THE VELVET KILLERS

(13) THE ONE WE DID NOT EXPECT

LEAH

My eyes go wide: this is just insane, but also terribly creepy.

How did Helen McCabe knew about my involvement? If she targeted me in particular, does it mean she found something it? And if she did, what tells me she didn't tell someone else? I mean, if I had found out about what we did, I would've destroyed us from the inside... I am the easy target right ? Leah Williamson, the monstrous freak that cannot control her anxiety and pulsions... the weak, the unreliable? Helen knew that, and she was coming after me. Her letter must mean something - I have to find it again... Where the fuck did I hide it?

I start re-reading it for the hundredth time:

Remember that game we used to play while in second grade? There were so many rocks near the yellow wall, it was insane. I wished we would've gone back there, just to have one last game. I still owed you a payback, because you beat me so many times at it.

I used to hate you for it, but today I can only see fighting during the games was your way of expressing yourself: you've won the game of life even, and I must bow down respectfully thinking about the good old days.

If I could, I would've gone back to the yellow wall and those rocks that would make our knees bleed.

I check my messages: still no answer from Alexia, who needed to go check near the yellow wall. I knew that if I did it myself, I'd get caught, and people would ask themselves why I would come back to the town that took everything from me. 

I am snapped out of my thoughts by my alarm: it was time for me to go downtown to enjoy a nice evening with the people from my college class - including Lia, who I've been avoiding since the episode in the big wheel of London.

Shivering because of the cold and light snowfall outside, I make it to the bar, show my COVID vaccination pass, and join my friends - only, I don't really see them. Jill immediately hugs me, as Kady waves at me from the corner of the room, where she's hanging with her French friends. Jill, on the other hand, was talking to some random girl and, since she seemed pretty onto the flirting thing, I just turn toward the only person I actually saw while entering.

Lia is wearing a cute and tight dark green dress with openings on the sides of her flawless legs, while her hair were let down - it was one of the first time I saw her without her signature ponytail or bun - and has some natural make up on, that would make her brown eyes sparkle even more in the darkness of the bar. 

"Hi" I salute her, before pulling her into a tight hug before she kisses my cheeks once on each side. 

Her bright smile makes my breath being cut short - this isn't good, you can't go further than the other night, you're just not ready... Although my heart is beating faster and louder than the voice inside my head, I know it is right: this wasn't the right time, especially with everything resurfacing about Mapi's death. 

I nevertheless smile, as Lia says:

"You look very good, Leah"

Blushing a little bit, I just smile back at her, shyly looking away.  

"How was your specialised biology class today?" I immediately ask, leaving no room for her to talk about something else than college.

"Well, very good in fact: some woman from a private lab came by and was impressed by my skills" she explains humbly, visibly proud of herself nonetheless. As my eyes go wide, she continues: "They want to offer me a job during my studies there!"

"Oh my Gosh, it's amazing Lia!" I exclaim, truly happy for her, "what lab is it?"

"I'm not sure you'd know who they are 'cause they're new in town, but the woman in charge's name is something like Harder, and she's got a weird first name..."