Chapter Chapter Thirty-Four: Crane
Author's Song of the Chapter: Bad Blood by Taylor Swift
It’s lunchtime and Caroline is fuming mad beside me as she eats her apple while glaring across the tables. Tucker sits across from us as he watches me, the new kid isn’t here. I left him in the bathroom where he was vomiting again, it looked bloody.
“How did testing Noah go, is it him?” I prod, this snaps something in Caroline as she physically shakes with rage.
“It’s him alright, when I cut him he healed instantly Crane!” Caroline snarls as she looks over all the heads and right at Noah where he sits in that same group of people from earlier.
“Tucker?” I ask, and it pulls Tucker’s attention away from what thoughts he was thinking.
“I think it's him,” Tucker responds slowly as if he is thinking over it and calculating his response.
“You should have seen him, Crane, I almost had him snapping. Then it was like he turned a switch in his head and he went from losing control to being in total control in a matter of seconds.” Caroline explains her voice going from proud to puzzled.
“I wouldn’t put it past Noah to have a deep emotional struggle when it comes to us, we did kill Hannah after all. I didn’t expect him to have such a calm head about it though. He’s changed since he was a kid.” I reply as I watch them just in time to see Danny leaning into Cassie kissing her.
I am curious to know how Cassie became a part of this, last, we had heard her whole family was murdered. If Cassie and her family are alive it makes me wonder, it makes me think about how many others there might be.
“I don’t think Hannah is a sore spot for him Crane, he didn’t even flinch when Caroline brought her up. He didn’t care, it’s almost as if she doesn’t exist in his memory anymore. Or else seems like Noah is in love with someone else.” Tucker explains thoughtfully as his eyes wandering aimlessly to Carl who sharply turns his head away.
Caroline and I laugh.
“Noah in love with someone else, Tucker, really? Hannah was his whole world.” Caroline laughs her voice laced with sarcasm.
Tucker goes quiet, that’s when the new member decides to join us and he is paler than before and thin, when he sits down beside us he smells of death and decay. I’m sure he knows we can smell it because we turn away from him, but he smiles nonetheless. That’s when I notice something, this new guy, our informant, has gained a reaction from Noah and his gang. They have all turned to look at us, pain and hate burning within Noah’s eyes.
“You kept it from us a long time that Noah is the Hellhound,” Caroline states as she watches the new guys interaction with an interest in her eyes.
“I had always suspected, he was my best friend, him and Carl. But there was always something off about Noah, even before all this. Something always seemed wrong about him, and now I know what it is.” Perry pipes up in a thin voice from beside us and his eyes burn with fire and hatred as he looks across the table meeting eyes with Noah.
“How did you fall out with him?” Tucker questions, he seems to hold some sort of disbelief about Perry’s story.
I do admit something doesn’t seem to add up, something about his story seems to be missing. Why would someone who was a best friend suddenly up and give that person up even if it was the right thing to do? Maybe it has something to do with Perry’s past of having crazy creepy obsessions with certain girls and Wolves.
“Let’s just say Noah told me what he was planning to do, and I knew it was wrong. I had to do something, plus he stole the girl and life of my dreams. Noah took a life that I wanted, and I could never forgive him for it, I will never forgive him for it. She should love me, and I should be beside her. It was always meant to be that way, but Noah got in the way.” Perry spits out with so much venom that it almost makes me fear his sanity.
“You loved Hannah too?” Tucker asks causing Perry to turn to him.
“Something like that.” Is the only response Perry gives as he attempts to stare down Noah who is staring him down with a new expression on his face.
This expression is one I have never seen before from the once shy guy. There is a wicked depth to his look that spells out danger. Something has changed about Noah and now it sends fear and chills through my bones. I should refuse to fear Noah but it’s hard. I know my enemy, now I see him, and I can rationally come up with a way to end him. Yet, deep down I know I can’t, I’ll lose.