I take a breath as a handful of girls in every type of costume enter the woods behind us. It’s clear there will be more than just a few of us here tonight.
“I think we should go through with it,” I whisper. “I have a feeling we’re going to put the Midnight Maidens out of business for good.”
A trio of women head this way wearing long, dark velvet, hooded cloaks, their faces lost in darkness. One of them stops off at the makeshift memorial, as the other two pull back their cloaks to reveal Raven and Tabitha.
“Five minutes,” Raven calls out as she gives a friendly wave. “And your lives are going to change forever.”
Camila pulls her shoulders back. “We’ll be right there.” She waits until they leave to pull me close by the arm. “And you’d better be there for me when I come looking to collect my five grand back at the end of the night. I’m not a wealthy woman, you know. I need that to pay my rent. And so help me, if I lose my home, I’m going to get a free room right here at the Country Cottage Inn. How would you like that?”
“I wouldn’t,” I snip. “And neither of us has to worry about it, because it’s not going to happen.”
A jumble of voices explodes from behind, and we turn to see both Georgie and Juni dancing this way.
Juni trots over dressed as a naughty schoolgirl, complete with a tiny plaid skirt that could work as a belt, a white blouse tied off under her boobs, and white knee socks with bows at the top. She’s paired the look with the requisite high-heeled Mary Janes and her hair in pigtails. It’s clear she’s committed to the look.
“Hey, chica.” Juni bumps her hip to mine. “Do you think they’re going to make us take off our clothes and dance naked in a circle?”
“Not happening,” Camila grunts. “Unless, of course, there’s a hot man at the helm barking out orders.” She shoots me a look. Jasper would be nice.
I growl over at her, and she gives a wink in return.
Georgie catches up, nearly out of breath, in a bright orange kaftan with glowing purple sequins trapping the moonlight, and in her arms is that haunted doll. Annabeth looks longer, taller than I last remember. Her muslin and lace sheath appears luminescent against the shadowy night, and her pale face looks sickly. Her eyes appear to be nothing more than dark holes bored into her face, but that creepy smile never leaves her face.
“Is it time to get naked?” Georgie does an odd little hop when she says it.
“Not yet, Georgie,” I whisper as I look over at the hooded woman standing alone next to the mountain of flowers set out for Blair. “We’ll be there in a second. Save a place for us, would you?”
Georgie casts a sideways glance to the woods. “Okay, but we’re not going in without the pooches. Come on, Sherlock and Sprinkles. You lead the way. If there’s a bear in there, I want you to warn us.”
Sherlock barks up at Georgie. I don’t do bears. We both know that.
Georgie pulls out a bouquet of bacon out of her pocket. “Oh, I think you do bears, my friend,” she says as if she understood him. “You do bears.”
I shake my head as the four of them take off. No one understands animals quite like Georgie Conner. The bacon doesn’t hurt either.
“Bear!” Juni cries as the four of them head into the woods.
Camila grunts, “If there is a bear in there, that bacon buffet she’s lugging around with her will guarantee she’s the first person it eats.”
“If we’re lucky, it’ll eat the doll, too,” I whisper and we share a tiny laugh. It’s times like these I think that Camila could see past all the coital chaos that surrounds us. “You know you have a genuine warmth about you when you finally let down your guard.”
“Then obviously I’m failing in my role as ice queen.” She presses that pointed hat of hers over her head another notch as she glances to the woods. “Come on, let’s get this wicked show on the road.”
“In a minute,” I say, looking at the hooded figure to our left and motion with my head for Camila to follow me. We make our way to the makeshift memorial, and the whites of Sabrina’s eyes flash our way.
Fish gurgles. I don’t like the look of this, Bizzy. It’s too dark. All you have with you is Camila. And this woman standing in front of you looks angry enough to kill.
Yes—she does, doesn’t she?
“Hello, Sabrina,” I say softly as Camila and I make our way over.
“Bizzy.” The moonlight washes over her as she pulls her hood off her head. “Camila.” A forced smile wobbles on her lips. “You girls ready to do what we came for?” As in fork over your money so I can get on with my life already.
Fish shudders. She’s having those dark thoughts again, isn’t she, Bizzy?
I nod.
Close enough, in my opinion.
“We’re ready,” I say. “This must be very hard for you.” I glance to the flowers piled high on the other side of the fence. “This will all be gone tomorrow. I can see why you’d want to spend some time here.”
“I can’t seem to leave.” She looks to the stack of hay that’s still disrupted from the struggle Blair had with her killer.
Sabrina takes a step our way and her dark cloak parts, revealing those glowing bones painted onto her costume underneath.
She looks like the Grim Reaper.
She looks like death.
I can’t wait for this nightmare to be over. Sabrina smirks over at the memorial. I’m counting down the hours until they sweep away this mess. I hope they burn the hay to rubble. I don’t want a trace of Blair or her blood around for another moment.
