To Break a Covenant

by Alison Ames

  “Stop,” Nina said. “No giving up before we’re even there.”

  “I’m not giving up,” I answered, reaching for her hand. “But I feel it waiting for us.”

  Something brushed my cheek, fast and soft like the back of a wing. I jerked my head up and looked around, but I didn’t see anything.

  “Good,” Piper said fiercely. “I’m glad it knows. I want it scared.”

  I took her hand with my free one and squeezed it, hoping she could feel how much I loved her. She squeezed back and pulled away.

  “I want my dad to know,” she whispered. “I know he’s gone, I just … if there’s any part of him that’s left in there, I want him to know I came back. I want him to know that he told us how to kill it, that it didn’t win.” She bit her lip. “Or at least—at least that we fought it to the end.”

  Nina leaned her head on Piper’s shoulder. Piper’s eyelashes flickered as she glanced at her. “I know you said we won’t, but I really think we might die.”

  Nina sighed. “We might, I guess. We’re putting a lot of faith in discount fireworks and Danny Nelson knowing anything about anything.”

  “What if we get stuck here?”

  “Then it’ll be just like we’re alive.” Nina butted Piper’s neck gently before straightening up. “But maybe we’ll have Lisey back.”

  “There’s really only two options.” I looked from Nina to Piper. “Either we destroy it, or we never get away from it. So we have to at least try to destroy it.”

  Piper nodded, something hardening in her eyes. “Yeah.” She hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder and nodded again, smaller, almost to herself. “Yeah. We can try.”

  We put the end of the detonating cord on the ground next to the mineshaft, tucked firmly under a rock so it wouldn’t fall in behind us. Nina crouched, rolled the spool over the edge, kept the cord pinned to the earth with her fingertips until we heard the dull thump as it met the ground. She looked up at us.

  “Now or never,” she said. Then she pushed herself to her feet, cupped my face with both hands, and kissed me hard. I let myself lean into her for a moment before ducking my head to catch my breath.

  Piper lifted her eyebrows, a tiny smile twitching one side of her mouth. She tilted her head toward the hole. “Lisey,” she called. “You owe me five bucks.”

  Our laughter was real, but it had a too-sharp, too-bright edge as it rattled against the trees. The silence that followed it was worse.

  “Well, if no one’s gonna kiss me, I guess I’ll go—”

  Nina threw her arms around Piper and kissed her cheek. “You can still go first,” she said. “But remember how much we love you.”

  Piper put her hands on Nina’s shoulders, held her out at arm’s length, and looked at her. “I can’t believe you goons are my best friends.” She turned to me and I hugged her, burying my face in her neck. “You brought me in,” she said, her voice vibrating against my skin. “You found me.”

  “We found each other,” I whispered, blinking back tears.

  She released me and I stepped back. She yanked her backpack straps tighter and then knelt at the mouth of the mine. She looked up at us and smiled—a real one, wide and dangerous, that brilliant, daring Carlisle grin. Her eyes glistened. “Love you.”

  Love you, I mouthed. She slid over the edge, and the darkness closed around her. I listened to the soft sounds of her descent as I tied all the bags together, letting the forty extra feet of rope coil on the ground next to me. I straightened up when Piper’s voice drifted out of the mine.

  “Come on!”

  Nina looked at me sidelong, brushing her hair out of her face with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of ash on her cheek. “I love you, you know.”

  A tiny, startled exhale burst from my lips. I stared at her, heart beating hard against my ribs, and then I felt a spike of rage so strong it sent white sparkles shooting across my field of vision. This couldn’t be how it was. How it ended. It wasn’t fair. I pressed my hands to my mouth, suddenly convinced I was going to scream or cry or both. Pain sank teeth into me and I shook with it, felt my bones reverberate with it, and then—as quickly as it came—it was gone, and in its place was one thought.

  Moon Basin had our history. I would not let it have our future. It was as simple as that.

  She hooked my pinky with hers and tugged, lifted an eyebrow. I threaded our fingers together and looked up at her. The rage had cooled and hardened like forged steel, folded into something dangerous. All I felt now was calm.

  “I know,” I said, and she smiled. A little breeze spun up around us, picking up dead leaves and ash and whirling them around, and I felt that weird brushing sensation again. I touched my face.

  “I felt it too,” she said. “If I were a different person, I would say it’s Lisey.”

  After a moment she hiked her backpack over her shoulder and leaned forward. She brushed the lightest kiss across my lips and then she was descending, her hair burning red down the tunnel like a dying flare.

  I sat next to the hole in the ground. “Lise,” I said. Too quiet. I cleared my throat. “Lisey.”

  Nothing answered. I wrapped the rope around my arm, above the elbow, and slid the bundle of explosives over the edge. I paid the rope out gently, lowering the bags until I felt it go slack. I sat back on my heels and dug my fingers into the earth.

  “I don’t know if you’re still here,” I said, closing my eyes. “I think you are. If you are—and you’re still, I don’t know, if you’re still you—can you help us? Can you keep us safe like when you pushed me out of the light?”

  The sound of wings filled the air around me, so loud it felt physical, feathers against my face and arms and hands, and I wanted to reach out and catch one—

  There was a sound like an inhale and then everything was quiet. I opened my eyes. I was alone.

  I got to my feet, scanning the woods around me. I heard the rustle of wings, the clicking of beaks, eager, hungry little sounds that made the hair on my neck stand up. I felt beady eyes all over me.

  “You told me to come back!” I called into the trees. “We came back!” I turned in time to see a crow flutter up out of the mineshaft and settle on the ground in front of me. I stared at it.

  “Good omen or bad omen, Lisey?” I murmured, settling into a crouch as slowly as possible. The crow tilted its head and screeched at me. I extended my hand, palm up. The crow hopped toward me, then back, then forward again. It ruffled its wings and made a sound like a cough somewhere deep in its chest. I waited, my arm starting to ache, and after a moment it coughed again. I watched as it threw its head back, almost like it was eating something, its beak stabbing at the sky as its neck jerked. Then it went still, lowered its head, and gently placed the point of its beak in the center of my palm. It hopped back and screeched again, bright eyes tracking my movement as I brought my hand to my face and saw what it had given me.

  A single white eyelash.

  The crow launched itself off the ground in a swirl of ash and feathers, flapped up into the trees, and was gone. I stared after it, feeling precarious and unbalanced, then carefully pinched the eyelash between two fingers. I closed my eyes, thought, Thumb, and then opened my eyes and my hand. The eyelash clung to the tip of my thumb.

  “One wish, right?” I brought my thumb to my lips and blew, closing my eyes so I wouldn’t see where it landed.

  I wished.

  Then I shuffled to the edge of the hole in the ground and swung my legs down. The ash seemed thicker now, big flakes drifting past me into the dark.

  “Okay, Lise,” I said softly. I took a deep breath.

  I followed my friends into the mine for the last time.

  Paranormal America, Episode 100

  Unused Footage

  (The lens cap is removed to reveal SIOBHAN SINCLAIR, hair in a wild tangle around her face, trying to talk to the camera and walk backward at the same time.)

  SINCLAIR: We got here as soon as we could. We received a call fro
m—a local source—

  (She narrowly avoids putting her foot into a shallow hole.)

  SINCLAIR: —advising us that the Moon Basin mine was collapsing. No one knows what happened, but as you can see behind me—

  (The camera pans out shakily, revealing a dark, jagged gash in the earth. Ash pours down the sloping, ever-widening sides as the sinkhole expands.)

  SINCLAIR: As our loyal watchers know, this little town was the first place where the Paranormal America crew made their mark on the world of paranormal investigation. It’s hard to believe that was almost a decade ago. It is with heavy hearts that we return to witness this, the end of an era. The Moon Basin mine is no more. The town’s history will forever be divided into a before and after, and who knows whether the town’s supernatural occurrences will continue in the after? (She moves closer to the sinkhole.)

  SINCLAIR: No details are known yet, but we will remain on the scene, reporting as the story develops.

  STEVEN MORELAND, from off-screen: You know this is all going to air in one episode, right?

  SINCLAIR: What else am I supposed to say, Steven? We’re not leaving until we know what happened. We might as well get some B-roll—

  (Her foot slips out from under her in a flurry of ash and she begins to teeter toward the sinkhole. Her arms flail and she drops to one knee, the ground still crumbling under her.)

  MORELAND: Ah, shit—

  (The camera is lowered slowly, gently, to the ground, and then a pair of feet jogs into frame where SINCLAIR is scrabbling at the side of the hole.)

  SINCLAIR: Delete that. I can get out myself. Go delete that right now so I can watch you do it.

  (The feet move out of frame. The camera ascends once more, panning over SINCLAIR, who is now lying halfway out of the sinkhole with only one shoe on. As she writhes out of the hole, MORELAND chuckles. There is a clicking sound, as if he is tapping something against the casing of the camera.)

  MORELAND: All gone. Don’t even worry about it.

  (The camera swings; a blurry shot of the sky, and then darkness.)

  (A flicker. The picture returns. Four girls stand at the edge of the sinkhole, heads bent together. Their hands are joined, hair shining even in the ash-clouded sunlight as the wind ripples around them. Perhaps it is a trick of the light, or an imperfection in the tape, but they appear not quite solid, shimmering as if seen through a heat wave. The humming present in most footage taken in the Basin is absent. Instead there is only the sound of leaves rustling, although there are no trees present in the shot. One of the girls looks up as the camera zooms in on her, pulling a strand of hair away from her face. She opens her mouth to speak.)

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I wrote the first paragraph of the first draft of this book when I was eighteen years old. If your path crossed mine at any point during the last eleven years, you’re a part of this. There are so many of you, and I love you all so much, and if I fail to mention you here it is only because writing acknowledgments is somehow more difficult than writing a book (although slightly less difficult than remembering how to spell “acknowledgments” right on the first try).

  Rena Rossner, first and foremost: None of this would be possible if you hadn’t taken a chance on me. You are the best agent I could have dreamed of, and I am so blessed to have you in my corner. You are fierce and tireless and talented, and your insight has made me and this book better in so many ways. You kick so much ass.

  Ashley Hearn: my first editor. You have such a place in my heart, forever, for bringing me into the Page Street family. To have been able to work with someone like you, who really loves this book and understands it—I can’t believe I could be so lucky. You are the reason this book exists in the world, as the best version of itself that it could be, and I am forever grateful to you for your voice and your passion and for believing in me.

  Lauren Knowles: I got dropped in your lap and you didn’t even hesitate, just got to work, and you have been so lovely and insightful and patient with me. I am very, very glad to have you as my second-ever editor.

  Page Street Publishing: Tamara Grasty, Jenna Fagan, Meg Baskis, Lizzy Mason, Lauren Cepero, Kylie Alexander. All of you helped make this book a real thing, a real tangible thing, and I cannot tell you how much it means to have this dream of mine come true. You did that! Thank you!

  Emma Yost: How does it feel to see your name in print, beautiful mama? You have kept me sane and alive long enough to get at least one book into the world, and that’s why it’s got your name on it. You inspire me every single day, you are my best friend, you are the other half of my heart. I am so grateful to call you my bat sister. I love you forever. Tell Davey I said hi.

  Lio Min: I could not have done this without you, full stop. You have become such an important person in my life, and the fact that writing is what brought us together feels very appropriate. You are such a talented writer, and so sharp in the way that you express and interpret things, and it never ceases to amaze me that you like my work. I can’t wait to see your book in print. Please also give my thanks to Onion Min, my demon overlord.

  Mandie Williams: If we hadn’t met, I don’t know that I would be here. You inspired me, and you made me realize that this is an achievable, tangible thing, and you put me on this path, whether or not you know it. You are a gorgeous writer, you are impossibly cool, you are a dream of a friend.

  Corbin DeWitt, Elisabeth Sanders, Kenzie Moore, Mariam Sleiman, Tess McGeer: God, I love you guys so much. We’ve been together-while-apart for years, through some really weird and bad shit, and I can’t tell you how much it means that at the end of the day, or in the middle of the night, or any time at all, I can reach out and you’ll be there. I was lucky to find you all, and I am lucky to have you still. Corbin: You are my favorite living writer, and your food photos almost make me want to eat meat. Elisabeth: You drove across the desert to meet me and we drank vodka from tiny skulls and I have rarely felt so perfectly, brightly connected to a person. You are sharp and funny and you look so good in hats. Kenzie: Your strength and resilience are evident in everything you do, and I am so grateful to have been part of something you created, and to have become your friend. You are a truly good witch. Mariam: You are smart and judicious and you’re the only person I want to talk about God with. Thank you for Lebanese breakfast and recipes and book recs, and if you do ever move here, you have a place to stay. Tess: You made me love Taylor Swift, and you let me text you the entire time I was watching The Vampire Diaries, and you write about sports in a way that makes me care about them. I can’t wait to see your work on a big screen. I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH. Thank you for everything.

  Jamie Hathaway: I still have the selfie you sent me when you finished reading the first version of this book. You are so good and kind and supportive and you have helped me through too many late-night crises, and I can never thank you enough. I can’t wait to see you at the Iditarod.

  Isabel Cole: I will never forget what you told me when you first read this. You said I really think you have done something here, and that was the first moment I thought that it could be something real. You are one of my favorite writers, and for you to see potential in me gave me hope. And—perhaps most important—you gave me One Direction. My gratitude and my love are endless.

  J-Jams: You are my favorite hype girl. You are one of the best people I know, you are selfless and supportive, and you deserve every happiness that comes to you. Thank you for believing in me enough for both of us.

  Sam Fox-Hartin: I wouldn’t be who I am without your friendship. Thank you for new music, good jokes, one very promising unfinished vampire screenplay, and for keeping me upright.

  Liz Parker: You are rapidly becoming one of my dearest writer-friends, and I am so grateful to have you. Your critique has been game-changing, as have our late-night brainstorms. I love that we can be sounding boards for each other. I can’t wait to read your new work!

  Katharine Tree, Stacey Filak, and the rest of the Renegades: Thank you for all th
e ways you have helped me, large and small, during this process. It is a blessing to be surrounded by so much talent and support, and I value each one of you so much.

  Juli Barbato: You are a pleasure to work with, and your dogs are beautiful. I hope you get out of the desert and back to the ocean soon, and I am so grateful for all the work you’ve done on this book.

  Hendrik Jasnoch: You gave me my first real platform and I will never, ever forget that. Thank you for giving me a chance, supporting me and keeping in touch, and I swear, I swear to you now that the book is done I’m gonna do some writing for you the next time an occasion rolls around.

  Erica White, Beth Gier, Mimi Yu, Ryan Yost, Anna Prendella, Max, Britt Thornburley, Sadie Spalding, Sophia Clara, for advice and support and friendship and putting your eyes on this mess at least once, thank you.

  Mason: Thank you for swords and shields and being brave when I’m not, and for being there for me when I’m freaking out, even if all you do is say, Don’t freak out. It’s pretty helpful. I promise now that the book is out I will catch up on all the TV I was supposed to be watching. You are a very good brother, and I love you a lot.

  Emily: I love you so much. You keep me grounded and safe and you believe in me; you support me, you inspire me with your own work and dedication. You are beautiful and funny and talented and I am so blessed by your love. Thank you for literally everything in my life, from pierogis at ten p.m. to puzzles every day of quarantine. I am better because I am with you; you are my comfort and my darling and I love you. Thank you for keeping me afloat.

  Sadie: You got me through grad school, you got me through the last seven years of my life. I wrote this book almost entirely with your butt in my face and your paws on my keyboard and I miss you like crazy, my love.

  Fern, Kif, Leelu, Citrine: You can’t read. I hate you all so much. I can’t believe you live in my home. I would and will gladly die for you.

  One Direction, MCR, and Haribo: The things you have created have gotten me through some of the darkest moments of this process and, honestly, of my life. Thank you.