See No Evil (Twisted Book 3)

by Jo Ho

  Determined to show Eve how helpful she could be, she bounced up to the security guard, waving up at him.

  “Hi,” she said.

  His eyes flicked down to her before moving elsewhere. If she was put off by his reaction, she didn’t show it.

  “We’re… we’re friends of Eric’s,” Cassie lied.

  Eve tried not to show her shock at Cassie’s outrageous lie. They’d have to run with it now. The bouncer stared back down at her, taking in Eve too this time.

  “Eric only had one friend and you’re not him,” he replied.

  Eve felt a shiver at his words. Was he Eric’s snitch? He had obviously known Eric. She shot Cassie a look before turning her eyes back to him.

  “You mean Christian?” Eve chimed in before Cassie could say something that incriminated them. “Tall, blond, good jawline, usually angry. Yeah, we’re buddies too.” She hoped she remembered Marley’s description of him correctly. They’d soon know.

  The bouncer only grunted in response which they took as a good sign. At least he didn’t send them away.

  “We were hoping to speak to his person here about something,” Cassie began, hoping he would fill in the rest of her sentence. Of course, he didn’t.

  “Yeah, we had some questions we thought he might be able to help us with,” Eve said.

  “Are you the friend?” Cassie asked, obviously coming to the same conclusion Eve had.

  The bouncer glared down at them, not bothering to hide his irritation anymore. “What exactly is it the two of you want?”

  Faced with the direct question, the two fell silent, neither of them knowing how much they should reveal. The thought crossed Eve’s mind that maybe they should just get out of there, be better briefed so they didn’t reveal something to the wrong person. Like she had swallowed a truth pill, however, Cassie started to babble.

  “Well, a couple of things really. Have you heard of a guy called Michael? He’s going around town causing trouble. We’re hoping to locate him, or someone who knows him.”

  “Why? What do you think you can do about it, even if you found him?” The bouncer’s expression didn’t change.

  “So you do know him…” Cassie said triumphantly, jumping wildly to conclusions.

  “That’s not what I said, is it?” he answered back, growing more annoyed by the second.

  “You didn’t deny it. In any case, why are you so interested in knowing what we can do, which is a lot, just so you know,” Cassie said brazenly, making Eve squirm. Why was she being like this? Eve barely recognized her. Feeling uneasy about her revelations, she grabbed Cassie’s arm, speaking quietly into her ear.

  “I don’t think you should be saying that much to him…”

  In response, Cassie just shot her a look that clearly said ‘don’t worry, I’ve got this’. Then she continued. “If you won’t tell us where Michael is, do you know anything about the Five Seals?”

  At this, the bouncer’s eyes narrowed. “Everyone knows about those, girl. It’s one of the first things we’re taught.”

  “Did you know he’s broken the first one?” Cassie continued, smiling at Eve as if she really thought she knew what she was doing. Seeing the look on the bouncer’s face, however, Eve knew Cassie had said the wrong thing.

  “Stop talking,” she hissed at Cassie.

  “The first seal is broken?” The bouncer replied finally looking something other than irritated. He was too good at hiding his true feelings, however. Eve wasn’t able to see whether he was interested or concerned. Alarm bells rang in her head as she knew they should get out of there. Gripping Cassie’s shoulder, she dug her fingers in until Cassie yelped. She dragged her out of his earshot.

  “What’re you doing, he knows something,” Cassie exclaimed, rubbing her shoulder. “I was just getting somewhere, why did you stop me?”

  “Because you’re telling him everything! How do you know he’s not one of the bad guys?” Eve demanded, hands on either side of her hips.

  “Because he’s Eric’s friend,” Cassie mumbled back, hurt.

  “We don’t know that! Christian said Eric had a snitch here, not a friend. But you’ve been jumping to conclusions then blurting out everything that’s happened! What if that guy’s working for Michael? Now he’ll know we’re onto him! What if he comes after us? If he isn’t friends with Michael, you’ve just told a complete stranger that the first seal is broken. Isn’t that something any bad guy would love to hear? What if they’re all out rejoicing now, as they go find the others to break? And why the hell would you be bragging about our powers when I’m the only one who has a real handle on them so far? How desperate for attention are you, that you would put us into such a terrible position just to make yourself sound better? How can you be so stupid?”

  Eve stopped suddenly, her words seeming to echo loudly all around them. Seeing the look of horror that now appeared on Cassie’s face, she felt awful. She hadn’t meant to say all of that. She hadn’t meant to hurt her with those last comments. It was her panic, her worry that had caused her to blurt it out. Looking stricken, Cassie’s eyes turned bright with tears, the confidence immediately sapped out of her.

  Eve reached out to her, desperate to take some of it back when Cassie spun on her heel, running away.

  “Cassie, wait!” Eve called after her.

  Cassie didn’t wait, however. She ran blindly away, choking on her sobs.

  Within seconds, she was gone.

  Heart heavy with guilt, Eve made her way back to the car when her attention was caught by something flapping on the ground under her boot. Bending over, she stooped to pick it up.

  It was a flyer with edges that were brown with dirt. It had obviously been out there for a little while and had taken quite a beating from the weather though the offers on display were still current. It wasn’t the discount prices which interested her, however.

  Staring at the name of the store, Eve folded the flyer, tucking it into her jacket pocket, mentally making a note to herself. She would bring this up to the girls when they were next together. Right now, her mind was on Cassie and she couldn’t think about anything else, even something that might prove to be a lead.

  She hoped Cassie was OK.

  Chapter 12

  Tyler stared down at the empty crates and empty packaging piled high around her, filled with a great sense of satisfaction.

  Despite what her skinny colleague had said and George’s prediction, she had finished pricing not just her end section but the entire pet food aisle. Pumped up from her potion, she’d had energy to burn and had spent the last few hours focused on the task at hand, determined to do a great job. Though he made her uneasy, she wanted William to see how indispensable she could be.

  Her entire life would be riding on the job here if her aid didn’t come through.

  Bending down to scoop up the trash, Tyler looked up at a harassed-looking mom with two young kids. A cute toddler sat in the shopping cart, sucking her thumb. With her pigtails and big, curious eyes, she reminded her of Ally when she was little. God, she’d loved that kid so much. Baby Ally was almost as adorable as she was now as she fast approached her tenth birthday. The mom stopped in front of the cat food section that Tyler had just finished with giving a big smile when she saw the offer on display.

  “Sweetie,” she said to her oldest, a boy of around six. “Can you help mommy with those?” Together, the two of them began loading the cart with the food. They grabbed one box, then another, stacking them haphazardly into the cart as the baby watched giggling at this new game.

  When she saw how many they were grabbing, Tyler wondered if she should offer to help, especially as she didn’t want the kid to end up hurting himself by carrying those big boxes. She figured mom would know what was too much for him, however. Turning back to her job at hand, Tyler cleared away the rest of the remaining packaging when she heard a commotion behind her.

  Glancing back at the pet aisle, she saw that the place was packed full of bargain shoppers n
ow, stockpiling food like it was going out of fashion. A man practically shoved an old woman out of the way to snatch at the boxes before she could get to them. Leaning heavily on her walking stick, the old woman voiced her displeasure as she finally got her hands on a box. Tyler let out a slow whistle, taken aback by the ferociousness she was witnessing.

  People sure loved a deal around here.

  Feeling eyes on her, Tyler looked across from her to find the skinny girl from earlier watching her aisle and had to stop herself from grinning at the look on her face. It was obvious the other girl didn’t like the competition which Tyler couldn't care less about. She wasn’t here to be lazy, she was here to work, and if she showed everyone else up while she was at it, so be it. Snippy girl shot Tyler a look which she couldn’t quite decipher then stalked off the shop floor.

  Good riddance, Tyler thought.

  Grinning, she carried the trash through to the dumpster in the back of the store, dropping a quick glance at the gold-encrusted watch on her wrist — a gift from her parents when she had turned sixteen and one of the few expensive items she still owned — three-thirty. Perfect timing. She was due a ten-minute break. Heading down the corridor towards the staff room, Tyler reached the drinks station where she studied the items on offer. Black coffee, hot chocolate, hot water and a box of individually packed tea bags, ranging from peppermint to green. Picking up a disposable cup — apparently, Star Market’s staff weren’t allowed real mugs — she slid it under the hot chocolate spout, watching it spew out some watery brown liquid. Giving it a tentative sniff, she wondered if she should actually drink it since it looked pretty unappetizing.

  “Tyler, could you come into my office please?”

  Setting the cup down, she looked in the direction of the voice. It was William, and he was standing beside Snippy Girl who wore a spiteful look on her face. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she nodded, following them out of the room, to his small office at the end of the corridor. What did he want to see her about that would involve that other girl? William took a seat behind his desk as the other girl stood beside him. They both stared unnervingly at her. Tyler swallowed, trying not to let her nerves show.

  “We have a saying here, Tyler: we do things properly so that costly mistakes don’t occur. Now, while I know you have only just started, speed isn’t the only thing we value.”

  Tyler blinked, her eyes sliding from William to Snippy Girl, who stood opposite her, her arms folded over her chest. There was a satisfied smirk on her face that made Tyler want to slap her. She had literally just met her today, so it made no sense why the girl had such a problem with her.

  “Have I done something wrong?” she finally asked.

  William set down a sheet of paper onto the desk, turning it around so Tyler could see it. It was a copy of the price list she had been given. William tapped a stubby finger on one of the prices.

  “You incorrectly priced up an entire aisle of goods, Tyler,” William began as Snippy Girl jumped in, unable to control herself.

  “Yeah, by several dollars a box!” she hissed. William shot her a warning look which had the effect of making her back down at least, but Tyler could feel the shock growing.

  “No, I didn’t… I did exactly what was written on the sheet…” Getting in close to the list, Tyler studied the prices only to see with growing horror, that they were right. She had made a mistake. A big one. “I’m sorry… I don’t know how that happened.”

  “I warned you to slow down and check what you were doing, but you ignored me and carried on,” the other girl said. Tyler wanted to correct her — they both knew that wasn’t what happened — but she couldn’t do it, not with William glaring at her as he was.

  “Your actions have put me in a difficult position. That food has flown off the shelves, and though we have pulled the products off now, we can’t make back the losses from what has already been sold.”

  A knot of anxiety grew in the pit of her stomach. “You don’t expect me to pay it back do you?”

  William stared down at her in silence, making her squirm. The thought of having the last of her money disappear for a genuine mistake made her heart thump so wildly, it was a miracle it didn’t burst out of her chest. When William spoke again, his voice stern with a warning bite behind it.

  “Not this time. Since it’s only your second day, we’ll chalk this down to lack of experience, but neither of us can afford a mistake like this again. Understand?”

  Relief washed over her so great that she swayed on her feet. Snippy Girl looked at William, unhappy with his handling of the matter. She was obviously expecting a harsher punishment from him. Her eyes turned into slits as she shot daggers at Tyler.

  William turned to address Snippy Girl. “Thank you for bringing the matter to me Stacey, you may go back to what you were doing,” he said to the other girl. Knowing that she was being dismissed, Stacey issued a curt nod then left, tossing Tyler a look over her shoulder that all but screamed that she’d be watching her.

  William suddenly smiled, crossing the room in several quick strides until he was standing beside her. He put a hand on the small of her back as he steered her towards the door. Although there was nothing strange about the movement, Tyler felt a chill race down her spine. It was all she could do not to spring away from him. He had just spared her from a grave mistake that could have really screwed her: she really had to learn when to bottle her stupid feelings away, especially when there wasn’t any actual need for them.

  “I don’t want this to play on your mind. Mistakes do happen, even to the best of us. Go back outside and finish your shift.”

  She nodded, grateful that she would be getting away with only a warning. As she exited the room, William called out to her from inside.

  “Remember Tyler, I’ll be watching you.”

  She hurried away before he could see how his words had affected her.

  On the way back to the shop floor, Tyler agonized over her gross mistake.

  Her whole life she had been the type of person who prided themselves in everything they did. She was competitive, a strict A student. She’d never missed a deadline or failed a test, so this, this was a big deal. She looked down at her watch again, only to find that there was still several hours left of her shift. With that realization came another wave of exhaustion, so fierce that she had to put a hand against the wall to steady herself. The last time she had felt this kind of tiredness, she hadn’t slept for days. It was right after her parents had died. Tormented by the guilt of not being there when Ally discovered their father had died, Tyler had gone the opposite way, trying to stay awake constantly in case Ally needed her.

  Coming to the staff room, Tyler hesitated. There was no time for a pick-me-up coffee now since William’s impromptu meeting had eaten up the only break she had. Opening the door, she stared across at her locker, knowing there was enough of her potion in there for another hit. There was a nagging voice in the back of her mind that wanted to warn her that maybe she was relying on her creation a little too much: however, Tyler didn’t want to give that any thought. Shoving the voice firmly aside, she marched over to her locker, fishing the key from the pocket in her shirt and opened it. Grabbing her water bottle, she downed the last of her brew in two quick gulps.

  As before, she was filled with an instant energy that made her feel as if she could do anything. Closing her locker, she went back onto the shop floor to finish out the rest of her shift as she mentally reminded herself to make more of her magic solution later on.

  She needed to stockpile as much of it as possible.

  Chapter 13

  Marley approached her destination nervously, slowing down her walk as a large wrought iron sign arched overhead.

  With classes over, Tyler at work, and the other two out on their recon mission, she’d found herself with some rare free time. She’d deliberated over her options and had thought about getting a head start on coursework before nixing the idea almost immediately. She couldn’t focus
on schoolwork knowing that so much was up in the air with them.

  Before she’d forced him away, Christian’s last words to her had been playing on her mind. Her guilty conscience couldn’t reconcile itself with the idea that maybe he was right. It was beyond stupid to let Eve and Cassie go off on their own. If she were being honest with herself, Marley would admit that she didn’t have a handle on Eve yet. Sometimes the older girl unnerved her so when Eve had insisted that she’d be fine without them to babysit her, Marley hadn’t felt brave enough to challenge that. Now, in the cold light of the afternoon, she wondered if she should have insisted on the group going together at a later time, when they could all make it.

  With the blessed silence that had come with the end of Christian yammering at her constantly, Marley realized that she was ready to learn more about her power. The meds she had taken should have worn off by now. Inspired by the others go-to attitudes, Marley decided to give her own powers a try by visiting the one place where spirits would naturally be.

  Sunlight filtered down through green leaves, lighting a path along the grass. Rows of ancient headstones loomed around her, some majestic replicas of Angels perched on top of crypts, while others consisted of simple tombstones, decaying after centuries of neglect. She passed by one now, squinting her eyes at the faded writing that was almost impossible to make out. Weeds had long overtaken the gray stone, its words now covered over by wild ivy. Marley wondered if there was anyone left in the world who knew the person who was buried there. There was an ache in her heart when she realized the answer was no. If there was, the grave would have been taken care of. Soon it would be so overgrown that she wouldn’t even be able to read the writing carved onto the stone.

  She was thinking about what it must be like to die, to not have people miss you, when a stab of guilt made her gasp. Was that how it was for Christian now? She had killed him without the world knowing. He was alone, with only her for company… yet she had drowned him out by taking her pills, taking away the only person in his afterlife who could hear him.