'Til Death Do Us Part

Twenty Nine

Vivian stared back at me as though what she had just said was a regular, casual thing to say to someone. I blinked and just stared at her.

"Protection. Yes." She nodded.

"Protection from...?" I urged.

"From Ariana," she answered.

"You protected me from Ariana?" I barely recognized my own voice.

"Of course," she confirmed. "Like I said, you and I had always been friends. True friends. Any time Ariana was mean to me, you always tried to cheer me up. You're what kept those sleepovers going. If you weren't there, I probably would've ended up going home in the middle of the night. I would not have lasted an entire night with just her! But you made it fun. I never forgot that."

I almost wanted to ask her if she realized she was talking about me. The person she was talking about wasn't someone I thought of myself as being. True I fondly remembered the times I shared with Vivian years ago, but I didn't recall Ariana treating her horrendously. Nor was I familiar with the person she described me as. I had simply treated Vivian the way I would any friend. Hadn't I?

"That's sweet of you to say, but..." I stuttered.

"It's true. You say you don't remember it like that? I always suspected you were in denial. Sorry." She made a face.

"No, it's fine. Tell me."

"You're a good friend, Everly. You were a great friend to Ariana. Loyal. Accepting. Maybe you didn't want to admit that side of her. It's understandable. She makes you beg for more, isolates you so you'll fear living without her, and then uses you like a frightened puppet."

"Harsh." I whispered.

"You asked," she said softly.

"True," I agreed. "And the protection?"

She shrugged. "I just had a feeling you'd need it, that's all."

If I understood Vivian correctly, then she was capable to put a protection spell on me, resulting in my canceling plans with Ariana the night she died. If she could do that..

"Vivian," I questioned, "how long does that spell last?"

"You mean 'did' it last?" she asked. "It lasted up until it was used. The night of the crash."

I thought for a minute, unsure how to explain things to Vivian, and ask her for another protection spell.

"I have to tell you about what's been going on with me," I started. "It might take a while. Are you in a rush?"

She shook her head. "I had a feeling there was something going on. Let's talk."

I told her everything. From my nightmares, spilled photos all over my floor, the mirror, Maggie's store, the house fire, Leo's fall, and my mom's car accident. I confessed every detail up until what happened last night.