Vicious Memories

Chapter 78

"Don't look so sour," Alice whispered in my ear, "it's not like we're going to to die tomorrow or anything."

I glanced at her. The flames of the bonfire crackled like popcorn at the movies, and the crystal stars wheeled icily overhead. "Isn't it?"

"Well, yeah. That was the joke."

"A joke? From quiet Alice?"

She pulled a face and leaned away. "I can joke if I want to joke. And I haven't been quiet lately."

"No. I suppose you haven't."

Six of us sat around the flames roaring in Felix's unfinished fire pit, part of the full third of the village on watch duty tonight. Alice and I sat side by side, the skin of her arm warm on mine.

The knowing smiles that evening had let us know the charade was up - everyone knew that we were... well, that we were something. It was a lone bright spot, and it seemed to make people happy, so we decided not to argue against the notion. Why would we lie anyway? Neither of us even knew exactly what we'd be lying about.

The past hour had been weighed down with talk of our confrontation with the Strangers. We all wanted to know if it had anything to do with the killings. Would solving the murders stop the attack? Was the attack the endgame of the murderer?

"I don't know," I said. "But I intend to find out."

"How can you?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm not sure. But I'm close to something."

"Tell us."

"I don't know how to explain it, honestly, and I don't know anything yet for sure. As soon as I do, you'll be the first to hear."

Arun rolled his eyes at the circle, clearly showing what he thought of my claims. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was just spewing hot air.

Around midnight I bent to whisper in Alice's ear. The gesture was pleasantly intimate. We both stood.

"We're going to walk or a bit," I said. "Clear our heads."

Arun frowned as Neema's eyes twinkled. Bev smirked at the flames.

Gabriel nodded. "Be safe. Do not leave the village without the four of us."

"We know."

The night ruffled my hair as we walked, our feet swishing through grass that hadn't seen rain in a couple of days. Even without it, humid moisture was always in the air, and dew would cling to every green blade come sunrise, condensed like magic from some invisible realm hovering just out of sight.

We stepped over the row of flowers circling the monkeypod tree and their heady smell greeted us warmly. Alice hadn't had much time to tend them over the past few days; they were slightly wilted, as if someone had told them bad but not unbearable news.

We sat against the rough bark of the tree for a while, nestled in a depression between two huge roots. The leaves overhead had curled up for the night, and we stared at the sky through the gaps between the branches, our fallen friends keeping us company from their graves. I imagined a slightly desiccated Jessica coming to sit next to us, innocent bone peeking through the skin of her cheek like ivory. She might laugh and tell us that being dead wasn't so bad. Then she would turn to Sirus and Shana and Perry, and together the four of them would tell us who had killed them and why. They would give me the confirmation I needed to act.

My hand found Alice's in the darkness. Our fingers laced together like they'd been doing so for centuries.

"Tell me," she said, "what you wanted to say when you came into the cabin earlier."

I did. In the moonlight streaming through the bare branches I told her everything I knew and everything I suspected. She looked on darkly as I spoke, no yellow ring visible in her eyes, and when I finished she looked sad.

"Do you believe me?"

"I do," she said. "And I'll help. Tomorrow morning, when you go off, I'll do my own investigating."

I sank back against the monkeypod tree with a heavy sigh. "Thank you."

The relief I felt was like waking from a thousand-year hallucination only to find yourself safe in your bed at home, dawn still an hour away and the blankets warm and heavy.

It was cruel, then, that my relief gave me the peace of mind I needed to fall asleep for a few hours, and in that sleep to dream a true nightmare.