.Chapter 6.

Emily didn’t see him the next morning, which wasn’t at all odd; Danny sometimes went to work early to work on a new trick. But, Emily suspected another reason for his early rising. She’d catch him later, after school.

One whole week went by and Emily hadn’t seen any trace of Danny. She was annoyed. He was avoiding her. She had tried everything to contact him. She had stayed up all night to try and catch him sneaking in, she even slept in his bed in the hopes that he would come home and find her there.

It was now the last week of school and Emily had something special planned. Danny wouldn’t answer her phone calls, not from a payphone, not from a private number or even the school number. But, Emily knew at the end of the week he would get a shocking voicemail from Principal Martin. He always checked his voicemail. Always.

He hadn’t seen Emily in two weeks. He felt guilty about leaving her all alone. She had called Danny every day for the first week. She had come looking for him in some of the most debauched clubs in Las Vegas. She hadn’t called at all this week, he hadn’t heard from her at all. And why should she call? He wouldn’t answer anyway. She knew that. She was smart. After his gratifying activities with men and women, when he was alone, he found himself listening to the voicemails Emily had left him. He’d listen to the sound of her calm voice over and over. He was scared of her, of himself. No matter how many bodies he had had, he always wanted more. He wanted her. He would fight his dark desire. But, how did one fight against something one wanted so badly?