by Marlowe Blue
Harper twisted her hands nervously. “Hi, Harper. I wanted to talk for a moment.”
I waited for Mrs. Granger to tell her to go away but she didn’t. Instead she stood and smoothed out her black dress. “Go ahead, dear, but please do not dawdle. Time is of the essence.”
Harper whistled and closed the door behind her. “Whew. I don’t miss her at all. So, are you ready?”
My jaw dropped. “Am I ready? What the hell kind of question is that? Of course, I’m not ready.”
Harper pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me to sit on the bed. “Listen, I know you don’t want to do this, but you have no choice. Do you know what happens if you don’t make those sacrifices as midnight? You will die. Not only will you die but The Society will come and kill the Grangers. Now, I know you’re not fond of them, I’m not either, but they’re only doing their job. One day it’ll be your job and you’ll want your charge to cooperate because your life depends on it.”
I shook my head. “So be it. I’d rather die than live this life.”
Harper stroked my cheek. “Really? You don’t even know what it will be like. Sure, it won’t be like this. The Society will use you to do their work for twenty years or so and then you get to retire and live and long, long life. You have no idea how old the Grangers are. They’re nowhere near as young as they look. The Society will always take care of you and you’ll have everything you want and desire. Money will never be an issue. You’ll get paired with your own Incubus, the one you chose. The two of you will always be beautiful. You Incubus will be loyal and faithful. He’ll never leave you like your father left your mother. In the meanwhile, you get to have lots of sex. I’ve never had it. but it must be the best thing in the world the way everyone goes on about it.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. Harper wiped them away with the tips of her fingers. “But I have to be a murderer,” I told her. “I have to kill three people tonight. How can I live with that?”
Harper pressed her lips together. “Abby, haven’t you learned your lesson yet? Look at the good parts of your life. You’re not going to murder three people. Tyler won’t be dead, he’ll come back as your Incubus. That’s why it’s so important not to fall in love until after the ritual. It makes it so hard to kill them even though you know they’ll come back. As for Dina and Aria, I’m not some idiot. I knew what those snakes were the second I met them. That’s why I kept them close. That’s why I pretended they were my best friends, so down the line I could sacrifice them. As far as The Society knows, I love those girls dearly.”
“Dina and Aria are horrible, but death? They don’t deserve that.”
“Do you? Because you’re going to die if you don’t kill them. You can’t sacrifice some random stranger so if not them, who?”
I thought about it for a long time. I wasn’t prepared to die as screwed up as my life was. “What am I supposed to do? Say, hey guys, come down to the basement so I can kill you as my rite of passage.?”
“Of course not. Tell them there’s no hard feeling’s about the other night and that you’ve set up a VIP room for only the coolest kids at the party. Once they’re down there, the Grangers and Mr. Drake will help you with the rest. You know what, I’ll have the help tell them for you. You won’t even have to do it. Be sure to be down in the basement a few minutes before midnight though. Timing is very important.”
I looked down at my trembling hands. “Harper, I need you to make me a promise. I need you to promise to always be a good sister to Brooke and to never tell her about the switch.”
Harper nodded. “I promise. I’ll take good care of Brooke.”
“Spend a lot of time with her and get her to talk to you. She holds a lot in and I’m the only one she really talks to.”
“I promise,” Harper said again. I believed her and was relieved by the fact that she genuinely seemed to like Brooke. “I’ll be the best big sister I can be. Is that all?”
I nodded, watching Harper slip out of the door. How could my life have gone so wrong so fast? I thought long and hard about my other options and realized there weren’t any. I had to make the sacrifices. There was just one thing I had to do before I did that.
I grabbed my cell phone and dialed Brooke’s number. This was going to be the most awkward phone call I had ever made, but I had to tell my sister goodbye. I had to hear her voice one last time and then I would leave her alone forever. I never wanted her to know about any of this craziness.
“Hello?” She answered on the first ring.
“Hey, Brooke. I have a message from your sister Abby.”
“From Abby? Where’s Abby? Wait . . . did something happen?”
“No, no, nothing happened and Abby is just fine. Still, she wants you to know that you’ve always been her best friend and that she’s very proud of you and that she loves you more than anything.”
“Uh, okay, but—”
“Brooke, I have to go. Goodbye.” I hung up before I could say anything else. I wanted to dissolve into tears, but I need to call Mom. I knew she was working and wouldn’t answer, but I would leave her a voice mail. I owed her at least that much for not being grateful for the life she had given me. I would have given anything to go back.
I felt light headed. I grabbed a drink of water from the tap in my bathroom and then made slow, steady steps toward the basement. I couldn’t get there without crossing a portion of the living room. People kept stopping me to talk and dance, but I had somewhere to be. Taking a quick glance around, I didn’t see Tucker, Aria, or Dina anywhere. They must have been down in the basement already.
I froze with my hand on the handle. Mr. Granger opened the door as if he sensed me there. He probably did. “It is time.”
I stepped past him and descended the stairs into the basement. There I found three tables. Tucker, Aria, and Dina were each strapped to one. They had been gagged like the practice guy. They struggled underneath the ropes that held them down. When they saw me, their eyes widened and they moaned, begging me for help as if they’d forgotten all they had done to me.
Mr. Drake handed me a sickle. This one was different from the previous one. It was clean and shiny like it had never been used before. It fit perfectly in my hand as my fingers curved around the handle.
I stood between Aria and Dina’s table. They struggled even harder now that I hadn’t rushed to free them. Dina pleaded with me with her wide green eyes. Dina was a beauty. What a waste. Ugly Aria had never looked lovelier, silently begging me for her life. Dina should go first. That would make Aria even more fearful. Of the two of them, she was the mastermind, so she should suffer the most.
Mr. Drake held a beautiful golden canister close to Dina’s head. Mrs. Granger wore a robe and chanted foreign words while holding some book. I held the sickle high and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I brought it across Dina’s throat, making sure to hit the jugular as I had been instructed.
Blood sprayed as her body jerked. Mr. Drake collected the spouting blood in the cannister. Then I moved on to Aria. Tears were streaming down the sides of her face and she jerked her body, trying to sit upright. All her effort was in vain. I brought the sickle across her scrawny throat. There was even more blood this time. Mr. Granger applauded.
I moved beside Tucker’s table. Tucker wasn’t acting like the girls did. He was no longer struggling. His eyes were filled with hurt and confusion. I had never felt worse. The girl he loved was about to kill him and he had no idea why.
Tucker struggled to say something. “Take that off,” I ordered, enjoying this newfound confidence I had.
Mr. Granger removed the gag immediately. Tucker licked his lips. “Yes, Tucker?” I asked.
“Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to us?”
“Don’t worry, Tucker. You’ll understand everything in a little bit. I’m doing this because I love you.”
A single tear left his eye. “I love you too—more than anything, but if you love me, why are you trying to kill me?”
This one was the hardest and I understood why Harper had to keep her feeling for him under control. I didn’t have that luxury though. I had loved Tucker Finley for years. Before I could change my mind, I closed my eyes and opened them. Then I brought the sickle across his throat. I turned to the Grangers. “Is that all?”
Mrs. Granger nodded. “Yes. Now go and pack up. We will be leaving in the morning.”
I didn’t even ask where we were going. I knew we had to get away from there. Three kids missing after attending my party would definitely bring the police snooping around and the fact that I had already called them accusing the Grangers of murder wouldn’t help. I slowly ascended the stairs.
Harper was waiting for me outside the door of the basement. “How did it go?” she asked.
“It’s done.” I looked her dead in my ice-blue eyes. “Be good to my life, Abby. Be good to my friends and family.”
She used her thumb to wipe what was probably a drop of blood from my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I shrugged. “I’m doing what you said, looking at the good parts. I’m beautiful and rich. I’ll have everything I want. Most of all, Tucker Finley will be mine forever.
She opened her mouth to say something, but I walked past her. I would never see her or any of these people again. Somehow, I had to forget about my old life and find peace now that I’d gotten what I always wanted. I had become Harper Granger and there was no going back.
The End
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