by Alina Banks
Chapter Seven
Papers were scattered around me. Mom and Dad had gone to bed hours ago, but I couldn’t manage to fall asleep. Instead, I found myself going over the papers Alice had given me. The fact that she’d actually been able to help me, when I was pretty certain she was a ghost, confused me more than I was entirely willing to accept, especially since one of the documents she gave me proved she was dead. How she ended up being in the library right when I was doing what I could to learn more about Clermont was something I could only guess at. She wanted to help me. From the looks of things, she’d done what she could to help the students of Clermont High a long time ago, and one of those students was my mom, back when she was sixteen. Not long after her eighteenth birthday, both of Mom’s parents and her older sister died. Official documents stated that it was an accident, but I had a feeling that certain official documents were less official than they could be, because whoever wrote them was trying to hide the strangeness of Clermont.
Leaning back against my bed, I couldn’t help but think about how much it felt like I’d been tossed into the storyline of a book. A clueless girl thrust into a world where she had to find out who she really was or what she was. I shook my head. Thinking that right then was too much for me. Tomorrow was my birthday. Sabrina and James would be coming over, and I was going to do everything I could to make the day as normal as possible. I wasn’t ready to be special, if I even was. I didn’t have proof that I was anything more than an ordinary girl. Everything about it seemed like it could easily be put down to me imagining things, apart from the fact I’d been given papers by someone Dad knew was dead.
I stared at the wall opposite me. Talking to the dead was a power I didn’t want to have. Of course, it could have been a different Alice. Maybe one of the seniors had stepped in when she realized I was trying to learn about Clermont, but the more I thought about it, the less likely that seemed to be the right explanation. Why would someone who didn’t know me make the decision to help me? Especially since I hadn’t done anything more than try to keep my head down, so I would draw as little attention as possible. Unless, somehow, they knew exactly who I was just by looking at me, which didn’t seem likely. I took more after Dad than I did Mom.
The doorbell rang and the sound dragged me out of my daydream. For the last couple of days, I found myself thinking about the same few things. Regardless of what I thought about the situation, it was obvious I no longer had a choice. I just had to accept that my life was very different to how it had been before. Sighing, I made my way over to the door and did my best to plaster a natural looking smile on my face. It was my birthday. Sabrina and James stood on the doorstep, the same smiles on their faces, and we stared at each other for a few seconds before laughing.
“Sorry, I have the worst timing when it comes to having birthdays.” I stepped back to let them both in. “How are you guys doing?”
James just shrugged, but Sabrina seemed more thoughtful. I closed the door behind them, studying the two of them, and I could see the tiredness in both their faces. They obviously didn’t get much sleep either.
“Lucas’ death was one thing, but Wayde dying at school…” Sabrina shook her head. “I know it was Wayde, and he wasn’t the nicest person, but I’ve seen pictures of what was done to him. No one deserves to die the way he did. According to what I heard, it sounded like it wasn’t a quick death.”
I shuddered, shaking my head. “Tony said that when he told us about it yesterday. He said the same thing you did. Even though it was Wayde, it wasn’t something he should have gone through. When I was on the bus yesterday, I noticed how badly the death of his friend had affected Dante. I almost wanted to do something to comfort him, but it’s obvious how he would have acted.”
Nodding, Sabrina wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Not well.”
“Do either of you know someone else who gets on my bus? Dark hair, dark eyes, always seems to have a book in his hands.”
“Yeah, I know him. He’s in a couple of my classes.” James shrugged. “That’s Alex, and from what I know, I think he might actually be Dante’s younger brother, but the two of them pretend they don’t actually know each other.”
“Oh, well, that explains how he was able to get the two of them to apologize for taking my bag the first day. If Alex really is Dante’s brother, Dante definitely wouldn’t have wanted Alex to tell their parents how he was treating the new girl.”
“Especially since the new girl is a Conway.” James grinned at me. “No one really wants to get on your bad side.”
“My bad side?” I laughed. “I don’t know if I even have a bad side, and if someone were to get on it, then I doubt I’d do anything. What could I do?”
For a few seconds, James was silent, sharing a look with Sabrina, who shook her head. “Come on, Brina. It’s about time we started to tell Ana the rumors that everyone knows.”
I looked between the two of them slowly, seeing the differing opinions they both had. “Does this have anything to do with the fact that people used to think my grandmother was a witch?”
“A witch who just so happened to be one of the two leaders of Clermont’s coven.” James smiled at me. “The other one was a Cane.”
Sabrina shook her head. “You don’t have to listen to this. It’s nothing more than a story people came up with to explain why the hospital performed ‘miracles’, and there’s no reason for anyone to think your grandmother or your mom are witches. Were witches. Have any connection to magic at all.”
“Maybe not, but it’s always interesting to hear things from other people, it gives me another perspective. I really don’t know much about my grandparents.” I smiled. “Learning more, even if it’s only a baseless story, means a lot to me. How do we know if it’s not true? If magic is real, then surely it would make sense that most people who use it do what they can to hide their skills. People can pretend to be your friends one day, then become cruel and judgmental the next.”
“To me, it makes much more sense to be logical, and I have to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever believed in magic.” Sabrina shrugged. “I believe in the things I have proof of.”
“Happy birthday to you!” The film Sabrina, James, and I had been watching was over, and Mom made her way into the living room with a cake. It took my two friends seconds to start joining in with the singing, as Dad followed Mom, also singing. I gave them all a look, but the grins on their faces made it obvious they weren’t going to stop. “Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Ana. Happy birthday to you!”
Mom put the cake down in front of me. It sported a large 16 candle in the center of it. “Blow it out, and make a wish.”
Staring at the candle, I tried to think of a wish. I couldn’t help but wonder if my wish would come true if I were a witch. Not that I could really think of a wish I truly wanted. I gave up, blew the candle out, and turned to look up at Mom to give her a smile. That was when I realized Dad was carrying a pet carrier, and I stared between the two of them, remembering the conversation we’d had on my last birthday. Back then, all I wanted was a cat, but it hadn’t been a possibility. It’s possible that all this time, Mom knew the time would come when we’d have to move back to Clermont, and it didn’t make sense to get an animal if we were going to be moving in the next year.
Not entirely willing to believe it was real until I saw the cat, I moved a little closer to the carrier, and there it was.
“Really?”
“Really.” Mom moved closer to me. “On the proviso that you keep the promise you made a year ago, back when you asked for the cat. She is your responsibility. That means cleaning out the litter box, feeding her, and making sure she doesn’t scratch up the furniture. You said you didn’t want a kitten, so we got you a cat that’s slightly older, but her previous owner believes she’s just about a year old, so you’ll have her for at least a decade.”
Carefully, I leaned forward to open the carrier. “Do we have everything we need?” I kept my voice lo
w and tried my best not to startle her.
“She came with everything, apart from a name. Not so long ago, she was a feral, and the person who took her in never planned on keeping her.”
Suddenly, the cat jumped into my arms. I looked down at her, she looked up at me, and I knew. From that second, I knew she was meant to be my cat. Maybe she was my familiar.
Shaking my head at myself, I gently stroked a hand down her side, making her purr far more loudly than I thought was possible. “Your name is Sasha.”
At that point, I wasn’t certain if I’d given the cat her name, or if the cat had told me what her name was. Either way, I knew it was Sasha. She seemed to smile up at me, then jumped out of my arms to explore the living room. Mom smiled at me. “Well, that went far better than I expected.” She looked over at where Sasha was curiously inspecting everything she could. “Apparently, you were always meant to have a cat.”
“No, I was always meant to have that cat.” The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. Mom looked at me with a thoughtful expression, then gave me an understanding nod. “I have a feeling I’m not going to be able to go anywhere without her. Not even school.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. Cats are one of those creatures that have always had a mind of their own, but make sure you keep an eye on her, because the last thing we want is for something to happen to her.”
“We got you something too.” Sasha was curled up in a ball on the sofa, exhausted after all the time she’d spent exploring. James sat beside her. She seemed to like him almost as much as she liked me, which was interesting.
Sabrina held out a small wrapped package. “I know it’s not going to be as wonderful a gift as Sasha, but we wanted to show we care too. We haven’t been friends for long, and yet it feels like you’ve always been a part of my life, which is the kind of friend I’ve always wanted before.”
Smiling, I took the package. “Anything you put thought into getting is the perfect gift.” Unwrapping it, I found a t-shirt for one of the more obscure bands I liked. I looked between the two of them. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Sabrina smiled back at me. “I’m so glad you like it!”
“Brina wouldn’t go with my suggestion of getting you a t-shirt with our faces printed on it, but this was the second-best choice.”
Laughing, I looked over at James. “Why is it that I actually believe you would have made that suggestion with an entirely straight face?”
“He did.” Sabrina shook her head. “My boyfriend, apparently, is unable to be normal.”
“If I was normal, you wouldn’t like me.” James winked at me before he turned his attention towards Sabrina. “You love me because I’m weird, so I’m going to keep on being the person you fell in love with.”
Sabrina stepped over to him, and curled her arms around him. “You aren’t wrong about that.” She shook her head. “At times, it would be nice if you could be serious though. Especially when we’re getting a friend a gift.”
“Like Ana wouldn’t have appreciated a t-shirt with our faces plastered on the front. What if she forgets who we are?”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t have been bothered if you did get me something like that.” I took a seat next to Sasha, and within seconds, she was on my lap. “Like I said, any gift you put thought into is the perfect gift, but I’m not going to say I’d be likely to wear it out.”
“See.” Sabrina shook her head. “I wanted to get her something she could wear when she’s out of the house, not leave in a drawer somewhere because it was a joke gift.” She rested her head on James’ shoulder. “Maybe one year, we’ll actually get you that shirt, so you can have the gag gift James thinks would be so perfect for you.” She eyed James. “But make no mistake, we will be getting you a proper gift too.”
“We’ve spoiled the surprise, though. Maybe we need to up the ante and get Ana something really cool.” James grinned at me. “I’ll think of the perfect gag gift for you, just you wait.”
Chapter Eight
On Monday, everyone at school was talking about what had happened to Wayde. If Clermont’s rumor mill was to be trusted, no one had any idea who might have actually killed him. There was no evidence to prove who’d taken him or who’d killed him, just like with Lucas’ case. Two deaths within such a short period of time had everyone on edge.
Surprisingly, there were actually a few people who were speculating that it could have been Alex. Even though no one knew for certain if Alex and Dante were actually siblings, people thought it made sense for Alex to have been the one to kill Wayde. All in order to save Dante from becoming an even nastier person in the future. Even if that were true, what about Lucas? There wouldn’t be any logical reason for Alex to go after him.
For many students, the gravity of the situation had finally started to sink in. People had started to talk amongst themselves about the probability of starting some kind of after-school self-defense class.
At lunch, I sat with Sabrina and James in the library. There was no sign of Alice, which didn’t surprise me, and one of the actual librarians was behind the desk. She didn’t seem to mind the three of us sitting in there talking. “Do you think it could be Alex?” Sabrina looked at James. “You’re the one who has a class with him, and he’s the one who has the finger of suspicion pointed right at him when it comes to Wayde’s murder.”
“Unfortunately, Alex is an enigma to me. I don’t know him well, and honestly, no one does. He doesn’t seem interested in having friends and keeps to himself when he can. And you can imagine, that even when I do chat with him, it’s not as though he’s an open book.”
James frowned. “No one knows for certain that he is Dante’s brother. That’s just an assumption people made because Alex gets off the bus at the same stop as Dante, and the two of them look relatively similar. Personally, I’m not so certain. Perhaps they could be cousins, but brothers…that seems to be pushing it a bit too far.”
I propped my elbows up on the table. “Cousins would be close enough for Dante to be worried about what Alex might say to his uncle about Dante’s behavior, but I have trouble seeing Alex as the killer. Maybe it’s because he stood up for me that one time, but he just doesn’t seem to fit the bill. At the same time, I don’t actually know him or anyone else here. The two of you do. Is there anyone else who might have killed Wayde?”
“Logically, there are a lot of people who might have wanted to kill Wayde, but that doesn’t mean they would actually go through with it.” Sabrina nibbled her lip. “Wayde was strong. He worked out, and it was no secret that he wanted to be one of the strongest people in school. He’d definitely managed it. Some people said his bad mood could be due to steroids, and while those were only speculations, we can’t be sure that they’re wrong.”
“How did Dante and Wayde become friends?”
“I don’t think anyone really knows how it happened. One day they hated each other, and the next, they walked in as friends, and that day marked the beginning of their descent to becoming bullies. Before that, Dante was okay to be around. I’m not going to say he was one of my best friends, but I did know him back before he started spending time with Wayde, and I couldn’t have seen him becoming a bully until it actually happened.” Sabrina shrugged, glancing over at James. “I know there are people who say that Wayde gave Dante steroids so that Dante could bulk up faster and that was how the two of them became friends, but I never saw any sign of that happening.”
“Could Dante have killed Wayde? Maybe the two of them got angry with each other.” James’ brow was furrowed in confusion. “Dante’s probably the only person who could have gotten close enough to Wayde in order to hurt him.”
“No, that’s not it. I saw how Dante reacted to Wayde’s death. That’s not how someone would have reacted if they’d been the one to kill him.” I had no idea how I was so certain it wasn’t Dante, but I was. “I don’t think it was Alex either, but I didn’t see him on the bus on Friday, so he might actu
ally be our only logical suspect right now. We can’t assume the two deaths are connected, even though there is a slight chance they might be.”
“Which, if anything, makes even less sense. Lucas and Wayde were on opposite ends of the spectrum as people.” Sabrina ran her finger over the edge of the table. “If someone killed both of them, it wasn’t because of who they were. Maybe they had something else in common that we don’t know about, but I’m almost certain it wasn’t the steroids.”
Voicing the possibility that had come to mind wasn’t something I really wanted to do, but it was something I should talk through with people who knew Lucas. “That doesn’t mean they weren’t both dealers. Lucas could have been dealing something else, and that’s what got him in trouble. Wayde could have been dealing the steroids he took.”
Silence followed my words, and I could see Sabrina thinking it through. “There was nothing about Lucas that made me think he might be dealing anything or doing anything illegal. At the same time, we weren’t close enough that he would come out and tell me he was dealing something. I think he simply wasn’t the kind of person someone would suspect, which could have been how he got away with it.” She shrugged. “I do know that we’re unlikely to be the people who find the answers to the questions we have.”
James looked between the two of us. “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Maybe we should head out into the forest, all three of us, and see what we can find out.”
We stood at the edge of the forest and peered into the trees. I didn’t know if Sabrina and James could feel what I felt, but there was something dark in that forest, and there was this voice in the back of my mind telling me I shouldn’t be going out there. Not even with other people. I wasn’t going to listen to the voice, because there were people who were getting hurt. If there was anything I could do to stop it, then I was going to do it, no matter how much danger I put myself in. Part of me inexplicably knew that I was the one meant to put a stop to the killings.
