Mary, Will I Die?

by Shawn Sarles

  Grace shook her head, trying to get rid of the nightmare. It was like she’d already lived it even though it hadn’t happened yet. Even though it wasn’t going to happen. She would break this curse. Calvin wasn’t going to die. He couldn’t, as long as she didn’t see him.

  Out of habit, her hand swiped up to her neck, but it only grabbed air. As if she could have forgotten that Elena had taken the locket at the carnival. Taken back what Grace had stolen in the first place.

  Grace had to remind herself of that. The locket had never been hers. The woman in it wasn’t her mother. She could never fill that hole.

  But all of that didn’t matter now. She had to focus on stopping the demon, shutting it away forever. It was October thirtieth—the eve of All Hallows Eve. And something told her that she had to end this curse now. Tonight.

  “Grace?”

  She jumped at the sound of her name, and her notebook and the grimoire went flying, landing on the floor with two thuds.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  But Grace backed away from the apology. She ignored the outstretched hand that had retrieved her things off the floor.

  “I’ve actually been looking for you.”

  “Don’t you have practice or something?” Grace asked, not knowing what else to say.

  “Coach won’t mind if I’m a few minutes late,” Elena replied, biting her bottom lip. Which made Grace pause. Made her marvel. She’d never seen Elena unsure like this. She’d never seen her not demanding control. Even when they were little and still best friends, Elena had always been the one to lead. She’d never deferred to anyone.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” Elena eventually squeaked, and Grace had to lean in really close to make sure she hadn’t misheard. “For the other night. At the carnival. I went too far when I brought your mom up like that. It was a low blow. I shouldn’t have—”

  She petered off then, and her hand crept its way up to her neck, pulling on a familiar silver chain. The locket, Grace realized with a start. It’d already found a new home.

  “The truth is, I really need your help,” Elena went on, filling up Grace’s silence. “And I know you kind of hate me, but you’re the only one who has a shot at figuring this curse out. You and that monster-obsessed brain of yours.”

  She’d tried to make it sound flattering, smiling at the end—a compliment, even though Grace knew that if Elena had said it a few days ago, it would have been the opposite.

  “So I’m asking you for help,” Elena added, stumbling to fill the void. “I’m begging for it, really. I can’t do this by myself.”

  Grace had never felt so powerful. And she had to wonder that she’d never thought to use this tactic before. Silence to make her voice heard. To force Elena to show her hand.

  “Please,” Elena pleaded. And it was clear she was losing her patience. She’d come to the end of asking nicely. “Do it for Calvin.”

  This finally broke through Grace’s resolve. The last thing she wanted to do was help Elena, but she didn’t really have a choice.

  “I’ll help you,” Grace muttered. “But only because I need to save him.”

  She reached out and took the notebook and grimoire from Elena.

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Elena trilled before snapping into motion. She swung her backpack off her shoulders and dug around in it. “I found this hidden in the book of fairy tales. My grandmother knew about the demon. Guarding it is like a family legacy or something.”

  She held an envelope out, and Grace took it, unsure of what she’d find inside. But as she skimmed the handwritten lines, understanding began to settle over her. The demon wasn’t anything new. It had been trapped for centuries, waiting for someone as pliable as a bunch of kids to awaken it. They’d unwittingly done just that when they’d played that game all those years ago. They’d brought this on themselves, and now they were the only ones who could put it back.

  “The mirror holds the key.” Grace read the words out loud, thinking.

  “I know,” Elena babbled. “But I’ve checked. There aren’t any secret compartments in the back. There isn’t a hidden lever or anything.”

  “It must mean the inscription,” Grace said, her brain racing ahead of her words, piecing it all together. “The incantation circling the mirror.”

  “But that’s all nonsense. It doesn’t even use real letters. How are we supposed to read that?”

  Grace’s eyes lit up. This was the reinforcement she’d needed. Now she knew she was right.

  “I found a way to translate it.” Grace held up her notebook, tapping the sheet, showing Elena her hard work. “It’s all right here.”

  Elena eyed the page skeptically, the phonics-like way Grace had written out the pronunciation guide.

  “But this doesn’t even make sense.” Elena scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s all gibberish. What are we supposed to do with it?”

  “I think …” Grace furrowed her brow. She didn’t know exactly how to do it, but she’d read through enough of the grimoire to get a basic understanding of how most spells worked. “I think that as long as I’m there with the mirror and reciting the spell, then I can close the portal and seal the demon inside.”

  “So we can lock it away for good?” Elena asked. “Simple as that?”

  “Well …” Grace thought about it some more. “The demon might put up a fight. It probably won’t like that we’re trying to seal it away. But I think there are some ways we can strengthen the spell. Some precautions we can take.”

  She thought about what she’d read in the grimoire. About salt circles and burning incense. About lit candles, amulets, and other protections. In theory, those should all work for this ritual, too.

  “And we could do it tonight?” Elena sounded eager, which was a good thing. At least for Calvin’s sake.

  “Yeah,” Grace replied. “I think I can get everything ready. It might take a few hours, though.”

  “That’s fine. We can meet at my house. Put an end to this demon for good.”

  Grace nodded, liking how sure Elena sounded, needing to latch onto that certainty.

  Tonight. They’d lock the demon away. They’d stop the curse before it could catch up to Calvin. They’d save him.

  “But promise you won’t tell anyone,” Grace hurried to add. “Especially not Calvin. He can’t know. He can’t be a part of this. He can’t be there.”

  “Fine with me.”

  Elena didn’t ask any questions. Which was good. Grace didn’t want to have to explain. She couldn’t. She choked up every time she thought about it.

  “Meet at my house at seven,” Elena said. “Tell your dad it’s a sleepover if you have to. Don’t be late.”

  And before Grace could get in another word, Elena turned and jogged away, slipping into the gym. Grace stared at the doors as they swung shut, thinking about all she had to do. Thinking about what would happen if she’d translated the spell wrong. If it didn’t work.

  But it had to. They didn’t have any time to lose.

  A locker banged and Grace blinked. She turned her head and her pulse jumped into her throat.

  Calvin.

  Their eyes met across the lobby, and Grace felt a tug in her gut. Was it attraction trying to bring them together? Or Calvin’s fate?

  He looked like a corpse already, with large purple bags under each eye and his hair sticking up in every direction. She wanted to go to him. To make sure he was all right. But she knew she couldn’t. So she spun on her heel, racing out the school doors without even one glance back.

  But tomorrow. Tomorrow this would all be over. Tomorrow she could see him again.

  Exhaustion settled over Steph’s bones as she walked out of the gym. But it wasn’t just from the hard practice. She’d been living with one eye open for the past two days, worried about what might come next. Who might get hurt.

  Steph’s gaze fluttered back into the gym, and something twisted in her gut. The fallen scoreboard had been cleaned u
p and the hardwood polished so that it looked good as new, like nothing had gone wrong.

  But that uneasy feeling stuck with her. Like the second after a fuse sparked or a weapon was drawn. The first moment after a car skidded out of control on a rain-swept highway. That palpable fear of knowing something was about to happen. Something terrible.

  Henry. The scoreboard. The carnival ride. It wasn’t over yet.

  There was still something out there hunting her. And Steph knew it wouldn’t go away on its own. It would find her. It would find her friends. Her family. And then it’d hurt them. Unless she could figure out a way to stop it.

  Steph’s focus wavered as a movement in the gym caught her eye. Her gaze flickered to the side and she spotted a familiar face rounding the corner.

  Mary. An unexpected but welcome sight. Steph’s heart jumped, but then came crashing right back down, missing the easy put-away kill.

  Because Mary was talking to Elena. Elena, who hated her. Who thought the girl was a demon. Whatever they were talking about, it couldn’t be good. Steph’s shoulders tightened and she started back inside, but before she’d gotten through the door, the other girls shook hands and parted ways. Elena noticed Steph and gave her a hard stare before turning and walking out a different exit. Mary, on the other hand, came bounding over.

  “What’d she want?” Steph asked, pointing to where Elena had disappeared. “I can talk to her. She shouldn’t be bothering you.”

  “Bothering me?” Mary’s chin tilted and Steph realized that she really hadn’t heard what had gone down at the carnival.

  “Just be careful around her,” Steph said uneasily. “She’s not your friend.”

  “Why? Because you and I have been hanging out?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe?”

  Steph thought about it, but figured she’d leave it at that. It wasn’t like she could just come out and tell Mary that Elena thought she was a demon that they’d accidentally released from an old mirror.

  “Well, you don’t need to worry. She was only helping me with my story.”

  “Your story?”

  “For the school paper,” Mary said, a grin lighting up her face. “You’re looking at their newest reporter.”

  “That’s great. So what’s your first big scoop?”

  “Well, it’s you.”

  “Me?” Steph didn’t quite believe it.

  “You and the rest of the team,” Mary admitted. “But you’ll be a big part of it. How you and Elena are sharing the captain responsibilities. How you two have led the team to a winning season. I was hoping that you’d let me interview you. Figure out what makes you tick. We’ve hung out a few times, but there’s still so much I don’t know.”

  “All you have to do is ask.”

  Steph heard herself saying the words and couldn’t quite believe they’d come out of her mouth. She wasn’t exactly an open book. There were some things she couldn’t say. Things she still didn’t understand. Things that Elena better have kept her mouth shut about.

  “Do you have a few minutes now?” Mary asked, getting her journal out and pulling her signature pencil from behind her ear.

  “Sure. What do you want to know?”

  “Let’s start with, how did you get into volleyball in the first place?”

  And as Steph began telling her story, she found that the words slipped right out of her, flowing more freely the more she talked.

  She told Mary about joining her first volleyball team and learning the game. About getting the MVP award at her first club tournament. About how she’d found her footing on the court. How she’d learned to embrace her gangly arms and legs, her height that put her a head taller than almost every girl in their grade. How she was hoping they could win the district tournament next week. Hoping she could get good enough to earn a scholarship to play in college so her mom wouldn’t have to worry about loans.

  The details spilled out of her, and when she’d finished answering all of Mary’s questions, Steph found that she wanted to say more.

  “Can I tell you something else?” Steph asked. “Off the record?”

  “Sure,” Mary replied, leaning close as she shut her journal. “What’s on your mind?”

  “I think—”

  And Steph knew she was acting crazy. Knew she was being too spontaneous. It was too early to say anything. Especially to Mary. But she trusted her. She could tell her anything. And weren’t they meant to be?

  “I think I like girls.”

  A pause stretched between them, and Steph wondered if she could take it back. If she could retract the statement and pretend like it’d never crossed her lips.

  “You think?” Mary lifted an eyebrow.

  “I know.” Steph blushed, and her eyes dropped to the floor, staring at the white, scuffed tiles. “I know I like girls.”

  And it felt so weird to say it like that. To be so sure. But she was. And she was ready for a friend to know.

  “Well, is there any girl in particular?” Mary nudged Steph with her toe, but Steph didn’t look up. She couldn’t without giving herself away.

  “Maybe,” she mumbled. She wanted Mary to know that she was gay, but she wasn’t ready to admit her crush just yet. She wouldn’t be able to bear the disappointment of a rejection.

  “You should tell her.”

  Mary nudged her again, and this time Steph raised her head, saw the warm smile on Mary’s face, radiating that positive energy. And Steph knew that she wasn’t being judged. There was a real chance.

  “What do you have to lose?”

  And Steph was going to tell her. She was going to confess her feelings. Get it out there. She could feel the words forming in the back of her throat. Feel them right there on the tip of her tongue, ready to be set free. But then a familiar squeak echoed through the lobby. A cart rolled into view. Steph’s mom sheathed her mop and wiped her forehead, then waved at her daughter.

  “Who’s your friend?” she asked as she came over to greet them.

  “This is Mary.” Steph quickly introduced them, thrown by her mother’s appearance, by what she had almost admitted. “She moved here a few weeks ago.”

  “It’s nice to meet you. Are you one of Steph’s teammates?”

  “Oh, no.” Mary fielded the parental question like a pro. “I’m writing a story for the school paper. A profile on the team and its star player.”

  Mary nodded toward Steph, and Steph’s mom lit up.

  “Well, that’s just great. I’ve been so proud of how much work she’s put in these last couple of months. She’s a star. The best daughter any parent could ask for. And you can quote me on that.”

  “Mom.” Steph grimaced as her mother laughed at her own joke.

  “I’m only kidding. Mary knows that.”

  But Steph could only roll her eyes. Usually she didn’t mind her mom embarrassing her. But in front of Mary? Steph wanted to find a deep hole and bury herself in it.

  “I should probably head out,” Mary said, throwing her journal into her backpack. “Gotta get home before dark. But Steph, we should get together for some follow-up questions. Maybe this weekend?”

  It took her a few seconds, but eventually Steph found her voice, hoping it didn’t shake with the nerves stirring up a thunderstorm in her belly.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  And then Mary opened her arms and Steph, not knowing exactly what to make of it, came in for a hug. She held her breath as her chin nested on the top of Mary’s shoulder, hoping the girl couldn’t hear her pulse beating a furious pace against her neck. She counted the seconds as they passed. All the way up to eight before Mary let go and the two moved apart.

  “I’ll text you,” Mary said, and then she was off, unsnapping her bike helmet from her backpack strap and positioning it on her head.

  Steph watched her go, her heart still beating fast, her palms sweating. She watched without even realizing her mom was watching, too.

  “She seems nice. And she’s so cute with that short
hair.”

  Steph blinked, turning to look at her mom, trying to figure out if there was some message hidden there in her words.

  “She’s been a good friend,” Steph replied.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Hopefully I’ll get to see her around more.”

  Steph could only shrug, unsure of what exactly her mom meant.

  “I’m going to start on my homework.”

  And Steph plopped down on one of the lobby benches. But as she pulled out her textbook, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get anything done. Not with Mary on her mind.

  “Are you almost ready?”

  Elena didn’t know what was taking so long.

  “Give me a few more minutes,” Grace replied, not bothering to look up as she consulted her little spell book. She dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of chalk and began carefully drawing a circle on the floor around the covered mirror.

  “Do you have everything you need?” Elena glanced down at her phone and then back over to Grace.

  “I think so.”

  Grace had finished with the protection circle and pulled several candles out of her bag, setting them in even intervals around the mirror. Then she got out a cheap lighter and lit them all, her hand clearly shaking as she went.

  “Are you worried about your parents coming home?” Grace asked.

  “They’re in Des Moines,” Elena said as she continued to stare at her phone. “They won’t be home until tomorrow.”

  This didn’t seem to comfort Grace, though. It was just the two of them, about to face a demon. But then who would they even call for backup? The fire department? They wouldn’t be equipped to handle this either.

  “We’ll be fine,” Elena said, more because she could tell that Grace needed to hear it than because she actually believed it herself. But it was her grandmother’s legacy. She had to do this. Her plan had to work. There was no other way.

  “You’re right,” Grace agreed, though she didn’t sound so sure as she mumbled under her breath some more. “You’re right. We can do this.”

  And then she got back to her preparations, pulling out a folded sheet of paper, going over her pronunciation guide again, following along with her finger, her mouth moving in unfamiliar motions as she silently practiced it to the end.