Reaper (34 page)

I heard Keith say, “You get her out, she’s your sister.”

Harrison replied, “No, I-I, I don’t want to see her naked. You should, you’re—” he stopped short.

“Gay, I know.” Keith paused. “Still, it doesn’t seem right. I don’t know if she’d be comfortable with me around her like that. And if Ethan found out, I think he’d kill me.” I almost laughed. “You get her.”

“Then we’ll wait for Ethan.” Harrison sounded desperate.

“He won’t be back for over an hour. The hot water’s bound to run out.”

I tried to get up but I couldn’t. My muscles gave up and didn’t work. What the hell was wrong with me? Everything was confusing. Black orbs dotted the edges of my vision. I reached for the faucet…it was too much. Mindy was sending something that was crushing me. Invisible weight crashed down on me. There was nothing I could do.

With a metallic squeak, the water shut off. Someone draped a towel over me.

“Anora?” René spoke softly. “Hey girl, you ok?”

I shook my head so slightly I wasn’t sure if she could see. I felt thoroughly horrible, but not horrible enough to
not
be embarrassed that I needed help getting out of the shower and then getting dressed. The smell of white sage wafted into the bathroom as soon as they opened the door. I inhaled deeply, hoping to push whatever hold on me Mindy had away.

“Where are you pajamas?” René asked.

I took another deep breath. “Here,” I was able to say clearly and slowly opened the bottom drawer of my dresser. I lost my balance when I put on the pants. I wanted to kill Mindy. She made me into a bumbling idiot.

“Can I get you anything?” Keith asked, pausing in the doorway.

“No, unless you can bring me Mindy’s head on a platter,” I spat flatly and flopped down in my bed.

Keith laughed. “I don’t think I can swing that.” He and René left the room, saying they were going to try and make a potion. Harrison stood awkwardly in the center of the room, not knowing what to do. Finally, he sat next to me. I snaked my hand out from under the covers and patted his arm.

“Thanks for being my brother,” I said, my voice thick with sleep.

He placed his hand on mine. “You’re welcome.” We sat in silence for another few minutes before Harrison asked, “Do you feel any better?”

“A little. I’m tired now. Not as dizzy.”

“Hey!” he said with excitement, twisting to face me. “Remember when Grandma set the tree on fire two Christmases ago?”

I kept my eyes closed but laughed. “How could I forget?”

“And the time she let her cat out and let a skunk inside instead? Wasn’t it like a week before anyone noticed?”

We laughed again. Our Grandma Bathilda (from our Dad’s side) was very old, had very poor eyesight, spoke very little English, and liked to drink. She almost always had a bottle of peppermint Schnapps in her wrinkled little hands. Harrison continued to tell stories from our childhood, reminiscing about past family gatherings and talking about our annoying and bitchy cousin Jackie until I drifted to sleep.

My dreams flashed from Ethan and Hunter dying in a fiery car crash to a pile of rocks in the middle of the woods, decorated with mildew and dead rotting leaves. Tiny spiders emerged from the stones, one after one after one.

The unease woke me. Harrison’s rhythmic, deep breathing let me know he had fallen asleep. A maelstrom of confusion suffocated me. A need for Ethan burned in my heart. I wanted him physically close to me. I needed to feel his skin against mine; I wanted him emotionally to tell me everything would be ok. Like an addict aching for their next fix, I shook, unable to think about anyone or anything else. Everything went fuzzy. The next thing I knew, my hand was hovering over the knob of the turret door. Why was I here? There must be a good reason. I closed my fingers around the cool metal and twisted.

Cold, dark air blew back my hair. Why was I going outside again? I couldn’t form a logical thought to save my life. A car door slammed shut. Ethan! The painful need welled inside me again. With more vigor than I deemed possible, I jumped up the stairs to make sure it was him. A dark shape moved. My unfocused eyes couldn’t descry what, or who, it was.

“Anora,” someone called.

“Ethan?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, good, you’re home! I need you.”

“Of course you do. Come here,” the voice lured.

“Ok.” I turned to head downstairs.

“No, that will take too long. Just jump over and I’ll catch you.”

I hesitated. Somewhere deep inside, I knew that was wrong. But in this state of utter confusion, it made sense. The need throbbed and I obeyed. I couldn’t see Ethan below, but I trusted him. He would catch me and then I would be with him. I smiled. I really did miss him. Carefully I swung my legs over the railing and sat on the thin wooden rail. My feet dangled dangerously. I leaned forward, my shaking arms the only thing keeping me from plummeting.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Just jump. I’ll catch you.”

“But I can’t see you.”

“Trust me.”

I smiled again. “Ok.” I let the muscles in my hands relax. A tiny weenie voice screamed inside me. I didn’t listen. The need was too much. I closed my eyes, preparing for the fall…

“Jesus Annie!” Harrison screamed. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around me. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Ethan.” I struggled. “He’s down there!”

“No, he’s not.” Luckily Harrison was stronger than me. He wrapped his arms tighter around me, hugging me so hard it hurt. “Ok, Annie, when I tell you to let go, lean back and let go, ok?” He struggled to keep his voice calm.

“Ok,” I agreed.

“Ok, let go.” He hoisted me up and over the railing, tripping when my foot got caught. He stumbled back and I landed on him, the impact jolting me back to reality. He scrambled up and hugged me. “Holy shit, Annie!”

I hugged him back; he was shaking. “I’m sorry,” spilled out of my mouth. “I don’t know why I did that.” The reality of me almost jumping off the turret set in.

“I don’t think you had control.” Harrison released me from his embrace. His blue eyes showed his terror. He shook his head. “I thought you got lost again, and it would have been my fault…”

I grabbed his hand. “Harry; don’t blame yourself. I’m the crazy one.”

Someone yelled, “You guys ok?!” from inside my room.

“Yeah,” Harrison answered. After taking a deep breath, he stood and extended a hand for me. He made me get back in bed and tucked the blankets tightly around me, as if that would keep me from wandering away like a lunatic again. I recounted my story to everyone. It sounded crazy to me. I didn’t know how I fell for it. I hated how scared everyone looked.

“If Mindy can make you do that…” René began but was unable to finish her sentence.

“I know.” I shivered. She could make me think one of my friends was a demon. We all know how that could end…“Guys, I’m really sorry to get you involved. I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your spring break, Har.”

“Oh shut up, Anora,” René pursed her lips. “What are friends for?”

“You’re my sister.” Harrison sat next to me, leaving it at that. We’re family, he meant. That’s what we do.

~*~

A deep voice stirred me out of my sleep. He wasn’t talking to me, but the familiarity in his words splashed incredible relief over me.

“She tried to jump from where?!”

“Up there,” someone answered.

A pause, then, “And she’s asleep now?”

“I think so,” Harrison answered. The mattress sunk down when Ethan sat next to me. His hand rested on my shoulder and he quietly whispered my name. I sat up, blinking the sleep away.

“How do I know you’re the real Ethan?” I asked, eyeing this beautiful man before me suspiciously.

“Yeah,” René said from across the room. “Tell us something about Anora only the real Ethan would know.”

“Ok,” Ethan raised his eye brows. “ASPCA commercials make you cry, you love anything yellow, and you want to run a horse rescue.”

“Oh please,” Keith said with a wave, “Anyone with a Facebook account could tell us that.”

“Fair enough.” Ethan smiled at me. “You got this—” he pushed my bangs out of my face and traced a scar above my left eye— “when a Pricolici spooked Mystery. You sought vengeance when they attacked Leslie, and went off to kill them on your own. We watched the sunset over Green Lake on our second date and the first time we slept together was on the turret in November.”

“Aww,” Keith swooned.

Ethan looked slightly embarrassed. I threw myself forward into his arms, which held me tight. I buried my head in his chest, listening to his heart beat before I became vaguely aware of everyone watching us. We gently let each other go. Hunter, who had been patiently waiting, jumped on the bed for his turn to greet me. I, of course, hugged him too, and the little empty part of my heart filled again. Hunter was truly connected to me. I sensed him laughing; he knew Ethan was real the whole time and could have easily told me.

“Brat,” I told him with a smile. He put a paw in my hand and licked me. “What now?” I asked Ethan. “What did you find out?” I asked Ethan. Tension filled the room as we waited his reply.

“You were right about the date and time,” Ethan said to Keith. “And about the overdose. The girl was eighteen and took what she claimed she thought was candy. It turned out to be ecstasy.”

 
“Claimed?” Keith asked incredulously. “You mean she gave a statement? Before she died?”

“No, after,” René sassed.

“She didn’t die,” Ethan told us. Keith’s mouth fell open. Ethan nodded at his doubt. “Well, at least not permanently. Here’s where it gets tricky; the EMTs reported no heartbeat when they arrived. But, they were able to revive her.”

Keith leaned forward, enthralled in the info. “What is her name? Maybe I know her.”

“Clarice Cross.”

The name struck a chord of familiarity in me, though I couldn’t place it. Clarice Cross…I dug back in my mind while Ethan and Keith talked. Clarice Cross, I repeated. Clarice…Clare. Clare Cross. I gasped.

“What is it?” Ethan asked.

“Clarice—Clare—Cross,” I stammered. “She’s the stylist that cut my hair.”

Chapter 14 - Looks that Kill

“You’re kidding, right?” René stammered.

I shook my head. “I wish I was. I can’t believe it.” I grabbed my hair, ran a hand down it, and stared at the ends as if it would give me some sort of insight. “No wonder she’s in my head. The bitch has my hair!”

Ethan smiled. “This is bad, really bad,” he muttered.

“Then why are you smiling?” Harrison asked.

“We know who it is. And how to stop of hallucinations.”

“We do?” Harrison questioned.

I nodded. “I need my hair back. I read about personal curses like this in the BOS. I passed right over then because I didn’t think anyone had my hair or fingernail clippings. Ahh! How could I have missed it?”
 
I pushed myself to the edge of my bed, shook my head, and grabbed my phone. A grin broke across my face as well. “Well, at least now I know how she knows about me.”

“You do?” René asked.

I nodded and opened the internet on my phone. “She’s my friend on Facebook.”

“She requested your friendship, and you accepted?” Ethan asked me.

“Yeah,” I said meekly.

“You didn’t think it was odd she requested your friendship?” he continued.

I shrugged and looked at René for support. “Not really. She was really nice and talkative. You don’t always
know
the people you’re friends with on Facebook,” I explained.

Ethan shook his head. “Then what’s the point of being friends?”

“I don’t know, but that’s not the point. We can get her now!” I exclaimed. I logged onto my profile. I had more than enough pictures of Mystery, Neptune, Romeo, and Hunter. It was obvious Mystery was my main horse due to all the shows I had photographs of us at. I scrolled down through previous posts. Not that long ago, Laney posted a picture of a barn owl as a joke. I got her back by posting a pic of a clown on her profile. She then posted another picture, this time of a Luna month.

“Ohmigod,” I said when another wheel clicked into place. “I know why she looked weird to Hunter! She did a glamour, and I know where she got her glamour inspiration too! In salons, sometimes there are pictures of models with new haircuts or styles on the wall. I remember there was one of a very pretty blonde woman. Guess who?”

“Mindy. She was a glamour and it was Clare all along,” Ethan said.

“Yes.” I smiled, surprised at how fast Ethan caught on. “That’s why she looked weird to Hunter. He could see through it!”

Harrison stepped forward. “Now what do you do?” he asked.

“Find her and kill her,” I said excitedly. Harrison’s eyebrows pushed together, forming little lines on his face. “Ok, not
kill
her. I’ll…I’ll give her a stern talking to.”

“At least beat her up,” Ethan said with a smirk.

“Yes!” I agreed and swung my legs over the edge of the bed.