He furrowed his dark eyebrows and stepped closer to me, pulling my hand away from my wrist. I hadn't even noticed that I was still scratching at it. "Stop that. You'll only prolong the healing process more. That's why it's still red and raw, you never stop scratching at it," he said, his voice deep and demanding. He was always worrying about me, and I felt bad that he felt the need to always be on guard. He had given himself the job of keeping a watchful eye on me to protect me from everything including our peer's prying questions.
I pouted, pulling my arm from his grasp. "It itches," I complained, glancing down at my arm. The wristband had slid up some, showing off the pink scar tissue, and fierce red lines that contrasted against my pale skin from my constant scratching.
"Try not to think about it. I haven't seen you scratch at it like this for a while. I understand that it itched when it was healing, but now I'm not so sure." Mason's gaze met mine for a moment before his green eyes narrowed in on me. "Is something besides that letter bothering you?" he asked, picking up on the mood and thoughts I had been trying to keep from him. He could always noticing the slightest shifts in my mood. He was intuitive, that's for sure.
I bit my lip, and shrugged my shoulders. I hadn't been planning on telling him about my thoughts, but now it felt wrong to keep them hidden from him. We told each other everything, and I never stopped myself from telling him before. Hell the first time I met him I told him there was a connection between his sister and I, along with my theory that I was next, which turned out to be true. I just didn't want him to have another reason to worry about me, especially not with the anniversary of Sophie's death tomorrow.
Mason frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and waiting for me to answer. He knows me well enough to know when I'm hiding something. "Seriously Casey, just talk to me."
I chewed on my lip for another moment, just staring him in the eyes before I cracked. I sighed, then said, "Okay, it's the letter, but I think it's just a joke." Mason slid off his bag and stooped down to unzip it before digging through to find the letter. When he pulled the letter out he flipped the letter in his hands and his frown deepened as he read the words on the outside of the envelope again.
"This isn't a joke, Casey. I'm not laughing. You were crying, and about to have a panic attack." Then his gaze met mine as he asked, "What does it say?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't open it. You met up with me right after I found it. I didn't have time or the ability to do it."
Mason pushed his hair back off of his face as if to collect himself before he slid his finger under the flap and opened the letter. He reached inside, pulled out a piece of paper, unfolded it, and then began to read it. His eyes scanned over the writing while I watched him read. His eyebrows squeezed together, and his top lip curled upward in a snarl.
I stepped to the side, trying to get a glance at the paper. "What does it say?" I asked, curious now after his reaction.
Mason folded the letter in half instantly, obviously attempting to keep me from seeing it. "Nothing," he growled, doing a poor job of keeping the anger out of his voice. "It's just someone trying to play a stupid joke on us." When I tried reaching for the letter, he held it away. "It's nothing, seriously. Just let it go, Casey."
I pouted. "Let me see it." I held my hand out toward him, giving him my best 'stern' look.
Mason stared into my eyes for a second. His gaze was calculating. "Are you sure you want to see it? You were right. It's just some idiot's idea of a joke. No big deal."
I opened and closed my hand repeatedly, silently telling him to hand it over, and surprisingly he did without further debate. He groaned, unhappy about it, but either way he still placed the letter in my hand.
I unfolded it and scanned the words.
Poor Sophie was discovered dead on a hiking trail. Another will be found near a place to sail. This is a warning. On the anniversary, everyone will be in mourning. Not just for Sophie, but for the new beginning to the end. Watch your back and your boyfriend.
Beneath the poem was a poorly drawn map of the town with a golden star sticker placed in the general area Sophie's body had been discovered, and another golden star placed along the edge of the woods where our town meets the water. If I was correct, it was the general location of the town's pier. I bit my lip as I raised my eyes back to meet Mason's burning gaze. "I don't like this," I told him honestly. "This is warning of another murder. It says another body is somewhere out there, or will be."
Mason nodded, his eyes watching me carefully. "Exactly, that's why I say we turn it into the police and let them deal with it. Whoever wrote this is a freak and we shouldn't play into their game."
I barely registered his words. Instead, I folded the letter back in half and just stared at it. Memories of last year hit me like a tidal wave, and I felt the sharp pain of a knife digging into my wrist. I flinched at the white, hot searing pain that pierced my skin, and instantly began to scratch at my wrist again at the memory.
Mason instantly pulled the paper from my hand, before grabbing my other hand to stop me from scratching. He placed the folded letter in his back pocket, before he stepped forward and pulled my body against his. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I thought about the note. I had a feeling that this wasn't fully over. It couldn't be if I was still alive, but I had hoped whatever darkness seemed to be looming over me was just my paranoia. This should be over. Everything should have ended when Mr. Miller was thrown in prison. He’s doing hard time for Sophie's murder, and my kidnapping and attempted murder. He can’t be behind this. What if someone else had been a part of everything last year? Someone who had escaped and lived to start this all over again?
I laid my head on Mason's chest and hugged him tightly while he rested his head on my shoulder and breathed into my hair. "What if it is just someone's idea of a sick joke, and we tell the police for no reason," I said after a moment, more for my benefit than his. I wanted to believe more than anything that this wasn't really happening. "They’ll think we’re crazy and making it up to get back on the news again or something stupid. What if they think we’re building it up because the anniversary is coming?”
Mason sighed, and held me tighter. "I know what you're thinking," he began, speaking into my hair, "but we aren't going."
I nodded. "You're right. It would be a dumb idea." I hugged him tighter, fearing what or who could be waiting for us to show up. A knot tightened in my stomach. I knew something was wrong. This letter wasn't a joke, and that meant that this was just the beginning.
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Acknowledgments
Together we would like to acknowledge all of our siblings. We would be lost without our sisters, as Mason is, and would do anything to protect our brothers, as Casey does. We also want to thank our parents for always standing by us. We are so very grateful for their constant love and support, not only of us but for each other. We are both blessed to have such tight-knit, loving families. Unlike the characters in this novel, we don’t need a tragedy to bring us together.
Last but not least we would like to thank everyone who helped us with this novel. Our brilliant editor, Toni Rakestraw, was responsible for helping us mold this novel into the final product. Without her constructive criticism and advice, this novel wouldn’t be what it is now. We would also like to thank TOJ Publishing Services and Jennifer O’Neill for the beautiful cover that brought our vision together
About the Authors
Taylor Henderson and Sara Schoen are twenty-one year old college students who were born and raised in Northern Virginia. They have been interested in writing since they were young, and met in a creative writing class in high
school. Taylor introduced Sara to an amateur writing website, and shortly after, the pair began writing together. Together, and separately, they plan to continue sharing their stories.
TAYLOR HENDERSON
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http://www.taylormhenderson.com/
SARA SCHOEN
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Deadly Hallows (The Dead Ringer Series Book 1) Page 20
