by K M Charron
“It’s Darren!” someone screamed.
Professor Wheatley checked for a pulse, breathing, anything, but it was clear Darren was dead. Ainsley’s body shook harder, and she was suddenly back on the rooftop with her dad, pleading with him to step back from the edge.
Justin took her by the hand. “Come on, Ainsley. You shouldn’t be seeing this.”
But she’d already memorized every detail—his mussed brown hair, the blood trickling down his face and soaking his white shirt. How? How could this happen? And why did it happen to Darren?
She resisted the pull of Justin’s hand, her eyes frantically searching Darren's body for any clue as to what could’ve happened. And then she saw them on his exposed wrist—ligature marks. Meanwhile, the professors continued to direct students away.
“We need to get out of here,” Sydney commanded.
Pulling herself together as best she could, she contradicted Sydney, “We can’t leave. This is an active crime scene. We’re witnesses; they’re going to want to talk to us.”
“Exactly, that’s why we have to leave. If we stay, we’ll be stuck in here for hours.” Sydney pressed her mouth next to Ainsley’s ear and spoke through gritted teeth, aggressively enough that Ainsley had to pay attention. “We need to find whatever it is that’s out there because of us. Darren is gone. There’s nothing we can do to help him.”
Ainsley nodded, her cheeks wet with tears, but she moved too slowly for Sydney’s liking. Grabbed by the arm, Ainsley let Sydney lead her and Justin out the back door.
Since the police hadn’t arrived yet, and campus security remained around Darren’s body, the three of them slipped out unnoticed.
Chapter 10
Sydney
What a horrible way to die, Sydney thought. She pictured herself trapped under the weight. Her organs thrust into one another. Her breath forced from her body. Her bones snapping like twigs under a heavy boot. She sucked in the fresh night air to calm down.
“How did Darren get under there?” The words tumbled out of Ainsley, coated in heavy sobs that confused Sydney.
“Why are you so upset?” Sydney asked. “You didn’t even know him.”
Ainsley and Justin looked at her in shock.
But Sydney couldn’t help wondering. Clearly, someone had placed Darren under the press—possibly alive, possibly already dead. But why? What had he done to deserve it?
Unless… What if it was the shifter sending a warning?
Sydney shook her head in disbelief. Darren had seemed to appear under the rocks magically. There’d been no screams of pain that anyone had heard.
“The fact is,” Sydney clarified, “we don’t know if Darren died there or if someone moved his body, replacing the dummy that’s supposed to be there.”
Her mind raced between the image of Darren’s squished body and the expressionless face of the shifter posing as Max. Her heart hammered as she replayed the unsettling moment when Max stood there, staring straight at her. With all the force she could muster, she gripped Justin by the shoulders. “I need to talk to you. Privately. It’s an emergency.” She glanced briefly at Ainsley before pulling Justin away.
He let himself walk off with her but not before calling out to Ainsley that he’d be right back.
“Something weird is going on. I just saw Max Crowley in two places at the same time. One second he was dancing in front of me, and then I looked across the gym, and he was standing over there, looking possessed. But he was also still dancing in front of me.” Her breath was ragged and jittery. “Have you ever heard of that before?”
“Have you been drinking?” he asked, head tilted in assessment. “Or a little freaked out because of Darren? It’s perfectly understandable.”
“No, listen to me! We have bigger problems than Darren.” She knew it sounded cold and unfeeling, but they didn’t even know him. “There were TWO Max’s in there.” Her voice raised a decibel.
Ainsley popped up between them. “Did you just say there were two Max’s?”
Sydney closed her eyes, willing Ainsley to screw off. “Go. Away. This doesn’t concern you.” She refocused on Justin. “You need to talk to Max with me.”
“And say what?” he asked. “You’ve been under a lot of stress lately.” He rubbed her arm. “Find Langston, have something to eat, try to relax a bit.”
Pushing his hand away, she snarled, “Don’t you dare placate me.”
She remembered Ainsley asking if Tiana had an identical twin, and goose flesh ran up her arms and neck. She met Ainsley’s curious gaze. “You saw two Tiana’s, didn’t you?”
Sydney noticed Ainsley swallow hard, as though evaluating her answer.
“Just tell me what you saw,” Syd demanded. “We don’t have time for games. Those carvings weren’t benign. They were Dark magic.”
Ainsley seemed startled. “Yes. I saw two of her the other day at lunch. I followed one outside, but she was gone by the time I’d gotten around the corner. I’ve been under a lot of stress, so I wasn’t sure it was real. When you guys said she didn’t have a twin, I brushed it off.” Ainsley moved closer and locked eyes with Sydney. “Now you’ve seen two Max’s.” She blinked slowly. “What does this mean?”
“Wait, what are you guys talking about?” Justin puffed his chest and assumed a defensive stance.
Sydney ignored him, yanking Ainsley to the side. She couldn’t believe what she was about to do, but Ainsley was the only other person who knew. “The underground room, the one that we opened. We let something out, and whatever it is responsible for all this.”
Chapter 11
Ainsley
Ainsley felt caught in a tsunami, tumbling in all directions, and unable to find the surface. “What are you talking about?” She searched Syd’s face for any sign of deception.
“Syd, what did you do?” Justin must’ve heard because he was next to them again in seconds, his voice full of grit.
“I didn’t do anything. Well, at least not alone.”
Ainsley looked from one to the other.
Justin guffawed. “Start talking, Syd. You’ve been off the rails for weeks. The secrets stop now. I’m your best friend. Let me in.”
Sydney navigated them farther away from the building. “We let something out. In the forest. A few weeks ago. I didn’t know at first, but now I’m sure.” To Ainsley’s surprise, Sydney told Justin everything about the room and the symbols.
Turning back to Ainsley, Sydney said, “I know this is going to sound insane, but bear with me. I think the fog that came out after we opened the door was actually an entity trapped inside.”
Ainsley blinked in quick succession, the space between her eyebrows creasing deeper. She took in several slow breaths. She needed to remain calm. “So when we opened the door, we let it out?”
Sydney nodded. “Since then, you’ve seen two versions of Tiana and tonight I saw two versions of Max. It was using their likeness to watch us.”
“Sydney, stop talking,” Justin warned. “Whatever is happening, we can’t involve her in it.”
“She’s already involved.”
Ainsley heard Sydney’s words, but she couldn’t for the life of her absorb their meaning. “Entity? But how? I thought it was dirt, a backdraft, things getting stirred up.” Her body vibrated, her instincts reacting to the truth when her rational mind couldn’t. Some part of her knew Sydney was right.
“This isn’t possible,” she protested. But a mashup of all the odd things that had happened since she arrived at Ashcroft collided in her brain. She’d blamed stress, grief, guilt, and exhaustion. Now she was being told that a supernatural entity was loose, and she was responsible. Why didn’t Sydney look as scared or even surprised? Nothing she was saying was normal.
Harper’s warnings surfaced, making her heart quicken to a near frantic pace. Her vision darkened, her head swam, and anxiety built up inside her. What had she walked into by moving here? Who were these people?
Panic took over.
Ba
cking up, she put her hands out as if to keep Sydney and Justin at bay. She turned and ran, not caring where. She just needed to get away.
“Where are you going?” Sydney called after her.
Ainsley didn’t make it far before she tripped. She held her hands out to break her fall but smacked into the ground, a sharp jolt of pain shooting through her wrists and knees.
“Are you all right?” Justin was at her side, kneeling next to her. Sydney jogging behind him. He turned toward Sydney and said, “We have to erase her memory. It’s too dangerous for her to know any of this. What were you thinking?”
Sydney didn't answer. Instead, she walked a few paces to the left, attempting to get a better look at something in the grass. Sydney let out a wail, crumpling to her knees. Her hands covered her nose and mouth, and her crown fell onto the ground beside her. The light from the moon was enough to see tears spring to Syd’s eyes.
Ainsley and Justin sped to the spot where the stiff body of a black cat rested. There was a gouge through its little chest, leaving a hollow space behind.
Ainsley looked to Justin. She didn’t know why. Maybe she hoped he had some explanation, but he just closed his eyes.
“Oh, no. Simon,” he said in barely a whisper.
They knew this cat? No one on campus had pets.
Sydney turned her body away from the cat, her shoulders heaving, and Justin wrapped his arms around her.
Ainsley watched, helpless, as Sydney wept. She remembered Sydney’s reaction to the crows. “What does this mean? This is just like the rat and crows. Sydney, is that thing—whatever we let out—doing this?” She knew the answer but still prayed they weren’t connected.
Sydney lifted her head from Justin’s shoulder, mascara glistening with tears trailed down her cheeks. Ainsley had never seen her look so vulnerable and didn’t know what to do with her newfound feelings of pity for this awful girl.
Wiping her cheeks with her dress sleeve, Sydney collected herself. “Simon was one of our cats. He was my favorite, and something just eviscerated him. It was the same thing that attacked the rats and crows, and who knows what else.” Her voice was tight and cutting.
“This wasn’t done by an animal. No animal could—” She stopped before she said something that would make things even worse.
Syd’s gaze narrowed on her.
“All I mean is, I’m not sure what could have done this except a person. No animal would leave the bodies in this condition.” She wanted to ask what Sydney meant by ‘one of their cats’ but didn’t have the heart.
Sydney tucked her knees to her chest, never removing her eyes from Simon. Justin pulled off his coat and placed it gingerly over what remained of the little body.
Ainsley looked to Justin with pleading eyes. “How are you so calm? None of this is normal. None of this is okay. Stuff like this just doesn’t happen.” Her voice trembled in time with her body, from the cold night air and the fear that was wrapping itself so tightly around her that she ached.
Justin huddled close to Sydney, whispering something Ainsley couldn’t make out.
Sydney didn’t whisper. “Don’t you think I’ve tried that? She’s immune to Persuasion. I don't know why. And Jax tried too—before you assume I’m incapable.”
Immune to Persuasion?
“What are you two talking about?” Ainsley shouted, although some things were beginning to become clearer. The way Sydney and Jax had spoken to her in ancient tongues and how they were both shocked when she’d questioned them about it afterward. And the way Kai had no memory of falling into the fountain after Jax had spoken to the group.
“Immune to what? What is Persuasion?” The rush of blood to her head made it throb, her ears thrumming in time to her accelerated heartbeat.
Justin held her gaze; his green eyes calmed her slightly. “There’s a lot you don’t know, but if you can’t forget, then…” He turned to Sydney, an expression of confused powerlessness on his face. “We need to tell her the rest, so she’ll understand what’s happening.”
Sydney’s face erupted in a panic. “Justin, no! We can figure this out. We can tell the others if you want, but not her!”
“We owe it to her.”
“We owe her nothing! She’s nothing!”
Ainsley watched the exchange between them, discussing her as though she wasn’t sitting right there, listening to every word. Fear abated, and fury rose up in its place, uncoiling like a snake about to attack.
“I don’t give a fuck that you hate me, Sydney. We’re in this together. I’m involved as much as you. I was there and helped let out whatever it is that’s doing this. So get over your bullshit. We need to work together!” She was glad for the anger; it felt better than helplessness.
“She knows there’s an entity, and she can’t be Persuaded to forget,” Justin said. “We can’t replace her memory, and it’s not like we can send her on her way and hope she stays quiet. We have to trust her.” The finality in his voice left Sydney no room for bargaining.
Ainsley tried to piece it all together. They could change people’s memories? Could they make them forget parts of their own lives? Who were they?
“No, we can’t. She’s not one of us. Telling her is dangerous and not just for us. For her, too. Consider that, since you seem to care so much.” Sydney’s face twisted into a snarl. Her violet eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight.
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not right here!” Ainsley refused to back down, regardless of how terrified she felt. “I’m not dangerous. This is nuts, speaking in tongues and acting like you can use mind control. Who are you people?” A burst of recognition surfaced, and she tilted her head as she observed Sydney, whose rage was just as palpable as her own. “Unless you’re into all this occult stuff. Is this some game to you?” She scurried back on her hands and fumbled to stand. “You are involved in this. That’s how you knew what those symbols were. That’s why you didn’t want me telling anyone about it. What other warped, devil-worshipping rituals are you responsible for? Who else are you protecting in your little cult?”
She pulled herself up and was about to run when Justin stopped her. His strong hands clasped her shoulders.
“And you, are you a part of this too, Justin? Did you help kill whoever died in that room?” She tried to yank free, but he only tightened his grip.
Sydney burst into malicious laugher. “You’re so far off-base.” She jumped to her feet and stood in Ainsley’s way. “That skeleton, that room, that entire cavern has been there for years. Probably centuries. I didn’t have anything to do with any of it. I’m not a murderer.” She narrowed her eyes on Ainsley, fists balled at her sides. “Yet.”
“Is that a threat, you crazy bitch?” Ainsley’s insides burned with rage. Her fists clenched so tightly that her nails bit into her palms.
Justin slid between them, his hands out, ready to push them apart. “We’re not in a satanic cult, Ainsley.” He sighed with resignation, “We’re witches.”
Silence hung in the air. Nobody spoke.
Had Ainsley heard that right? She scrutinized Sydney’s face for any hint of truth to this outlandish claim.
Then the loose pieces joined together. This was the reason their little group always got away with things, the reason people didn’t cross them, the reason the other students learned to fear them. This was why they seemed untouchable. Sickening heat coursed along her skin. Her head whirled as her heart pounded harder against her ribs.
She tried to focus, tried to inject some saneness into this madness. Sydney and Justin believed they were witches. They thought they could perform actual magic. Was finding that room an accident, or had Sydney chased her there on purpose? What twisted shit were they a part of?
Ainsley needed to get out of there. Now.
Turning, she sprinted toward the safety of the school, where there would be a lot of people around.
She’d only moved a few feet when a sharp electric pain struck her in the middle of the back. Losing all the
air from her lungs, she collapsed so abruptly she was unable to break her fall. A burning ache ran through her muscles. She wheezed, struggling for breath, hearing the sound of footsteps behind her.
Chapter 12
Sydney
Sydney watched the bolt of purple energy leave her fingers and hit Ainsley. Seconds later, the blast rebounded off the middling and hurled back toward her, barreling into her body with a force she’d never experienced. Her flesh screamed from the pressure, and she was thrown back, landing hard on the ground. Dazed, she tried to sit up but couldn’t move.
What just happened?
Anger had made her reckless. She should’ve known better. All the magic she’d used on this middling had rebounded on her in some way.
Managing to catch her breath again, she pulled herself to a seated position. Justin was tending to Ainsley, who looked perfectly fine. That blast would’ve nearly killed any other middling. Still, some of the energy had hit her. Syd had seen her go down, but how was she still conscious? And why was he fawning all over her?
“I’m okay too, Justin. Thanks for checking,” she roared. “I’m only your best friend.” Spittle flew from her lips.
He shot her a death glare. “You could’ve killed her! What were you thinking?!”
She’d never seen him this furious before, especially not at her. “But I didn’t. No harm, no foul.” Was he seriously pissed at her for this?
The color in Ainsley’s cheeks started to return. She glared at Sydney, her stare matching Justin’s. “What the hell was that?”
“Relax, you’re fine.” She threw her hands in the air. “Though for the life of me, I can’t figure out how. Tell me, once and for all, what are you? Because you’re not a regular middling.”
Justin’s eyes darted between the two of them, finally settling on Ainsley. “That was Sydney being a petulant child,” he said and took both her hands in his. “Are you sure you’re okay?”