Broken Kingdom (Corium University Trilogy 3)

“There isn’t really anyone to call.” I shrug. “My mom wasn’t home when I was there. It looked like no one had been there for a while, and she hadn’t answered any of my calls.”

“Maybe she is…” Ella trails off, probably not able to think of any excuse a mother wouldn’t be available to her children.

“She hasn’t answered any of the school’s calls either. Even after the helicopter crash…” I force myself to shut up. Ella already feels sorry for me; I don’t need to add anything to the pity party.

“How about extended family? Cousins, friends?”

I keep shaking my head, almost embarrassed by how lonely my life is.

“Are you sure?” Scarlet interjects. “What about someone from school?”

An idea pops into my head then. “Actually, there is someone I want to call, but I don’t have his number. Is there any way you could get it?”

Ella places her hands on her hips, a giant smile appearing on her face. “I’m a Rossi, sweetheart. There is nothing out of my reach. Whose number do we need to get?”

“Lucas Diabolo, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“It’s not.” Both Scarlet and Ella speak at the same time.

My gaze ping-pongs between them, and I watch curiously as Ella pulls her cell phone out. She navigates the device and passes it to me a moment later. I take it and peer down at the bright screen, my eyes half-open.

Right there on the screen is Luca’s name and number, which means she had his information saved in her phone. I’m not really surprised. She is Xander’s wife, after all.

“Go ahead, call him,” Ella encourages. “He knows you’re here.”

My finger hovers over the green call button for a moment before I press it and bring the phone to my ear. The phone rings exactly two times before Lucas’s rich voice filters into the phone.

“Hello, Ella.”

“Hi, um… it’s Aspen,” I say, my voice thick.

“Hey, kid, it’s good to hear you’re doing okay.”

“Sure, if you could call it that,” I mumble.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said it that way.”

“It’s all right. I am okay, I guess. I’m calling because I wanted to know if you’ve heard from Brittney? I wanted to make sure she was okay.”

Lucas sighs. “After everything that happened to you, you’re worried about someone else?”

Ignoring his comment, I ask, “Can you just tell me if she’s okay or not?”

“She’s doing fine. I checked in with her last night. Everyone is okay. Now you need to worry about yourself and heal up, okay?”

He sounds like my dad. Which reminds me… “Have you heard from my parents?” I ask the question, all while knowing the answer.

“Unfortunately, no. As soon as Xander called me after…” He trails off a bit, and I’m thankful he doesn’t say anything in regard to what happened. “I called both your mother and father numerous times but got no answer.”

“Okay.” I squeeze the phone, ignoring the dull ache forming in my chest. They don’t care about me because they would try harder if they did, and that’s the shitty part. The person who is supposed to be my enemy, supposed to be the last person I ever turn to, is the only person I have when the dust settles.

“I know it’s not my place, but I’m sorry, Aspen. Like always, if I hear anything, I’ll be sure to contact you right away.” Again, pity clings to his words. I don’t want sympathy, not right now. I just want to crawl beneath the covers and pretend none of this ever happened.

“Thanks,” I whisper and hang up the phone, letting it drop down onto the blanket covering my lap.

I can feel Ella and Scarlet watching me, and I hold back the tears forming in my eyes. Almost as if Ella can tell how close I am to shattering, she clears her throat and speaks.

“Scarlet and I are going to go make you some tea. We’ll be back in a bit, okay?”

My throat is clogged with emotions, so all I can manage to do is nod. Scarlet pushes off the bed and walks out of the bedroom with her mother. As soon as they’re gone and the door clicks closed behind them, one single tear slips from my eye. It leaves a cold trail behind as it slides over the apple of my cheek and down my face.

That single tear holds all my betrayals, all the pain and sadness I’ve endured. It holds my disappointment for my parents and the loss of innocence by others who wanted to hurt me for their own twisted pleasure. After today, I vow never to cry for people who do not cry for me, who do not care for me. I vow to be stronger because the only person I can count on is myself.

6

QUINTON

“How much longer?” I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve asked this question. It’s been four days since I killed Pauli and three days since I killed two of Matteo’s cousins, but it took me only one day to get antsy for the next kill.