𝐀 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The beeping of the machine behind me sounded comforting. My heart was beating. Light shined into the hospital room, reminding me once again that I had made it out. I was still alive.

I still didn't understand, though. As the nurse cleaned my wounds and patched me up, my mind wandered back to the dark room I had been in. How did the police suddenly know where to go? They didn't have a lead for weeks, and now they caught at least half of the suspects in one go? And where was Mrs. Stolly?

Millions of questions swirled around in my head, but nobody had any answers for me. Even the police officers that had saved me didn't tell me anything. I had given my statement to another detective, and she was tight-lipped too. Surely they could tell me something?

"All done." Miranda, theThe nurse who had been treating me, Miranda, placed a final piece of plaster tape over the bandage on my forehead and stepped back with a smile.

I returned the gesture even though I couldn't make it as genuine as she deserved.

"How is she?" I asked softly, referring to Lexi, who had apparently been in the same basement as me when the cops had come for us. She made it out with a few more injuries and was unconscious, but she was alive.

"She'll be okay. Rest." Miranda patted me on my shoulder before cleaning up her supplies, and I swung my legs onto the bed. I was still sitting upright, but this time with soft pillows behindin my back. It was like a breath of fresh air after my previous sleeping arrangements.

My throat turned dry. I didn't ever want to think about that place ever again.

I rolled my head to the side and looked at my phone. It lay on the side table next to me, the screen cracked and black. They had found it during their little 'raid' but it wouldn't work anymore. I could've expected it, but all I wanted to do was call Aiyden.

Miranda left the room, but she nearly bumped into someone. I shot up in bed when I saw a head of red curls, and tears sprung in my eyes. "Penny," I squeaked out, throwing my legs back off the bed.

"No, no. Stay," she said, quickening her pace. She carefully wrapped her arms around me and I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started sobbing uncontrollably into her shoulder, my entire body aching but at the same time feeling more at ease in her arms.

Penny was crying too, her grip on me tightening. "I thought..."

I couldn't reply. I could only sit there with her, letting everything out. It felt so good to be there with her-safe and in the arms of someone I loved.

We didn't talk for a couple of minutes, just holding each other. But it was Penny who eventually broke the silence first.

"Felicity," she mentioned, and I froze. I was going to need to tell her.

"What?" I pulled back and Penny helped me back into the pillows before taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

She wiped her tears and sighed. "She... God, where do I begin?"

"She was there." I chewed on the inside of my cheek, mourning what should've been a beautiful friendship. I had always been good at keeping people out, and the first one I let in-

"I know," Penny replied softly, running a hand through her hair. "She confessed to being an accomplice, lying about her family and...about her mother."

I stared at my friend with wide eyes, not quite believing what I was hearing. "She told you everything?"

Penny shrugged. "Probably not everything, especially because I got pretty mad, but a good portion of it. God, I can't believe her. She was one of my best friends." She looked up at me. "One of my only friends. We had our problems and I definitely haven't been a saint, but..."