I stared down at the note in front of me. Keeping the smile off my face was impossible at this point, so I didn’t fight it. In fact, I was embracing it. Being able to smile made me feel not so worthless. It made me feel like maybe there was more in the world that was possible for me.
Sirena and I been passing notes back and forth to one another all week. Each day, I’d wake up and actually be happy to be alive because I knew I’d get a message from her. We’d discussed my love of random facts in our previous note-passing. Sometimes, we talked about the weather. The nuns. Our favorite foods. Books. Sometimes, though, the conversations got deeper, like her telling me she wanted to dance and sing again or me telling her I could play guitar and was taught by my dad and wished I could pick one up and play again without remembering him.
Today was a random fact day, however.
Sinful,
Did you know snakes can predict earthquakes? You said you liked weird facts. I thought maybe you’d like that one.
Yours,
Siren
Taking my pencil, I wrote back.
Siren,
Did you know the Mona Lisa doesn’t have eyebrows? A lot of people overlook it and never even notice it. It’s because it’s been cleaned so much that the eyebrows have faded.
I didn’t know that about snakes. Thank you for the information. I’ll be sure to run if I see snakes slithering out of Michigan.
In other news, Ashes messaged and said he’s going burning tonight. He asked me to come over just a few minutes ago and hang out with you. I said yes.
I’m really looking forward to it. You make me forget how to be sad.
Yours,
Sinful
I folded the note and held it in my hand. The moment the bell signaled the end of class, I was out of my chair and headed to the cafeteria, knowing I’d find her there.
Rounding the corner, I saw her already sitting with Stitches.
I slowed my rush, knowing I couldn’t just walk up and hand it to her in front of him. Our notes were our secret. Being unsure if the guys even knew she was communicating to me like this, I didn’t want to be the one to put it all out there. Sure, I’d had Bryce notes to pass for me, but that was a one-time thing. It didn’t count.
“There’s a package for you,” Mirage’s voice was in my ear.
I glanced over to see him at my side, his blue eyes fixed on Sirena at the table with Stitches. He kept trying to feed her, but she brushed him off, a smile on her face, before taking his fork and attempting to eat on her own. We watched as he quickly turned her attempt into a playful fork fight, their forks clanging against one another as she tried to eat on her own. She finally succeeded, making a grin spill over Stitches’s face.
I smiled at the scene, wishing I was part of it.
“In a way, you are,” Mirage murmured as Cady joined Sirena and Stitches at the table, Ashes soon adding to their group. “Part of it. You get to see the happiness from afar.”
“It’s not the same.”
“It’s good in a different way. Embrace that.” He clapped me on the back. “Anyway. The box is on your bed. It’s pretty big. You should probably go and open it. It was moving.”
“Moving?” I looked sharply at him.
He nodded, not bothering to look at me. “Yep.” He pulled a carrot out and bit into it, not paying me any attention. His blue eyes moved from Sirena and Stitches as he took in the rest of the students slowly, like a hunter, surveying which small defenseless animal he’d attack next.
He was doing whatever weird thing his brain compelled him to do, so I backed away with a sigh, really hoping there wasn’t something alive in a box on my bed.
I stared down at the note on the moving box. Asylum’s scrawl met my eyes.
Sinclair,
I promised you a friend. I think he’s perfect for you. You’re welcome.
Your Neighborhood Forking Madman,
Asylum
“Fuck.” I sighed, hoping whatever it was wasn’t venomous.
Carefully, I opened the box and peered inside. It took me a moment to realize what it was.
A smile touched my lips as I reached inside and lifted out a fairly large reticulated python from the box. He curled around my arm and hand as I turned to see his face. His tongue darted out, checking the air.
“Hey, there,” I murmured gruffly beneath his weight.
He stared back at me for a moment before twisting around to check out the rest of the room.
One night after the events where the watchers nearly killed me, I’d told Asylum I’d love to have a snake again. Growing up, I had one my mother hated. When she married Rudy, he’d made me get rid of it and reprimanded me for only caring about myself and not my mother’s feelings about the snake. I think a lot had to do with the fact that it had been a gift from my father years before, and it reminded her of all the shit we’d gone through.
But I loved that snake. I guess I loved my mom a little bit more, however, so I let my snake, named Log, go. I’d cried over it, but I never let anyone see that.
Somehow, though, Asylum saw all. So did Mirage, but he just didn’t talk about it often. I liked that about him.
“What will I name you?” I studied the snake, trying to come up with the perfect name for him. When nothing settled, I took him over to the other larger box on the floor and opened it. Inside was a complete setup for him. Smiling, I placed my snake back into the box he came in and closed it before going about setting up his new habitat.
Asylum went all out on it. I appreciated that he’d done this for me. I had no way to repay him, but I’d at least tell him thank you.
Once I had it all put together, I took the snake out and held him for a while before kissing the top of his head and placing him in the large habitat. Once the lid was closed, I looked at my watch to see nearly two hours had passed. It was almost time to get Sirena. If I made it back in time I might be able to see her before her last class. I checked the snake’s habitat once more, making sure everything was secure, before heading back to classes.
I’d made it right before the bell rang. Sirena came out of her class with Cady. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I waited eagerly for her.
Her eyes found me immediately, and a tiny smile teased the corner of her pouty lips.
Her smile did something whenever she turned it on for me. My heart beat faster. My palms grew sweaty. I felt like I was flying.
It scared me.
“Hey, weirdo,” Cady greeted me as I fell in step with them. “Getting brave lately, huh?”
I ignored her and pressed the note I’d written earlier into Sirena’s hand without Cady seeing. She took it with ease from me.
“Sinclair, you missed therapy this afternoon,” the droning voice of my therapist called out.
Fucking hell.
I watched as Cady and Sirena rounded a corner, Sirena looking over her shoulder at me before disappearing into the crowd.
I sighed and turned back to the asshole who was annoying me.
“I wouldn’t say I missed it,” I muttered.
She raised her eyebrows at me. “We can do a make-up now. I have a free hour.”
“Whatever.” I followed the bitch to her therapy room, not wanting her to know I felt anything other than annoyance.
But in my heart, I was elated.
At my snake. At Siren.
At the prospects for the night. To speak with her again.
It was my secret, and I wasn’t telling anyone.
