by Amy Richie
"We can't leave Laney," I clicked my tongue. Not alone with Lindsey, what was he thinking?
Clark sighed deeply. "Lead the way."
Smiling through my puffy eyes, I rose up to kiss his chin. "You're such a good big brother."
The party was still in full swing when we returned to the house. I had half expected people to be whispering quietly about what just happened. But no one knew what happened out there.
Across the room, Nina was talking loudly with Billie. She flung her head back and laughed at something no one else found quite so funny. I pressed my lips tighter together.
"This party blows," Clark muttered close to my ear.
I had never agreed with him more. Every smile I saw looked too cheerful, forced, and plastic. Is that how I looked to other people?
"Hey," Laney gushed, coming to stand next to Clark.
"Hey," Clark mumbled back unenthusiastic.
"Can I hide over here with you guys?"
"Sure."
"Lindsey got you jumping hoops?" I glanced over at her frazzled face.
"She says I need to be popular." I almost laughed at the pure terror she didn't bother to hide, but laughter wasn't coming easy.
"Why?"
"Knowing Lindsey," I replied dryly, "she has a plan."
In one corner of the room, Lindsey was holding court with a small group of girls that knew exactly when to smile and when to gasp. Her plastic smile never faltered, not even for a second.
LINDSEY SIPPED SLOWLY on her coffee, her lips twitching every time the hot liquid touched them. I really doubted if anything actually got into her mouth. Around us, most of the tables at Lenny's were empty.
Laney took several bites of her pie, then stopped quickly when she realized Lindsey wasn't eating.
"It looks like we're back to square one," Lindsey declared heavily.
"Yeah," Laney echoed.
"I don't know how we're going to investigate now that school is starting." I popped my lips out in a slight pout.
"Avery says it'll be hard to search for clues and stuff now that everyone will be busy at school."
"Clues huh?" Lindsey huffed out a small laugh. "What clues do we have so far?"
"My body was hidden behind the dumpster on Old Theater Road."
"She said where her body was found."
Lindsey's eyebrows furrowed. "Who would even know about that place?"
"I was wrapped in a blanket."
"Avery was wrapped up."
"We need to see if we can figure out who's blanket it is. I could try to get some info from the cops."
"I found an earring in my hand, on the body." I reached into my shoe and handed the earring to Laney.
"She found this on her body, the dead body."
"I knew which body you were talking about," she scowled. "What did she find?"
Laney held her hand out palm up, revealing the sparkling jewelry.
"Have you been holding that this whole time?" Lindsey's eyes were wide.
"Avery just gave it to me. She keeps it in her shoe."
A trick that my sister had taught me.
Lindsey's eyes teared up but she went on in an unwavering voice. "I don't recognize it, but it's definitely a clue. Maybe the police..."
"No," I cut her off.
Laney closed her fist. "Avery wants to keep it."
"We need more clues," Lindsey declared firmly. "These things don't give us many answers."
"Agree," Laney nodded.
"So." Lindsey wriggled her eyebrows and grinned wide. I knew that look. "I have a plan."
"What plan?"
"You need to let Avery use your body to go to school."
"School?" she squeaked, eyes wide. "I've never been to school before."
"And you don't have to go now. Avery will be the one at school. It has to be her."
"Ask her why she wants me at school." What good would it do? Was Lindsey just being selfish like usual?
"Avery wants to know why."
Lindsey leaned forward across the table. "Someone at that party killed her. It had to be someone there, Avery didn't leave Jimmy's place alive. Right?"
Laney nodded.
"So it was someone at our school."
"So she needs to be there to find out who it was."
"She needs to work with me and figure this out," Lindsey let her lips flare together.
"Yeah," Laney swallowed hard.
"I don't want to." I wasn't going to ask her to do something she obviously didn't want to. We could investigate outside of school.
"What?" Laney shot a look my way.
"What did she say?"
"She said she doesn't want to."
"Too bad."
"Tell her we'll figure something else out. I'm not going to school."
LANEY TOOK A DEEP BREATH, the kind that made the veins in her neck pop out. "My grandma taught me to scrapbook," she smiled, flipping another page in the book she had opened on the table.
The rest of her trailer was quiet. Her dad had passed out hours before and Clark was in the shower. I had no idea where her mom was.
"I was thinking," she began slowly.
"About?"
"About what Lindsey said earlier."
"Which part?"
"You going to school."
"Don't even worry about it," I waved my hand in the air between us. "You don't have to go to school."
"That's the thing."
I let my hand fall.
"It wouldn't be me going, it would be you."
"Still..."
"I really want to help you, Avery."
"You've helped me me a lot." In so many ways.
"Please do this."
"Why? We don't know how long it will take or if things will get dangerous. Look what happened with Tyler."
"If you find out who killed you, then you might have a chance to convince the Reaper to let you live."
"That's not your problem," I turned my attention back down to the smiling girl from the picture. It was Laney but the smile was hollow.
"I have never felt alive," Laney choked. "Please let me do this."
I chewed on my bottom lip. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she squealed.
It was hard to deny her excitement; not when I really wanted to go school again. Nothing was going to happen to us at the school. Besides, how else would I be able to follow the people around that were at that party.
"Guess we'll have to tell Lindsey we changed our mind." A smile tugged at my mouth.
"Already texted her," she gushed.
"Oh my word. This is going to be awesome."
"What's going to be awesome?" Clark asked, coming in the room.
"I'm going to Clearview Academy," Laney told him, excitement pouring out of her.
"Our school?"
"Yep."
"You hate school."
"Avery is actually going to do it."
"So we can figure out who killed me."
Laney's phone tilled out a jingle. "Oh," she jumped up, "that's Lindsey. I'll be back."
I couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up through my lips. Laney's excitement was contagious. "I don't know why she had to go outside to talk to her."
"She gets overwhelmed," Clark grinned, sliding into the seat next to me. "School huh?"
"Guess so," I shrugged.
A sadness rolled off of him, a sadness that I didn't understand. "Will you talk to me at school?"
"Of course I will."
"You never did before."
"I've changed." My eyes fluttered closed when he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently to mine.
The door flung open, making us both jump away from each other. "Look who's here," Laney declared proudly.
To my complete shock, Lindsey came in behind her. She glanced around the living room. Although she tried - she couldn't completely hide her disgust. "Hey," she called awkwardly.
"Ummm...." Clark's mouth hung open.
"Is Avery here?"
"Yeah."
"She's sitting at the table next to Clark," Laney explained.
"I've talked to my parents." She turned back to Laney, back to someone safe.
"And?"
"They've agreed."
Laney hopped up and down briefly. "That's perfect."
"What are you two talking about?" Clark asked before I could.
"Laney is going to come stay with us," Lindsey announced.
“She can't.” Clark watched Lindsey wearily.
“Stay with us?” I stood up and joined them by the front door. “What does she mean, exactly?”
“We're going to stay at your house. Me and Lindsey have it all figured out.”
“In my old room?”
Laney shook her head. “There's a guest room.”
“Tell her it's the one downstairs,” Lindsey unnecessarily explained.
“And mom and dad agreed to let a stranger stay?”
“She is asking why your parents agreed to let me stay.”
“Because I asked them to.” Lindsey wrinkled her nose at the question, as if I should have known already.
“I still don't know...” Clark began but was cut off quickly.
“Don't worry, I already talked to our parents to,” Laney assured him. “They don't care. This trailer is too small anyways.”
“I see.” He might have been talking to her but he was looking at me.
“We'll still see each other,” I tried to make him feel better – he didn't look convinced.
“Anyways,” Lindsey clapped her hands together. “Grab your suitcase Laney. We have a lot of work to do.”
“Work?” she gulped.
She looked up and down Laney's body slowly. “Yes.”
“It'll be fine,” I laughed loudly. “Lindsey is a really good shopper.”
“Not anymore dresses, right?” she whined as she obediently went to retrieve her suitcase.
“Of course you need a dress...or three,” Lindsey chided.
Excited anticipation ran through my body. Senior year was going to be amazing after all, even if I was dead.
**CONTINUED IN BOOK 3; THE DEATH OF A SWAN**
Also By:
Bloodvine Series:
Willow
Fern
Ivy
Immortal Love Series:
Timeless
Always
Everlasting
Eternal
When Leslie Cries Trilogy:
Deceitful Whispers
Revengeful Chatter
Unforgiving Scream
The Girl From Ortec Trilogy:
Crashing Waves
Black Dolphin
Building Sandcastles
Aella Duology:
Lost in Flight
Found in Time
Speak No Evil Trilogy:
Unspoken
Soft Spoken
Outspoken
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Richie/e/B009CG88CK
About the Author
Amy Richie has lived in a small town her entire life. She lives with her three kids and their cats, George and Ellie. She began writing in high school but never took it seriously until a few years ago. She enjoys writing because it takes her out of her everyday life and gives life to the people in her head. “When I was little I wanted to be a mermaid, then when I was in high school I wanted to be a vampire; now as an adult I’m a writer, which is better because now I get to be both.”
Read more at Amy Richie’s site.
