Page 7 of Casper
It didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting through this night without any more trouble.
As we emerged from the house, chaos broke out in the park. People started shouting that a body had been found. Everyone needed to leave. Moments later a voice came over theloudspeaker asking everyone to calmly exit the park due to an unexpected emergency.
The body had been found. The police would be here.
Nervously, I glanced at Casper. His expression was neutral. Unruffled. Either he genuinely felt untouchable or he’d simply done this so many times that it no longer fazed him.
Catching my eye, he mouthed, “It’s okay.”
Was it though?
“Holy shit.” Storm held tight to Rebel’s hand as we all made our way toward the exit. “I wonder what happened.”
“People are saying a body was found,” Codie said, standing on her tiptoes to survey the growing crowd of people rushing to get out of the park.
“And they’re making us leave? Right as things get good? Go figure.” Auryn Brewer chuckled. Another Graveyard King, he’d joined our group before the last house. “Oh well, I guess that means the party starts early.”
Again I was struck with the urge to go home. To hide out in my bed with my favorite fuzzy blanket. I racked my brain, trying to think of a valid excuse to leave, and coming up empty. The girls would be suspicious.
Maybe a party was just what I needed. Plying myself with alcohol felt like a good way to help me get through the night. Since Athena, Ripley, and I had taken an Uber here together, we split off from the others at the exit to wait for a ride. We would meet everyone else at the graveyard. That gave me some time away from Casper to gather my thoughts and brace myself for the evening ahead.
The Graveyard Kings were known for their parties. Maybe even more so than their criminal antics. They ran year-round, no matter the weather. They’d claimed an old, abandoned church on the edge of town, using it for their illegal business dealings.The church came with a crumbling graveyard that backed onto the forest flanking the city. It was the perfect location for a party.
One might think the city would find a way to shut it down. Tear down the church or something. They never did. I suspected they had decided that to do so would only drive the parties into the city.
“I wonder what happened,” Ripley said as we got into our rideshare. “Wintervale never has anything exciting going on. It would be crazy if someone died in there.”
Yep. Crazy.
“Pretty sure this town has a lot more insane shit happening than we even know about. Nothing would surprise me at this point.” Athena pulled a compact out of her bag, checking her makeup in the tiny mirror.
“Maybe there was an accident and it’s not as bad as it sounds,” I said, trying to be part of the conversation so they wouldn’t suspect anything.
While Athena turned to social media to try to find out what happened at the park, I stared out the window. So easily I’d become wrapped up in something huge. Something life changing.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of thing I could talk to my friends about. Maybe Storm and Codie. They already had first-hand experience with the Kings and their world. I wasn’t sure if they could help, but maybe they would have some useful advice.
The closer we drew to the graveyard, the more my stomach began to turn. Casper would be there. I needed to stay away from him. Hopefully he would be too busy with his friends to pay any attention to me.
“Have you seen the new quarterback that just transferred from Henderson?” Athena held up her phone, showing us a picture of a dark haired guy in a football jersey. “I wonder if he’ll be at the party. He’s yummy.”
“Cute,” Ripley agreed. “Too bad the football players always have such huge egos.”
Athena grinned. “Usually for a good reason. He’s going to the top of my list.”
Ripley and I exchanged a glance, both rolling our eyes and smiling. Athena was definitely the Blanche Devereaux of our group. She enjoyed men, and they enjoyed her right back.
My anxiety grew when we arrived at the graveyard. Since we were well into the Canadian fall, the sun had set hours ago. Orange patio lanterns hung from the trees and perched atop the headstones, bathing the graveyard in a warm glow. A generator powered the church, lighting it up. Too bad it wasn’t heated.
Although we hadn’t had any snow yet this season, the chill in the air promised that it was coming soon. A fire pit in the middle of the graveyard already had a small crowd gathered around it.
The girls were ready to party. They got out of the car chattering about the night ahead. Eager for some fun. I was more than ready for Halloween to be over now.
CHAPTER FIVE
CASPER
I kept my distance from Luna. She didn’t need to tell me to stay away from her. I picked up the vibe loud and clear.
