Page 67 of Darkside

We walk around, visiting some of the different booths. I buy half a dozen new sage smudge sticks since I used all mine clearing out my house. Rene gets a few crystals and we’re both tempted to buy “fairy-inspired” dresses until we see the price tags. I choke down the rest of my drink and then we both get spiced ciders and cinnamon rolls and go to a table to eat them.

“Hi, can I join you?” a woman who appears to be in her late forties asks us.

“Of course.” I motion to the space across the table from us. “The more the merrier.”

“Right.” She smiles but her eyes don’t reflect the same emotion. “There are a lot of people here. Like a lot.”

“I’m not a fan of crowds either,” I say, understanding now why she doesn’t look happy to be here.

“I’ve never been here before,” the woman goes on. “But I couldn’t resist meeting like minded people, right?”

“That’s exactly why we’re here,” Rene says. “I had no idea this many people in the area shared my love of finding the power in nature.”

“Yeah. It’s, uh, amazing,” the woman goes on. “I wish more people would be like us, existing in harmony with the world.”

“Exactly!” Rene says loudly. She’s a little drunk and I love her excitement so much right now.

“I’m Amy,” the woman introduces, reaching across the table to shake my hand.

“Anora,” I say back and give her hand a shake.

“I’m Rene.” Rene waves with a broad smile. “Have you caved and shopped yet? I’m thinking I need to hit the crystal stand one more time.”

“I’ve been restraining myself.” Amy smiles and then lets out a breath. “Well, I’m going to get back out there. I just needed a minute.”

“Of course,” I tell her and pick up my cider, taking a drink. After the watered down cocktail, this is delicious. Rene and I share the rest of my cinnamon bun and then she gets up to use the bathroom. I’m starting to feel a little tired and I mentally roll my eyes at myself. Wasn’t I just teasing Ethan for being lame with his party ending at nine PM?

My phone buzzes with a text and I open it to see a photo of a report from Sam about Ariana. I enlarge the photo, heart skipping a beat when I see she has an extensive record. She would have been only six when her father committed the first murder. I scroll down and see that she joined the National Guard as soon as she turned eighteen and then served four years overseas. It looks like she came back for a bit and then served another four years.

And then things get interesting.

She was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, drug possession, breaking and entering, and currently has a restraining order against her for stalking.

“Damn. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” My vision gets a little blurry and I blink a few times, trying to clear it. My stomach twists, bringing about a sudden wave of nausea. Ugh. It has to be all that sugar I shoveled in my face.

I look back at the dates of her arrests and jail time and the sick feeling intensifies. “Holy fucking shit,” I whisper as something clicks in my head. The dates of her time served overseas and jail time coinside with the time gaps in the murders after Stuart died.

Harrison was right.

Springing to my feet, I get hit with dizziness. What the…I blink, body begging to lay down and fall asleep right here on the ground.

“Oh, fuck,” I grumble. That woman, Amy, reached over my drink to shake my hand. I should have known better but I let my guard down, not expecting to be drugged by a forty-something year old Wiccan.

But Amy isn’t the passive, peace-loving witch she introduced herself as. She’s Ariana McMillian, and she’s here to kill as many of us as she can.

“Rene,” I start, but slump back down at the table.

“Oh, you poor thing.”

My eyes shut and I can’t get them to open.

Tsk. Tsk. You shouldn’t have had so much to drink.” An arm wraps around my shoulders and the last thing I remember is a look of pure hatred on Ariana’s face. And then I pass out.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

My heart throbs and vomit burns in my throat, threatening to come up. I try to open my eyes but I can’t. Or maybe they are open and it’s dark? I’m so confused and have no idea what’s going on. I lose consciousness again but wake up with a start, hearing the music from the festival in the background.

What is going on?

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