After Feodorvna

Chapter Nine

"Hey, Ellie? Are you okay? You look stunned." Holden nudged my arm.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I took a long swig of my spiced tea. "Where've you been?"

"Exploring this place. It's pretty cool. They've got a whole garden." he chuckled. "No white roses, though."

I laughed. "Oh."

It had started to thunder. There weren't many stragglers around, either. If anyone, it was just Grey trying to salvage some food. The twins must've gone inside, but I'd seen Callie sprint to her car.

"Want to take a walk around the garden with me?" Holden asked.

"Sure."

The garden was a football field's length away in the backyard. It was closest to the woods surrounding the Sfofkis' secluded house. Technically, it wasn't on their property, but in our town, you could take any land you wanted if you lived far enough away from someone else. So, if you had a neighbor right next door like normal people, you couldn't take their yard from across the usually invisible line separating your houses. And if there were woods behind you house, they were fair game only if you lived in the country.

Daniella had really outdone herself on decorating the garden. There were flower petals on the stone pathway, and lanterns were hung from bird feeder hangers. She'd even scattered little faux diamonds on the ground to add some sparkle. The garden totally glowed.

"It's beautiful, Holden." I touched a lantern, almost afraid that it would disintegrate in my hand.

"Just like you." Holden smiled while grabbing my hand and pulling me into the shadows just as it started to rain.

I glanced over at the Sfofski's house. It called to me. "Shouldn't we go inside?"

He casually pulled the collar up of his jacket up. "We'll be fine."

"Alright."

He gave me a slow once-over. "Darling, you shimmer. Especially during storms." He bent down and plucks some fake diamonds from the ground and sprinkled them over my hair.

I giggled. Goddess, he made me act like a five year-old sometimes.

"Wanna dance?" he asked.

"Sure."

We danced to the sound of rain and thunder. The diamonds in my hair caught the light, making me believe that I really shimmered. But the rain was soaking me to the skin. Holden's leather jacket was collecting rain too, and I wondered how he did it. He always looked put together without trying too hard, and even the rain didn't mess it up. I was starting to sink into space - and Holden's arms - when we heard the unmistakable sound of heels clacking.

"Who is it?" I demanded, afraid to be caught dancing in the rain at an abandoned party.

No one answered.

"Let me go check." Holden didn't meet my eyes when he let go of me to turn the corner.

Once he was gone, I swore I heard a whimper. Then a gunshot went off, echoing through the garden. I screamed, but instead of running away, I ran towards it. What if Holden was shot?

I gasped at what I found.

Blood pooled at Holden's feet in a thick, crimson puddle, already being mixed with rain. He was holding a gun and grinning at the body of an innocent girl; Camdenville's own, Feodorvna Sfofski. Her golden curls lay in a halo around her head, and her signature white dress clung to her skin.

I snatched the gun out of Holden's hands and turned it on him. "What the hell!"

His eyes widened and his grin vanished as if he expected me to roll with it. "Woah, I can explain."