Page 55 of Wicked Bite
I shook my head. “She would never willingly leave me. I know Piper. It’s not like that. We are devoted to each other.”
Tilly arched her eyebrows. “Did you ever think she may not have had a choice?”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” What if she was forced into something she didn’t want to do or a place she didn’t want to go. I wasn’t there to help her or protect her. And that was my job as her sister. That’s what we did for each other. We supported, protected, and always remained loyal. This was the first time we’d ever lost touch since meeting, and deep down I was worried the worst had happened.
She pulled another card and flipped it onto the table between us. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Death? Are you trying to tell me she’s dead?”
Maze snorted and shook his head. Tilly tapped the card with her long black nail that looked more like a claw. “It’s a common misconception to think that the death card actually means death. It’s a transition, a new beginning for her.”
“How does that help me?” I crossed my arms and slouched in the chair.
Tilly leaned in. “Because I could take you to her.”
“No, no. I am not going in there with you.” I stood at the edge of the Broad Street Cemetery right across from the famous Pickering House in Salem. Tilly was to my left and on the other side of her stood Maze, all silent and creepy with a shovel in his hand.
Tilly shrugged. “Then you will never know what happened to your friend.”
My stomach rolled and my heart sank. “Are you telling me she’s buried in there?”
“Only one way to find out.” She took a step onto the grass and began walking toward he back corner of the cemetery, where large trees stood tall and imposing.
This was some kind of trick. These two were going to drag me out here and kill me for a weird thing that they thought represented witches but really didn’t. I was going to be the next face on the missing fliers . . . or not. Piper was the only one who really cared about me. Would she walk into that graveyard with two complete strangers if it would help? The answer was a resounding yes. But if something happened to me who would continue the search for her? Who would make sure she got home safely? No one.
Tilly glanced over her shoulder. “If you leave, you will always wonder.”
A cold shudder wracked my body and I wanted to forget this whole thing, but she wasn’t wrong. I would always wonder if the little psychic from Artists’ Row knew all along where my best friend was, and I didn’t listen. I took a step onto the grass and motioned for her to lead the way. We wandered around old gray headstones that were still covered in a thin layer of ice from the sleet a few nights ago. The grass crunched under my feet with each step I took. I stayed a few feet back from them just in case I needed to run. But when they came to a stop under one of the trees and looked down at the freshly dug up dirt, I thought I might puke.
“Is she . . . is she there?” My voice shook, and I felt a ball form in my throat. No, it couldn’t be. I shook away the thought.
“Only one way to find out.” She gave a nod to Maze and without a word, he started digging.
At first, I flinched each time the shovel hit the dirt, like it was a slap in the face. But the farther down he got, the more I knew in my gut that I would find her there. My hands shook, not from the cold but from my frayed nerves. My breaths came in faster panicked puffs. I fought against the nausea and just kept on breathing the cold air. I didn’t say a word to Tilly, and she didn’t try to speak to me or even comfort me. Instead, we both just watched Maze get lower and lower while the pile of dirt beside the grave got higher and higher.
The shoveling continued. Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. Each time it hit the dirt, I winced like it would be the last time. Until there was no more thwacking sound. I didn’t look down, didn’t even dare to. My breath caught in my throat, and I fought the black dots that swarmed my vision.
“Why’d he stop?”
Maze threw the shovel out of the hole then climbed out to stand next to Tilly. When he met my eye, that harshness I’d seen earlier had left, and in its place was a silent pity. I knew that look well. It was the kind of look I got when people found out I was an orphan and had no one. But I did have someone. I had Piper and she had me. We were our own little family, and without her, I was all alone in the world, with no one to turn to.
I shook my head. “No.”
“You have to.” Tilly pointed toward the hole. “For her and for yourself.”
Tears pooled behind my eyes and threatened to spill over. I curled my hands into fists and looked to the sky, staring at the light pink and dark blue colors that came with sunset. It would’ve been pretty had I not been standing here. Please, God, don’t let it be her. Don’t take her away from me. She’s my only family. Please, God . . . please.
“Dice. It’s time.” Tilly’s voice was warm and gentle.
I swallowed and let my eyes drift down to the ground and into the dark hole. My hands flew to my mouth and my legs shook. My legs went weak, and I fell to my knees. A sob ripped from my lips, and I heard myself screaming. Tears spilled from my eyes and poured down my face. There was my friend, the only person I had in the world, laying at the bottom of an unmarked grave. Her face was a pale blue-gray color, and her eyes were closed tight. Dirt covered every inch of her, but even so, I would know that face anywhere.
“Piper! No!” Another sob broke through, and I curled my hands into the grass, screaming. My heart was torn in two. The pain ripped and tore at my chest like it hurt to even breathe. “You have to help her, please.”
When I got no answer, I looked up and they were gone. It was like Maze and Tilly never existed. I was alone in the graveyard, kneeling over my best friend’s dead body with not a soul in sight to hear me. I shook my head no. This couldn’t be happening. I-I couldn’t do this. Couldn’t live through this. Every breath hurt my body, and I wanted to lie down next to her and let the tears just fall.
This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be how it ended. We’d come so far and had so much more living to do. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!”
I crawled to the edge of her grave. “Piper, I swear I will find who did this to you. Piper, please.”
But she was too still in death. Another sob hit me and this one made my throat feel raw with emotion. “PLEASE! HELP ME!”
