Beautiful Demons

24. Not Anymore

The following morning, Ella Mae pronounced me well enough to go back to school. To tell the truth, I was dreading it. Even though being at home had been kind of boring, I had no idea what to expect from the people at school. Agnes told me that no one believed I was responsible for what happened to Tori, which was a relief. But at the same time, everyone knew I had been questioned. So far, Tori's killer was still out there, and some people were bound to suspect me just because I'd been brought in.

Something tugged at the back of mind. Why had they brought me in for questioning? There had to be something linking me to the crime, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what. When I asked Ella Mae about it, she said the fever must have caused some temporary memory loss. Apparently, the doctor told her it was a possible side effect. The trouble was - I didn't remember seeing any doctors.

I hated this feeling of constant forgetfulness. I had an idea about my life since I first came to Shadowford, but when I tried to recall conversations and specific events, everything got confusing.

"You coming?"

Agnes stood outside the Shadowford van and waved me out. The ride to school had seemed short. My mind must have been wandering again. I was doing that a lot lately.

I walked toward the school with Agnes, pausing only for a moment to look up at the large stone demon statue. I remembered passing out by the statue my first day of school, and there was more, wasn't there? Some other connection to this statue I couldn't quite place.

"Are you sure you're okay to be back already?" Agnes said. "You seem kinda out of it."

I shook my head slightly. "I'm fine. Just having a hard time remembering stuff, you know?"

"Well, hopefully you'll remember all the stuff you learned before you were out sick. I think you've got a calculus test today."

I groaned and followed Agnes into the building.

For the most part, people were more polite than I expected. Sure, there were the whispers and some extra long glances my direction, but no one yelled at me or called me a murderer or anything obvious. The part of the day I'd been dreading, however, was lunch. When the lunch bell rang, I felt a twist in my stomach.

The cheerleaders. I didn't want to face them. What if they all blamed me for what happened to Tori?

I went through the line, then took the empty seat next to Agnes. I barely listened to the conversation around me, keeping my eye on the center table. I knew when they'd arrived. Everyone at the table turned to look, their stares lingering for a moment longer than you'd expect. That was the way it was with everyone when the cheerleaders walked into a room. It was like you couldn't take your eyes off them.

I set my burger down on the plate untouched. I couldn't eat anything. My stomach was in knots. I risked a look back and saw the three friends walking together toward their table. Brooke stopped mid-stride and looked straight at me. My mouth opened and I sucked in a gulp of air. I wanted to look away, but I froze instead.

Brooke turned to Lark and whispered something in her ear. Lark glanced my way, then motioned to Allison. All three of them were staring straight at me. I forced my gaze away.

"Oh my God, they're coming over," Agnes whispered.

My eyes widened and all my muscles tensed.

"Harper Madison," Brooke said. She was standing near my chair. So close the edge of her sweater brushed against my arm.

"Yes?" I took a deep breath and waited for the insults. The anger. The accusations.

"We need to talk," Lark said. To my surprise, she reached over and grabbed my lunch tray. She started walking toward the center table with her friends, then turned back to me. "Come on."