Page 12 of Fatally Yours
“I think we’re going to have a hard time convincing Scott and Wes,” I said after an excruciating silence.
“You don’t want Devin to help?” she smirked. I gave her a pointed look. She knewexactlywhy I didn’t want him involved.
“I don’t want him to know.”
V
“Are you sure about this?” Wes said as we made our way through the sea of gravestones. “Because I’m not.” His boots stomped against the dirt, singing along with the harmony of other items Mandy had in her backpack. It was slung over her shoulder, and I could hear the objects inside rattle as we walked.
The moon was shining a pale yellow as it loomed over our heads, observing as we committed this atrocity against nature. There was nothing right about what we were going to do, but somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to stop it.
“I’m not either,” I said. “But Mandy swears by it.” Scott glanced over at me, aiming the flashlight in front of us. Each stone heilluminated made me feel increasingly nauseous, and even though I had been here countless times before, there was something taboo about being in a cemetery at night. Or maybe it was the idea that we were committing an offense against the dead.
“Swears by some stupid book we found at a crappy flea market?” he asked. I nodded, and even in the dark, I could see the puzzled expression on his face. Mandy didn’t bother looking over her shoulder.
“I promise you, it’ll work.”
Wes peered through his long blond hair at me. “What about Devin?” My head sank between my shoulders. That was a good question. I said he would have to deal with it, but I wasn’t ready to face that fallout. He would hate me, August, and maybe everyone else for helping. It would make things uncomfortable, but he would get over it. I hoped.
“What about him?” Mandy said. “August was right. He was just waiting for him to drop off the face of the planet.” Wes’ eyes veered away, knowing fully well that her statement rang true. I should’ve seen it before—how he came in and tried to take August’s place in my life from the get-go. He didn’t even shed a tear at his funeral.
The rest of our brief journey was spent in silence as we continued to his grave. Even though this was a small town, the local cemetery was fairly large, and I didn’t think we were rushing to walk on any plots. We all made sure to step around where someone was buried and adhered to that—until we found him.
Mandy hadn’t completely filled us in on what she would do when we reached him, but I trusted her. From what I read in the book the day she proposed the idea to me, there was going to be salt and herbs, and we had to cut ourselves. The rest was up to her. All we had to do was follow her directions, and hopefully, we wouldn’t summon something that would rip us to shreds or drink our blood. We had all seen the movies. We knew how mistakes like this went.
“I never realized how spooky cemeteries are at night,” Scott said. “I feel like I’m going to get grabbed and pulled into the ground.” Wes shot him a glare.
“Don’t say that, dude. It’s disrespectful to the dead.”
“This whole thing is disrespectful to the dead,” he retorted under his breath. As we continued, Wes put his arm around me.
“Areyouokay with this?” he questioned. I sighed, keeping my eyes on the grass below.
“I just want him back,” I said. “Life isn’t the same.” He nodded and rubbed my shoulder reassuringly, releasing me from his grasp.
“I get it.” Just as we separated, we finally reached August. His headstone looked just as pristine as it did the day they put it in, only because I maintained it. His parents were nice enough and did care about him, but they both left town after we graduated from high school. There really was something about this town that made people want to leave.
Wes’ sister was gone, Mandy’s brothers moved out a few years ago, and my parents sped off the moment they could legally leave me. We had to fend for ourselves, but at least we had each other. It was tough, but things were finally looking up over the past year or two—until that fateful day. Even after all this time, they hadn’t made an arrest. It was almost like he wasn’t a priority.
We circled his plot, and everyone stared at it in solemn silence. I felt my throat close as I crouched down, brushing my hand over his name etched in the stone. It was a sight I didn’t think I would ever get used to.
“God…” I muttered, feeling tears dot the corners of my eyes. Behind me, Mandy tossed her backpack on the ground and began to rifle through it. I stood up, and Wes grabbed my hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. After a few moments, she pulled out a carton of salt, making Scott raise a brow.
“What?” she said, cocking her head to the side. “Don’t give me that look.”
“You understand how bizarre this is, right?” he said. She lowered her eyes at him as her free hand balled into a fist.
“Shut up. You know it’s not the same without him. I want things back to the way they were, too.” A strange silence fell over us. There was nothing incorrect about her statement. We all felt the tension and sorrow. The friction between Devin and me was uncomfortable. He even raised his hand to me once, and Wes had to stop him before he did anything rash. It was like we lost our heart. His voice no longer echoed through our gatherings, andthe absence of music was stark. Everything was different, and we all knew it.
“Okay, first, I need to put down a circle of salt. Make sure you stay where you are.” She began to wander around us, pouring the contents of the carton on the ground as she went. Scott eyed her.
“What’s that for?”
“I’m just following the instructions.”
“You’re gonna kill the grass,” Wes piped up. “Then we’re really going to be in trouble.” Mandy ceased pouring and pointed the carton at him.
“I’m gonna killyouif you don’t shut your trap,” she said. “Or this ritual will. So keep your questions for later unless you have a death wish,Wesley.” Even through the glow of the flashlight, I could see his face go pink.
