“Hey, get a move on, the both of you,” ordered Mr. Abrams on arrival, shooing us out of the cafeteria and into the gym. The conversation had clearly caught Reese off guard if he’d unknowingly dropped the veil keeping him invisible.
Carly waved to us from one of the upper decks of the bleachers, signaling for us to join the group. Daniel seemed neutral to the idea, but once Vanessa and Eric noticed who I was with, their expressions turned sour. Car just shook her head, mouthing, “ignore them.”
“It’s okay,” I mouthed back, taking hold of Reese’s hand. Now, Mark looked like he was about to have a stroke, with V and Eric not far behind. I pulled Blackburn back toward the cafeteria entrance where we took our seats in the second row of the stands.
There were a handful of officers already standing on the half-court line, waiting for everyone to settle down. Mrs. Harvey provided them a microphone, and the gym quieted the instant the Sheriff stepped forward. He didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, and he didn’t seem too keen on answering any questions. Afterward, Dr. Fritz suggested we take the time to express any feelings or concerns we had, which opened the floodgates. Attention whores like Ava Ashford jumped at the opportunity to have center stage, as they all tried to do their best Sunday School impressions, leading us in a variety of prayers.
Reese just shook his head. “I swear. Any moment now, one of them is gonna burst into flames.”
Casey’s legitimate friends finally got their turns to speak, and it wasn’t pretty.
Lucy Cartwright entered into a hyperventilated state, her words nearly indistinguishable as she started squeaking out high pitch cries. Just when it seemed like it couldn’t get any more painful, Ava returned to center court.
“I really think it would be appropriate that we have a moment of silence in recognition for our dearly departed classmates,” she declared, swiping the microphone away from the last speaker. Lucy and the others who had spoken looked just as appalled by the apathy, considering the nicest thing Ava ever said to Casey was probably along the lines of, “You’re in my way, bee-otch.”
“To Casey.” Ava paused, looking right at me. Her lip twitched ever so slightly with wicked intent. “And to Blaine, who was taken from us—so needlessly.”
Sure enough, surrounding eyes began burning a hole in the back of my head, igniting a pleasing smile Ava tried (and failed) to repress.
When I was changing into my gym clothes for P.E. yesterday, I’d overheard Ava Ashford’s posse talking about me like I’d murdered Blaine right in front of everybody and laughed about it. You’d think nearly dying—or in my case, actually dying—would earn a girl a little compassion around here. Instead, I was being treated like I was Ted freaking Bundy.
Everybody finally lowered their heads as the gym fell silent.
A shrill screech echoed from the hallway right by us, and I pitched my hands over my ears at the awful noise. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard, only amplified. I looked at Reese to see his gaze focused on the open doorway. We both looked around, seeing not one other person paying any mind to the racket. And that meant one thing: trouble.
Reese rose to his feet, ready to climb down the bleachers when I grabbed his hand.
He looked down at me curiously. “What?” he mouthed.
I nodded to the other end of the gym.
The ends of a long, tattered cloak gathered at the ankles of the lanky figure looming in the other open doorway. A large hood drew over this person’s head, but I knew it wasn’t the creep who’d attacked me before…unless he’d ripped off all the skin from his hands and grown razor-sharp talons for fingernails all of the sudden. It was the only exposed body part I could see, and it was safe to say I held no curiosity in wanting to see more. With unnaturally elongated, twisted limbs, this individual took a step forward. They tilted their head back a fraction, taking in a sharp inhale that resulted in another piercing shriek. Enough light captured the figure’s chin, revealing a skinless jaw line.
“Is it just me, or does the school mascot look a little different?” said Reese.
“A bit.”
Chapter 20
Before I’m Dead
Trampling down the bleachers, I raced after Reese out of the gymnasium. “What is that thing?”
The magician pried out a massive filigree blade from inside his militia coat, admiring the steel as he made his way through the cafeteria toward the adjoining hallway where The Crypt Keeper’s cousin had come from. “Haven’t a clue.”
I grabbed him, pulling him to a stop. “You don’t know?”
“For once, no, I don’t. Shocking, I know.” He tipped the brim of his fedora, effortlessly rolling it off his head and placing it on mine with a grin. “Just hang back and let me take care of Tall, Dark, and Creepy. Okay?”