41. Nowhere To Run

**Ester**

The girl had arrived at a dead end. She turned around to face Sirius, slowly inching her back to the wall.

Sirius smirked. Despite wearing a cape he didn’t try to hide his face.

“You gave me quite a workout,” he said, pushing stray strands of hair out of his face. “But let’s end this little game, shall we? Your friends are waiting for you on the other side.”

“No, please!” She brought her palms together and continued to beg for her life, but he wouldn’t have it.

A slim dagger rested in his right hand. He licked her lips, staring her down as if she were fresh meat.

Sirius decided to offer her some helpful words.

“Don’t resist so much and everything will be less painful. It’s not like you were of much use to society anyway.”

He raised his weapon.

I jumped off the rooftop and landed on the ground, separating the two. I kept the hood covering my face and turned my back to the girl.

“Hide,” I spoke in the same voice I used at the drugstore. “Just find something to hide behind.”

She didn’t need to be told twice. She found a trashcan and hid behind it. In the meantime, I confronted Sirius.

“Are you the one who had been killing the cultists?”

He scratched his head with the handle of his blade. “What are you, some type of vigilante? Jeez, what an annoyance.”

“Answer me. Did you or did you not commit those murders?”

“Hm.” He continued to scratch his head. “Let me think about that.”

He launched at me.

I ducked to the side in time to avoid being cut by his blade.

Sirius had no intention of stopping. He aimed for my stomach then my arm. None of those jabs hit. I was quick on my feet, there was no way he could get to me when he didn’t have any supernatural abilities of his own.

“Well you’re quite the grasshopper, aren’t you?” Sirius taunted. “Just stay still so I can finish you off already!”

His movements became more aggressive. The shifting of his gaze betrayed his intentions. I evaded a stab to the neck and his hasty attempt at sweeping me off my feet.

His insistence was getting annoying. I could feel my anger rising to the surface and I hadn’t even gotten a hit in yet. All I’ve done is observe his tactics and it was really getting exhausting. Not to mention I haven’t slept since I got up early to train.

“Are you so bad of a fighter that you need to stand still so you can land a hit?”

Despite the lack of proper lighting, I could have sworn on my life that his face turned bright red. His teeth ground together as if he were chewing on ice. If he kept this up, I wouldn’t be surprised if he burst a blood vessel.

“You think you’re funny. Don’t you, you little piece of shit?!” He pointed at the girl. “Take that bitch if you want. She’s useless to me anyway. Such a waste of space that no one would believe her.”

With that he strutted off, mumbling curses under his breath.

At long last, he was gone. I tilted my head. This was the first time I've seen him so angry. If I had a camera I would have taken a picture. Or maybe that was too much.

The memory of how tranquil and loving he seemed this morning flashed through my mind. I shook it away.

"Is he really gone?" A small voice squeaked out.

The girl peeked out from behind the trash can. I could see her face. She couldn't be older than someone in their late teens, around Anna's age. I couldn't believe Sirius went after someone the same age as his sister.

I walked up to her. "He's gone. I don't think he'll be coming back tonight so you might be safe for a while. If I were you I would make sure to skip town and go live with some relatives that don't live here."

She nodded in understanding and stood up. At that moment, I had an idea.

"Actually, before you go, I have something to ask. Why was the king's son coming after you?"

Her bright eyes widened in shock. "That was the prince?! I mean, I've seen him around sometimes and I always thought that my friends called him 'prince' as a joke. But all of my friends are dead now."

I furrowed my brows. "Is he a part of the cult?"

She shook her head. "No, no. He never committed. He claimed to be Henry's friend so we listened to him and traveled to Tetherfield County to perform a ritual. I think that's why he wants to hurt me."

"To cover up his tracks," I muttered under my breath.

This just might be what I’ve been looking for all along. What I’m looking at is not only a possible witness, but also evidence of Sirius’ hidden personality.

_______

**Sirius**

The door swung open with Melissa on the other side. She was in her nightgown, a long spaghetti strap outfit with soft fabric that reflected light. She took one look at me and rolled her eyes. “Seriously? How did you even get here? You’re lucky my dad didn’t see you or he’d kill the both of us.”

I placed my hand on the door then my lips to hers. They were warm and most, leaving me with the impression that she’d just had a glass of water or come out of the bathroom.

The kiss was brief. My free hand rested on her hip as I smiled at her. “He wouldn’t kill the big man’s kid, would he?”

“As if he cares. He can just make it look like an accident.”

Melissa walked away from me, but she didn’t close the door. I stepped inside and locked it. As I looked around at the dark room, she flopped onto the bed.

“Now, what do you want? I like my sleep just like the next person.”

I bit the corner of my lips. My mission tonight was a failure. However, there will be plenty of opportunities to make sure that my future doesn’t end up being the same. Melissa stared me down until I found the words I was looking for.

“I failed to get rid of him then, but this time, I’ll aim to kill his reputation. Melissa, how do you feel about causing an explosion?”