**TRIGGER WARNING**: This chapter contains upsetting topics. Self-harm, body hatred, and suicide are mentioned in this chapter. Reader discretion advised. 

Spotify Playlist for Enraptured:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/73oUCRZyiIMfRoqckvtDtk 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It felt as if we were playing Daemon's game all over again. The paralyzing dread and suffocating anxiety obscure any logic we could make up to solve our situation.

"He was talking about me," Brittany said again. "I killed someone."

"Wait, what do you mean, Brittany?" I whispered. I found it unbelievable. Yes, she can be a lot but I never saw nor expected her to be capable of murdering someone.

Brittany looked down, shame and regret clouding her features. She looked up at me. "I killed someone. That's what Aurelio was talking about. An item used from murder."

My friends and I stayed silent, waiting for her to tell us it was just a joke, that she couldn't possibly kill anyone. It would ruin her manicure and her reputation. But then again, rumors and gossip were what fueled Brittany's popularity and reputation.

"What was the murder weapon, Brittany?" Ethan asked, breaking the silence.

"That's the thing, there was no murder 'weapon'. She committed suicide." Brittany sighed.

"Then you didn't murder anyone, Brittany. It's not your fault they decided to take their own life." Ted comforted her. Tears fell from her eyes. She sniffled and wiped them, making sure that her mascara didn't smudge anywhere. Guilt and regret clouded her face.

"It was still my fault," she admitted. "I knew that I should've done the right thing, but I didn't want to because it made me feel powerful...and I never felt I did." she shook her head, her glossy brown hair falling down her face.

"How come you never mentioned it to us?" Daniel asked, reaching his hand to touch her back.

"And what, ruin my reputation and lose my friends?" Brittany snapped at him and slapped his hand away.

"No one is losing anyone, okay?" I said standing up. "That is what Aurelio wants. He wants us divided."

I flipped through the Fructus Est Nuptialis, looking for Aurelio's name. Could it be possible that Daemon had a twin brother? Ethan stood behind me, his arms crossed. His playful features were gone. He was stressed, I could tell. How do I fit into this picture? Most importantly, how do we all fit into the big picture of the demonic world we were thrown into?

"Brittany, if the worst thing you did wasn't murder, then which one of us did it?" Ted asked.

We all stayed quiet. No one wanted to start and confess the worst thing they've done in their life.

I broke the silence. "Look, it's best if we're upfront with each other now so we can get a headstart on getting all these items for the scavenger hunt," I said.

My friends looked at each other, then back to me.

"I don't think I'm ready to tell mine," Ted said sadly.

"Me neither," Daniel uttered shamefully.

I sighed. "It's okay, we'll worry about it when we get to each person's turn. But right now, which one of us committed murder?"

"Yeah, not me bro." Ted and Daniel said in unison.

I looked at Ethan waiting for his reply. He was eating a bag of chips. I didn't even realize he was eating until now. Seeing him munch on his snacks made my stomach growl. It didn't help that we were talking about the topic of death.

"I have killed many, but murder wasn't the worst thing I've done in my life," he said in between bites. My eyes widened at his response. It made sense. He was a part of Medio Terrae, so he would have murdered others because he was ordered to.

Brittany stood up and then sat down on the large bean bag in our living room. "Aurelio was definitely talking about mine guys," she said dejectedly.

"Most of my stuff from high school is in LA at my parent's house. We can start looking there."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I wished I could say the San Francisco night air was crisp and fresh as my friends and I threw our overnight bags in the trunk of Ethan's car. It wasn't. In fact, it reeked of urine and vomit. The familiar chill down my spine intensified when I turned to look behind me. It felt as if there were eyes following me. I was mistaken. The crescent moon hung in the sky innocently as we drove past the Mission District.

My friends and I were crammed inside Ethan's Honda Civic. There was hardly any space to allow ourselves to breathe. "Dude, couldn't we have taken Daniel's car?" Brittany complained. "I'm pretty sure there's more space there than in this old ass car. No offense, dude."

"Yeah, man. We're gonna be in this car for 8+ hours." Ted complained.

"Ted, if you lost more weight then shit wouldn't be hard to fit into like we are now." Brittany huffed.

"Brittany! That's not fair, that's hurtful." I scolded her.

She looked at me with sadness and worry. Her eyes fell down to her lap. "You're right, Celeste. That was too much. I'm sorry Ted, I'm just so scared." her voice faltered.

"Don't worry about it Brittany, I'm used to it. Besides, I can use your insults as motivation when I start working out." Ted replied. He gave her a reassuring smile and I couldn't help but feel guilty. Ted is such a sweet guy and after everything we've been through, he somehow managed to maintain his positivity. I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Brittany we need more information about your past," Ethan said directly while looking at her briefly in the rearview mirror. "We have less than 24 hours to retrieve that item. Any clue or additional info would help us find it quickly."

Brittany stayed silent. Her hands were clenched on her lap. I laid my hand on hers. "It's okay," I told her, "Take your time."

She smiled at me with tears in her eyes. "I got lucky having you guys as my friends. Putting up with my bullshit throughout high school and now."

"Don't worry, Britt. You'll always be our favorite bitch." Daniel replied jokingly. We all laughed, easing the tension in the car just a little bit.

"I bullied a girl in middle school." Brittany began. "I saw her as competition in academics and extracurriculars. Her parents became recently famous for their start up's advancement in Silicon Valley."

She crossed her arms as she looked out the window, her gaze somewhere far away.

"She killed herself three months into our freshman year of high school."

I started to piece things together. Brittany transferred to Infernaluz High around the third month of our freshman year. I didn't know that was one of the reasons she did.

"Her name was Julia Kim and we went to a private school together." Brittany continued.

"The entire school bullied her because everyone found out she had plastic surgery at such a young age. People did some digging, and they found some of her old photos and posted them online. She had plastic surgery again before the beginning of our freshman year and when she came back from Korea, the bullying started..."

***If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at (1-800-273-8255)***

Thank you for reading! Who do you think has committed the worst sin among the friend group? What do you guys think of Brittany's worst sin?