Reborn In a Murderer’s Embrace

Chapter 13

That night. I didn’t go home. I curled up on a hospital bench to sleep through the night.

The next day when I woke up, I was burning up with a fever.

My phone was silent the whole night; Dexter didn’t call even once.

“Ryder…” I called him from the bench. “About that study abroad thing. I’ve made up my mind.”

“Phoebe, do you have a cold?” Ryder’s voice came through, laced with concern.

“Yeah, got caught in the rain yesterday. Feeling a bit under the weather today.”

“Where are you? I’ll drop off some cold medicine,” Ryder was worried.

“If I hand in the application form today, how soon can I leave the country?” I asked with a sense of urgency in my voice.

At that time, I had a premonition that I might not survive if I didn’t leave.

I wanted to live, to get as far away from Dexter as possible.

As long as I left, it would all be over.

“If you apply now, you can get an acceptance letter in two months. I’ll ask the professor to expedite it. Once you get the notice, I’ll buy your plane ticket,” Ryder said, his voice laced with concern. “Is the cold serious? Should I come get you?”

“No need, Ryder… I’m at the hospital. Thank you.”

leave Sea City forever, escape this place as

hanging up, I left the hospital.

felt lost, unsure where to go. My parents had died in a car accident, the house was sold, and the death

where

sit down, leaning against the wall and falling back into a groggy

I woke up, I found a

looked around; the alley was

noticed two plastic–wrapped

smiled bitterly, feeling somewhat resigned. A kind soul must have mistaken me for a homeless person, right?

Homeless?

seemed about

“You live in my house, eat my food, and use my stuff. So, what’s the

no

jacket and placed it with the muffins on a clean spot.

they would probably take it back.

steps, then turned around at a rustling noise to see a tall,

I walked straight out of the alley and hailed a cab.

to the Fitzgerald mansion, Dexter

didn’t come home

be dead, can she?” Dexter said with

stood outside the door, watching

says his name is Ryder, your senior,”

for a moment,