Page 55 of Conjure

I can never be too careful around Dominic. The man could hear a pin drop in a crowded room.

After changing into clean clothes and packing a bag, I climb out through my window, questioning my decision as I lower myself down the trellis. A normal person would leave through the front door, but something tells me it would wake the beast in the room next to mine.

He’ll soon find me. Every cell in my body knows it. I need a reprieve and a chance to breathe, even for just a few hours.

SIXTEEN

CAMRYN

Gwen letsme in with a wide smile on her black-painted lips. “I couldn’t believe it when you messaged me to ask for my address.”

I toe off my shoes in the hallway. “I’m sorry it’s so early. I didn’t even think you’d be awake.”

She shrugs, dressed in a leather skirt, a purple tank top, and a black choker. “I’ve struggled to sleep since…”

Benny’s death.

We stare at each other for a brief moment while the first rays of sunrise peek through the curtains.

“C’mon, this way.” Gwen walks past me, and I hike my bag higher onto my shoulder as I follow her upstairs to her bedroom.

Dropping my bag onto the floor, I take in the purple walls and even deeper purple curtains. A gray, fluffy blanket lies pooled on the quilt, and a pile of clothes litters the chair in the corner. Her desk is a biohazard with piles of textbooks, empty soda cans, and various small potted plants.

Behind me, my reflection is barely visible between the countless photographs taped to a freestanding mirror. I study them in silence while Gwen sits down on the bed.

“Most of them are from last year.”

“I like this one of you all.”

She walks up behind me and peers over my shoulder at the photograph of them all at the beach. “Benny got stung by a jellyfish that afternoon.” Her voice drips with grief.

My chest clenches. “I’m sorry about your loss.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know,” I reply, wringing my hands as her cherry scent thickens around me, “but maybe we shouldn’t have done the séance.”

“You think the séance is behind what happened?”

I turn around. “Maybe. Have you noticed anything weird since that day?”

Gwen walks back to her bed and plops down, her faraway gaze set on the woods outside. “The trees whisper.” Tears cling to her lashes as she lowers her gaze. “The wind...”

“It sings,” I finish for her.

She lifts her eyes and observes me for a beat before swiping at her tears. “Let’s skip school today. We need to find answers.”

“What answers?” I ask as she reaches for her phone on the bedside table.

She types out a few messages, then puts the phone down beside her and leans back on her hands. “We need to find out what happened to Benny.”

When I stay silent, she looks past me. “He wasn’t suicidal.”

“I didn’t know him that well.”

“But I did.”

Instead of replying, I sit down beside her in silence. Seconds tick by. We get lost in our thoughts. She nudges my shoulder and flashes a weak but playful smile. “Your stepbrother gave you the ‘D,’ then?”