Page 2 of What Happened on Roslyn Street?
“You don’t.” I stare ahead, folding my hands on my lap.
Already, the crowd in the church is thinning. The hordes who showed up for Poppy don’t linger for long. They pay their respects, and then they’re gone.
I’m the only one haunted by her.
I continue, “Poppy’s parents might not know about ourpettydrama, but you know she didn’t like you. Not after what you did.”
“What, exactly, did I do?”
“You know!” My voice rises higher than I mean. It’s enough to attract a few turning heads. I flush red, slumping in my seat. “You know,” I mutter, softer this time, shaking my head.
“You’re embarrassing both of us,” she whispers. “Can you hold it together?”
“No, Margaux. Ican’t.” I stand. “We’re at a funeral. We’re atPoppy’sfuneral. She was only twenty-five, and now—she’s gone! How areyouso untroubled?”
“One of us has to be, otherwise the world would be in shambles.”
“It already is. Poppy is dead!” I move through the aisles, desperate to reach the nearest exit.
I already know Margaux is following me outside, her shoes clicking against the hot pavement behind me. Summer is in full swing—it’s a scalding, sticky day, but Margaux catches up to me without breaking a sweat.
“You couldn’t give us one day?” She laughs bitterly. “It’s our best friend’s funeral, and you can’t even pretend to forgive me!”
“No!” We’re outside and I stop holding back, unbotheredby others listening in. At least God can’t hear us now. “She ismybest friend. Your kind killed her!”
Margaux has lied to me too many times to count, but I don’t believe she was the one to kill Poppy.
“What do you mean?” she asks with a sharp tongue.
“Nothing!” I laugh, marching in the opposite direction. “Go! Enjoy yourself! If you can get back inside without bursting into flames.”
“Tobey!”
She calls my name, and even though I want to keep running, I turn with fresh tears streaming down my face. She stares at me, her lips pressed together.
“I would have done anything to save her,” she says. “I would betray any vampire,anyone,if it means she gets to breathe again. You know that.”
Underneath her veil, a single drop of blood trails down her cheek. Vampire tears, I realize. It’s the first time I’ve seen my old friend cry. She stares at me in desperation, doing nothing to hide her bloody tears.
She doesn’t deserve it, but for once, I believe her.
“I know,” I say. “But it’s too late.”
She’s my only living best friend, and after today, I will never speak to her again.
Chapter One
THREE MONTHS LATER
Stay calm. Everything will be fine. You’re only heading into a den of bloodthirsty vampires!
And one of them is a killer.
My pulse races as I stand in front of the most covert college in Maine.
I may be one of the few at Strode Universitywitha pulse. The building towers over me—closer to a castle than anything I’ve seen—and my chin lifts as my gaze roams up. Stone walls, stained glass windows, and towering pillars greet me. Fall is only beginning. Bright leaves still quiver on tree branches, threatening to fall any day, and the sun still shines.
In a few months, we’ll descend into the season I can only describe as a pit of despair. Winter in Maine is not for the faint at heart. I’ll enjoy autumn while I can.
