Soulless (Book #2 of Hunted)

Pizza

We pulled into my driveway and the clock on the dashboard said it was seven thirty. I turned off the car and Phoebe and I got out. She dashed up the steps to the front door and begged me for the key to the dead bolt. I handed her the keys and she hastily unlocked the door. She darted through the door and I followed her. She was already in the kitchen rummaging through the freezer.

"Do you have any frozen pizzas?" she asked. I thought for a moment. Did I have any frozen pizzas in the freezer?

"Aha!" she exclaimed before I could answer. She pulled out a large frozen pepperoni pizza from the very back of the freezer. She closed the door and skipped to the oven.

"You need any help?" I asked. She shook her head as she preheated the oven.

"I got dis!" she said playfully. I made myself smile at her. The humor I had felt at the lake had worn off and now all I could see was the bodies of those cheerleaders, girls no older than me, and Zane...no! Anton tearing them to shreds. It was getting harder and harder to pretend I was okay.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said, forcing the terror from my voice. Phoebe looked at me with concern in her bright blue eyes.

"Alright. I'll have some pizza ready for you when you're done," she said. She could see right through my "tough girl" act. I nodded my thanks and turned to the staircase. I ran up the stairs and to the second floor bathroom before I burst into tears. I quickly turned on the shower to mask the pathetic sound of my sobs.

"This is all just too much," I cried to no one. I slowly undressed as my tears drowned me.

The world I had known for the past sixteen years of my life had crumbled beneath my feet. I had always known that the supernatural existed, but I never thought for one instant that I would be part of it. I thought I would love it, and for a while I think I might have. Then came the bloodshed. I had never wanted anyone to get hurt or killed. I hadn't had much of a life before this all happened, but what little life I did have was gone. Maybe my life really should've just ended four years. I should've drowned with my parents. I slid down the wall of the shower and sobbed silently.

"I should be dead," I whispered to myself. I hugged my knees and let my tears mix with the shower water and flood down the drain.

I started down the stairs at a snail pace. I had dressed in gray sweat pants and a too-big purple t-shirt with my school's logo on it. These were the clothes that I wore when I wanted to feel better, but they weren't working today. I finally made it down the stairs and I saw Phoebe cross legged in her recliner with a plate of pizza on her lap. She pointed to another plate on a small table by the couch. I grabbed the plate and sat down.

"Be careful. It's still really hot," Phoebe said as if to a small child. I ignored her warning and bit off a piece of pizza. The cheese and pepperoni burned my tongue and seared my throat as I swallowed it. It hurt, but I didn't really care. I looked at the television screen. Reruns of the first season of Once Upon a Time were on. Usually I would've stayed glued to the television until the marathon was over, but it didn't seem to hold my attention right now. Suddenly Phoebe turned to me. It looked like Once Upon a Time wasn't holding her attention either.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. I shrugged. I couldn't really identify what I was feeling at the moment and I didn't really care to. I definitely wasn't happy, but I couldn't find anything in myself that felt like sadness. That was weird. Why didn't I feel sad? I had been crying in the shower, hadn't I? I don't think I had been crying because I was sad though. It more seemed like I was crying because I was overwhelmed. I should feel sad though. I mean fourteen girls were dead and I had witnessed it. That would typically make you sad...wouldn't it? But why should I feel sad? I mean, I didn't know any of those girls. They were from South Town. I'd never met them, or spoken to them. So why should I feel sad that they're dead?