sweat. No, she was covered in blood. 

God fucking dammit, this had been her favorite workout set. 

As Harvey hovered above her, quickly moving into action, she noted the complete change in his behavior. He wasn’t acting as if she were a piece of gum under his shoe. No, he was concerned, he was doing what he could to help her. So many she leaned a bit farther into the damsel in distress trope. Maybe this was how she got under his skin. “Help.” She murmured, eyes still watery and a voice just a bit more pathetic as she curled into herself. Mariana hissed as he pressed his pullover into her shoulder, clearly trying to stop the bleeding but fuck me did that hurt. Noting her opportunity, Marians used her good hand to grasp his wrist, whatever power she had coursing through her towards him to get him to care about her even more than he did. To be willing to care. 

Feeling her eyes start to get heavy, and the bright morning street begin to spin, Mariana was sure she wasn’t going to be conscious for much long. God that dog did more damage then she had been expecting. Looking up at Harvey, her eyes wide and pleading, she begged. “Don’t leave me.” It was the epitome of pathetic, but she was sure he wouldn’t be able to resist that. And like something out of a fucking romance movie, those were the last words she was able to get out before passing out on the sidewalk of north normal.

The trip to the office was quiet, not that Bryce had expected anything else after that exchange. It wasn’t something too novel for him, fighting with people, but he hadn’t really done that with Mariana until that moment. Now, the entire thing felt a bit strained, but that didn’t matter. He wasn’t going to just walk away, not when it did seem like she needed someone, regardless of whether or not she agreed with that assessment. So, he followed on.

Just as she dictated, he let her do the talking. After all, it was her nose that had been smashed up, no reason to pipe in with an explanation that probably wouldn’t have made any sense. He expected some horrified gasp at the damage, an exclamation of how a locker could possibly do something like that unless someone straight up opened it in her face, something more than what happened. What exactly did she mean that it didn’t look broken? He had heard the crack, they had all heard the crack as Kaz had smacked Mariana’s nose like it was a pitch and he was desperate for a home run. How the fuck was that possible? Just a bit of bruising? How?

As the nurse made her way out, Bryce offered her a slight nod, grateful that she wasn’t going to question his presence. It made it much easier to stick around, watching as Mariana didn’t make eye contact with him. “No. That’s impossible. We all…we all saw it, we all heard it. Your nose was destroyed, like nose job shatter it down then rebuild it destroyed. So what the fuck happened?”

He hadn’t been imagining that, right? There was no way someone just imagined someone else smacking someone right in the sniffer like that, no way he could have imagined the noise and he wasn’t a doctor or anything, but he was pretty sure you didn’t just get a few bruises from something like that. Still, pushing Mariana to talk wasn’t the best plan, pushing her to do anything she wasn’t on board with never seemed to go well for anyone, and Bryce was at least not stupid enough to think he was any different in that. “So, what? Tell the others that the nurse bandaged you up, sent you out? How are you wanting to play this?”

Whatever it was, he would get it out of her eventually, when the time was right and when she was ready. At least, he hoped so. Otherwise being in this little group and not knowing a goddamn thing that made sense was really going to suck. As he waited for instruction, Bryce found himself avoiding eye contact as well, though it had been more subconscious than anything else. Things in Normal were far from normal it seemed, he had no idea what to think about any of it, including Mariana apparently.

The wheels were turning in his head, and while Bryce was clearly trying to peice together what he had witnessed and why the damage wasn’t worse, Mariana was trying to come up with some excuse that he’d accept. Maybe she didn’t even have to try that hard. Perhaps he was so over this whole supernatural bullshit that he’d just accept whatever lie she told him. Or so she thought, but as soon as the two were alone and the nurse was outside of earshot, he started asking questions. 

“I don’t know Bryce! Your guess is good as mine!” She exclaimed, trying to act like this was brand new information. Like she hadn’t been expecting her body to bounce back from the hit. In all actuality, she hadn’t been. She wasn’t fully aware this was something she could do. 

Okay, it hadn’t taken a normal amount of time for her to heal after the glass shard was shoved into her abdomen, but she also assumed that was just because her entire body had gone through a transformation that night. But maybe there was more to it. Her body could be more powerful, and not just in the strength sense. She knew she could do some damage to a person, but it seemed like her body could also take care of her. It was only when she could physically feel her nose start to reposition that she understood what she was capable of. 

Hissing again, because her nose was still healing itself, and it wasn’t like that was painless, she pulled the ice pack back and nodded. Getting up off the cot, she walked over to the small sink in the back of the room and started to wet a few paper towels to at least clean up the blood off her chin. She noticed in her reflection a few drops had even gotten on her top which was just great. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do. Kaz must not have put all his weight behind it. Or maybe he just skimmed the tip of my nose. Regardless, it’s not as bad as we though. I’ll just stay home tomorrow to let it heal and by next week everyone will forget about it.” Tossing the dirty towels out into the trash can, she put the ice pack back to her nose and turned towards Bryce again. 

Violet hadn’t thought that showing up at Mariana’s place unannounced would cause any issues… but maybe that was because she fully expected to find Mariana alone. She had been hoping to use the element of surprise to get the girl talking, but as soon as she was inside, she knew that she probably could have contacted first. Lesson learned.

Cringing when she realized that Mariana clearly had not informed her mother of her broken nose, it was only in that precise moment that Vi realized the girl was, in fact, completely fine. It was like the incident with the rod had never happened. There was no bruising. No swelling. She looked exactly as she had prior to the club meeting. How was that possible?

They could circle back to that in a minute. For the moment, Vi wanted to help. She had a not-terrible record of pleasing parents and she felt okay about her odds that afternoon. And so she ignored Mariana’s non-verbal wishes, jumping in with the first lie that came to mind.

“Someone in their first period science class distributed some brownies that were accidentally topped with superglue instead of frosting,” Vi began, truly not knowing where she was going with things but hoping that she’d said something just weird enough not to be questioned.

“Smart cookie that Mariana is, she realized almost immediately and maybe saved her whole class from a trip to the ER. The school sent them all home, though, to… err on the side of caution, which is definitely code for ‘we don’t want the nurse to deal with this’. But apparently they neglected to tell the parents. Whoops. School administration must be crazy busy prepping for graduation.”

Too much detail, she had realized about half-way through her spiel, but it was far too late to turn back. If she just continued to bulldoze through there’d be no time for questions and the woman would just have to accept it… hopefully.

Thus, with a bright smile, Vi turned towards her fellow blonde. “You didn’t miss much, but I figured we could keep our partner project plans for today. Sorry for intruding. We’ll be super quiet.”

Mariana let out a soft huff when Violet made her way into the apartment. That meant the girl was staying, for how long she wasn’t sure. And as she began to come up with some half assed excused for why she was here and why Mariana had skipped school, the girl began to close the apartment door. Once it was closed she leaned up against it, watching not only Violet but her mother as well.

Deciding to step into the story when it seemed like a good time, Mariana nodded her head as she backed up Violet’s way too informative lie. “They told us they were going to call you guys, which is why i didn’t wake you up and tell you when I got home. Thought I’d let you sleep. I know you had a long shift. But if you want to yell at anyone, yell at the secretaries at the high school.” She knew her mother wouldn’t. She was probably upset to be blind sided by all of this, or when she thought Mariana had broken the rules, but she’d be back in her room and asleep soon enough.

Watching Violet turn towards her with a smile that made her cringe, Mariana tried to play the part the best she could. Which honestly just consisted of a half ass smirk as she started to guide her towards her bedroom. The small bedroom that fit a twin size bed, a dresser and a bedside table. It’s not the kind of teen bedroom you saw in disney shows, or what she had expected her room to look like when she was growing up in the north side. It wasn’t exactly something she was proud of. Then again this entire apartment was a piece of shit so having someone like Violet here, who was probably living in a large hour with her sheriff father, wasn’t ideal.

“So are you really here to drop off that homework or for some other reason?” She asked as she closed her bedroom door behind the two of them. She didn’t know what this conversation would entail, and she thought it better if her mother didn’t overhear anything.

Jamie rolled his eyes where Mariana couldn’t see it, not that he cared if she did or not but he suspected it’d have only opened up another door for conversation that he didn’t really want. Whether she believed him or not, it didn’t matter. Jamie was in the business of solving problems and until Mariana turned on one of the club members or started ripping hearts out of pageant girls like Surgeon Barbie, he didn’t care if she listened to caution.

Honestly, he was curious to see what happened if she didn’t. Whether the evil forces in Normal were aligned or if they’d hurt one another like a demonic battle royale. 

“Ain’t that the question of the year?” he said into the ceiling, dropping his head back before spinning around to face Mariana and stopping her in her tracks before Edwina’s room.

“I don’t know what you want me to say. All I know is that Tommy was fine and then he was dead. The story is to be continued whether you decide to aid in finding the answer or not.”

Jamie cocked his head, exasperated. “Now, are you going to let me see Edwina or do I have to call security? I want to see her before her parents get here.”

Jamie was done giving her answers, she could see that. His responses were short, or rhetorical, and he was trying to continue down that hallway with or without her. She knew she wasn’t going to get any more answers about what had happened with Tommy tonight. If she wanted to figure things out, she might have to ask the other members of the murder club. She’d do that on Monday, when school started back up again. It’s not like anyone was going to answer her questions about that night now. Not after what they had been through.

So instead of fighting Jamie with reasons to stay and answer her burning questions, she crossed her arms over her chest and stepped backwards with a nod. “Run off to your little girlfriend. We can continue this discussion later.” And she meant it. He might not be aware of the glass shard within her, but she was, and she only knew the positives that had come with it. Considering Tommy had one as well, and clearly went off the deep end, she was starting to realize it might be best to learn the con’s as well.

But unless she wanted to inform Jamie about her inner turmoil, she had to let him go. There was no way she was opening up to him, not when he claimed to be the one to exorcise Tommy. If he had, if that had been the catalyst of Tommy’s death, well she didn’t want to take that chance on herself. “I’ll see you on Monday.” It was a promise. She was going to get more information out of him at least at some point.