A Ship Without Sails

Chapter 34

The next morning, Shayna went down to the kitchen late, where her parents were hustling around, making tea and coffee.

"It's a new day! Yes, November 3rd is a day of healing for us," Mrs. Blackburn said cheerfully. "Shayna, you don't have to go to school if you don't want to. We should stick together today."

Shayna nodded, placing bread in the toaster, one piece for her and the other for Daisy. When they popped up, she buttered them and spread jam on one, knowing that was how Daisy liked it. She put the toast on a plate, poured a cup of tea, and carried them up to Daisy's room.

"Daisy? You up?" she called, using her elbow to knock on the door. When Daisy didn't reply, she placed the mug on the floor, opened the door, then picked it back up.

"C'mon, you can't sleep in that long, it's already, like, 10!" she exclaimed cheerfully, setting the plate and mug on Daisy's desk. She looked at Daisy in bed, and her heart stopped. Daisy wasn't there.

Then she turned around and let out a sigh of relief. The bathroom door was closed. That must have been why Daisy hadn't heard the knocking, either. Shayna rapped on the bathroom door. "Morning, Daisy!" she called, expecting to hear a startled gasp and Daisy to swing the door open, indignant as usual.

She was met with more silence.

Shayna felt her palms get clammy and had to wipe them on her pants before gripping the doorknob. She turned the knob slowly, unsure what to expect.

The lights were off, but there was a faint, soft light coming through the small window, right above the tub. There was an overwhelming smell of lavender bubble bath, Daisy's favorite. Another sweet smell filled the air, which was the lingering smoke of a burned-out scented candle. The pure white candle had been a birthday gift from Shayna to Daisy a few years ago. Now, the wick was blackened and the marred wax caving in.

"Daisy?" Shayna whispered. She stepped forward onto the rug in front of the bathtub, then recoiled when she found it was wet. She flicked the lights on.

Then she screamed... and screamed... and screamed.

Her sister was in the overflowing bathtub. One arm dangling over the edge, head resting on the wall, as if she were relaxing in the bath. Daisy's once-bright green eyes were sunken and dull, staring right into Shayna's wide amber ones. The tips of her blonde hair were floating in the water, which had a shiny layer on top of it. Her skin, the skin she had obsessed over keeping pale, was a sickly gray-white color, and seemed to be falling from her prominent cheekbones. Her mouth was hanging open, her lips brittle and cracked. She was fully clothed, in the same green dress she had worn on the day of Kerry's murder.

There was no question this time. Daisy Blackburn was dead.