Part 2: Animus
Chapter 8
Fourteen years later
“Ryde, wake up.”
I open my eyes.
Sheryl looks panicked.
“What is it?” I blink and try to focus on her face. “What?”
“Where’s my phone?” She’s tossing things near me. Clothes. Pillows. “Damn it, where’s my phone?” she cries.
The taste in my mouth tells me this is going to be the king of all hangovers. I already feel the first wave hitting me. Throbbing temples. Pasty mouth. Absolute apathy. “Your phone’s ringing,” I say, squinting at the dark room around me.
I’m home. Good. I slept in my own bed.
“I know my phone is ringing! But where?” Sheryl is starting to come apart. She’s going to lose it. “I just know it’s Peaches calling me!” She rips the blanket off me and digs her hands into my jeans. “Do you have it on you?”
“Hey, hey, hey, w
